Guns and Kids

[The Kicker Guy]

This spawned off the bedside thread, but how do you parents out there deal with your guns and kids. I keep a pistol on my nighstand and shotgun under my bed, but my son is about to start crawling/grabbing/sucking on anything he can get is hands on. I really don't want to have to lock my nighstand pistol up, but don't want to take the chance of him accidentaly getting ahold of it. So how do you handle it?

 

[TxShooter]

Handling A Bedside Weapon with Kids in the House

I am in exactly the same situation as you are. My son has just turned 13 months old. My current solution is that I have my weapons all locked in my gun safe with the exception of one pistol, and that is my duty weapon. I keep my Glock 21 in the top drawer of a extremly tall dresser near my bed. The drawer is at a 5 foot level. I leave a loaded magazine in the weapon, but do not leave a round in the chamber. The weapon also resides in a Blackhawk holster. If I leave the room, the weapon either leaves the room with me or gets locked in one of the safes.

As soon as my son is old enough I will begin teaching him about firearms and firearms safety, but even then my weapons will be secured.

 

[ironman45693]

I keep all of my guns locked up tight in the safe, then slip the .45 under the pillow at night. No one is going to get to it then with out me knowing.

 

[tex45acp]

My CCW is on my side until I head for the bed and then it is locked in the safe. I then take out the XD with the light and it goes into a hidden drawer in my night stand. Since I sleep on my side I face the drawer and can remove the gun with a touch. I also keep a riot gun above the door inside my closet on padded hooks. Plenty high for tricycle motors. My sons are grown, but were taught what a gun can do at a very young age and started shooting my handguns at the age of 10. They were shown, using a wild hog carcass, with a plastic bag filled with guts and blood, what happens whenthe bullet leaves the barrel. Gory...yes, did it make an impression...absolutely. Even though the guns have always been locked up, I wanted them to know.

The same will happen when the grandbabies start arriving.

tex

 

[mac79912]

I have two girls that know not to go in my room.Safety is number one priority in my house.All my guns are in the safe except for what I am carrying.At night I keep a gun in my drawer and take it out when I wake up.I do not leave any guns unattended.If I don't carry it or if is not within my reach then the gun is in the safe.

 

[ducksps]

this is a huge concern for me as well

I also leave all firearms in the safe till I return home and swap out my carry pistol. I am starting to look at a quick access safe for the bedroom for those times when I am not in carry mode. The days of leaving my carry pistol on top of the safe out of reach have vanished.

My girl is 4.5 and i am already explaining to her what firearms are and that she needs to keep a distance till she is old enough to learn. Touching a firearm is a major NO in our household.

I recall from being young how curious I was so my idea is to let her see what they are in a safe environment with me. Keeping everything locked up is a must as she gets older and has friends over. I have gone so far as to put a lock on the door of the room with the gun safe.

 

[JKTex]

It's pretty simple. You're priority as a parent is to do the responsible thing and ensure kids don't and can't get access to them no matter what that means.

You also have a duty under the law to do the same.

From there you figure out how to make it work. It's not easy.

 

[a44mag4dave]

All my weapons except one is locked up in the safe. I hid my defense pistol in a zippered 6"x11" organizer(leather bound 3 ring notebook). They didn't know it was even in there till they were older.I taught my kids at an early age what a gun is and what guns do(milk jug full of water, watermelon). I have always let my kids touch my weapons with my supervision, it helped cure the curiosity and the forbidden item syndrome. I grew up with guns all around the house, most of which were loaded. So I just taught them the same way I learned. They just have learn safety and a respect for guns. When they are old enough, teach them to shoot and enjoy the sport... They will love you for it..

 

[ReVrEnD_0341]

I grew up in a similar situation as Dave. As early as 4 years old I would sit in a deer stand with my dad hunting. Just watching. There were always guns in the house, loaded. The earlier you familiarize your kids with firearms, the less the curious kid sydrom will take hold of them. But above all, you must know your kids, and what they will do. Just do what you think is right for your kids. They are not all the same.

 

[Loco38SUP]

As you know kids are very curious and will find anything and everything regardless of where you hide it. All of my guns are locked up in a safe. My CCW is either on my hip or in a simplex lock box under the bed. When it comes to guns and kids safety is a much higher priority over convenience.

Mine are 5-7 and are always interested in Daddy's guns. As others have mentioned I let them touch unloaded weapons with supervision and on occasion let them help clean a spring or slide stop which satisfies their curiosity.

RJM