Attention A T users. To access the menus on this page please perform the following steps. 1. Please switch auto forms mode to off. 2. Hit enter to expand a main menu option (Health, Benefits, etc). 3. To enter and activate the submenu links, hit the down arrow. You will now be able to tab or arrow up or down through the submenu options to access/activate the submenu links.

Women Veterans Health Care

Menu
Menu

Quick Links

Veterans Crisis Line Badge
My healthevet badge
EBenefits Badge
 

Health Awareness Campaigns: Gun Safety

More women than ever are taking on the responsibility of gun ownership. While it is true that women Veterans are well-trained in the care and use of firearms as a result of military duty, it is critical to ensure that guns stored in the home are properly secured. By following these common-sense tips, parents and children can help prevent firearms accidents in the home.

Firearm Storage

Firearm storage options include, but are not limited to:

  • Firearm locks (trigger or cable)
  • Firearm cases
  • Firearm safes

A firearm locking device is intended only to deter access to a firearm by unauthorized persons, particularly children. It is not intended to withstand forced entry by someone determined to defeat the lock by using tools or other aggressive means, and should be considered as only one element of a safe storage program for firearms.

Let VA Help. To protect Veterans and their family members, VA endorses Project ChildSafe, a program that provides cable gun locks at VA medical facilities across the country at no charge. Gun safety locks not only help protect the lives of Veterans, but also their family members. Contact your nearest VA Medical Center and get a free gun lock from your primary care team or the facility’s suicide prevention coordinator.



Gun Safety Tips at Home

  • Treat every firearm as if it were loaded.
  • Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.
  • Keep your fingers off the trigger. Don’t rely on your firearm’s “safety” device.
  • Keep the firearm unloaded when it is not in use.
  • Make sure that firearms kept for security reasons are fully controlled at all times.
  • Make sure that firearms are securely stored in a location inaccessible to children and other unauthorized persons.
  • Unload sporting firearms before they are brought into the home and never load them while in the home.
  • Immediately clean sporting firearms and place them in secure storage after they are returned from
    hunting or target shooting.
  • Carefully check and confirm that firearms are unloaded when they are removed from storage.
  • Store ammunition under lock and key, separately from firearms.
  • Read and understand the owner’s manual that came with the firearm.

Resources

Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255 and PRESS 1
Women Veterans Call Center: 1-855-VA-WOMEN (1-855-829-6636)
Contact your nearest VA Medical Center and obtain a free gun lock from your primary care team or the facility’s suicide
prevention coordinator.
The U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)*†

Safety Awareness Month Poster: Gun Safety
Dimensions: 11x17", (1.2 MB, PDF)
Dimensions: 8x11'', (1.0 MB, PDF)

Thumbnail of Safety Awareness Gun Safety Poster

*By clicking on these links, you will leave the Department of Veterans Affairs Web site.
†VA does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of the linked Web site.

return to top go