Home Defense Gun Storage + Kids

This has been well covered, but I'll toss in my 2 cents. I have 2 sons, ages 6 and 1. I use a gunvault for my home defense pistol and keep my other guns unloaded if not in a safe. Luckily for our children both parents grew up in homes with guns and were trained in their safe use.

As soon as our oldest began to show a real interest in shooting, hunting, fishing we decided he was ready to be taught about firearms. He was about 5 maybe just a bit younger when this happened, each child is different and you just have to feel them out to decide when is the right time. I don't make guns a mystery and if he wants to see one or handle one all he has to do is ask and he has a few times, usually when a new one arrives.

I've just started him on my really old daisy air rifle and when he shows us he can be safe and responsible with it, he can move on to my bolt action .22. When he's safe and responsible with the .22 I think I'll give it to him or buy him one of his own. As he matures and progresses, so will the firearms he can have access to. I can't wait till he is a little bigger and a little more mature so he can start hunting with us. His uncles, and grandfathers will be thrilled at the chance to get him into the field, he's got some seriously good hunters to learn from and if he enjoys it, he'll be a good hunter himself.

I think these kinds of things are great to help kids gain responsibility, maturity and confidence. I truly think it's sad how many kids never get a chance to do some of the things I did as a kid. It seems like as a society we try too hard to keep them protected from anything that challenges them. How can they grow without an occasional challenge or learn if they are never given the chance to make mistakes?
 
My brothers family has gun phobia. I think it's mostly driven from his wife as he used to shoot a little. The kids are not allowed to have any guns of any type, no cap guns, no squirt guns, ect. Everything his son picks up is a 'gun', be it a stick or whatever. The fascination is extreme simply because it is such an unknown experience. I fear what would happen if a kid like that came across a real gun ... you know he would play with it and I'm sure fire it and he would have no idea of if it's loaded or not or what would really happen when you pull the trigger. By sheltering him he's in far greater danger than my kids who have been around guns there whole life.
 
catnphx

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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Well, it will never be sold in Walmart :D

It's really not for everyone. The people who want a significantly heavier product than anything else on the market that is built with American made components and labor don't have any problem realizing the value in it. Steel is going up in price as well as all the components so we will have to actually go up a little on our price next month. If you are satisfied with the security offered from light gauge metal as many are then something else might be better for you. Just as all our customers won't consider buying something that requires electricity or batteries.
 
Back before my divorce, my wife (now ex) had a child of 4 years.

I bought a pistol for home defense, to make sure I could adequately respond to the worst of threats.

To keep little hand off things the weapon, I bought a small pistol safe, and mounted it to my nightstand. during waking hours, the pistol was locked away in the safe, with a full magazine, but empty chamber. The key to this small safe was either on my person or hanging from a hook about 8 feet up and 3 yards from the safe. After the child was asleep, I would put the key in the lock. After retiring for the night, the safe would be open with my pistol inside.

If it was not in the safe, which was rarely, and only if there was a marked increase in police activity in the neighborhood (multiple sirens around or circling police helicopter), the pistol was on my person, but only inside my home.

The only way to keep little hands off the pistol is to know where it is at all times, this means on your person, or in a locked safe with strictly limited access.

I kept the pistol in the condition it was in for one very important reason. A child would not be able to retract the slide far enough to chamber a round, assuming they indeed figured out that the slide had to be retracted. My ex-wife couldn't even retract the slide, so a 4 year old is unlikely to be able to. Additionally, should the pistol be needed in a hurry, it only takes half a second to chamber a round and present. Indeed this could all be done in the same motion.

Putting a lock on the pistol I think is a major hindrance to getting it all ready when needed. One needs to unlock the lock which can be a task and a half, especially under stress, then one needs to load the weapon and make it ready. A small safe I believe is Ideal, as the pistol can be stored in a ready or near ready state, but still stored safely.

I feel pistol selection is extremely important here. A revolver requires only that the cylinder be locked into position and the trigger pulled. A semi-auto requires the slide to be pulled back, a far harder task for little hands. Safety's are moot here, as they are easy to disengage
 
When I was born my father was a Motorcycle officer. When he got home he would hang his leather jacket with gunbelt and S&W M&P loaded, on the jacket in the hall closet. His off duty weapon a Colt Det. Spl. was in his top right dresser drawer. Both my older brother and I knew we weren't to touch them without permission. Any time I asked my father would allow me to handle his pistols, he would unload it then give it to me and I had to check it too. This manner of storage is not condoned now but those were simpler days. When I had small children I( familiarized my kids as soon as I could and had the same success my dad did. Taught them to shoot both pistols and rifles at 6 years age just as my dad did to me.
Now my kids are gone on their own and raising their own kids and I have a gun Safe for all but my carry guns. Not for the kids but to slow down burglars.

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I believe in teaching kids about guns to eliminate the dangrous combination of curiosity and ignorance. I taught my kids in stages:

1) Don't ever touch a gun and if you see one go get an adult. (I remember my Dad testing my kids when they were 3-5 yrs old by removing the bolt on a rifle and leaving it on the bed in the spare room to see if they would come tell us without touching it-they passed with flying colors)

2) When they start showing interest let them sit with you while cleaning firearms. They will ask questions, you can point out the parts and explain their functions, and in this environment it is easy to slip in the safety rules so they don't even realize they are getting lectured.

3) Go HEAVY on the safety rules in a more formal manner. The reward for paying attention was getting to shoot. At this point they are handling guns and shooting them with supervision. (And not just any schmuck who is an adult-be picky- mine could only shoot with my Dad, my Brother or Me)

4) Then at some point you deem them capable of going it alone because you know they are safe with firearms. (None of mine are at this stage yet)

As far as the handgun safety with toddlers the solution was simple: If it was not in the safe, it was on my hip. In my mind that is the only way to be sure to prevent a problem with toddlers around.
 
My son is 2 years old and I have 3 pistols that are in our home. Its just he and I so I have to be on my toes and play it safe. I haven't got someone who can check behind me or fix a mistake I made like leaving my gun too low where he can climb and reach it. When I walk in my home I get him settled and put my edc g27 on a shelf next to my front door about 5 foot off the floor. Plenty far enough out his reach. My g23 normally stays close at hand thru the house. On the counter when cooking or arm rest when reclining etc.. I always know and keep my gun my first thought on my mind. Its a habit. When he gets up from playing toys I watch and keep gun safety my first thought. Its almost obsessive. At night my XDm is under my pillow. If I'm awakened it's my first thought. I'm sure I'll have to change my habits as he gets older and I will do it happily if it keeps my family safe.

He hasn't shown much interest yet. He is still young but when he does I want him to be as aware of firearms as I am. We recently had an incident where someone tried prying our basement door open while we were sleeping. We heard the ding of our door open alert system (not quite an alarm system but very effective nonetheless. I would recommend everyone have it on each door leading outside.). I grabbed my pillow pistol and cell because I immediately knew something was wrong. I went to his room and locked the door. I opened the window and yelled out that I was armed and had the police on the phone. I heard the perp jump the neighbors fence and I called the police.

Would 5-10 extra seconds changed the outcome of the situation? Probably not but maybe. Who knows. I apologize for getting a bit off topic but a real situation from a fella without a night safe. Heck I may be dumb for alot of reasons I don't see. It works for now. Just remember to keep gun safety 1st and always think the worst. Anything can happen with or without a safe. Kids are the darnedest things. Just my opinion.
 
We had a situation a little while back that really got my better half to realize that a gun you have to load or get out of the safe is not always the best idea. She had unloaded my nightstand gun when I was out because she didn't want to deal with securing it from our 2 kids. Only problem is, she didn't tell me. About 2:30 in the morning our dog starts barking in a very serious tone and then we hear someone trying to open one of our back doors. I get up grab the pistol, chamber check and, surprise, it's empty. I had to load the mag, 18 rounds, before checking it out.

I broke it down to her that an unloaded gun is basically useless if you need it right away. She agreed and we moved on. Keep in mind, this is not a woman afraid of guns or the idea of having to use one. She's gone out and check the garage or backyard with her own pistol before when I'm at work.

I think our dog was enough of a deterrent to whoever was trying to break in. He's a big, intimidating dog and I know I feel better with him around since I work nights.
 
Agreed Irish, dogs are the best. Mine is our #1 line of defense. He's a big sweet heart but doesn't like strangers, has a loud menacing bark when he's nervous, and dogs hear everything! He buys me the time to get the gun from the lock box.
 
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.
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I was going to mention #2. A great thing is as others have said, give the children when they are old enough, the option to handle the guns whenever they want if they ask you. If you make it safe, and each time they handle it, go over safety rules, it helps remove the "want" of playing with them if they can do it with just a word. They will be less likely to seek it out on their own and hurt themselves.

I had never thought about the cleaning option, but that is a great idea. Right now my fiance's toddler wants to do whatever I do, so I don't do anything around him that he shouldnt be doing - because I know he is going to try and do it as well, because he saw me do it. So he doesn't so much as even get to see firearms yet, but when he gets older and hates doing chores, you better believe I am going to start making him help clean my guns :)
 
Cleaning the gun is a great time to teach kids about guns. They get to see how it works and that they have to be maintained. Our oldest is 6 and he loves anything mechanical, especially custom cars and trucks. As soon as he figured out that a gun is a machine, just like a car, he was curious. We sat him down with us and gave him a rundown of how everything works and what it does. He retained a little bit of it, and he knows the safety rules.

It's a step by step process. Just got him started shooting the bb gun, and a little later he can move on to a .22 rifle.
 
My son is 2 years old and I have 3 pistols that are in our home. When I walk in my home I get him settled and put my edc g27 on a shelf next to my front door about 5 foot off the floor. Plenty far enough out his reach.
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My experience is that a 2 to 3 year old can slide a dining room chair over to that area and then 5' isn't so high. I would reconsider where you keep your gun soon as his curiosity at that age will lead him into all kind of situations.

I grabbed my pillow pistol and cell because I immediately knew something was wrong. Would 5-10 extra seconds changed the outcome of the situation? Probably not but maybe.
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I move a lot when I sleep so no telling where my gun would end up or what direction it would be facing when I grabbed for it. I think it would take me longer to get it than from my handgun safe mounted to my bed frame. You could leave the door open at night if that made you more comfortable until you practice opening it in the dark. It's actually very quick by feel with a little practice. Also, the gun is holstered (trigger covered) and in the exact same place and orientation every time. Works well for me.

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To keep little hand off things the weapon, I bought a small pistol safe, and mounted it to my nightstand. during waking hours, the pistol was locked away in the safe, with a full magazine, but empty chamber. The key to this small safe was either on my person or hanging from a hook about 8 feet up and 3 yards from the safe. After the child was asleep, I would put the key in the lock. After retiring for the night, the safe would be open with my pistol inside.
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Your kid never wakes up in the middle of the night?

My next door neighbor had relatives town and his 2-year-old niece shot herself in the head with his nightstand gun. Thank God she survived, but she's obviously not the same.

IMO, putting your firearm up high or out of reach as the only means of safety is an invitation for disaster. Just like everything, it's a risk vs. reward decision. And the risk of an unlocked firearm resulting in tragedy is awfully high.

But since I haven't seen anyone mention this yet, I consider my safe the second most secure place for my firearm; the first being on my person.

Be safe.
 
Nice safe FAS1. I have a friend who is looking at small gun safes and yours fits the bill I will send him your website.

My friend researched every small gun safe on the market and was not happy with them.

$189.00 may seem like a lot but looking at this product its cheaper than having your kids find you pistol and shooting themselves not to mention the ease of access with that mount.
 
Those are some good points FAS1. Everyday that passes I can see his curiosities increase. I've thought long and hard, even since having replied to this post, on how to make things safer in our home. My pillow pistol stays in a holster that covers the trigger also and I pretty much stay still all night. Even taking these factors in count I realize I have to figure something else out. I'm just a little unsure if I like the idea of our possible lifeline locked in a safe. Ill have to take a look at them and see how I like bedside safes. Might be me just being paranoid. As for my gun by the front door on the 5 foot shelf. I've decided to get my carpenter neighbor to make an inconspicuous little safe. Maybe make it look like a clock. Something I can still pop open and retrieve my pistol if BG is knocking on the door. Does anyone know if they make something like this? It would be very difficult for him to slide a chair across the carpet. I can't do it I'm sure he can't. Though I see what you mean. If it was hardwood I'm sure he would have done it already. He pushes them all over the place already. I really thought my routine worked for me but after posting and rereading and reading others comments I have decided its time to change. Ill just keep my edc in the waistband until its nite nite time. Or maybe they make pajamas with in the waistband holsters? :D. Haha I'm kidding.
 
I made a clock safe when I was in junior high. I'm sure you can make one on your own if you have some wood working skills. If not, there's plenty of amateur wood working guys that can do some really nice work and might do it for pretty cheap. Try craigslist or something like that if you want one made.
 
Interesting thread! Thanks for the input, y'all! Grandbaby isn't yet 2 but there are some good ideas here! ;)
 
Kazanski, I'm a very light sleeper, even the dog (miniature jack Russell) walking into the room would wake me up. We also had small bells on all of the doors to make noise, that way, I'd know exactly which door was moving and when.
 
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