handgun safe advice ?

[HGM]

Sorry I cant really add to your question, but thought I'd add my experience..

You mention children.. The bigest issue I have noticed with alot of parents is the concealment of the guns from the children. I'm all for saftey, but ignorance is dangerous.. From the day my son was born, there have been guns around him.. He has never needed to sneak one out or play with one behind my back because he knows that all he has to do is ask. I have never told him "no, you cant hold the gun" and never will.. To this day(he's 10) he knows there are guns in the house and vehicles and is very saftey concious with them.. Although I dont do it on a regular basis, I can leave my loaded pistol on the table in the living room in plain sight, he wont even give it a second thought.. I have provided him with all the info he desires(and then some) about firearms in general, to him, its no different than the truck keys sitting on the table.. They can be just as dangerous if misused..

Now, with that said... When his freinds visit, the guns are put away in a safe.. I dont trust other people or their kids with guns(unless I am certain they are responsible people).. Contrary to what alot of people think, its our jobs to educate our children, if we expect someone else to do it, bad things happen..

Just my $.02, since I often hear alot of comments from people that dont know better.... Hope you enjoy your new pistol, they can be a bonding device for your family, lots of fun at the range.. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Highbeam]

Great thread. I have a three year old now and one at 6 months. I always kept a loaded handgun (40 S&W auto) on the nightstand. Wife can use it and feels secure with it there when I am gone. Now with the girls, I keep it under the seat in the truck, always. The guns in the house are locked in a safe requiring no less than 30 seconds to get out and load. I have gone from one extreme to the other and I am watching this thread for some middle ground.

My 870 pump shotgun has a little button you must press to chamber the first round. A child would have a hard time with that but the wife isn't confident in handling a long gun in 12 gauge and if she's afraid of the gun it can only hurt the situation.

 

[RoyJackson]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Drop it in the well. )</font>

In the USA, we've the right to own handguns, Gunnar.
You may not like 'em, but most Americans love 'em.

I suppose you folks aren't allowed to own firearms?

 

[RoyJackson]

did you buy her a revolver or semi-auto? If a semi-auto, your wife could keep the magazine in her pocket when home alone.

I don't have kids here, so keeping loaded guns around isn't a problem.

I strongly suggest you teach yr kids rather then make your handgun inaccessible. A gun in a safe just isn't accessible enough for home defense.

Of course, your wife could keep the gun on her person (holstered, of course), then lock it up when you're home. Would that work?

All that said, a shotgun (.410) is a better defensive weapon...and a pistol gripped .410 would be a nice addition to the collection. At close range (in a room), a .410 would be one heck of a persuader.

 

[1948berg]

I wont offend anybody on this issue. We have the right to own handguns in Norway as well, but you need to be a member of a shooting association. I have just one handgun, but several rifles. I think we deal with guns with more respect in Norway. Leaving a loaded gun anywhere is out of the question. I stop here, to be honest, this discussion could be held in another forum.

 

[scesnick]

I could not agree more. I have had this discussion on other forums about firearms being out in the open. I think it takes the mystery out of them and then they are no big deal to the kids then. The curiosity is gone. I still never leave it laying loaded however.
I have a 14 yr. old step son and he shoots with me quite a bit. But, I also have a 4yr old and a 2 yr. old. That is why I want this picture frame safe. I think they are too young to understand the world of hurt a firearm can cause. So I want it up out of reach for a while anyway. This weapon will have a full magazine ( but none in the barrel) that way wifey can get to it, and use it in a hurry.

I have a ton of rifles, as I have said earlier but I kind of have a hidden agenda for this handgun. Last year congress passed the Law Enforcement Safety Officers Act ( LEOSA) and now I can concealed carry in ANY state without all the legal B.S. that goes with crossing state lines etc.. SO I guess it is time for a handgun.

Gunnar,
The Second Ammendment is THE most important ammendment that we have here. Nothing personal but the good people of Norway must really trust their government by allowing them to put such restrictions on them.
Austrailia banned all firearms and now crime is up %300. Now only the criminals have firearms.

can ya tell I'm a lifetime NRA member? /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[Bird]

Greg, I also have owned guns all my life, my parents had guns, and there's just been no mystery about guns to my daughters. I was a police officer before the girls were born. And when I came home, my revolver was always left loaded on top of a high dresser in the bedroom. I'd unload it and let the kids hold it anytime they wanted to (which was almost never), they knew I'd take them out to shoot it if they wanted to, and they didn't. And they knew they were not to touch it without permission before they were old enough to reach it up high. No mystery and no curiosity; just one of daddy's tools to be left alone. I know some will say I was just lucky, and maybe so since that can't be proven either way.

 

[LMTC]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I know some will say I was just lucky )</font> Nope, I did the same with our kids, same result. I know, I know, there is always the exception to prove the rule, but how many "accidents" have you read about historically from the days when our grandfathers and great grandfathers kept a loaded gun on the mantle and/or by the door? Ignorance is a great danger than familiarity.

I had a security assessment of our business and home years ago. Professional. It actually lowered our insurance rate. Anyway, the pro asked about guns...after I spent some time with him, I finally asked if he really wanted to know, and he said yes. I told him that so far in our assessment I had never been more than 2-3 steps from a ready weapon. He looked at me and smiled, asked me to show him where they were kept. I did. He gave us the highest (as in best) rating he could give to the insurance company, and did not specify anything about the weapons. His explanation to me....our due diligence, our concern for protecting ourselves (not our money) that was exhibited in how we placed the weapons, having avenues of retreat with weapons along the way, and our policies about them and training, all made us far less likely to even have any sort of incident according to him.

BTW--when the boys were very young I kept most firearms locked when not being used, except for a small 38 Momma carried in a fanny pack around the house and property, and the one I carried. At night those went to the bedside with us, stayed loaded, and were placed in a drawer (one on each side) built into the bed frame. It couldn't be opened without lifting the edge of the mattress, and we were convinced the kids could not get them without waking us. Of course the key is teaching them so they DON'T try. Either of us could pull the drawer open while in bed and grab our weapon. Yes, they stayed loaded. They are of no use otherwise. I also unlocked a Mossberg 12 gauge, 20 " open choke 8 round magazine (or is it 7?), and kept it with mag full, chamber empty, safety off, trigger pulled...this necessitated using the slide release button to rack a shell, but then it was ready. #6 shot as I hoped to not go through walls. It stayed by my bedside, tied with a light cord (Kid tries to pick it up and sneak away and the resistance will cause them to drop it, giving them away....they never saw how I placed it there....and yet I could grab it and snap the cord instantly). I am happy to report we never needed any of the above so far, and I do not regret one second put into those preparations.

 

[RFB]

The issue regarding firearms and children is both a cultural as well as a due diligence issue. In the past, folks understood that they were 100% responsible (not the State) for the education and training of their children, to include all of the implements used in a household. They also understood that these implements were there for their use; there was not a special group of persons who were only allowed the use of chainsaws, axes, steak knives, pots of boiling water, or firearms. Consequently, parents knew it was their responsibility to teach and discipline their children regarding the safe use of any and all of these inanimate objects. At a certain age, some are more ready than others to take on added responsibility, and it was up to the parent to know their children's individual qualities and abilities. A 3 year old is more than likey not ready to deal with a pot of boiling water, so he or she would be carefully but joyfully shielded from that duty. It was not hidden; it was fenced. At the proper time, a gateway was provided.

An unloaded firearm is as useful as a chainsaw without gas. It is a paper weight. It is not the object that is dangerous, it is the hand of the user.

For the gentleman from Europe; hoplophobia is a curable condition /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

As a closing thought; the unloaded firearm pre-supposes reflexive skill that can only be attained by rigorous and regular training. If the intended user is not realistically going to maintain that skill level, then a loaded firearm that is worn, or strategic placement around the house is a simpler solution.

Think your way through the issue before trying to solve it with the tool. Mindset.

 

[1948berg]

For the gentleman from Europe; hoplophobia is a curable condition

To be honest, I did not get that one, but I guess its not very flattering?