Firearm readiness with a child in the home?

[schneider38]

I, like most of you reading feel very strongly about protecting myself and my family should a home invasion situation take place. Ever since I moved out on my own I have always had some sort of protection (whether it be a model 10 S&W in the night table or a mossberg 590 tucked in the closet) at the ready. My wife (whom is not a gun person) never really had a problem with it, however once our son was born the wife and I decided it was best to move the guns into a vault safe to prevent any accidents.

Recently we have been experiencing a rise in violence in our area, we live in a community that has always been quiet however we have had a few home invasions, bank robberies and a near fatal shooting outside of a local diner. I feel that I need to be able to protect and should something happen, there is no way I would be able to make my way into the basement, unlock the combination lock while half asleep (i cant usually do it when awake on the first try) and secure a weapon.

At the same time though my son just turned 3, and he is very eager to get into whatever he can. Any ideas as to how we can keep ourselves armed yet have them completely inaccessible to my child?

 

[MedWheeler]

I carry on my person at all times, either a Kel-Tec PF-9, or a .38 snubby. Until my two-year old became mobile, I had others in a couple of places in the home, since the rather "rough" flow of my house's floor plan makes for a poor hustle to fetch one in a crisis.
There are a number of "touch-combination" strongboxes available for bedside use, or wherever you might want to stash a handgun.

 

[No4Mk1*]

I use a V-line "safe" push button mechanical lock so as to not require keys or batteries/electronics.

 

[jad0110]

Your situation sounds identical to mine, right down to the S&W revolver and Mossberg 590. Basically, I carry 24x7, when legally permitted, including my home. Way faster than even having guns stashed around the house.

At night, I keep a S&W 686 in a Gunvault by my bed, and my 590 in the top shelf of my closet. In the morning, the 686 and the 590 get locked away and I strap on my preferred carry gun for the day.

Also, by age 3 I started teaching my boy about guns, showing him mine and explaining how they are not toys, that if he sees one he can't touch it and he needs to tell mom or dad if he ever sees one out in the open (basically the NRA Eddie Eagle program). Taking the mystery out of it is very important, IMO, because it avoids the "forbiden fruit" syndrome. He can see them if he asks politely, and he has been a good little boy (he rarely asks anymore, old news for him). I even test my son from time to time by putting a disabled handgun out among his toys. The vast majority of the time, he does a great job of not touching it. He might smile a little, look at it for a few moments before he calls us to come over and see what he found (if he doesn't touch it he gets a chocolate). Once or twice, he might reach down and touch the grip briefly with his pinky (usually earning him 5 minutes in the corner and a lecture). Only once has he picked it up; I put it in his toy box - he looked at it, picked it up and tossed it to the side so he could play with his toys.

I've done this test enough that lately, he sees the gun, then goes about his business completely ignoring it. Seems I've taken the mystery out of it.

Granted, I always keep my guns locked up or under my control. But I also like gun proof my kid, not just my house.

 

[c1ogden]

I have a GunVault safe with the electronic push button combination lock and I left a 38 snubbie in it at all times so it was always available whether I was home or not. I gave up on it after I discovered that it went through batteries so fast that it as unreliable and we ended up opening it with a key most of the time. The key was way too slow so I just left the snubbie on top of a 6 foot high bookcase in my home office which is where my carry guns always rested when I was in the house. By the time my kids were big enough to reach them they had been taught how to use them.

 

[jad0110]

I gave up on it after I discovered that it went through batteries so fast that it as unreliable and we ended up opening it with a key most of the time.

Sounds like that particular unit had a defect/short that was drawing power. I replace my batteries once a year, and even then they still have a lot of life left in them.

Did it by a chance have a light inside? I wonder if the light stayed on all the time?

 

[c1ogden]

No light. The batteries were coming up dead after only 2-3 months. I never had it checked but you're right, it could have been defective.

 

[Monkey_King]

I'm coming up on the same decision in my home. I've always had multiple guns around my home and never used any type of gun lock. I now have a 6 m/o son that is getting more mobile everyday. I have decided to keep all guns in my safe except for one handgun and one shotgun for home defense. I'm just not sure how I'm going to secure those two in a way that keeps my boy safe, but still accessible in a timely manner. I have considered a cable lock on the sg and wearing the key around my neck. I have also considered some variation of the minivault for the .357 at my bedside. I hope more of you guys post; I would love to hear everyone's ideas.

 

[lwsimon]

I'm in the same situation - we've got a curious 2-year-old. To make matters worse, we live in a small home, and she sleeps in our bedroom. She's often up before us, and can get into things before we're awake.

For my handgun, I just bought this:





For the rifle, I'm thinking about making some kind of upright wall-mounted rack that won't let her move the gun from the vertical without undoing a padlock or something.

 

[Manco]

I use a V-line "safe" push button mechanical lock so as to not require keys or batteries/electronics.

These are sturdier and more reliable than the electronic pistol boxes currently on the market, in my opinion. I use a similar box (based on the same Simplex lock) myself from Fort Knox:

http://www.ftknox.com/redesign/pistolboxes

Works great, and no backup key is required.

 

[Wolfeye]

+1 on the V-Line vault recommendation. I have two: one for handguns that fits in a bedstand drawer, and one for longarms that I installed between my wall studs. They have a battery-free keypad with a combination you set, plus one or two tubular locks that you can use for extra security. I'd rate them as moderately secure - a lot better than hiding a gun, but not as heavy duty as an expensive firesafe.

Not to knock electronic quick-access safes, but I passed on all the ones I saw. I'm an electronics repairman by trade, and I've found that every elctro-mechanical device (like a digital keypad) will eventually wear out. Plus you have to change batteries.