Home Defense Gun Storage + Kids

A

anthony6727

New member
I've been reading a thread debating the pros and cons of a manual safety or not and since I hopefully will purchase my first Handgun soon its got me to thinking.

Just a little personal background, I grew up in a household that was fairly anti-gun. Despite all that, I grew up with an awe of firearms and a strong desire to learn to shoot. Recently, I was able to get my wife interested in shooting. This has lead us to investigate different types of handguns, etc.

Which brings me back to the issue discussed in the safety vs no-safety thread. I personally would prefer not to have it because I don't feel confident that my wife will train enough to get the "instinct" to turn it off.

Besides my wifes potential lack of training, I also worry about kids. Some day I want to have kids and having grown up in an environment where guns where not present, I worry about how I am going to keep my gun away from curious hands, and also keep it accessible in the case something goes bump in the night.


However, if I put a lock on my gun, or put it in a safe or something else, isn't that just giving me something else to fumble with in case something happens?

So my question is, for those who have had children, or have grown up in a house with guns, how did you / your parents store your HD handgun? How do you keep it safe from kids yet accessible?
 
When I was too young to understand guns, they were kept out of reach. When I was old enough to be sat down and explained to about guns, and taken shooting (about 5-6) the mystery was gone and I was taught the utter seriousness of them. After that, they were no longer locked up. I did what my parents said and never messed with them. They only got touched when we went shooting.

Really put the fear of god in your kids in that first sit-down. Explain to them that they can kill somebody they love, and don't be gentle about it. I only had to be told once (and I only had to be yelled to tears once for sweeping my barrel away from downrange at age 9).

That was my bringing-up, anyway. These days I prefer no safety.
 
They make small gun safes that read your fingerprints to unlock. You can stash a gun (maybe two) in there, place it wherever you like, and your gun(s) will be only moments away. No keys or combinations to mess around with; just place your fingers in the appropriate place, and you're ready to go.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=246722

If you have children in the home, having an easily accessible gun is more likely to be a problem than a convenience. Also, some states require by law that guns be kept safely away from minors in the home.
 
To keep my kids safe, I keep the ammo locked up in a separate container from the guns, which are also locked up. The only loaded weapon in the house is in a small bedside safe, which is equipped with a keypad. In practice, I've been able to access it in 5 seconds. To hedge my bets, I also did this: Both of my boys were taken out by me to our back yard. I set up a gallon jug filled with water and shot it once. The gun used was a .44 Magnum with 240 grain HPs. The loud blast, the detonation of the water jug, and the remains of same all combined to drive it home for the kids: "This is what a gun can do. This is why you don't play with them." In a clear and dramatic fashion, the point had been made. Afterward, I sat down with the boys and had them help me go through the process of cleaning the gun. This went a long way towards taking away a lot of the glamor and mystique so many kids have toward firearms. Lastly, they were both told this: "Anytime you want to look at one of my guns, just come ask me." This, I feel, worked far better than the standard "Don't you ever touch that", which most kids take as a challenge rather than a warning. This method, as I've described it, has worked for me and my family.
 
I keep my loaded guns in this. I don't like keys or batteries but this mechanical lock is great. It's very accessible.

V-Line Top Draw Storage

DSC_0031.jpg


- Five button mechanical lock for quick access with 1081 possible combinations.
- Top opening security case with classic slim design.
- 3/8" thick steel lock block welded to cover guides and adds strength to the lock bolt.
- Prepunched holes for easy installation.
- Lock bolts directly through the inner frame of case to prevent prying.
- Foam lining on top and bottom protects and holds contents securely in place.
- Sturdy fabricated steel construction with pry resistant clamshell design.
- Continuous hinge is welded on one end to prevent pin removal.
- Model 2912-S can be mounted directly to any surface or attached with the optional Mounting Bracket for easy portability.
 
I have guns and kids, no problem.
All of my guns except 1 stay unloaded and locked in my gun storage cabinet. The rifles have trigger locks on them, the pistols are locked in the case. I have a night stand security box for the gun I keep for defense. That one is the one that stays loaded and ready. Lots of good security boxes for pistols out there, the type of lock is personal preference. Mine has a 10 digit key pad with large easy to hit keys. My code is something I easily remember. Practice hitting the code often (just practice keying it in and opening the safe regularly) so it gets to be a habit. (btw - replace batteries regularly). For the reasons you mentioned, my gun is a DA/SA (DA mode, safety off). DAO would work ok for this scenario too.

The other thing is teach your kids about guns early. My kids are very familiar with them. I take them to the range with me and they all know how to shoot and get to fairly regularly. This way guns are not such a novelty and don't draw the attention they would if they were never exposed to them.
 
My kids are now 22 and 24, so I made it. My defensive gun was always kept in some type of quick-access gun box. I still have one that I use when we have any guests in the house. It is a GunVault Microvault, which I find to be versatile, because the included cable allows me to use it in the car and in hotel rooms as well as at home. Guns that did not need to be accessed quickly were and are kept under lock and key. A true gun safe is necessary for theft protection, but there are many range bags and pistol rugs that can be locked with a small padlock to protect against unauthorized handling.

As a side note, your introductory comment about pistol safeties concern me a bit. You do understand, I hope, that a thumb safety is not adequate protection for children. A kid can disengage a thumb safety just by fiddling around and not even know what they did. Your followup question makes me think that you understand that, but I wanted to be explicit since the stakes are high.
 
Several points here.

I grew up with loaded guns in the house, knew where they were and how to get to them. Not toddler mind you, but preteen. Never a problem cause we were good kids. That was the 70's - station wagons with no seat belts etc. - DO NOT DO THIS IN THIS DAY AND AGE.

I now have toddlers and keep a lock box with sd gun empty with loaded mag next to it all in same box. Other guns are separate from any ammo(all locked) and have cable locks on them. So a toddler could not "Find a gun" and make it go off.

Very important though is not your house - it is your neighbors and the loaded semi-auto under the bed that your or his kid finds.
KNOW WHERE YOUR KID IS PLAYING.

A while back a secretary of mine had her son almost blew his head off cause they found a loaded gun under bed next door and it went off and grazed his head. he was eventually ok after hospital, but this does happen for the worse.

EVERYBODY who has potential for kids to be in their home should have the weapons secured from small hands - and that does not mean hidden under a bed. That is practically eye level for the little tykes.

sd weapons are to protect them, not hurt them. And a safety is not enough. I have on my sd gun as added measure as well as sa/da.
 
1. Remove the danger: lock em up. My neighbor uses a finger-scanner security box that is keyed to his and maybe his wife's fingers as well. The kids don't have to know that they are there.

2. Demystify guns. if you're kids are old enough to understand, then you can tell them about the guns. When I"m cleaning my pistols/rifles, my daughter has questions and I answer them the same way I would any other question. I let her handle pieces like the barrel or magazine; I tell her the names of the parts and explain the mechanics. She doesn't get the mechanics so well.

3. Equate responsibility with using handguns/rifles. These are not toys and people can get very hurt by accident. "Once that bullet leaves the barrel, there's no calling it back." The first thing I did with my dad and his .22 rifle was break it down and clean it. Several times. Eventually, we got to shooting. This is a personal belief of mine, but if kids associate guns with chores and responsibilities, it's harder for them to see them as toys.

4. At what point do you tell the children that you have pistols in the house for self-defense? That's a question best answered by you and your wife. My grandma used to let hobos sleep in the barn during the Great Depression, but "she always kept a brace of pistols handy" according to my aunts and uncles. All of the 8 kids in her family knew about the pistols; none would have thought of taking them out for a joy ride.
 
@Tailorgator

Thanks for your comment. Yes, i'm well aware that safeties are by no means a good measure to keep your kids safe from guns. It's just as i was considering the issue of having a safety vs. no safety I realized that while I personally would rather not having one, when I started thinking about kids, my lack of personal experience growing up has led me to want to have as many safeguards as possible to make me sleep better at night when I do have kids of my own.

I'm slowly learning that my personal fears (I hesitate to say "gun fears" becasue I personally do not fear guns, I just fear what uneducated, and untrained hands can do), just need to be addressed with the good advice of this thread.


I'm thinking a good gun safe, and a quick access nightstand safe for a loaded gun is the direction i'm heading.

I am a prime example of how the foundation of unecessary hesitation/concerns can be overcome with some good instruction and education. :D
 
Lots of good advice here. Locks and safes and separating the ammo from the gun . . . that will protect kids at your home. Education is what will protect them everywhere else. Someone on this board made a very good analogy about this one time. I forget who said it, but it's not mine, so I can't claim credit. Teaching your kids about guns is a lot like teaching them to swim. The deep water in the world won't go away just because you didn't teach your kids to swim.
 
Everything said is so good; esp that you have to train/expose the family: wife, kids anyone in the house.
A gun with the clip someplace else that is convenient to you is pretty safe: unless the clip is accessible to the kids.
Keep them where you can get to them in the time it takes to get from your door to your point of vulnerability in the home.
 
gunlocker2copy.jpg

This push button combination lock-box is a good place to secure your handguns from children when you do not have the handgun on your person.

No batteries to go dead when you most need to open the box (Murphy's Law).

It can be opened in the dark in a few seconds.
 
In many states a gun left unlocked and used in a crime may come back and bite you hard. Secure them to protect yourself from this.
 
I like what some have said about teaching kids resposiblities of guns

When I grew up my mom wouldn't even let me have a toy gun let alone a real fire arm, even squirt guns! When I got my hands on my first pistol at 17 from a friend I knew little about muzzle awareness and puting the safe on. The guidelines for using a fire arm should always be taught whether or not they have them growing up.
 
Not all push button boxes are well built or child safe... Do some research and hands on if you can prior to buying.

For myself I grew up with unloaded firearms in every corner of the house and we began shooting very young... Unfortunately the days for that seem to have past as the slighest parental trust is now a legal liability..
 
My requirements for me when I decided to build a handgun safe are:

1) must be secure and prevent unauthorized access.
2) must not require a key, because keys can be lost or duplicated, and they slow access.
3) must not require batteries, because batteries can lose their charge when you need them the most.
4) must be able to be unlocked in the dark by touch only, within a few seconds.
5) must have versatile mounting options.

These requirements eliminated all except one type of locking mechanism – the Simplex lock. Then we proceeded to build a much heavier box than was available on the market. Most boxes will keep your kids out, but I wanted something to deter a thief a little more than a 16 gauge steel box. Ours is 3/16" (7 gauge) with many other features built in. In addition, we then added a strut to open the door and present the gun to you in the same place and orientation every time so you don't fumble for it in the dark.

Your requirement might be different and another product work better for your needs. There are lots of choices out there.

FAS1%20Mount%20Options%20004.jpg
 
FAS1 - I've looked at that and I do like this but I just continue to have a hard time with the price ... $189 is a little much in my opinion. Otherwise, I do like the looks and functionality of the product.

Just thought I'd mention.
 
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