Earlier this year, in Indiana, news reports told of a 2-year-old girl who found a loaded handgun, negligently left where she could access it, then shot and killed herself. It gets worse: It was in a room with her mother and stepfather. It gets even worse: The toddler’s stepfather is a sheriff’s deputy, and it appears to have been his gun.

In a news report, the sheriff was quoted as saying, “It’s an accident. Again, I encourage everyone to come in and get a gun lock. It could be your child that’s saved if you do have a gun lock.”

The sheriff is incorrect – twice. It was not an accident. It was negligence. Additionally, never put a trigger lock or gun lock on a loaded gun. That is a sure recipe for a negligent discharge.

Accidental shootings, essentially, never happen. “Accidental” shootings are caused by human negligence.

Here are four fundamental rules for gun safety:

•Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.

•Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.

•Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use.

•Always keep guns inaccessible to unauthorized persons.

Always, without fail, follow these four rules, and you will never have a negligent discharge that can have the disastrous, irreversible consequences of someone – a child – being killed.

So, how do you keep guns inaccessible to unauthorized persons? The answer varies and depends on circumstances. What may be safe for single adults or couples without children may not be safe with children, adult relatives, guests or others in the home.

A gun safe makes guns the most inaccessible, but it is big, heavy, expensive and cumbersome. Other options include, but are not limited to:

•Storing firearms and ammunition separately in locked containers.

•Use a trigger lock or gun lock, but never install a trigger lock on a loaded firearm.

•Put a cable lock or padlock through the gun’s barrel or frame to prevent operation.

•Bolt a strongbox or gun vault to bed frame or nightstand.

Never, ever, leave a loaded gun where a child can find it, not even for a moment. It can happen to anyone. It happened in my family.

My father kept a loaded .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol hidden on the top shelf of his closet, but one of the children found the gun and fired a number of shots. The only damage was a few holes in walls and one window, but it could have been far worse – like the tragedy earlier this year in Indiana.

Stay safe. Always, without fail, follow the four gun-safety rules listed above, and you will never suffer a negligent discharge with the possible, horrible consequence of someone