Home Defense Handgun Storage?

[cambeul41]

Consider this on Michigan's Castle Doctrine:

http://www.ammoland.com/2009/08/03/michigans-castle-doctrine-law-and-you/

However, the presumption is that someone who breaks into a home or business, or who attempts to drag a motorist from a car, does mean to do something that calls for deadly force in self defense.

The burden of proof is now on the intruder to prove that there is no way that the homeowner, business owner, or motorist could have felt seriously threatened.

Prior to enactment of this law, which became effective as of October 1, 2006, there was a possibility that a homeowner who used deadly force in defense would have found himself charged criminally or sued by the intruder, or the intruder’s family.

 

[HOOfan_1]

My quetsion is why would you be so afraid that you need a loaded gun at home?

Probably because someone who is in his house without permission isn't likely to leave just because he is politely asked to leave.

Probably because there is no way for him to know their intentions, whether they are there to just rob, or if they are there to kill. Yes, as stated above. Home invasions are often deadly. Experienced B&E artists who are only after property and are not looking for a confrontation will know when the home owner is away and will only enter the house at that time. It is the people who break in while you are there whom you really have to worry about. Those are the people who are more desperate and more likely to do harm.

 

[DeepSouth]

Might want to check around for better prices but this is what I would recommend.

http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/prod...log/product.jsp?productId=731977&type=product

 

[MacDuff]

Just received my second Gun Vault today. I have had the first one at least ten years.

 

[gbw]

A child educated is a child saved!

A child educated is still a child and subject to childish mistakes. It only takes one mistake, ever, to result is a dead child. Not worth the risk.

Teach your child to "NEVER TOUCH" without Daddy's or Mommy's permission. Then, if EVER breaks that rule, a "butt-warming" and time-out are in order.

Again, they are children. If they EVER break that rule the cost is easily a dead child. It's not possible to justify such risk when locking the guns up is so easy.

Leaving guns around children is insane. It doesn't matter how well trained they are, or responsible they appear. They are children, that’s why we have to be adults. Teach them, train them, and discipline them, absolutely. But lock up the guns.

Posted before:
I chose the V-Line compact. This fits bolted in the bedside drawer. Overall I'm satisfied, though I think it's overpriced. Reasons for choosing this model were:

- Good security from kids. But no security from a thief, that was not a requirement.
- Top swing-up opening. The End-opening versions did not fit my needs.
- Relatively small size. This is both an advantage and disadvantage - see below.
- Tactile operation (easy to use in total darkness.), no batteries needed.
- Fast. Realistic delay of 3-5 seconds, a price I gladly pay to minimize chance of little hands finding a gun.

Disadvantages:

- The lock mechanism extends down inside the box too far and limits useful space. One large handgun, any type, and one small gun, flat auto, is about it's limit.

- It does make noise when opening, not much but I'd prefer it were quieter.

- The top is not spring loaded. My view this is an oversight for convenience, it would be nice if the box sprun open when unlocked - think jack-in-the-box. It's also a serious safety fault - the box can be closed but not locked, so it's possible to think guns are secure when they are not. My fix to this was to mount a strong spring inside the box which forces the top open. It's from one of those cheap plastic clamps and takes almost no space. Now the box now springs open when unlocked and will not stay closed unless it's also locked.

 

[Hawthorne2k]

I have a VERY active 3 year old who seems to get into everything. I got the gun for home defense, but I also want to keep it out of the wrong hands.

I have an active 5 year old and an active seven year old. They've watched the Eddie the Eagle DVD. I've told them time and again not to touch my guns, and they one time one of them did touch an unloaded gun without my say-so, he learned his lesson.

But I also have two GunVault safes, one upstairs in our master bedroom, and one in a hall closet downstairs.

Simply put, the GunVaults are great. They keep the gun in the same place all the time, keep them away from the kids, and give us peace of mind. I can't recommend them enough.

 

[Shadow 7D]

Someone around here has 'I childproofed my house and they are still getting in' as a sig line

The point is that there is no child proof, idiot proof what ever

the solution is education, and a disciplined approach, I'm not saying every child will watch Eddie Eagle and never touch without asking, but, if I can pop one of the 'gun vault' type boxes quickly with no tools, ummm, what's to keep a determined 3yo out, that age they go OCD and temper tantrum over stuff.

 

[shootingthebreeze]

I have to agree with gbw post #30; children are children and can become invisible Ninjas if they want. Teaching, discipline methods won't work-yes, teaching is part of gun education with young folks, but total inaccessibility is an absolute with young children all the time 24/7.

 

[DWC]

In response to post #15, Shooting...:

Fear is not a factor in my decision, responsible preparedness is. The conflict between the need for immediate, unrestricted access to my defensive handgun and my responsibility to keep that gun out of the hands of the "wrong" people is very real. For me, The Pistol Pad is the best compromise between those two conflicting requirements.

When I lift my weapon I am immediately armed; my alarm system is fully activated with sirens blasting - even if it is disarmed; and communications to Law Enforcement is initiated of the emergency and that "A Gun Has Been Deployed". All three things happen immediately and simultaneously giving me a serious defensive advantage.

The same things happen if a "wrong" person attempts to tamper with my weapon immediately exposing the effort.

Semper Fi,

DWC

 

[mickeyblueyes]

I have 2 twin 4 year old grand children and so far I have kept every hand gun in the safe when they come over, but the other day I had a idea that might be useful for someone else, I have Glock ready w/many clips of Ranger +p+ talon, but I also wanted fast acces to the 18" 870. so what I did was to get some Velcro a nice size strip and I went into my closet and hung the shotgun Barrel up, took the velcro and attached at the sling. Pushed my clothes next to it and it can not be seen, if I need it fast grab it and rip the velcro free. It is high enough that the kids can not reach. Does any one do any thing similar?

 

[Shadow 7D]

No, still in reach, better is to put hook on the inside of the closet above the door, requires someone to turn around in the closet and look up, still in reach of adults older children and climbers, but not in easy grab reach,

Even better is putting a lock on the closet and then putting the guns up.

 

[engineerbrian]

FAS 1 (post #11)

i'm getting ready to give my HD guns a make over and i think your product will work well for what i'm trying to do. I think 2 of your handgun safes will work very well for my set up

 

[Tomcat47]

I like In wall units....

I like the In wall units a lot. The small one can be in bedroom or in living areas, kitchen areas etc. and covered by average wall picture.

Nationwide safes has a lot to look at and a range of prices. There are also homak security and I believe Sentry has a small one. Only a few carry the In Wall which requires an evening of carpentry, but it is worth it!

They are not too difficult to install between studs in normal built house on 16" centers and you can find fire proof ones as well.

Here is the link to look at a lot of options and prices @ nationwide
http://www.nationwidesafes.com/gun-safes.html#filters

Hope this helps, however the Education to young ones is vital! My son was shooting a chipmunk at 2 years old. He is now 22 and I feel the education from shooting, hunting courses and the likes of Eddie Eagle and last but definately not least all my sons were active in cub/boy scouts.

Again Education of a Child on anything is an Adults Responsibility.

 

[lion hunter]

Shooter, I live in rural Nevada. 911 has been unavailable for hours at a time over the course of the last three weeks. When 911 is up and running the response time for the sheriff is a minimum of twenty minutes. I have a 3 year old table hoppin',counter climbin',food flingin' monster as well as a 6 year old mutton buster that live daily around firearms. They both shoot. I am locked and loaded every day all day. I would chalenge any person to see if my three year old or 6 year old would touch any gun without myself or wife present.

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

It is funny lion hunter that myself and 99% of my family were all raised the same exact way and I would be willing to bet my last dollar that all the children from my family (and that is a pretty large number) are the exact same way. We all were taught, and taught our own children, respect for firearms and safety around them. My oldest son is 32 and he STILL would ask me permission to even TOUCH one of my firearms and he always has and always will treat them as if they were loaded. Even with the bolt out of it laying there he is still aware of muzzle direction as are all my kids. Even the 6 year old! I have 3 safes but they are for housing my weapons from thieves and in case of fire if I am not home. If people would put as much emphasis on TEACHING their children as they do trying to shelter them they would find that kids are actually MUCH smarter than they are given credit for. There is such a thing as over protection and not teaching your children at a young age about firearm safety if you have weapons in the house is only handicapping them.

 

[lion hunter]

I failed to mention in last post that my carry gun sleeps on the nightstand at the end of each day.
I will also add that neither child has at any time access to the gun room or a firearm without adult supervision.

 

[lion hunter]

freedom fighter, I wish I could have said it as well as you just did.
The point about handicapping them is very apropriate.

 

[frank c]

shootingthebreeze,I do fully agree with keeping KIDS SAFE from loaded weapons. Sometimes all you might have is a few seconds to respond to a intruder in your house if you are a heavy sleeper.I also beg to differ on police being at your location in 2 minutes.Do you live in ingham county?Did they not just lay off most of the sheriffs dept because of budget issues?Good luck getting the police officer there in 2 min.

 

[Came2ride]

A sidearm is meant to be carried and used to fight your way to the long gun. That being said, I would keep it on your person (providing local laws allow that) and like others have said gunproof the child. Pins, combos, etc aren't nearly as easy as one may think when you are startled at 2 am,it's dark, you haven't had your coffee(for me). You get the idea but whatever you decide stay safe.

 

[LawScholar]

shootingthebreeze

My quetsion is why would you be so afraid that you need a loaded gun at home? Just wondering.

I realize that this has been challenged by others in the thread, and it is absolutely not my intention to gang up on you, but I'd like to add my two cents.

I'm about to finish getting my B.A. in Criminal Justice, after which I am going to move on to law school. Two of my courses, taught by two of our most accomplished faculty members, have focused on violent crime and serial killing. In both courses, at the end, the instructor chatted with us about how to decrease our own vulnerability.

Some of these bits of advice were very obvious. People, especially females, and ESPECIALLY college-aged females (the only group more likely to be targeted is prostitutes), should travel in groups and avoid being alone at night. Stay alert and aware, especially at night or in isolated/disreputable areas.

One of the most-stressed pieces of advice was that we were encouraged to stop viewing the home as an impregnable fortress. A locked door will only deter an individual accomplished at breaking and entering for a small amount of time. Richard Ramirez, the prolific California serial killer known as the "Night Stalker" (as was a lesser known Washington serial killer), operated almost solely around breaking and entering and enjoyed targeting couples, usually raping the wife while either forcing the husband to watch or killing him immediately before the act.

Firearms, as I have often argued to friends and colleagues with sadly misinformed views on the Second Amendment, are not indicative of paranoia. They do not indicate the existence of fear, but rather the freedom from it. The LCP and CCW permit that ride in my pockets do not indicate that I am afraid to go to the movies, to the store, or to a restaurant. Indeed, I did such things long before I could carry a firearm. Rather, they symbolize a freedom FROM fear. Dark parking lots no longer threaten me. Being alone late at night is no longer a challenging proposition with a magazine full of .380 deterrence riding along with me.

This is not to say I do not approve of such things as Gunvaults. Indeed, I find them a great innovation, allowing quick access to firearms and also providing for safety. But equating loaded firearms in the home with fear is not accurate. In my room I have four weapons, each with one in the chamber. Every other member of my family has at least one weapon, locked and loaded, ready for action.

We are not afraid, because we no longer have reason to be.

All the best to you

 

[rainbowbob]

I will assess when I confront the person-if the person is armed yes I will defend myself.

And how will you make this assessment? Strip search the intruder while your wife threateningly holds the phone with 911 dialed in?

Instead, you may want to re-assess your knowledge and understanding of castle doctrine laws in MI, and review your tactics for an appropriate response in case of a home invasion robbery. And by-the-way...the screwdriver the BG used to break into your house is a lethal weapon. So are his hands, the scissors on your kitchen counter, steak knives, any heavy object, etc, etc.

As others have stated - being prepared doesn't mean you are living in fear.

As for the OP's question: I have a small 4-button coded quick-entry safe in which I keep a loaded gun, a little cash etc. When my 6-year-old grandson visits, my pocket snub is either in my pocket or in the safe also. I've given him the "Eddie Eagle" mantra which he can repeat verbatim, and trained him in gun-handling safety with my airsoft. I agree with others that those are important and helpful steps - but no guarantee against the potential for tragedy as the result of a curious fascination.

 

[Leathermarshmallow]

I have raised two families. My first children which are adults now, were raised around firearms. I have to admit, I didn't even own a gun safe, but I had several guns stashed around the house. I had a .357 revolver between the mattresses on my side of the bed. My children were taught what they were, how to use them and how to respect them and above all, not to touch them without supervision. I was lucky. They never bothered the guns without me there with them.

My second family consists of 4 step-kids that were never around firearms. Their father had never been around them. Their mother had never been around them (she was raised in Australia). When They moved in with me, I immediately bought a safe and stored all of my guns in the safe. I have a small safe under the bed that I can access quickly for a social ready pistol. Over the years with these kids, I have introduced them to firearms and have taught them how to handle and to respect them. My oldest step-son just bought himself a rifle and loves to shoot. I still don't leave guns out around them.

EDUCATION is paramount.

The point I am making is the amount of education that my first kids got in regards to firearms as compared to the amount of education that my step-kids are getting in regards to firearms. Start them young, but remember, a kid is still a kid and they will do things that they are not supposed to do.

My grand-dad used to say, "One boy is a boy. Two boys is a half a boy. Three boys is no boy at all." That refers to the fact that the more kids there are together, the less likely they are to use their brains.

 

[VegasAR15]

shootingthebreeze

My quetsion is why would you be so afraid that you need a loaded gun at home? Just wondering.

Well, probably because everyone here lives in the real world.

As to a handgun safe, I think this one is the one I am getting http://www.ftknox.com/redesign/pistolboxes/. With the pushbuttons it offers the ease of an electronic safe, but the reliability of a combo safe. I have heard bad things about the fingerprint ones. This one seems easy to open, reliable(no electronics or batteries to fail) and pretty beefy.

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

Leave as little to Mr. Murphy as you possibly can.

 

[Old Shooter]

cocked and locked on the night stand. No kids in the house, if you don't feel comfortable with that...don't break into my house.