As you might suspect, I talk about firearms training with a lot of different people in the law enforcement community. Some of the conversations take off in directions that still manage to surprise me. I have been at this long enough to accept that many police officers see their firearms and the attached training as just a necessary part of the job. For some it is even an unpleasant part, and they are certainly not "gun people". Others are more interested in firearms and take the time to become more knowledgeable and skilled in their use than the requirements of their agency. In other words, there is a broad spectrum of interest in firearms within the law enforcement community. Moving past whatever point that the individual officer may occupy on that spectrum, it really gets interesting when I ask about where their families stand on the subject.
Some have family members that mirror their level of interest. Most don't. Usually the officer is more likely to have an interest in firearms outside just the job, while their family just goes along for the ride. I was talking recently with one officer who has a professional interest in guns, but it doesn't carry over to his personal life. When I asked if his wife had any firearms training, he had an almost knee-jerk reaction, saying that he didn't want his wife trained with firearms. It was as if an unsavory part of his job was invading his home life. I can understand that a person may want to insulate their loved ones from the unpleasant realities of working the streets, but I think that is short-sighted and may even be harmful. There are several issues relating to your being a police officer that will cause firearms to intrude into your personal life, even it you are trying to prevent it.
For example, most officers have at least one firearm at home. It is the one they carry every day and when they get home they have to store it somewhere. Even if you carry the same gun off-duty, you still have to take it off from time to time. Do you have a safe place to store that gun? Obviously, you know how to unload it and secure it in a lock box, gun safe of other suitable safe configuration. What about the other mature members of your household? They should all know how to make sure your gun is unloaded and safely stored, even if it is only as a double check of your safe storage practices.
Some people think that the only thing they need to know about firearms is: Don't Touch! For some, that's very good advice. In fact, that's the basic premise behind the National Rifle Association's Eddie Eagle program. For anyone lacking the knowledge or maturity to safely handle firearms, the Eddie Eagle mantra of: "Stop. Don't touch. Leave the area. Tell an adult," is the best way to deal with any firearm. But, what if your spouse is the adult they tell? After all, they're married to a cop, right? What if it's your gun that somehow wasn't as secure as you thought it was? I'm sure it isn't necessary to relate stories of how cop's guns are discovered by their kids, or the neighbor's kids who were just visiting. The more your family knows about firearms safety, the safer your home will be.
At some point, your children will mature and the Eddie Eagle approach won't be sufficient to continue insuring their safety. One good way to de-mystify guns is to involve your family in safe gun handling. The more they know about proper firearms use and safety, the less likely they will be to make the kind of dangerous mistakes that follow from ignorant curiosity. Guns can be an attractive nuisance, so to speak, and avoidance is challenged by the human mind seeking information. There certainly are plenty of places that guns are portrayed as icons of good or evil. Movies, television, video games, books, magazines and news reports are always talking about or showing the use (or usually the misuse) of firearms. Truth and education are the antidote to the glamorization of violence that they will view in the entertainment world; or the horror they will feel at the latest violent rampage by some deranged psychopath, who learned everything he knows about guns and violence from the fantasy world of "entertainment."
Discuss the real world of firearms with your family. Help them understand the dangers and the cost of their misuse or careless handling. A reasonable amount of inoculation can prevent a fatal disease. So it is with firearms. Let the kids watch, or even help when you clean your gun. Take them with you when you go hunting, or to a competitive shooting match or just to the range for practice. Point out the errors in the depictions of guns you see in entertainment. Frankly, you can get some good laughs that way. Let them know that the real world is different and has real dangers of its own. Discuss the real-world tragedies that involve firearms. Explore options that they should consider if they ever find themselves in such a situation. Prepare them to be responsible adults, so they can make their own decisions when you aren't there to provide immediate guidance and support. You never know when or how your efforts will pay off.
Many years ago now, there was a young teenage girl who grew up in a home where guns were not only present, but used regularly for sporting purposes. Her father was a life-long sportsman and an avid hunter. They lived in Southern California at that time and often went out to the Mojave Desert to camp and ride dirt bikes. Part of their outdoor experience was to do some shooting, using many types of firearms, including rifles and pistols. This young lady also had an uncle who was a police officer. He, too, had a life long interest in guns and was a firearms instructor for his department. When he visited, there were usually discussions between him and Dad about the latest guns, gear or shooting issues. It was all just a part of routine family interaction. So much so, that neither the father nor the uncle realized just how much the "California Girl" was paying attention to such things, as she went about just being a kid growing up in land of sunshine and opportunity - until one particular afternoon. She was just leaving school at the end of the day and was walking at the edge of the school grounds when a man pulled up in a car and pointed a gun at her. "Get in," was all he said. For an instant, she froze and stared at the gun. Violence had just intruded into her world and a gun was the centerpiece of the threat. Then it hit her: "I've seen one of those. That's just a pellet gun!" "NO!" she retorted, and then turned and ran back to the school. Her attacker, later identified as serial rapist wanted by several agencies, sped away. She promptly reported the incident, the local police did a superb investigation and the young woman was a credible and articulate witness at the subsequent trial. As a result, a dangerous threat to society was locked away.
Then, she went back to being a normal teenager, who used knowledge and fortitude to avoid being the next victim of a violent sexual predator. Her father and uncle were never sure just exactly how much they contributed to her confidence in acting as she did, but someone who grows up avoiding and fearing guns, or knowing nothing about them, certainly may have acted differently. By the way, she's now a wife, mother and a Doctor. She and her family are far removed in both time and distance from that day, but her father still shoots, hunts and spends time in the outdoors. He and the uncle still "talk guns," and the uncle, too old and crotchety to work the streets, works in a gun shop, teaches firearms classes and writes occasional articles, hoping to share what he knows with others. Just so they won't have to learn these lessons the hard way. Please, protect your family with knowledge.
