Firearm Safety Certificate (FSC) Firearms and Children 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What should you teach a child to do if they encounter an unsupervised firearm?
- Pick it up and bring it to an adult immediately
- Don't touch it, leave the area, and tell an adult (Correct answer)
- Check if it is loaded by looking into the barrel
- Put it somewhere safe like a high shelf
Correct answer: Don't touch it, leave the area, and tell an adult
Children should be taught the "Stop, Don't Touch, Leave the Area, Tell an Adult" rule when they find an unsecured firearm. Picking up or moving the firearm risks accidental discharge. Immediately informing a responsible adult is the correct response.
Question 2: Under California Penal Code 25100, a gun owner may be criminally liable if they negligently store a firearm and a child under what age accesses it and causes injury or death?
- Under 12
- Under 14
- Under 16
- Under 18 (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Under 18
California Penal Code Section 25100 (the Child Access Prevention law) applies when a child under 18 gains access to a negligently stored firearm and uses it to cause injury, death, or brandishes it in public. Owners face criminal charges including a misdemeanor or felony depending on the outcome.
Question 3: What is the BEST way to reduce a child's curiosity about firearms in the home?
- Keep all firearms hidden so the child never knows they exist
- Provide age-appropriate firearm safety education and demystify guns while enforcing strict storage rules (Correct answer)
- Never discuss firearms with children
- Tell children that firearms are only for adults and refuse to explain further
Correct answer: Provide age-appropriate firearm safety education and demystify guns while enforcing strict storage rules
Research supports that age-appropriate firearm safety education combined with strict secure storage is most effective. Secrecy alone fuels curiosity. When children understand what firearms are, the rules around them, and what to do if they encounter one, accidents are significantly reduced.
Question 4: A guest brings a legally owned firearm to your home. Who is responsible for ensuring it is stored safely?
- Only the guest, because it is their firearm
- The homeowner has no responsibility since they did not bring the gun
- Both the guest and the homeowner share responsibility for safe storage when children are present (Correct answer)
- Only law enforcement can enforce storage requirements
Correct answer: Both the guest and the homeowner share responsibility for safe storage when children are present
Safe storage is a shared responsibility. California law holds people responsible for unsafe storage of firearms in their homes. If a homeowner knows a guest has brought a firearm into a home where children are present, they should ensure it is properly secured. The guest retains primary responsibility for their firearm.
Question 5: Which of the following is NOT an acceptable California-approved method for safely storing a firearm away from children?
- A gun safe with a combination lock
- A locked metal storage case
- A trigger lock with a key separate from the firearm
- Placing the firearm in a high drawer without any lock (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Placing the firearm in a high drawer without any lock
California law requires firearms to be stored in a locked container or secured with an approved safety device such as a trigger lock when children under 18 are present. Simply placing a firearm in a high location without a lock does not satisfy the legal requirement.
Question 6: What is the primary reason firearm safety programs for children use the "Eddie Eagle" or similar approaches?
- To teach children to shoot at an early age
- To instill automatic safe responses (don't touch, tell an adult) through repetition before a real encounter occurs (Correct answer)
- To encourage children to be familiar with firearms so accidents don't surprise them
- To identify which children should be allowed to handle firearms
Correct answer: To instill automatic safe responses (don't touch, tell an adult) through repetition before a real encounter occurs
Child firearm safety programs use simple, repeated messaging ("Stop. Don't Touch. Run Away. Tell a Grown-Up.") to build automatic responses. The goal is that if a child ever encounters an unsecured firearm, their trained instinct is to leave and tell an adult rather than investigate.
Firearm Safety Certificate (FSC) Firearms and Children 2
What should you teach a child to do if they encounter an unsupervised firearm?