Can A Home Security System Prevent An Accidental Shooting?

One of the most common reasons people keep firearms in their home is to safeguard their belongings and their personal security. However, over the years there have been many reports of gun owners or their family members accidentally shooting loved ones or even themselves with guns kept in the home. Might a home alarm system actually provide better protection for homeowners in the long run?

Imagine suddenly waking up late one night to a strange sound downstairs. Gradually you understand that someone is rapidly moving from room to room in your home, opening and closing drawers and cabinets. You reach for a firearm.

Many people believe they will have the presence of mind to successfully resolve such a situation. But can you really know how you will react in a potentially life-threatening crisis in your own home? What will your mental state be? What if that night you are ill and have taken a sleeping pill? What if in the excitement you simply forget that a friend is snowed in at the airport and is coming to sleep on your couch? Or what if the intruder is in fact a burglar, but is armed and hears you coming first? Any of these situations could end in grave injury to yourself or a loved one, even among people experienced and trained in the use of firearms.

The common thread among these potentially tragic situations is that the intruder, or supposed intruder, is already inside your home. A correctly installed home alarm can prevent this situation from occurring in the first place. The sound of an alarm system, if it does not drive the intruder from your property in the first place, at least lets this person know that his or her time in your home is extremely limited and can thus prevent the escalation or continuation of this illegal activity. Additionally, home security systems will immediately bring trained professionals to your home able to deal with any crisis situation, or will alternatively help you resolve situations caused by an inopportunely triggered alarm.

Additionally, an intruder or supposed intruder does not even need to enter one's home for a horrific event to occur. In many cases, children or teenagers have found guns and ammunition stored in their homes which was carefully and secretly stored away. Children of people who keep guns in their house have in the past accidentally shot themselves or others, causing serious injury or death. Even the homes of experienced gun owners have not been free of such catastrophes. Furthermore, in some cases, courts have held gun owners liable for the injury to or death of persons outside of the household caused by handguns stored in the owner's home. These are yet more reasons to weigh the true cost of keeping a firearm in one's home.