Many gun owners own guns specifically for the purpose of protecting their homes and families from intruders. In order for you to protect your home, your gun needs to be easily accessible. Unfortunately, this very accessibility is what makes firearms in the home so dangerous and deadly for gun owners and their families.

According to many statistics, having a firearm in the home may be as dangerous, if not more so, than facing an intruder without one. In a year with 62,940 deaths due to firearms, 1,146 of these deaths were classified as “unintentional”. During the same period, there were 145,390 non-fatal firearm injuries. Of these injuries, 35,826 were classified as “unintentional”.

In the peer-reviewed journal Annals of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Wiebe reported people who keep a gun in their home are almost twice as likely to die in a gun-related homicide. The risk of killing oneself using a gun was almost 17 times greater for persons who live in a home where there is a gun.

In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers reported that owning a gun substantially increases the risk of death by firearms to everyone in the home. More than 1.5 million children live in households where firearms are kept unlocked and loaded, and over 100 innocent kids are killed every year.

So what can you do? Does this mean you shouldn’t own a gun? Absolutely not. Owning a gun is not only a right, but it can provide security for many families. The key is to protect your home from intruders by owning a gun, and protect the members of your family by keeping that gun locked safely away. How can you accomplish both?

1. Choose the right case.
Owning a locking pistol case is an important aspect of gun safety. There are a lot of options to choose from. Choose one that allows for quick, but controlled, access. Often key locking pistol cases are insecure because kids know where the keys are kept, can find or access them easily, etc. A locking pistol case, controlled with an RFID chip or Biometrics are both great options. Children cannot easily access them, and they provide easy access to your gun. A ring, wristband, or finger scan is all that is needed to gain quick access to your firearm. If an intruder were present, you’d be able to access your gun in mere seconds, but your children are not at risk.

2. Make sure it is conveniently located.
A locking pistol case is not going to do you any good in case of an intruder if it is not easy to get to. Choose a portable case, or one that can be mounted near critical areas in your home.

3. Protect your children by teaching gun safety.
Each year, nearly 140 minors are accidentally killed and more than 3,000 are injured by firearms. It is natural for kids to want to pick up and play with a gun. One way to prevent the risks associated with gun ownership in a home with kids is to teach your kids about firearm safety. A poll on children’s health conducted by the C. S. Mott Children’s Hospital, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, found that 18 percent of gun-owning parents and 52 percent of non-gun owners have never talked to their kids about firearm safety. Don’t be part of that percentage. Teach your children about gun safety while they are young and remind them often.