HD shotgun with a kid around

[AKElroy]

You cannot HIDE this weapon from an 8 year old. If you can get to it, so can he. And he will. Let him shoot it, hold it, understand it, and understand what it can do. Once he shoots it once (with your help, he likely can't hold it by himself yet), he will get why the laws are so important. Use a reactive target like milk jugs, and lighter kicking bird loads. My 8 year old has not stopped bragging about how tough he is for absorbing that kick. He also has NO DESIRE to feel it again until he is big enough to handle it.

I make my kids RECITE THE 4 LAWS EVERYTIME THEY ASK TO HANDLE A FIREARM. We make a game of it. Daddy also clears the weapon before they touch it, and they have to clear the EMPTY weapon again in front of me. They hand it back, I clear it again just to reinforce that it gets cleared EVERY TIME it changes hands.

If they know how guns work, what they can do, and that they can see them whenever they ask, I have ZERO concern having loaded weapons around them.

I cannot protect them with a locked up gun, or an unloaded one. My dad did this with me, and we had loaded guns all over the house. I never shot myself or anyone else with them.

 

[StealthyBlagga]

Will one of these fit ?

 

[AKElroy]

Will one of these fit ?

Again, not a bad idea for a toddler, but if you can open it, an 8 year old can open it. Unless you plan on keeping that key around your neck 24/7. On the offhand chance the kid finds the key, education is the ONLY thing that can keep him from harm.

 

[mgkdrgn]

I agree entirely, but i'm not his dad. If his dad found out there was a gun in the same house as his kid, he'd be on the phone to his lawyer immediately.
If it was my decision to make, the boy would have his very own .22 rifle and know how to use it.

Well, then you are for sure on the loosing end, because the "dad" will find out sooner or later, because the kid will figure it out sooner or later (emphasis on sooner). If you are of the opinion you are going to face some sort of legal issues, I would suggest you tackle them head on from the get go rather than wait for them to bite you in the a$$ later.

 

[mgkdrgn]

Would putting an additional lock on the gun itself be overkill?

Depends on how you intend to use it for home defense ... as a firearm or a club.

And sorry, but if you think you can "hide" if from an 8 year old for very long (I'll give ya 90 days, tops), you are simply not dealing in reality.

 

[Dave McCracken]

When the kids were small, the HD 870 (only one then) was kept inside a closet over the door on hooks,7 feet and change off the ground.At 6 feet and change, I just had to reach up a little and I was armed.

WW had a revolver in a gun safe nearby, and we have developed other secure positions over the years. I do not discuss them publicly.

As now, it was kept with action locked closed, empty chamber, mag loaded one round down from capacity and safety on. I can make it ready to fire in about one second, but someone not familiar with the platform will take much longer, if they can do it at all.

HTH....

 

[Guns and more]

Forget locking the closet. He'll get in someday when you forget.
A. Get a gun cabinet and don't tell him the combination, don't let him watch you open it.
B. Hooks inside and above the closet door, along with a lock on the gun. Don't ever leave the key where he will find it. If he was like me, he will find it.
C. Take him shooting and let him experience gun safety. We always had (hunting) guns around the home and I didn't shoot my sister. I don't remember my dad sitting me down, it's just the way we did things. Period.

 

[jamesbeat]

Thanks everyone, I think I'm going to go with the locked cabinet idea.
As to the suggestions about training him with guns, if his mom says no, then its simply not something I can do, no matter how sensible it is.
As I said, if it was up to me he'd have his own 22, but it's not.
My wife is coming round to the idea that guns aren't evil (so much so that she surprised me with one) so that's the first hurdle overcome.
I'll get there in the end, just got to take it in small steps.

 

[wnycollector]

I have two sons (12 and 10) in my house. ALL of my guns are stored in key pad safes (two pistol safes and one large gun vault). I don't want to take the chance they will get their little hands on one of them and go and "play". When my brother and I were their age we knew where our step-dad put his daily carry gun...on the dresser in my parents room. We NEVER touched that pistol, because we knew if we did...that would be it for us literally and figuratively that man did not play...fear is a hell of a motivator

As far as condition to keep your shotgun in, mine is tube full, chamber empty, safe off.

 

[gopguy]

In my view the worst thing you can do is make a gun a big secret and forbidden fruit, that makes them all the more interesting to children.

You teach children about guns and that is what I did. I took them out with an air rifle and a can of pop. Shook it up and shot it with a pellet. I explained once the trigger is pressed and the round hits the target the damage can not be undone. I told them this was just an airgun, so they could imagine how much damage the real firearms do. They were sufficiently impressed with the damage and I left the can out on the wood pile for years making the point the damage done was forever every time we passed it. The kids got it. By the time they were eight both were shooting .22 rifles. I had no problems with my kids bothering my guns.

Annie Oakley was hunting for game with a gun by herself at an early age... Kids can be taught about guns, but following the liberals and the Sarah Brady "protect the little darlings with ignorance method" has been an utter failure and gotten people killed. Another vote to get the child a air gun or cricket and start their gun education. Perhaps get your wife a .22 as well and make it a family sport.

 

[esquare]

Two thoughts - yes, please gun proof your kid. I know to many people it seems unintuitive to actually teach kids about guns to keep them safe. But, it's not. One thing you can do is have your wife look at the following site for a female perspective on guns and kids:

corneredcat.com

Second, I personally think the gun locker cabinet is probably the best way to go as you can also use it to store some other valuables if you don't already have some type of safe. Better yet, combine the purchases and get a fireproof safe.

Oh, third. You may want to take your wife to a range that rents hand guns and rent a few - start with a 22. I have found the girls are less intimidated with hand guns than long guns and it could be a fun time together.

Good luck

 

[jamesbeat]

It's not that my wife is a hoplophobe or anything, indeed she does have some shooting experience (her mom used to hunt).
The main thing she's worried about is her ex husband's reaction if he found out we had guns in the house with his kid.
I can't do anything about his opinion of guns, and he has a habit of overreacting to put it very mildly. If he found out about it, i'd probably end up having to use it on him (and i'm only half joking)
i'm talking my wife into a family day out at the range, but we live in New York so handguns are out and i have to look into the laws about kids using long guns too.

 

[Red Label]

It is difficuilt when the kids are little and the wife is not so willing to deal with firearms but I'm with Dave here. Out of reach but accessible and start the youngster in a firearms training regimen. For now its don't touch but teach him safety and you can't go wrong. If you have a 4H program nearby in two years he will be ready for that. It made all the difference in my kids and they are now 18 and 23

 

[bigalexe]

I have 2 suggestions, I am not a lawyer.

1.) If the child's dad does have custody rights, or is fighting for them and has grounds to win them I would agree with not giving the kid a gun quite yet but if there is a gun in the house he needs to know its there and what to do if he finds it. The alternative is that he knows nothing about it and then when he finds it by himself he starts experimenting like any well-minded 8 yr. should do when they find a new mysterious toy.

2.) If the child's dad does not have significant standing to win custody rights at the very least get the child an air rifle and start taking them to the range. Familiarity and understanding of firearms is the best safety their is. I respect that he may disagree with your opinion but apparently your wife is in favor of guns and so are you, in a democratic system 2/3 wins the vote (and even overrides a presidential Veto).

 

[Cranky CJ]

Seems like there are two issues in this thread; 1 gun security, 2 The biological fathers reaction to guns in the house his kid is at.

1. Lock it up tight, zero chance the kid can get to it. gunsafe, trigger lock, whatever it takes to ensure an 8 yr old cant get to it.

2. conslult with your wife's lawyer about busting everyting out in the open before her ex can get any legs underneath any cause he may want to generate.

As soon as you get things sorted out, proceed with his firearm training. But I wouldn't do it until you are sure it isn't going to raise a lot of sticky legal issues for the ex.

 

[ga red clay]

I understand that family problems may arise, but +1 on teaching him to shoot and understand guns from an early age, if possible. I always wished that my dad had trusted me with his gun long before he did. I always knew where it was but I was always far too afraid of guns because of the way he portrayed it. Just something that would blow my head off if I touched the drawer it was in.
As stated before, many many plusses to a kid knowing how to defend home and loved ones.

"Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one's youth.

Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their enemies in the gate."
-Psalm 127:3-5

 

[iiibdsiil]

I'm gonna disagree with most here.

You can hide it just fine. I wouldn't put a lock on the closet door though, that's going to make it look obvious you are hiding something. I'd look into that cabinet that goes into the wall as posted above. Put it behind the clothes in the closet, maybe paint it gray so it looks like an electrical panel. This way, he's not going to find it when he's snooping for Christmas presents and he's not going to wonder why the closet is locked.

I'd also keep it out of his attention completely until he's older. Kids love guns. I know when my dad showed me his .38 I went home and told mom (they were divorced.) She was pissed. He's 8, he's going to tell his father next time he sees him guaranteed.

I'm all for growing a kid up with an understanding of guns. But, at the same time, it doesn't seem like everyone is looking at the big picture here. Family is more important than anything including your 8 year old being pro-gun and understanding the safety of it. Keep it out of sight, locked up securely. The father bringing y'all to court isn't going to make the family thing fun. Not for you, not for your wife, and not for the kid in the middle. You could turn her against guns because she just doesn't want to deal with the situation ever again. Now it's your fault the whole thing came up, blah blah blah.

Maybe you could take him to the range and you could rent a gun there. "Hey Jimmy, let's go have some fun." You can introduce him to gun safety without him knowing you have a gun. It'll stick for IF he ever breaks into the cabinet and finds the gun.

Just some thoughts from someone that's been through an ugly divorce, as the kid and not the parent.

 

[devildog32713]

I have a Mossberg 500 Persuader 8 shot, same thing as your Maverick 88, Im the older teenage son of the house, and I have siblings a lot younger (too young to go shoot yet) and I have a cable lock on it in my closet, key on my key ring, and key in hiding spot, I can unlock it in no time flat, and i have a elastic shell holder on the stock holding 5 remington slugs. My siblings know it is there, and they know not to touch it, and they don't. I explain safety rules and never to touch it etc. My local gun laws are very flexible, so that isn't a problem. Tube full is ok, or have shells on stock, sidesaddle. I'll try to post pics later.

 

[murdoc rose]

education is the best thing here

 

[dougiefreshhh]

I use one of these in my shotty.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9096061269143352178#docid=-5161718273614040670

The shotty sits in a rack behind my hanging shirts. The key sits on top of the inside closet door trim.

the visual lock key is nice in that it is round hole..round key. Normal locks (i.e slots) need to be aligned. ...not fun to do in the dark...with adrenaline flowing...etc...