How to secure a home defense shot gun from kids?

C

Cameron Ferriere

Inactive
I have a Benelli Supernova tactical for home defense and up till now I have been able to store it under the bed. BUT I now have a kid on the way and this is making me rethink things a great deal... My father tried to train me not to mess with guns repeatedly but due to hard headed stupidity on my part I would still take em out and shoot em on my own... never got caught doing it and sheer luck I never killed myself or someone else... Anyways due to my own actions I will not trust any child an inch when it comes to firearms unsupervised... just not gonna happen!!

So how do I secure that gun from little hands and yet still have it accessible when I need it?? I would like to avoid anything to do with keys if I can but if that is the only option to keep my kids safe I will do so.

Thoughts?
 
You could keep it with the mag loaded and the chamber empty - with one "on the way", that should cover you for a few years at least.

After that, there are various racks that bolt to the wall studs and lock the gun for safe keeping
 
put a gun lock through it, with the key hidden where you and your women can easily get to it if need be. that will keep a kid at bay for at least 7 years. or put a D-ring into one of your wall studs and run the gun lock through that... that way you could keep it right next to your bed.
 
Keeping guns accessible and secured from inquisitive youngsters seems to be mutually exclusive. ADB suggests a high shelf will work for awhile; but, how do you know when to do something different? Ask any parent experienced in trying to hide Christmas presents, kids are more adept at getting in to places than we like to give them credit.

Here in California, where the government likes to do your thinking for you, we don't have much choice...
From the CA Att'y Gen's web site FAQs:
Q: Am I required by law to store my firearms where children cannot access them?

A: Yes. In most cases, if you keep any loaded firearm within any premise which is under your custody or control and know or reasonably should know that a child (person under 18 years of age) is likely to gain access to the firearm, you may be guilty of a felony if a child gains access to that firearm and thereby causes death or injury to any person unless the firearm was in a secure locked container or locked with a locking device that rendered it inoperable.
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Given the choices of a locker, lock box or gun lock. Which would you select?
 
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I decided to forego the home defense gun, and locked them all up when the kids came along.

I figure the odds are higher of the kids getting to the guns, than needing it for home defense.

I still keep a loaded magazine handy, and my pistol locked up. Not that that does me any good, but I prefer the piece of mind.
 
Greetings the blur, and welcome aboard,

Great minds think alike. That was my reasoning before we became empty nesters. With your kids, they may be mature for their age and well trained in firearms safety; but, you don't have a clue about the friends that they may bring home.
 
Welcome blur and like you I put them away. If you feel its a must have. Lock them when your gone (work etc.) and unlock them when your home. Put a key lock on your bedroom door might do as well.
 
also, in my state, my pistol permit states:
ALL FIRE ARMS MUST BE LOCKED UP.
or they can revoke my license.

Before the kids, I had my shotgun ready to be used.
But I really have no use for my MOSSBERG 500 any more.
I took it to the skeet range once, but other than that, it collects dust.

I have to buy another safe just for ammo.
 
Just get a gun cabinet. It's what I do and I don't even have kids. When I leave the home, everything's locked up in there. When i come home, it's unlocked, when I go to bed something is placed by the bed for safety.

I got a nice one from Stack On from Walmart for only 100$, a drop in the bucket for the peace of mind knowing that if I get broken into when i'm not home. Anyone will have a very difficult time getting to my firearms. Sure it's not 100% safe, it's not like a true double walled combo safe. But it has a very hard to pick lock, strong steel, full piano hinge and is bolted into the studs as well as the floor boards with very agressive screws.

This way when you are not around your kid, your guns are not around them either, just keep a key on yourself and the wife, don't leave them home if the kids are home alone. Also good in party situations, or just friendly drinking. When the booze comes out, the guns get locked up and there's little to no fear of something stupid. Also nice for securing documents of importance.
 
I think instead of trying to "secure" or "put away" a fire arm you should be teaching your kid to use it. I believe this is a better choice because they will know how to safely handle and use a fire arm. (Maybe he will be at a friends or family's home and they have firearms that are not under lock and key) Putting one away (in my opinion) will only make them more inclined to try and get into it out of curiosity. I think if they aren't hidden away as if they are taboo this will not be a problem. That's not to say they would never look at a fire arm after you taught them. However if they do, at least they will know what they are doing.
 
Welcome, blur! :)

You ask an excellent and important question.

My husband and I have five sons, ranging in age from 14 to 20 (no twins). Do the math: today we worry about the grocery bills, but 14 years ago we worried about having three kids in diapers at the same time. And between then and now, we have always worried about how to keep them safe around our firearms.

Our first chosen line of defense has been to educate the kids. Starting when they were barely old enough to parrot stuff back to us, we taught them the Eddie Eagle rules ("If you see a gun, stop! Don't touch it. Leave the area and tell an adult.") That's necessary, but hardly sufficient. Still, even that much is far more than many parents bother with.

Next defense: defusing their curiosity. As soon as they were old enough to ask, "What's that? Me hold!" -- we let them handle the unloaded firearms, with the firearms pointed in a safe and controlled direction, with us hovering right there to control the muzzle and prevent little fingers from getting pinched. We let them do that as often as they asked, for as long as they asked, while we discussed the safety rules. And then we added one tiny little twist to the previously-learned safety rules: "If you see a gun, stop! Don't touch it. Leave the area and tell an adult.... and if you see a gun that you really really really want to touch? Stop! Don't touch it yet. Leave the area and ASK an adult." No reason to sneak if permission was freely available for the asking!

Final line of defense was locking the guns up when not in use. I keep a loaded handgun on my hip for self defense, and I wear it even at home for home defense. That way I don't have to worry about fast access to a firearm that's outside my immediate control.

If I were using a shotgun for home defense, I would look at the Life Jacket products (http://mseworldwide.com/lifejacket/modellj3.html) or others like them. I wouldn't rely on "hiding" the gun or on putting it "up high where the kids can't reach," knowing that kids always find stuff adults have hidden, and that even a dull child is usually bright enough to use a kitchen chair as a ladder.

Hope this helps!

pax
 
Greetings!

I too am looking for a means to secure a home defense shotgun, mostly from children of guests (who may not be familiarized with firearms) and my grandchild (7, but raised in a gun friendly household).

So far, the best candidate I've seen is the Mossberg Loc-Box; however, the ideal for me would be a similar mechanism with a GunVault lock, so there's no key fumbling. I want something my wife or I can open at night without worrying about dropping a key. I'm continuing to research, and if I find anything that fits the bill I'll post it.
 
In the safe during the day and next to bed (next to you) at night (with an empty chamber). I know it is a PITA, but it's the only way to be sure.
 
I keep all my guns in a gun cabinet, very inexpensive compared to a gun safe ($150 for the 14 gun). I keep it locked when I'm gone or when kids are running around, I unlock it when I get home, when kiddos leave, or when I go to bed.
 
I think this is on the expensive side, but I'm also looking for an ammo safe (separate from the main gun safe) and this would fit the combined need: GunVault 5900 series.

This has the electronic lock on top away from little hands, and the same locking mechanism as the pistol safes for consistency. It's too expensive if I wasn't already looking for a separate ammo safe (even so, its on the pricey side compared to a simple locked "strong box"), but to me it's probably worth the extra time it will take to save up for it.
 
It's amazing why some folks would suggest locking it up when it's use is for home defense. I suppose we are talking about degrees of home defence and after a fasion it looses it's application. Note that nothing is fool proof but you have to get to this gun, half awake with your wife screaming at you as a whole bunch of other stuff happening around you and yes, some guy shooting at you. It's your measure to make as you know your situation better than anyone.

I know a guy who stores his gun in the base or body, of a tall Grandfather clock. Also under a low closet self. That's right, attach it to the back underside of a closet shelf. Regardless of how you secure it, practice getting to it whenever you can.


Be Safe !!!
 
this is what my wife&I do // and its a work in progress as things change such as kids getting older, more weapons being bought, and so-on //

we have an electronic and/or digital safe with very easy access to. All we have to do is punch in the code and we can access knives, handguns, etc. It makes sure a child cannot find the key one day(or many days when you're not home+have no idea)and play with or admire your weapons. In the safe we also have rifle rounds and shotgun rounds for the rifle+shotgun we have in the nice pelican case in the closet(was like 40bucks and is really nice w/foam insulation). The ammo isn't in the weapon or pelican case because its not full-proof with a spare key and then your regular key. I would've found that growing up. the handguns are loaded; with our alarm and ability to lock the door that is more than enough time to be able to type in a code just like on your garage. Eventually I want to get a bigger digital safe so all the weapons can go in it. This would also help for two other reasons: 1)this bigger safe you can't walk away with(right now you can with the other safe- that stinks But someone stealing a handgun is no concern when I am preventing children from shooting each other by accident.
2)a safe that can't be walked away with can hold other stuff of importance such as deeds, title ins, passports, bonds, or whatever floats your boat.
 
It's amazing why some folks would suggest locking it up when it's use is for home defense.
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PAHOO,

I am on your side. I didn't feel it necessary to quote your entire post. The weapon for self-defense is essential. also, if you have a firearm it must be accessible in some form or another. when I started w/no children I had two trigger locks on our revolver, two triggerlocks on our shotgun, they were unloaded sitting next to the ammo, and they were locked in the pelican case. ahhh, that needed to change. I took baby steps. I have been known to 'jump in' w/stuff but not with my firearms. Safety of my family is my number one priority, but you can be safe and be prepared. In My Opinion, some of the people not as prepared haven't taken the next step. be advised, my oldest child "Jr" so to speak is only 2, but I already act as if he can climb up that closet. I have a nice lockable file cabinet in our closet, and that was a good start but the keypad safe is the way to go for us. then there's my wife- when I'm not home she just puts in on the nightstand, so people are going to do whats best for them(she isn't big on guns but it makes her feel comfortable). I prefer the safe even for a 2yrold in a crib; I am prepared for when he does visit are room next yr in the middle of the night. As fast as you can open an electronic garage with your good hand is how fast it takes me to have at least 2 loaded handguns for HD(and I have 2 for a reason). well, safety of my kids is gonna have to force that combo to do for now. I should be able to get to the long guns too if needed and down the road I'll update my situation. You can be safe and you can be ready for HD all at the same time
 
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