For those of you with young children, where do you keep your gun(s)?

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MikePGS

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Hello. I have a two year old and I'm sure it's not a surprise to say that she likes to get into things. I am currently considering purchasing a new shotgun or pistol but would like to have ready access to it for HD purposes. Does anyone have any suggestions as to a good location to keep a pistol or shotgun? The obvious places are in the closet or under the bed/in a nightstand but if its too difficult to access I might not be able to get at it if I need it in a hurry. Any advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
when the grandkids come around i put the handguns in the safe..... the rifles are on a high rifle rack and i put a cable lock though the trigger gaurds and lock them to the gun rack..............
 
mike, safety, like self defense is more about software, so to speak, than hardware. All of my little ones have been exposed to the guns in the house and know they are always present. Educating them has ben priority one for my family.

That said my guns are in one of two places around the house - on my person or in a quick access safe in my bedroom. The safe is one of the gunvault knkock-offs from Academy (get the real deal if you go this route!).

Thank God, my wife and I have never had any problems with this setup, but I firmly believe it is because the guns are present to the kids ( I open carry at home) and I let them handle them - safely - when they ask. Good luck! And enjoy your little girl. My daughter is six now and I treasure every moment with her. Vale!
 
Self defense needs or not, you cannot leave the loaded gun accessible to kids. It is my belief that no matter how well you think you have hidden it, they will eventually find it.

My bedroom pistol is in a locked pistol safe. It's slower than under the bed but it's still pretty quick and I practice hitting the combination w/o looking at it.

When my kids were small I put a $50 bill in that lockbox and told them that if they could get it open they could have the money. They worked on it for a week and gave up. That convinced me that they could not get into it, and convinced them too. They have also had plenty of talks about safety with firearms.

Every gun I have is in a lockbox or big safe. The side benefit to this is that as other kids begin to come over to your house to play, they won't see what you have and go off to tell everyone they know.
 
In metro Detroit I might consider waking up in the morning to constitute needing a gun in a hurry.

I met an older lady in south Memphis who watched her grandbabies and few from other people. It wasn't in the best of neighborhoods that she lived in and wanted to make she she was never in a position where she couldn't defend herself or the kids. So she carved out a few spaces in her walls between the stud from the fireblocks up a couple feet and hung paintings and posters and mirrors to cover them. That's where she kept her short barreled shotguns. She kept her .38 snubby tucked into her waistband. When I commented on the wisdom of keeping the firearms stashed that way and how they would help her fight as she withdrew herself and the kids she just laughed and said, "I have no intention of fighting backwards. I have'm like that in case I run out of ammo while chasing the big-bad-meanie out my house!"

If you think you'll need it, keep it handy.
 
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As much as I gun-proof my children, I will not leave a loaded gun unsecured in the house. That means that the house defense guns are handguns, secured in little quick-access lockboxes (GunVault or similar) bolted to various parts of the household. I would love to break the shotgun back out for HD duties, but I have yet to see a retention means for a long gun that is relatively secure, easy to use, and (most importantly) discreet.
 
Mike...Yeah...what they said...Lots of good stuff already shared...
I've got the same situation.I've found that while they're that young, this could work for you...for a while...It still doesn't replace safety/training/precaution, but like I said, for a while it keeps 'em handy, out of sight /reach of the little ones....just never let them see you moving them...Not for everyone, but it might work for you...I keep everything out of reach, most in a safe...*I agree with rbernie on the point of using the quick access lock boxes... definitely safer...
www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=590224
www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=148194
Safety first...good luck, Toddlers rule, lol !
Tac
 
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When I was little, my dad kept a shotgun and a .22 in the bedroom closet leaned up against the doorframe. The ammo was on the top shelf, and if I had tried very hard I probably could have loaded the guns. He somehow managed to get it across to me at an age before I can remember that the guns were not to be touched. I never touched them without him there. Period. And I wasn't the most obedient child either, but I never touched the guns.
 
I, too, have a curious 2 year old. I keep my guns far out of reach from her on the top shelf of our bedroom closet. It is within easy reach for me, but impossible for her. As soon as I can afford it (or when she gets older, which ever comes first...) I plan on getting a Bio-Vault. The one with a thumb print lock.
 
I have a 3 year old daughter and have already begun educating her about gun safety and how they are not to be touched. I have let her touch the handgun (after made safe of course) to help de-mystify the "gun". With that said I keep my gun locked in a footlocker, inside the closet. The keys are safely hidden. I do have quite a few knives stashed around the house out of her reach and have an 8 inch Canadian style bayonet (with a skull crusher) up on the headboard of the bed. i'm pretty quick with the keys and can manipulate the lock in the dark.
 
I've got 4 little ones 11yrs all the way down to 2. Guns are always around and once they are ready they have their own, around 6 for our kids so far. They hardly pay attention to one or two sitting around unless they are "pretty", just part of the house. Pistols and rifles are often out and not locked, ammo is a different story though. When someone else has their kids around everything gets locked down. It is indeed the "software, not hardware", your mileage will vary. Kids are mighty curious creatures, you can use it to your advantage and have them learn or it can be their demise. ~Wingnut
 
I picked up some of those large hooks used for storing bicycles in your garage rafters- about 3" diameter and covered in red rubber. I screwed two of them into the wall studs inside my bedroom closet above the door. If you are not looking backwards and above you as you open the closet you will not see it. I leave a 18" bbl pump shotgun on those hooks, safety on, chamber empty, slide closed. In order to use it you have to release the safety and pump a round into the chamber.

I also teach my kids that guns are not toys and if they ever want to see them they should just ask me.
 
A thought would be to install a gun rack type thing up at the very top of your closet, way out of reach of the little one.

You could even hang shirts in front of it or something to that nature.

Personally, I don't have children, so this is just a random suggestion.
 
A locked closet works, but is slow to get access to in a time of need. I would place the gun on a "gun rack" as (mentioned above) in the bedroom you use elevated a lot higher than your child can reach for the next few years. Change the location as the sitution changes.
 
I educate my children on gun safety. I take them shooting to satisfy their curiosity. These are the most important steps.

Now, back to the question. All of my guns stay locked up, except for the one in my holster. It resides in the nightstand when I go to bed since ccw'ing to bed isn't an option.
 
As everyone has said if its not on you it needs to be locked up! My daughter is now 8 and anytime she wants to she helps me reload and and wipe down my rifles n shotguns. She has already laid claim to my .22s "sniff" I am so proud of her!
 
Like most others, I support the stance that guns be either carried on the person or securely locked up. Regardless of training children will, by nature, make mistakes. Mistakes with guns are not acceptable. It's true that most children, properly trained, will never make a mistake with a gun. The problem is that it's impossible to be positive which few will make them with a gun. It's not a risk worth taking.

Mine are either in the safe or in a V-Line tactile type (non-battey) lock-box. This costs me 3-5 seconds in access time. It's a price I gladly pay to minimize the possibility of guns getting into kids' hands - I could not bear that.

I modified the box so that it will not close unless it is also locked. I did this by putting a spring in it that keeps the lid up unless the lock in engaged. This has 2 benefits, first is no possibility of it being closed but unlocked, second is that it self-opens as soon as the lock is disengaged.
 
Trust me... a Gunvault is your solution....

gv.jpg

While I agree that the most important safety is between peoples ears and that software is more important than hardware. The reality is that young children make mistakes, and a mistake with a loaded firearm is too much to risk. So no "up high", "night stand" or "hidden" guns in my house.

and here's a link for a great price on one.

http://www.amazon.com/Mini-GunVault-Optional-Motion-Detector/dp/B000KL0QPS

I've had the double decker GV bolted to an old metal sewing machine frame that I use as a "tactical nightstand" (with mag light and fire extinquisher also mounted) for 10 years. I've changed the batteries twice during that time and it has ALWAYS worked perfectly. I keep a loaded revolver on the top shelf and can roll out of bed and pop up armed in all of 3 to 4 seconds. I also stowe my carry piece in it's holster on the bottom shelf when I'm not wearing it.

This spring, I picked up a second GV, this time the small one, and I keep it bolted to an 8"x8" Oak beam in a central location on the ground floor. I keep a 1911 in condition 1 in this one.

Kiddies know that the GV is were daddy keeps his guns, and don't even look twice at the thing. They also know that they should never touch or play with a gun, unless under daddy's supervision.

I gave a mechanical lock box similar to the one shown in the link by Sgt_R to my BIL years ago at Christmas time, but I have to say, I like the GV much, much better.

Long guns are in a Stackon RSC bolted to the wall in the basement. Every firearm is under lock and key, or in my immediate controll, 100% of the time.

Keep that little girl safe... get a GV and don't look back.
 
Good question. I used to keep a S&W model 36 in a pistol rug underneath the bed. Then one day I spotted my two year old walking from our bedroom to her bedroom. I just happened to go see what she was doing. By the time I got to her room she had the S&W out of the case and was preparing to play with it. I freaked.

I sold the gun and bought a 1911 and stored the mag separate from the gun from then on. It was a long time ago but IIRC I stored the 1911 in the top of the closet.
 
I am also a believer in keeping guns locked up. I have a 9 month old and while not old enough yet to be able to get into may things he soon will be so I prepaired myself as soon as my wife became pregnant. I have not read this option yet so I figured I would give my 2 cents.
My long guns stay in the big safe, locked at all times but my pistol stays in a small lock box secured to the night stand. The thing I have not heard mentioned is that I simply unlock the pistol safe when I get in bed. That way I don't physically have to remove the gun and restore it every morning, or worry about fumbling with a lock in the middle of the night. I simply unlock it before bed and relock it when I wake up. I am a light sleeper as is my wife so if the little one came into the room while we slept (He is too young at the moment but give him a few months) one of us will wake up. Just a thought.
 
I have an RSC in the master bedroom that holds fully loaded/ready to rock hardware. I also have another, larger, heavier RSC in the house that keeps all the other guns like the hunting rifles, shotguns, etc. that aren't 'on duty'. My EDC stays in a holster, on my hip or otherwise out of their access.

I've made a few adjustments to my setup, but this is basically the idea here:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=5641668#post5641668
 
I think when Kids know you have guns especially boys. Sooner or later they tell there friends. Thats when the trouble can take place. I have told both my children not to tell others about our guns. But some of them have gone shooting with us. Which means others know. Four teenage boys in the house can get curious. I have never had a problem but I do feel alot better knowing all my Guns are always locked up. Better safe than sorry. Why would anyone take such a risk? ...Russ
 
LeLynn,
That 9 month old will soon be walking and climbing out of the crib. The little one already knows about the cool looking safe thing on the night stand. It will see it open and reach inside and take out whatever is inside and play with it. Or one morning you will be in a rush and forget to close it. It may never happen but little ones are very curious and all you have to do is blink and they are into something they shouldn't...Russ
 
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