Shoot Responsibly: Your Guide to Safe and Legal Firearm Ownership

At Dirty Bird Guns & Ammo, we are more than a store. We are a community of shooters, hunters, and Second Amendment advocates who live by a simple creed: responsible firearm ownership builds safer homes and stronger bonds. To us, shoot responsibly is not just a slogan. It is a commitment to protecting our families, honoring our rights, and uplifting those around us.

We want every customer, whether you are stepping into our shop or browsing our site, to carry these values in their heart. Safety comes first. Respect is non-negotiable. Community is everything. This guide is our promise to you, covering firearm safety, legal compliance, training, environmental respect, community responsibility, safe storage, and teaching kids about guns. Let us explore what it means to shoot responsibly and why we want these principles to guide you every time you handle a firearm.

Shoot Responsibly – Master Firearm Safety

Shoot Responsibly

At Dirty Bird, firearm safety is personal. It is the promise we make to our families every time we pick up a gun, whether it is an AR-15 or a trusty old shotgun. The National Shooting Sports Foundation outlines four rules we hold sacred, from the range to our homes:

Treat every firearm as if it is loaded. Assume it is ready to fire until you have checked it yourself.

Never point a firearm at anything you are not willing to destroy. Keep the muzzle in a safe direction, always.

Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot. Rest it outside the trigger guard to avoid accidents.

Know your target and what is beyond it. Ensure a clear shot with a safe backstop.

These rules are our lifeline, and we want them to be yours, too. Whether you are new to shooting or have been at it for years, practice them until they are instinctive. Start with your firearm’s manual, get comfortable handling it unloaded, and visit a certified range to build confidence. We have seen these habits save lives, and we want every Dirty Bird customer to feel that security in their bones.

Safe Storage: Protect What Matters Most

Our guns are part of our homes, our stories, and our responsibilities. At Dirty Bird, safe storage is not just a precaution. It is how we keep our families, especially our kids, out of harm’s way. We want you to feel the same peace of mind we do, knowing your firearms are secure. The NSSF’s Project ChildSafe www.projectchildsafe.org offers free cable locks and resources, and we are proud to champion their mission.

Here is how we store our firearms, and we urge you to follow suit:

  • Gun Safes: Perfect for multiple firearms, with biometric or combination locks for quick, secure access. They are our first choice for theft protection.
  • Lockboxes: Ideal for handguns, easy to store in a nightstand or closet.
  • Trigger or Cable Locks: Budget-friendly ways to make firearms inoperable, always paired with a locked storage location.

Store ammunition in a separate locked container, and in homes with children, use tamper-proof safes placed out of reach. We check our safes regularly for wear and keep them in climate-controlled spaces to prevent rust, because a well-kept gun is a safe gun. In states like California, laws such as Penal Code §25100 www.oag.ca.gov/firearms penalize negligent storage if a child accesses a firearm. Check your state’s rules on sites like Colorado CBI cbi.colorado.gov to stay compliant. At Dirty Bird, we store our guns with the same care we give our loved ones, and we want that for you, too.