(NAPSA)—Since September 11, firearm sales have increased dramatically as law-abiding Americans everywhere are reevaluating issues of personal safety. Whether or not you have chosen to own firearmsas part of your security plan, NRA programs are available to help you bring a greater degree of safety into your dailylife. Manyof the citizens buying gunsright now are buying them for the first time, and the importance BASICS OF PERSONALPROTECTION of firearms training is as great as ever. NRA has 39,000 certified instructors who teach a full slate of courses in gun safety and marksmanship. The course receiving the most interest right now is in Per- sonal Protection. Focusing on the defensive use of a handgun as a last-resort option, the Personal Protection course addresses topics such as firearm selection, defensive shoot- ing techniques and thelegal, moral and social implications of using a firearm for self-defense. A new video, Personal Protection in the Home, is available as a com- plement to the course or for separate purchase. To order the video go to www.nrahq.org, click on “Online Shopping,” and click on “Videos.” The video is item number ES 26838. Personal Protection is just one of several basic firearms courses that gun owners will find valuable. Other courses are available for rifle, pistol, shotgun, and muzzleloading firearms, reloading ammu- nition, and range safety officer training. Another course called Home Firearm Safety is not about firearms’ use, but explains how different types of firearms operate, and how to handle and store them safely. (Find a course near you by going to www.nrahq.org/safety/education,or call 800-672-3888.) Parents who have chosen to buy firearms recently will also benefit from A Parent’s Guide to Gun Safety, an ideal informational piece that addresses our responsibilities as parents and gun owners. In a home where guns are kept, the degree of safety a child has rests squarely on the parents. The NationalRifle Association of America EeeaBame) MUSTforeveryone, especially if you chooseto use a firearm in your personalprotection plan. This guide explains how to talk with your children about guns and drives home a fundamental safety rule: Store guns so that they are inaccessible to children and other unauthorized users. While not a substitute for a complete course in gun safety, the guide is a good, practical introduction to keeping children safe in a home where guns are kept. To get your copy, log onto www.nrahq.org/, click on “Online Store,” click on “Eddie Eagle,” then click on “Brochures.” NRA’s Refuse To Be A Victim Program also provides valuable counsel on crime-prevention strate- gies. In a nationwideseries of seminars, certified instructors explain proactive steps citizens can take to increase security in their home or apartment, their workplace, where they travel—even on the Internet. Key aspects of the training include raising awarenesslevels to recognize potentially dangerous situations, assessing security devices such as motion detectors and lighting systems, studying the psychology of criminal behavior and implementing various crime prevention and personal safety measures. Firearm useis not part of the program. (Call 800-861- 1166 for more information, or log on to www.nrahq.org/safety/rthav.)
