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INDICATORS OF RISK
- Presence of firearms in the home
- Paranoid delusions that someone is in the home or threatening safety
- Easily angered and volatile or has a history of being aggressive and/or physically threatening
- Others feel unsafe in the home
STRATEGIES FOR SAFETY
- Discuss firearms, including what is to be done with them if it becomes a safety issue. Involving all interested family members early in the process helps to avoid conflict later.
- The best option is to remove the firearm and ammunition from the home BEFORE there is a major concern.
- Contact the local police or sheriff’s department for assistance with legal firearm removal.
- Unsupervised access to firearms is not permitted under any circumstances.
- If there is a firearm in the house it must be put in a safe place. The best course of action is to lock it in a cabinet, drawer, or lockbox.
- Even without a firearm, ammunition is still dangerous if subjected to the right conditions (e.g., a fireplace, stove, furnace, oven, microwave oven, disposal, hammer, etc.).
- It is not sufficient to unload firearms or place a trigger lock on them. A disabled firearm still presents a risk as others cannot tell if the gun is loaded or unloaded.
