Hiding a shotgun for home defense?

[Arp32]

What he said.

When I was a kid, I only found hidden guns 2 or 3 times. First time I was 5 (mom's shiny nickel plated .25 under a pile of Good Housekeeping magazines), and grandfathers Garand not too long after. Could barely pick the damn thing up but I remember practicing Right Shoulder Arms.

Took a shooting safety class at summer camp, but that didn't stop my curiosity. I still picked them up.

 

[joecil]

I have a hall table that holds a lamp with kind of a hidden panel in the front of it. I removed the shelves an can put up to about a 28" barreled rifle in it. I keep my 12 ga shot gun stored their. Now I have no small kids in the home on a regular basis but do occasionally with notice so have a chance to pick up the guns stanched around the home.

 

[CWL]

I recently mounted one of these in my B-room closet. Holds 2 cruiser ready shotguns and the biometric fingerprint scanner works very well, easier than keys or working a combination in the dark under stress. Could hold my pistola as well, but that is next to the bed in a pistol safe.



Locking cabinets are the best way to go, but if I didn't have that choice, I'd go with the hooks over the doorway inside closet. Cruiser ready & safety engaged.

 

[Mr. T]

I would whole heartedly agree with Arp32 get some hooks overhead inside your closet above the door.

 

[JERRY]

START THEM WITH GUN SAFETY AS SOON AS YOU CAN. they are never too young....

 

[kingcheese]

Its a compromise for sure, the quicker access you have the easier it is to get to, and on another note, what's the price on thoose little cabinets

 

[Catapult]

I vote for over the closet door unloaded with a 5 rd stock sleeve. Loading with the shells on the stock takes seconds.

 

[CoRoMo]

Keys = Fail ... IMHO

The problem I see with units like The Piece Keeper and the Mossberg Loc-Box is the need for keys. On one hand, kids and/or thieves/burglars can/could eventually find keys... unless you lock the keys up behind a combo lock, which just adds another lock to open before you open the lock that holds your HD weapon. Also, having to locate and utilize keys doesn't seem as efficient use of your panicked time in the moment that you need a firearm. If, for example, the Loc-Box holds your shotgun behind your bedroom door and you keep the keys in your nightstand or anywhere else I suppose. That would mean that, when you need the shotgun, you have to go somewhere else first to get the keys, then go to the shotgun.

That's why I prefer a combo lock on the unit that secures the firearm. You can go straight to the weapon and you always carry the key with you; memorized combination kept between your ears.

YMMV

 

[chas08]

I use one of these, but children aren't a factor here. I really like it!
http://www.the-backup.com/

 

[Sheepdog1968]

This thread may have me rethinking the shotgun as my primary weapon for home defense. I've got a Glock 19 and a Colt Commander. I may just buy a quick access safe for one of those.

When I was growing up, we had a loaded SxS in my parent's room behind their door. I never messed with it. We also kept a .308 by the back door in case we saw coyotes in the pasture or a deer during deer season. (We lived on a farm and our closest neighbor was about a mile away.)

I had to rethink as well after having a rugrat. Quick access and pistol not a bad approach. I'd also consider keeping chamber empty. Pepper spray good to have around as well and more accessible.

 

[Zoogster]

Kids grow fast, and time goes by quick for an adult with a job and responsibilities.

What is suitable for a 1 year old is not suitable for a 2 year old, and that time will pass before you realized it did and you will still have the solution for the 1 year old in place.


A 2 year old can climb some things, and a 3 year old can climb or knock things down they want to get with something like a broom or throwing a toy at it.
So somewhere between 1 and 3 anything not locked up, no matter how high or where you put it will be accessible to a child.

 

[btg3]

If you need a shotgun for HD, you likely will not have time to unthread a cable lock strung through it.

This is why many folks carry handguns at home. Things happen faster than most imagine or prepare for.
(If you're thinking you might need your shotgun for rabid animals or such, that is arguably home offense, rather than defense.)

... cant you just teach your kids about guns so that accidents dont happen?

The key word is "just" because it's not just about your kids. If other kids (or adult fools) ever enter your house, they must not have access to your weapons, period.

Certainly train your kids. Then use good judgement as to whether your kids should have access to the secured weapons, and when it might be appropriate to have a firearm ready to use.

 

[DM~]

No. Absolutely not sufficient. Under no circumstances is that acceptable as a countermeasure to tragedy. I cannot stress this enough. Assuming that the kids are going to leave it alone because you told them to is just plain stupid and negligent.

Were you a kid?

Yes i was a kid, and i grew up with four brothers and one sister. I also had a dad who LOVED guns so he always had quite a few of them. He also NEVER had a safe, never had a lock on any gun at any time. He never hid the guns, they stayed "mostly" in him and mom's bedroom that they never locked the door to, and in fact it was mostly left open.

In all those years, with all of those kids, there were NO accidents, we didn't have to sneak around to touch his guns, as he would let us handle/shoot them if we wanted, and he of course was there to teach us gun safety and how to properly hold/shoot them.

I can remember him putting a can on a fence post, and him letting me shoot it off with a 410.

There were no gun "mysteries" in our house, they were just like the knives and everything else lieing around the house.

So, what has changed?? Well, the guns haven't changed, so it must be the parenting skills! OR i should say, the lack of it!!

DM

 

[kcshooter]

It only takes once to turn your "parenting skills" into a tragedy.

If you're willing to risk your child's life against the draw of curiosity vs the common sense of a child, by all means, feel free to do so.

It's a foolhardy decision, in my opinion, and my guns were never accessible to my son when he was young.

 

[roadchoad]

I'd go for a combo lock or biometric with combo backup. I currently have a cheap stackon, but worry about the keys ending up in my kid's hands.

My 5yo and 11yo both handle guns and have had the safety drilled into their heads. That doesn't mean that they won't make a dumb decision.

 

[jmorris]

Im not a parent yet, but cant you just teach your kids about guns so that accidents dont happen?

It worked when I was a kid but back then child safety seats didn't exist and many kids just roamed around inside the car.

I was shown very early on the devastation that they could cause and was allowed to shoot before I could hold a rifle (ok I guess thats just pulling a trigger). So it wasn't too hard to keep hands off guns when an adult wasn't there (I also didn't get sent to "time out" if I was found to have been doing something I shouldn't).

Having said that I use a biometric pistol safe and a shotgun between a chest of drawers and the wall. The gap is to narrow for a kid to get in there and too deep for them to reach. I like your PVC idea, if it were made so only long arms could reach it, be pretty safe until the little guy or gal can use tools.

 

[Maverick223]

I personally use one of the Barska biometric "4" (expect it to actually hold 2) long-gun cabinets (they call it a safe, but it's really just a very secure cabinet). It's reasonably secure, has a shelf for a pistol, and is very quick to get into. It also will register dozens of fingerprints, so it's good for everyone in the household that needs access. Dvor has them on sale every month or two for sub-$300 & OpticsPlanet all the time for not much more by the time you factor in freight. I would highly recommend one for the stated purpose.

Edited to add: If you get one, just be sure to disable the beeps...they get annoying quick and remove any tactical advantage if you ever have cause to access it in the middle of the night.



Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

 

[noreserve]

http://www.the-backup.com/
Gotta love this quote from their website...

"A shotgun sprays its ammunitions so you don’t need a great shot to get the job done and it doesn’t pierce walls."

 

[chas08]

"A shotgun sprays its ammunitions so you don’t need a great shot to get the job done and it doesn’t pierce walls."

LOL!... Either their marketing guy is a genious or a total idiot! I'm inclined to agree with the latter! The product does work quite well though, providing the right conditions exist! (no children) The combination of it and a trigger lock removed at bedtime, and installed while you are away, may work if you have children. Whatever the case, the least you have to fool with in an emergency, the better!

 

[Derry 1946]

See post #10.

The one key lock with no cable strung through the action is so much faster to deploy it isn't even close.

If you need a shotgun for HD, you likely will not have time to unthread a cable lock strung through it.

rc

RC, that's a great tip. Any reason it would not work with a top- folding stock?

 

[Derry 1946]

Im not a parent yet, but cant you just teach your kids about guns so that accidents dont happen?

There's an age range where their curiosity and ingenuity greatly exceed their judgment. Even well-trained and obedient kids of a certain age are simply incapable of understanding consequences or of self-restraint. Consider some of the recent horror stories like a police officer who left a gun in the car and one of his little kids shot the other. It's our job to use our own good judgment to protect them from themselves. Then too, as other posters have mentioned, they start bringing their friends over.

 

[RSVP2RIP]

I think there is not much in the way of fast access/secure storage of a long arm. I use a pistol for HD and a http://titangunvault.com/

 

[kcshooter]

Any reason it would not work with a top- folding stock?

Don't know about that, but as far as top folding stocks, ewww. Have you tried to shoot that with a proper cheek weld?
In all seriousness, not bashing or anything, but you really should rethink this setup.

"A shotgun sprays its ammunitions so you don’t need a great shot to get the job done and it doesn’t pierce walls."

What, is that not true?









(kidding, kidding)

 

[RSVP2RIP]

"A shotgun sprays its ammunitions so you don’t need a great shot to get the job done and it doesn’t pierce walls."

Only if it is shooting blackpowder blanks and your "job" is to make noise.

 

[jmorris]

Even well-trained and obedient kids of a certain age are simply incapable of understanding consequences

I think that is in a direct result of not having consequences. Even out of control nuckle head kids look towards an adult before/during the act of doing wrong. This is a "snowball" that keeps on going. If they didn't think they were doing something wrong they wouldn't expect someone to stop them, when no one does the act turns into a "stepping stone" for being a turd.