Safety is everyone’s business, and we’re getting right behind a new airgun security initiative...

Safety is everyone’s business, and we’re getting right behind a new airgun security initiative... As responsible airgunners, we’re always on the lookout for new and effective ways to promote safety, and I think we’ve discovered a great one with the launch of the new ‘Lock Time’ initiative. Basically, Lock Time is about keeping our airguns secure, and by doing this we’ll also be doing all we can to eliminate the misuse of our airguns by those who don’t appreciate the rules of safety as much as we airgunners do. Here’s how Lock Time is going to work: First, the companies that form the Airgun Manufacturers and Traders Association (AMTA) have agreed that all members will supply, free of charge, a security lock with airguns sold in the UK. The provision of the security locks will be backed by an information campaign, of which this article will be a part. In fact, copies of articles like this one will be supplied in the gun boxes alongside the security locks. The aim here is simple and effective; we’re going to raise awareness, provide information and practical advice, and we’ll be supplying the means to put that advice into positive action. This initiative is a real step forward for our sport and the safety of those who take part in it. Meanwhile, here are the safety and storage points we all need to put into action. LOCK YOUR AIRGUNS AWAY The first step in keeping our airguns safe from misuse, is to lock them away. There is a variety of ways to do this, and the most obvious one is to store them in a securely locked cupboard or cabinet. This cabinet should, ideally, be located inside your house, rather than a garden shed. Commercially made gun storage cabinets are available and these are extensively used by shooting enthusiasts of all kinds. Should a purpose-made security cabinet not suit your needs, then any securely locked, sturdy box or container would do a credible job of keeping your airgun away from those,who might misuse it. Another way of keeping your airgun safe, is to lock it to something solid so it can’t be moved. Enterprising airgunners have discovered a whole range of options which do the job, and the majority involve mounting a ring-bolt to the wall, preferably inside a cupboard or somewhere out of sight, and locking the airgun to it with just the sort of lock the AMTA will be providing. The best policy by far is to combine a ‘lock it up’ policy, with one of ‘keep it out of sight’. The vast majority of airgun misuse is ‘opportunist’ rather than the result of planned action, and the Lock-Time initiative is designed to deny opportunity for misuse, by keeping airguns out of sight and safely locked up. Remember, as far as airgun security goes, the location of the keys to your cabinet, cupboard, or wherever else you keep your airguns, must be as secure as the airguns themselves. KEEP YOUR PELLETS SAFE, TOO If you have a cabinet or similar locked container for your airguns, you are advised to keep your pellets locked safely away in there, too. If you go the security lock route, make sure you store your pellets in a locked drawer or similar location – a petty cash box, available from most hardware stores and stationers for around �5 is ideal for this - again safely away from the opportunity for misuse. LOCK-TIME HELPS EVERYONE The centuries-old pastime of shooting airguns is an incredibly safe, rewarding and enjoyable one, and safe gun handling has always been part of the core skills which allow us to enjoy it to the full. Knowing your airguns are safely stored can only increase the pleasure so many millions get from them, and promoting safety awareness increases that pleasure still further. Lock-Time is here to stay – please make it a key part of your airgunning.