They are used for protection, but when not handled properly, can be very dangerous.
San Juan police chief, Juan Gonzalez said, around the holidays they have more incidents that involve accidental shootings than the rest of the year.
"We see more reported incidents of this kind."
He said it is mainly because people do not take the time to educate themselves are even people around them on gun safety.
"Don't allow anybody to access your weapon unless they know how to professionally handle a weapon---Secure them properly... where they're not accessible to a child."
Because if a child does get a hold of a gun and injure themselves--there could be consequences for the gun owner.
"If there is ammunition in that weapon and someone gets seriously hurt they can get in trouble for making that weapon accessible to a child," said Gonzalez.
Some simple tips to follow to avoid a serious accident:
Never keep a gun loaded
Always make sure to keep a gun locked up.
Also, put a lock on the gun itself.
Most important of all--educate yourself and your family
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKGBT