Thread: HD weapons and keeping kids safe...how do you do it?

Hey everyone.
I am interested in seeing what all of you HD people do if you have children at home and how you keep them safe from your firearms.
I have 2 boys, 5 and 8 and of course they are curious about lots of things.
I have decided in order to protect them from bad guys, I am going to purchase a shotgun (probably a Mossburg since im a lefty).
I thought the best way to keep it away from their natural curiosity is to keep it on a shelf on the closet during the day with some type of trigger guard or something and have it available next to the bed when I go to sleep.
I also am going to buy a Glock 23 but I have a safe already for that.
Please let me know what works for all of you and I will take that into consideration once I return to having firearms in the house.

Most of my firearms are kept in safes, a few of those, are kept loaded for HD. My Wife & I also keep a few in our room a lot of the time. If we run a quick errand, like go to the store, we simply lock the bedroom door. I put a key style locking door nob on the bed room door. If we leave for longer, the guns are put in a safe. I feel the most important thing you can do for your children's safety is to "EDUCATE" them about firearm safety!!!!

Originally Posted by Izzy

Most of my firearms are kept in safes, a few of those, are kept loaded for HD. My Wife & I also keep a few in our room a lot of the time. If we run a quick errand, like go to the store, we simply lock the bedroom door. I put a key style locking door nob on the bed room door. If we leave for longer, the guns are put in a safe. I feel the most important thing you can do for your children's safety is to "EDUCATE" them about firearm safety!!!!

Agreed.
I plan on making sure they understand the dangers as well as the advantages (to a point of course).

ShotLock Shotgun Vault :: ShotLock.com

Originally Posted by Izzy

ShotLock Shotgun Vault :: ShotLock.com

Now thats what I need.
Thanks for the link!

Originally Posted by Izzy

Most of my firearms are kept in safes, a few of those, are kept loaded for HD. My Wife & I also keep a few in our room a lot of the time. If we run a quick errand, like go to the store, we simply lock the bedroom door. I put a key style locking door nob on the bed room door. If we leave for longer, the guns are put in a safe. I feel the most important thing you can do for your children's safety is to "EDUCATE" them about firearm safety!!!!

Yep again and again and again! Until you KNOW they get it!

There is a time to play and a time to be serious!

When handling firearms it is always time to be serious!

Never play with a firearm!

Originally Posted by centerfire

Now thats what I need.
Thanks for the link!

Thats what I would recommend also.

My boy is curious also. Anytime he wants to look I oblige. EVERY time the safe is opened, we go through the safety rules of guns. Its a great opportunity to teach, while he thinks he getting something from it. He knows that if he doesnt pay attention and get it right, he doesnt get to see in the safe.

http://www.shotlock.com/

Good luck.

Originally Posted by Izzy

I feel the most important thing you can do for your children's safety is to "EDUCATE" them about firearm safety!!!!

+1

I learned early about firearm safety and shot my first firearm (with help from dad) when I was 5. In addition to his strict expectation that I would toe the line around guns, the experience of seeing what a .22 could do to a cute little cottontail (I was only 5, mind you) was an education in itself. Direct experience of what can happen to a living creature at the business end of a firearm was invaluable and made an indelible impression on me about the seriousness of guns at an early age.

For the moment, I have them stashed around the house (I don't have kids yet) but...We are having a baby early next year and as soon as I found out she was pregnant, I asked her if she knew what that meant, her response, "We're having a baby?" WRONG ANSWER. I told her, "It means I get to buy a gunsafe now, now it's a necessity."

I'm interested to hear about what everyone else does. I know the rest of my family just has them in a safe, but occasionally has them out, but unloaded depending on what's going on. Their kids know 100% that they are not toys and not to touch them.

I think education is the key, but I guess I'll find out about that when I come to it.

A parent could keep all of his/her firearms locked up in a safe: Kids can't get to them but if you need one NOW then you could be out of luck.

A parent could keep most of his/her firearms in a safe and one or more stashed here and there to be used for immediate protection: (1)Loaded with one in the chamber and the safety on; Great for being ready for an intruder but would provide a greater chance for the little ones to hurt someone or themselves if they mess with the firearm. (2) Loaded but not in the chamber (revolvers not included). (3) Unloaded but have a loaded clip/magazine and or box of ammo near by.

People do it many ways. Most people will not tell you how they do it exactly, to keep their privacy.

A parent is responsible for his/her child and should take owning a firearm very seriously when children are present. I believe there is no "One Right Way" of storing a firearm with children around and giving yourself the ability to protect you and your loved ones.

Oh boy… having little kids as a daily cc and holster maker, this is something I have run into. I will try to spare my words on the topic, but thought I’d share this part. I am very pro “educating and fullfilling their curiosity” and feel it’s never too young to start teaching. This is probably at least equal to the importance of a gun safe in my thinking.

Here is something that I hadn’t considered as much with my little guys… other people’s homes. A few weeks ago we were at some friend’s house. They happened to be a local law enforcement family with older kids who babysit for me. One of the girls relayed to me that while my kids went with them to a back room to get some toys with her, my 5 yr old son spotted a bb gun in the corner. He asked if it was a bb gun which was affirmed by an older boy who owned it and was told that he could touch it if he wanted to. To which he responded “Is it loaded?” Apparently one of the high schoolers tried assuring him that even if it was, it was just a bb gun and wouldn’t hurt him because it wasn't a real gun. To which he responded, no he better not touch it because that wasn’t true, followed by telling his 3 year old sister she better not touch it either.
I have to admit that my heart swelled with pride when I heard that my little boy knew better gun safety than the high schoolers and made a right decision. Meanwhile I was in the room next door, clueless to any of this. What if it had been a real gun? What if he went for his love of guns and fufilled his curiosity? Later that day he told me about it and told me how he really wanted to touch it, but knew he shouldn’t just like at home. His babysitter had been impressed at how strong he stood in his position and said she herself learned something when he and his sister went over some muzzle control and finger off the trigger safety talk during that exchange. She said for herself and her siblings, their LEO parents had maintained guns to be "off limits" and locked up. They had never learned gun safety nor were they allowed to touch a gun.

Up until then, I honestly hadn’t considered my kids encountering guns at other people’s houses at their young age since I don’t often leave them anywhere. But this affirmed for me to continue my attempts of training them right alongside myself, because you just never know when they might have their own encounters without you… even in the room next door, home or not.

Originally Posted by Chick Holsters

Oh boy… having little kids as a daily cc and holster maker, this is something I have run into. I will try to spare my words on the topic, but thought I’d share this part. I am very pro “educating and fullfilling their curiosity” and feel it’s never too young to start teaching. This is probably at least equal to the importance of a gun safe in my thinking.

Here is something that I hadn’t considered as much with my little guys… other people’s homes. A few weeks ago we were at some friend’s house. They happened to be a local law enforcement family with older kids who babysit for me. One of the girls relayed to me that while my kids went with them to a back room to get some toys with her, my 5 yr old son spotted a bb gun in the corner. He asked if it was a bb gun which was affirmed by an older boy who owned it and was told that he could touch it if he wanted to. To which he responded “Is it loaded?” Apparently one of the high schoolers tried assuring him that even if it was, it was just a bb gun and wouldn’t hurt him because it wasn't a real gun. To which he responded, no he better not touch it because that wasn’t true, followed by telling his 3 year old sister she better not touch it either.
I have to admit that my heart swelled with pride when I heard that my little boy knew better gun safety than the high schoolers and made a right decision. Meanwhile I was in the room next door, clueless to any of this. What if it had been a real gun? What if he went for his love of guns and fufilled his curiosity? Later that day he told me about it and told me how he really wanted to touch it, but knew he shouldn’t just like at home. His babysitter had been impressed at how strong he stood in his position and said she herself learned something when he and his sister went over some muzzle control and finger off the trigger safety talk during that exchange. She said for herself and her siblings, their LEO parents had maintained guns to be "off limits" and locked up. They had never learned gun safety nor were they allowed to touch a gun.

Up until then, I honestly hadn’t considered my kids encountering guns at other people’s houses at their young age since I don’t often leave them anywhere. But this affirmed for me to continue my attempts of training them right alongside myself, because you just never know when they might have their own encounters without you… even in the room next door, home or not.

Nice work DAD

At the risk of sounding redundant; educate the kids, take them shooting (nothing edcates like experience) and use a gun safe. When I was a child all the guns were in a wooden gun case with a glass front and lock. What really kept me out of them was fear of painful death from Pop's disapproving glare.

I think self/home defense handguns should be worn on the hip because they aren't worth spit if they're on the other side of the bad guy.

Great info everyone.
Lots of valuable tips.

The simple truth is that the only way to keep kids safe is to both educate them regarding firearm safety and then allow absolutely no access to your firearms.

In my case I never leave a gun unsecured out of my presence. My EDC is always either on my person, in the drawer safe next to my bed while I am in the bed, or in the finger safe downstairs. No exceptions.

All other guns are locked in the gunsafe at all times.

An inexpensive little safe like the one I have mounted in my powder bath (shown below) really makes storing the gun much easier than having to open and close the large safe all the time.

the two most important statements made here and 200% true

If we run a quick errand, like go to the store, we simply lock the bedroom door. I put a key style locking door knob on the bed room door. If we leave for longer, the guns are put in a safe

That is what I do as well
And

seeing what a .22 could do to a cute little cottontail (I was only 5, mind you) was an education in itself. Direct experience of what can happen to a living creature at the business end of a firearm was invaluable and made an indelible impression on me

The biggest issue with kids and guns is knowing that it shoots but not knowing what really happens to what is shot

Originally Posted by Izzy

Nice work DAD

I'm afraid I'll never make a good dad, even if I underwent a lot of surgery. But as a mom, I thank you just the same. I'm trying.

Originally Posted by saxon

The biggest issue with kids and guns is knowing that it shoots but not knowing what really happens to what is shot

Wholeheartedly agree. I grew up watching animals get slaughtered on our farm, but for my kids who live in a neighborhood... right... about that... I decided to get a rabbit as a demonstration, but thankfully for me, in the end I was able to take them to watch a couple cow/yak butcherings instead. It makes a HUGE difference if they see firsthand why we say guns are off limits. I also showed and talked with them about tragic news article online where kids their age died from getting a hold of a firearm without their parents. They don't forget these things and though it could sound awful to a lot of people, it's honesty that I think they need. And can easily be done in positive truthful light to understand respect of a firearm, not as a mean scare tactic that leaves them thinking guns are "bad."

As someone who has raised 4 kids I am going along with the other comments about restricting access and educating kids on what guns are and what the implications of what the responsibility is when handling a gun.

First and foremost is restricting access, the reason I don't buy the line of the people that spout " I leave loaded guns around the house and my kid knows not to touch them" is because kids are kids, kids make mistakes, and they have friends that make mistakes, how many kids just in the past year have we read about that manage to shoot themselves or someone else? Is your pride worth the chance of having to attend your child's funeral?

I for one distinctly remember finding my parents firearm and my brother handling it, the fact that no one was shot may have more to do with the fact as I found out later in life that it had the firing pin removed, I have no idea if we pulled the trigger on it but there certainly is a possibility that we did.

When My kids were old enough I took them to safety classes and then training classes before I took them shooting as I didn't want them to learn any bad habits from me, I also took these classes and learned things and would suggest anyone take them.

I also never gave or allowed my kids to play with toy guns, I wanted them to know that guns are real tools and needed respect, their first guns were Red Ryder BB guns.

Originally Posted by Trlsmn

I also never gave or allowed my kids to play with toy guns, I wanted them to know that guns are real tools and needed respect, their first guns were Red Ryder BB guns.

Now, I'm not a parent so take this as you may, but I always had toys like nerf guns, cap guns, laser tag, and super soakers when I was a kid. I had wooden swords too. I don't think it should be too hard for a kid to understand the difference between a nerf gun and a real gun. Especially once they reach the "age of reason" (around 7, right?) or whatever anyway.

Originally Posted by bnsaibum

Direct experience of what can happen to a living creature at the business end of a firearm was invaluable and made an indelible impression on me about the seriousness of guns at an early age.

I like the idea of taking children hunting at an early age. This should really help to hit home on the difference between shooting something with nerf and shooting something with a real gun.

I never met any kids who didn't have play battles with toy weapons. It seems to me like a normal part of a healthy childhood.

Actually now that I think of it, I do kind of remember some kids that never had any toy weapons. They always liked coming over to other peoples' houses to play cuz we had swords to whack each other with and nerf guns. I always thought their parents were a little nuts, no offense. :I

I keep both of my shotguns in a SKB Double Shotgun Case with two combination padlocks (one in each end)

It's as safe as a gun safe, but it has the advantage of being great for traveling.