Guns around young children

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Phatty

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I'm currently in the predicament of trying to figure out how to effectively balance quick and easy access to a handgun for home defense and keeping that same handgun secure from my kids. I know a lot of people keep a loaded handgun on their nightstand next to their bed. However, I have a daughter that is almost 3 and also a newborn. The 3 year old is big enough to be able to get into just about anything, and it won't be too long before her younger sister also is able to get into everything. I could keep the handgun locked in a safe at all times, but then it would't be much help during a home invasion in the middle of the night when fast access is necessary. The only time the handgun would be useful for home defense is if I had advance notice of a threat, and I would guess that would be a minority of the situations.

The best idea I have been able to come up with so far is to keep the gun locked and stored away during the day when the kids are awake, and then, when I go to bed, take the gun and place it in my nightstand drawer. When I wake up in the morning, I can secure the gun again. That idea makes me a little nervous because I would have to diligently remember to put the gun back every morning. One slip up could be life threatening. I would also be SOL if there was a sudden home invasion during the day.

So I was wondering what others do in my situation and I would love some suggestions. Thanks.
 
I believe there are some small pistol safes on the market that open when buttons are pressed in a certain order and will fit in the drawer of a nightstand. Also, if practical, you might want to consider keeping your HD pistol on you during the day.
 
You didn't mention what kind of handgun you have, but as long as your children are pre-school age, either of the following will work if for what ever reason you can't put the gun under lock & key.

1. If it's a revolver, get and load a speed loader, but leave the gun unloaded. It would only take seconds to load it.

2. If it's a pistol, remove the loaded magazine, and clear the chamber. Again it will only take seconds to insert the magazine and chamber a round.

Either of these options is available right now, while you decide what you want to do in the long term.
 
i have and use the 4 button safe. 8 aa batt and program any # you want.
it also has features to secure it to the floor so only a determined theif would get it. tou dont need to see it to work it cause it has 4 finger slots, just lay tou hand on it and work the 4 bumps under your finger tips.
takes abought 2 sec. door is spring loaded. i think i spent abought 90 bucks. cheep for the peice of mind. i have a 2, 3, 4, 8, 10, 11, and 2 17's so im here to tell you that they will find all your hiding places for anything.
 
First and foremost, if you havent already started, teach your kids, and do it liberally, on a daily basis. Doing so, is a much better investment than a safe.

The safest place for the gun is on your person. Its always the best place as you always know where it is, and its there when you need it. It also solves the problem of forgetting to put it back in the safe.
 
+1 to AK103K. Start teaching them early. The Eddie Eagle program from the NRA is great for this purpose. Kids love cartoons, and the hand motions make it fun and interactive for little ones.
 
"consider keeping your HD pistol on you during the day. "

+1

carry it with you all day and put it on the night stand when you go to bed. If it's always in your possession then you don't have to worry about the little ones getting it.
 
I use an ADG Sports keypad safe. Small, secure and fast opening with either key pad or key over ride.
 
I always kept my firearms unloaded when I was raising my children except for my 1911 .45 auto Colt. By keeping a loaded magazine in the weapon all you must do is to jack the slide but your young children at that age haven't learned that process as of yet and they are also not strong enough to jack the slide themselves. By the time they do understand how its done and by the time they are strong enough to do so you should have taught them better anyway. It is never to early to teach firearm education and safety to your kids.
 
When I am not home, my guns are in a residential security container. My hd gun is in a lock box (key open) and the key is with me. The kid will have to be pretty determined and alone to get to it. When I am home, the lockbox is unlocked and open while I am in the room, the RSC is mainly for long term storage anyways.
 
Get one of the small electronic lock boxes. Walmart sells a couple that will work fine for about $50. One of them is sized to fit inside a drawer and opens up so you could put it in the nightstand and still have it secured. For a little more money you can get one of the nice ones that have the finger slots so you can easily open them in the dark. If you're going to keep a handgun for home defense and you have kids in the house they really are the way to go.

Your idea of moving it daily is foolhardy. Your chances of forgetting to put it away one day are 100%. Ever forgot your wallet, your coffee, your lunch? Ever have to go back to a restaurant to get your wife's purse? People forget important things everyday. There are quite a few kids each year killed when their parents forget THEM in their carseats and they cook in the car. You will forget and the door will be open for tragedy to strike. It's a question of IF you'll need your gun for defense. It's a question of WHEN you will forget to put it away one morning.

For early warning of someone trying to enter the house get an alarm system or better yet a good dog. All kids need a dog anyways. It doesn't have to be guard dog, just a watch dog to alert you. Even a small breed will make lots of noise if someone tries to get in at 3am.
 
I keep an SD gun in a small safe disguised as an alarm clock radio on my nightstand. This clock radio can be anchored to the table/dresser as well, it has rapid access (4 digits which light up when you open a cover over the keypad) and it sits right next to the bed (as any alarm clock should- nothing 'oddball' about it)....

A really determined person could get into it pretty easy (as with any small gun safe), but first they would have to know what it is (unlike a typical small gun safe which screams "STEAL ME")... Plus, I needed an alarm clock there anyways.

I haven't seen them around for a while.... I got mine at a gun show many years ago and they used to be everywhere.... made by Thousand Oaks of California I think....
 
Wuchak,
Actually, there isn't the problem of me forgetting to lock it. When it is open, the keys are in the lock, when it is locked, the keys are on me. I can't leave without my keys as they also have my car keys on them :)

I just haven't found an electric lock that didn't beep loudly when I was trying the combo. I don't want an intruder to know a safe is being opened. I still do have over a year to get the system fine tuned, as I have yet to meet my child.
 
Positive control (in a holster on your person), empty chamber. A little KelTec for pocket carry is even easier to deal with. My toddler is a muscle-bound powerhouse of destruction, and even so, he can't even budge the slide of the couple pieces we handle together. Empty chamber + decent recoil spring = very safe, at least for now.
 
Go to Pax's

website. She discusses this extensively.
Amen on training.
Maybe something hamerless with a very heavy DA trigger?
 
I do not keep any loaded guns around. My son is 2 and he cannot yet pull any trigger on any of my guns but I never know when he will figure it out. I have made it a point not to make guns a scary thing, but I do tell him not to touch them when he sees me get my guns out of the safe.

I have a loaded mag and a glock 19 in my top dresser drawer. That is the only mag loaded in my house except for all my ar15 mags in my safe. I can only think of one time I actually put it in the gun while I was at home. Neighbor kids were having a drinking party and a fight started. Luckily no weapons were used and I didn't even have to leave my house. It's kind of fun to watch 2 drunk girls go at it.
 
Harbor Frieght stores here sale magnets with a screw hole in the middle (for $1.49) that can hold a full sized gun or magazine behind a bed frame or dresser for easy access
 
1. If it's a revolver, get and load a speed loader, but leave the gun unloaded. It would only take seconds to load it.
Click to expand...

If he had the revolver cut for moon clips it would be even quicker to load and probably even quicker to load than an automatic pistol. That would be my choice.
 
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