Review by | Joseph P. Tartaro | Executive Editor
SAFETY ON: An introduction to the world of firearms for children, by Yehuda Remer. ©2017. Published by White Feather Press. Oversize soft cover. Price $14.95. Separate companion coloring book; $12.95. Available from Amazon.com
Accidental firearms fatalities in America have reached an all-time low, but children remain the largest at-risk group. They have a natural curiosity about everything and they may find a gun in places inside or outside the home, even with the most safety conscious parents, gun vaults and gun locks—or gun free zones. And while you might be a very careful parent, you have no guarantee that everyone else is.
You also have to worry about what your child or grandchild would do if she or he found a gun somewhere it’s not supposed to be? Do they know the cardinal rules of gun safety? Have they been exposed to the NRA’s Eddie Eagle program? What about the proper safety measures every gun owner takes whenever they handle a firearm, at home or at a gun range?
The best insurance you can take it to introduce and instill in your children the proper respect for real firearms, well away from all the images they might get from movies, television and other children.
Now, there’s a beautifully illustrated, realistic soft-cover book that covers all aspects of gun safety as an introduction to the world of firearms for children. And it’s in a format that a child can call her or his own.
It covers all of the basic rules of firearms safety, and even incorporates the simplest guide of “Stop, Don’t Touch, Walk Away, Tell and Adult.” It even deals with protocols for gun safe explorations, and walks a child through the fascinating world of guns and ammunition.
The author clearly states in a forward note that the book is not all=inclusive, but simply a practical introduction with the goal of inculcating safe and responsible respect for firearms and their safe and responsible handling that remains with the child into their adulthood.
The author grew up in a world where guns were restricted and limited to police and the military which he believes was a failure in his early years, and one that he would not impose on other children.
What’s especially interesting about this approach is that there is a beautiful companion coloring book to go with the best-selling original children’s book “Safety On.” The coloring book mirrors the main lessons while providing hours of fun and education for children while teaching children all about gun safety.
“Safety On” is meant not as an in-depth breakdown of guns or living with guns, but as an introduction to the world of firearms for children. Its goal is to plant the seeds of safe gun ownership into the minds of young patriots who will one day be responsible gun owners like the parents who teach them. It serves as an important tool to open a dialogue between you and your child about gun safety.
