Carrying a gun has recently been banned in Alberni Valley in order to control the increased cases of insecurity. There have been several cases of gangs shooting and gun robbery reported on a daily basis. The news comes after two suspected robbers were gunned down by policemen on patrol where two rifles and several ammunitions were recovered. After investigations by law enforcement officers, they discovered that the guns were robbed from their owners on the same day when the robbery incident occurred. It was also revealed that many gun holders are carrying their guns around without securing them in gun safes.

Another scary scene happened early this year when four men were recorded in a video robbing another man’s gun from his rear jeans pocket. The video went viral in social media, which contributed to the ban on carrying guns. However, many gun owners are claiming that the ban is denying them their rights to own a gun for safety purposes. As of today, a case is already filed in court to lift the ban while other gun owners are proposing amendments to the law to emphasize the use of gun safes throughout.

When the author of this article interviewed one of the gun owners, who sought for anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, the man said that carrying a gun without a gun safe is very risky because there are burglars walking on the streets to spot gun carriers. If they notice a gun in your pocket, they will launch a quick attack even before you plan to counter. Once they steal the gun, it will be used in illegal activities and then dumped in a public place. He added that such acts can be tricky because the gun owner might be held liable if the matter is not reported immediately to the police.

Alright, why do gun owners carry their weapons around?

This is an obvious query as most of you would say “gun is mainly for protection and self-defense“. However, some people carry them due to peer pressure. It is like a show-off. Perhaps, one feels more superior when carrying a gun. Others carry guns as a result of fear. They believe that a gun will always scare any potential attacker. When it comes to those prominent people such as politicians, they carry guns to gain power and respect.

Not everybody who carries a gun intends to use it. But things might be different at some point. If you get into an argument and you have the gun, things are likely to get out of control and possibly you may use it. Regardless of your intention, you can put yourself in a big trouble and the repercussions may be fatal.

Funny enough, a gun crime can affect an innocent bystander. If a person is standing at the bus stop and other people nearby start arguing, if one shoots the stray bullet can cause serious injuries or trauma to that bystander. If you accidentally shoot someone, the case must be serious no matter how big or small the injury the person sustains. So, what is the best approach to managing this issue of carrying guns? It is simple; always use a gun safe if you are entering a public space.

So, here are the two benefits of using gun safes;

Protect your rights

Many anti-gun groups say that guns are highly dangerous when left to anyone’s control. Actually, guns can be a threat to public safety if left in anyone’s hands. These groups propose banning of gun owning completely since they claim that all gun owners are irresponsible and careless at worst. No matter fatal or non-fatal gun accident, it will attract even national attention because media coverage will be involved. So, the law governing gun ownership can be adhered to, and demonstrated well, if you lock up your gun in a gun safe.

Protect from robbery

It may sound uncertain when locking up a gun in the safe to prevent being robbed by burglars. But this is very true because you don’t know the intention of the person next to you. Locking up the gun is recommended as long as you are in a public place where there are other civilians. Once you get out of the public, especially after getting into your car, you can keep the gun out of the safe for protection purposes.