Gun Storage in a household with kids.

Obturation said:

No.
You can pick them up and walk away with them. Or pick up what they're attached to and walk away with it all. Or pop it open with a screw driver. I've never seen one that couldn't be opened in under a minute. Thin metal, cheesy locks, they are trash.

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Just like large safes/RSC's not all are created equal. When it comes to steel and locks, you get what you pay for. There are some really good quality handgun safes available, but they won't be electronic/biometric. If you are concerned about what they are anchored to is not heavy enough, then anchor it next to your bed to the concrete floor.

The thickest steel available in a handgun safe is 7GA (3/16") steel. That's probably thicker steel than most peoples large safe/RSC.

I started shooting last year. My wife and I attended gun safety classes together and I've since obtained my CC permit and have taken half a dozen more classes.

Not long after I started, I took my 10-year old daughter and 15-year old son to a youth marksmanship class at my range. This included the same material you'd find in any gun safety/intro-to-shooting class and hands-on time with .22LR rifles. My kids know that I have guns in the house and how to handle them safely. They also know not to handle them without permission.

Kids being kids, I still have them locked up. I have a locked gun cabinet in my closet and a biometric pistol safe in my nightstand. All guns are locked up except when I'm carrying, packing or unpacking for a range trip, cleaning, dry firing, or teaching the kids.

Perfect system? No, of course not. But this is sufficient for my peace of mind (and, more importantly, Household Six's peace of mind).

Firearm storage is not an area to go cheap on, even more so if you have children in the house. There are cheap safes that can be pried or dropped open. When it comes to making recommendations, look for videos of the safe being defeated before buying one. I have a 7 year old with autism. I have been using the same bedside storage since before he was born. I bought it knowing we had a child on the way and I couldn't just leave my firearm hanging around when I wasn't wearing it. My son has tried to pry it, kick it, and move it open. It is cable locked to a solid wood bed frame and night stand so it cannot move more than a couple inches in any direction.

I would not rely solely on educating the child about firearm safety. Make it apart of the safety plan, but not the only part.

You're a good guy for helping her out, and I understand her concerns for child safety. I suggest you introduce her to Kathy Jackson's website, corneredcat.com.

Kathy has over a hundred articles on the website, and one is a well-written article authored by a locksmith...https://www.corneredcat.com/article/firearms-safety/securing-firearms-in-the-home/

Kathy also discusses safety concerns, kids and firearms in the home along with a host of other thoughtful firearms-related articles including what she'll need to know to make a good handgun selection.

As you didn`t say. I`d start with some education on the subject. Locking something is not the end all.
Curiosity left unchecked...………

Armored farmer said:

First off, a long talk with the kid.
Then a secure gunsafe, with a secured lock.
Then another talk.
Then take the kid shooting and teach him about gun safety.

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110% this.

And a safe. Like another poster said, it's good for other things besides guns, too.

I lock everything, in a basic cabinet. It is bolted to the floor and one would have to obviously damage it to get into it - or go out of their way to find the key. It isn't perfect, but what solution is? It is one layer of safety, and a good one, not a 100% solution.

As an aside, growing up - none of the guns were locked, they were hung on the wall. All the ammunition was in a locked box though. Today, locking them is more a matter at making theft a little harder than it is for safety for me. If I didn't care about theft, I'd hang them all on a wall like my Dad did, and lock the ammo away. For us as kids, I think knowing they were there and seeing them, and shooting them sometimes, took the curiosity away - they weren't kept from us or hidden, so - there was no big secret to discover or be curious about.

A safe.

Kids can't vote, because they don't make good decisions. They may or may not make good decisions with your guns, either.

Don't depend on their decisions, don't depend on what you teach them. Depend on the fact that they can't get to your gun, because it's in a safe.

They will find it, wherever you hide it.

Then there are the kids who are friends of your kids who come over on play days who have know idea about the dangers.
Get a safe and bolt it down. Maybe pick up a FAS-1 http://www.fas1safe.com/ or similar, that can be bolted down, for your HD piece so it's readily accessible to you.
A good locking file cabinet---the old style made from thick metal with a quality cylinder lock---can secure quite a bit of you ammo

Walkalong,
you should have not have posted this link
https://www.safeandvaultstore.com/c...4-g-c-compact-utility-b-rated-safe-lc1414-g-c


Now I want one of these!
https://www.safeandvaultstore.com/p...rtress-trtl30x6-two-hour-fire-safe-trx7236-26

Thanks for the link, interesting stuff, nice selection.

Dudedog said:

Now I want one of these!

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But it won't be long before someone posts a 5 minute hack to get into them.

I think a "decoy" cheap gun cabinet would be a surprise to burglars with a note inside that says, "Too late, somebody already took them"

I knew a guy who kept his guns inside a non-working upright freezer but kept some cheap gun accessories in the gun cabinet.

Our upright freezer actually has animal feed but the gun safe is behind a false wall that you have to find and deactivate first. Yeah, the "decoy" gun cabinet has some gun accessories in it ... unused gun stuff.

Back in the early days of my collection of my guns which were few,were kept locked up in a fancy gun cabinet and the ammunition was stored in the lock compartment underneath. I always had the key.
When my kids came around they were educated as to what was what and they were not to even think about touching them unless they were with me. That was the only time the cabinet was ever opened with me being there.
In time they were both taught how to shoot. My daughter didn’t care too much but my son did.
In their young stages they could be overheard telling their friends that the gun cabinet was off limits and they were seeing to it that it stayed that way.
As my collection has grown I do now have a safe and now my grown children have no idea on how to enter it.
With grandchildren now being around, all guns are kept unloaded and locked away.
My granddaughter is being taught the proper ways of gun handling and shooting and knows better than to handle anything with me not being present, her father by the way is a Marine and has been teaching her as well.
When they are not around,, yes I do keep a handgun handy but unloaded, magazine is nearby and I can get to both pretty quickly unless I’m carrying.
With the twin grandsons now I may be considering putting a deadbolt on my closet door since this is where my carry piece are kept when not in use.
That’s the way it always was in my house. Never had a problem....

Didn't say I could afford one just that I want one
(and at almost 3 tons I would definitely need to pour a foundation for it, and the older I get to more I find what my brain wants my wallet can't afford, this problem has only marginally gotten better with age)

“Safe” can mean a lot of different things. There are a number of ways one can make a number of firearms inoperable for much less cost than even all but worthless firearm safes.

Without any more information from the OP, one can’t offer any productive solutions.

Jammersix said:

They will find it, wherever you hide it.

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Don't ever forget that.

Locked doors and possibly trigger locks. I don’t like trigger or action locks because if a kid gets it and goes out in the front yard pointing it at cars the it’s pretty hard to tell if it’s in action or not, and when police respond it could turn a bad day into a tragic day. I do like the idea of a cable lock securing them together and to something like a water heater though.

I do like the idea of a cable lock securing them together and to something like a water heater though.

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Don’t do that! I have a mechanically perfect Winchester that’s freckled with rust from sitting in a water heater closet.

Armored farmer said:

First off, a long talk with the kid.
Then a secure gunsafe, with a secured lock.
Then another talk.
Then take the kid shooting and teach him about gun safety.

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This ^^^

IMO, If purchasing a firearm a safe should be included in the startup costs. Not only will it hold the firearm, but ammo, supplies and accessories can be stored in it. That way it's all locked. I owned a Treadlok cabinet for years before my safes, and it was pretty much built like a safe, minus the fireproofing. They just need bolting in place.

I have purchased my last two Winchester safes from TSC, they regularly have sales that can't be beat.

A safe is a very good solution ... but if you have a key to hide nothing is won. Dont believe you can keep the vaultkey allways on you ...

A mechanical numberlock or better: an electronical one is the way to go ...

Whenever I leave a gun out of the safe to work on. If I leave it unattended I always disassemble it and lock a firing functioning part of the gun in the safe usually the barrel. I try to make sure a round can not be chambered. Plus I keep some very hefty padlocks handy.

Obturation said:

No.
You can pick them up and walk away with them. Or pick up what they're attached to and walk away with it all. Or pop it open with a screw driver. I've never seen one that couldn't be opened in under a minute. Thin metal, cheesy locks, they are trash.

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Knox pistol box; https://www.ftknox.com/product/original-pistol-box-wfront-sight-training-certificate-included/
Yes, the kid may figure out the combo if he/she has a long time and the attention span to do that and if they do nothing much will stop them. I do agree that most of the electronic ones are easily picked or popped open, I would not do any of those.

Now, if they are able to take the nightstand it is bolted onto and throw it out the 2nd story window then there are lots of other concerns to have.

Jack B. said:

... very hefty padlocks ...

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I looove padlocks. Sometimes it takes up to 10 minutes to open them.

Jammersix said:

A safe.

Kids can't vote, because they don't make good decisions. They may or may not make good decisions with your guns, either.

Don't depend on their decisions, don't depend on what you teach them. Depend on the fact that they can't get to your gun, because it's in a safe.

They will find it, wherever you hide it.

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Well said indeed. We had two Teachers that are gun enthusiast that spoke at our club. They also have children. They went into a lot of detail about how children think and perform. The bottom line was that no matter how much you teach them, they can make a deadly decision. And the teaching of gun safety at that age can give a false sense of knowledge and confidence which could lead to a deadly mistake. The then went on to give a discussion on when to start a child, the supervision necessary and the type of firearm to start with. I will not state what they recommended simply because there answers would start a lot of internet squabble and any questions would be be best served by people that know child psychology. As a parent it was quite a eye opener. That said I have always stored my guns in a quality safe which was their recommendation.
Bottom line, spend the money and get a quality safe.