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I'm a first time parent and I have a small collection of firearms that I'd like to secure before the little guy's mobile. My collection is small, so I'm not looking to invest in a large safe or anything.

I do have locks for the guns that I can use, but I was curious what others are doing to keep their guns safe for their children.

Also, what are some ideas for keeping a firearm accessible and safe at the same time?

Thanks in advance for any tips.

-Matt
 
The Winchester-branded security containers sold at Tractor Supply are a good option. Quick keypad access, basic fire resistance, basic protection against casual theft, affordable.
 
Lockable metal cabinets in closets or garages work well for the bulk of the firearms to keep them away from kids, cabinets come onto the forum and Craig's list quite often for sub $100 a lot of the time. Obviously Id advise an actual safe to slow down teens and thieves but in a pinch cabinets work well for what they are.

As for a home defense gun pistol safe @User 1234 nailed it, something that has digital keypad provides for emergency access but will keep little ones out.

I wanted to say, thank you for responsibly reaching out and taking initiative to safely store firearms without a law telling you to do so. A few years back I had a friends kid (7-8? I cannot remember) who got into the fathers drawer and shot himself in the head (accidentally). Absolutely tragic and it could have been prevented with a small bedside pistol safe.
 
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When my kids were still kids, we had a few of the gun boxes that use a Simplex lock. Kind you can set the combination and can open in the dark by feel. I always liked them better than the battery powered ones as I was always afraid the battery one would fail just when I needed the damn thing. For any "extra" guns a simple locking cabinet works fine till the kids get a little older.
 
When you say "small collection" what are you talking about? 3 .22s worth a combined $100? Or 5-7 "real" guns worth $500+ a piece? Because total volume/value is gonna play a big part in what route you should take. I'm not a fan of sheet metal cabinets, myself. Probably better looking and more tasteful to put them in a wood cabinet
 
For firearms you DON'T NEED ready access to: The least expensive with reasonable security option would be a job box.

Bolted down, or weighted down. Better than a cabinet. Not as good as a true safe.

IMO.
 
Thanks everyone. These are great suggestions to get me thinking!

When you say "small collection" what are you talking about? 3 .22s worth a combined $100? Or 5-7 "real" guns worth $500+ a piece? Because total volume/value is gonna play a big part in what route you should take. I'm not a fan of sheet metal cabinets, myself. Probably better looking and more tasteful to put them in a wood cabinet
Great question. I fit the "5-7 'real' guns worth $500+ a piece" category.
 
While secure storage is an absolutely great idea, not only for their safety but also to protect your investment, one other idea that my wife and I practiced while raising our five kids. When the kids are old enough to learn to handle firearms (for us this was around 5 or 6, when they started asking questions and showing curiosity when I was cleaning / handling guns) I would always "clear" the gun and let them handle it under supervision. Doing so taught them safe gun handling at an early age and took away the curiosity / secrecy that draws kids to guns. It also prepared the kids for when we started teaching them to shoot, usually around age 8.
 
If you have more than $1000 in value, a safe is the only answer I'd recommend. Especially if any of them cost more that $800. In other words, if you can spend $800 on a gun, you can spend $800 on a safe.

Costco has good quality safes for decent prices. May not be the best in terms of cutting ratings, but as far as child proofing, a good safe should keep kids out.
 
I'm a first time parent and I have a small collection of firearms that I'd like to secure before the little guy's mobile. My collection is small, so I'm not looking to invest in a large safe or anything.

I do have locks for the guns that I can use, but I was curious what others are doing to keep their guns safe for their children.

Also, what are some ideas for keeping a firearm accessible and safe at the same time?

Thanks in advance for any tips.

-Matt
Tall shelf/bookshelf (secured so it can't fall over and crush the little one).

There are distinct milestones in a child's life that require different levels of safety/prevention.

1) mobile but small and unaware - out of reach
2) mobile but bigger and aware - out of reach/sight and starting teaching "guns are not for kids without mommy or daddy" as soon as they can comprehend.

3) toddler/small child - lots of options, for still out of reach, but unchambered is a good one also small children can't actuate a slide but they could pull the trigger.

4) larger child - the curious/danger factor is real. So is friends coming over. Nothing should be accessible without parent supervision. Unchambered adds a level of safety.

For reference: As long as I can remember there was a .308 lever action in the kitchen on the wall. I never had an issue with it, I got it down several times in my youth and cycled some rounds through it without pulling the trigger. I was taught at a very young age how to be competent with firearms, and I was smart, so I knew how to clear it before playing with it. (Not for everyone but it worked for our family).

I've got a child now who is 16 months old. She's very smart. She sees my regular carry piece on my hip, she knows what it is. We talk about it. I reinforce, "guns aren't for babies - no no"

She says "gun no no"

There are times I clear it, let her feel the grip, etc, and reinforce "only when daddy says so."
Then I tell her "guns are not for babies, no no."
She nods and says "guns no no."

I've already conducted a test. I cleared a pistol, left it out and she encountered it. She started saying "gun no no" and came and got me without touching it.

This all might seem way out there for some, but kids can learn a lot more a lot earlier than people give them credit. Knowing your child is also important. Not all kids are ready for the responsibility at the same age/maturity level. Obviously my child is far too young to leave around chambered firearms, but we can still instill the concept of "when I'm with dad it is ok, when I am not with dad it is not ok."

When my daughter gets older. We'll go through the rules of firearm safety and then later how to clear them, show clear with them, etc. Once they get enough strength to physically manipulate a firearm, the only danger after that is due to ignorance. Education is really the only way to combat ignorance. Hence why there are 10 year olds who can competently handle firearms and there are adults who can't. It's an ignorance thing (and an intelligence thing).
 
Assuming it's a pistol you want to have quick access to, small bedside safe with keypad should do the job for that. For the I would rest get a safe or cabinet with adequate room to hold any planned / future acquisitions. You don't want to invest hundreds on a safe and then run out of room in a year.

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Also, congrats! I'm about to be in the same boat - kiddo is due in November.
 
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Also, what are some ideas for keeping a firearm accessible and safe at the same time?
if your looking for theft (value) protection then you need a quality safe compared to the value of your collection. Typically spend at least as much money on a real safe as the collection is worth.

If your looking to only childproof your collection then there are more affordable options. My advice is to stay away from containers that are secured by a key, as kids (or their "friends"...) can find keys.

For kid security, a small 10 gun safe with a combination lock, it will be a legit safe with some minimal legit theft protection as well. If your the only one who knows the combination the kids will not pick that one (as opposed to cheaper combination containers).

For quick access: if its a self defense rifle you could also buy a Shotlock wall mount. They sell them for shotguns too if thats your preference. For pistols, Shotlock also makes quick access containers, but I prefer the Vaultek brand as they are nicer to travel with and have a safe container that can be secured to the vehicle. Great for road trips with the family.

Take a look at these to start:

 
I'm a first time parent and I have a small collection of firearms that I'd like to secure before the little guy's mobile. My collection is small, so I'm not looking to invest in a large safe or anything.

I do have locks for the guns that I can use, but I was curious what others are doing to keep their guns safe for their children.

Also, what are some ideas for keeping a firearm accessible and safe at the same time?

Thanks in advance for any tips.

-Matt
Options (you can mix and match or use just one solution). I like to keep it simple. When kiddo has friends over there is simply no way for them to get to any guns because only I can access them.

1) Easy access safe(s) for guns you need to have readily available. I like ones that have biometric and combo both. Some of these are plug in with battery backup

2) A locked room where only you have the key

3) hidden access panels/areas that only you can access

For example you can have a bio/combo pistol (or larger if desired) safe next to the bed for quick access plus a locked room, or closet, or safe, or even a locked file cabinet, elsewhere where the other guns are stored. You have access anytime you want but no one else does. Age of child, how many kids, etc. makes no difference they are always secure and you can always access them easily.

Personally I would not put any locks on the guns themselves because it complicates things, requires more keys to manage, and is simply not needed. But everyone has their own preferences.
 
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I have 2 of these (1 for the wife's gun and 1 for mine) for under the bed safe storage (meets CA DOJ approval) and provides quick access. They work great (newer version even has a slide that pops out when the safe opens with a little red light that comes on for a few seconds. Single gun version is available on Amazon for under $140. I change the batteries on the same schedule as my smoke detectors (yearly). Has 4 finger notches to allow you to easily in the dark push buttons at the end of the notches (4-6 button push code settable). Also has key (dimple cut) access. As for the long guns (or guns not needed quickly) decide on how you want to protect them. If you want to protect the firearms too, look for safes with some higher security levels for fire/theft. If you just want to protect others from your firearms, then a cheaper gun locker would work fine.

 
As a kid most people had firearms, but few had lockers or safes. They were typically stored in a closet, under a bed, or on a wall rack. I'm not suggesting you do the same (do get at least a cabinet), but do want to share all us kids managed to not let our curiosity turn into a tragedy.

Basically, it's a combination of exposure, teaching firearm safety as they grow, and satisfying curiosity

Exposure: Firearms were not hidden and most of the families in our area hunted every fall. Schools would even ask which students would be missing time to go hunting and accommodate by giving students homework in advance. Not sure if the public schools are as cooperative in these days of suspensions for a finger gun.

Firearms were also treated a tools for their utility. We knew about them, but there was no obsession on TV or video games. We could "help" during cleaning prior to hunting or shooting trips.

Safety Training: Firstly, we had to treat toy guns as real guns. They needed to be handled properly including where the barrel was pointed. Failure meant the toy gun went to toy jail for a few days.

We developed our own protocol for handing a firearm to another person where both partied had to verify the firearm was clear, but the giver and the receiver.

There were also opportunities for informal shooting, which was always a rifle and one bullet at a time to begin with. As we grew and became more responsible we could fill the tube magazine in the family 22. These informal sessions always started with safety fundamentals with older children teaching them to younger ones under parental supervision.

Curiosity: Anytime we wanted to look at the firearms, Dad would always get them for us, and after ensuring they were unloaded we could examine and familiarize ourselves with them. This way our natural curiosity was satisfied and so there was no need to sneak around.

This also included when we brought friends over. Those days it was no big deal, but today I would check with the parents of one of my children's friends.
 
Second or third for Costco gun safes, I have two of them. One for my long guns, and one for my handguns. My 10 year old boy has Autism so he fixates on certain things, my safes are in a room and I have let him into the gun room often. I inform him what guns can do and how to be careful and diligent around them and why they live in safes.


I have that safe for my long guns, on SALE currently too. I bought a same company smaller safe for $350 on sale for my hand gun collection. Watch online for sales, they are frequent.
For my one necessary handgun for home protection, I use a biometric safe in my closet of my bedroom which is very close to where I sleep. They are great as you just assign your finger prints to the safe and they open instantly. Also a code can be used if the biometric scanner fails. That safe was $90 online.

DSC01412.JPG
 
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While secure storage is an absolutely great idea, not only for their safety but also to protect your investment, one other idea that my wife and I practiced while raising our five kids. When the kids are old enough to learn to handle firearms (for us this was around 5 or 6, when they started asking questions and showing curiosity when I was cleaning / handling guns) I would always "clear" the gun and let them handle it under supervision. Doing so taught them safe gun handling at an early age and took away the curiosity / secrecy that draws kids to guns. It also prepared the kids for when we started teaching them to shoot, usually around age 8.
Probably more importantly it teaches them what to do if they find a gun, or if they are at the neighbors or friends etc and happen upon one.

You can always take them apart into a few pieces if it doesn't involve screws etc. I wouldn't take screws in and out a lot obviously. But like take the slide off barrel out recoil/op rod out etc.
 
Second or third for Costco gun safes, I have two of them. One for my long guns, and one for my handguns. My 10 year old boy has Autism so he fixates on certain things, my safes are in a room and I have let him into the gun room often. I inform him what guns can do and how you careful and diligent you have to be around them and why they live in safes.


I have that safe for my long guns, on SALE currently too. I bought a same company smaller safe for $350 on sale for my hand gun collection. Watch online for sales, they are frequent.
For my one necessary handgun for home protection, I use a biometric safe in my closet of my bedroom which is very close to where I sleep. They are great as you just assign your finger prints to the safe and they open instantly. Also a code can be used if the biometric scanner fails. That safe was $90 online.

View attachment 1277713
The only thing I don't like about the Costco gun safes is they are all electronic locks. If they have a key to override the electronic lock then that is fine if you keep the key close buy in case a CME or EMP is detonated and fries the electronic lock. I believe some electronic locks are EMP proof but I have manual combination for my firearms safe.

I do have an ARmA15 lock that I use. I have a movement lock so I can unlock my AR quite quickly. I do have another lock that I use sometimes but when I leave my home I lock up my AR in my safe.

https://arma15.com/
 
I wanted to say, thank you for responsibly reaching out and taking initiative to safely store firearms without a law telling you to do so.
Please add me to that list. Also, for those members who live in Washington State, gun safes are tax-free in Washington State. Even if you purchase the gun safe in Oregon and have it delivered to Washington.
 
Thanks everyone. These are great suggestions to get me thinking!


Great question. I fit the "5-7 'real' guns worth $500+ a piece" category.
In that case may be worth looking at a "decent" gun safe. Now here you will get some are going to tell you unless it costs as much as a nice car its worthless. <SIGH>
ANY gun safe beats no gun safe. There are some things to do to make it "better". Like put it someplace other than the first place scum look, master bedroom. Bolt it down. Alarm system. They are a song compared to what they used to be and anyone can put one in themselves. The nice one now can be taken with you when you move. Not to mention that if all you have cash for right now is a lower end one, buy it. Later if you want to do better great.
 

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