How do you guys keep your kids from busting you in public while CCW?

[Dnaltrop]

It's no big deal for them. it's no different from Daddy's wallet. They make a bigger fuss seeing my android phone out when they want to play Angry Birds.

We don't talk about the real guns outside of the house, the kids don't even enter the room without an adult if they see my gun out for cleaning. The elder picks the baby up and they walk away.

I am lucky though with 3 girls... but I don't put a moment of "gun stupidity" past ANYONE , (myself included). Vigilance, and consistent procedures are my friend.

 

[Shawn Dodson]

When my daughters were young my biggest concern was with them innocently "outing" me during a crime in progress (e.g., "Why don't you draw your gun and shoot him now, daddy?").

 

[gunsablazin]

My kids are so used to being around guns that they are about as amazed by them as they would be a lamp, or any other household item. They only touch them at the range, where they like to shoot up bricks of .22 ammo. I started them shooting at five years old, and they are very used to me carrying a gun.

 

[Claude Clay]

Location: Orange County, CA (and Phoenix, AZ)
Posts: 16 Quote:
Why would you be concerned about being "outed" anyway?

+1
Even if you are in a CCW only state, your kid verbally outing you is not going to get you an open carry/brandishing charge.

well, speaking for Connecticut---that may well get the police for a MWG and if they ask for your permit---likely it will be 2 years and $4,000 later when possibly you get it back.

as to the question---you leave the house dressed in a manor that precludes others, regardless of their height or level of maturity, from seeing that you are concealing. the word "concealing" has a meaning that which is often spoke around rather than observed.
your bad, not the kids.

 

[Sam1911]

you leave the house dressed in a manor that precludes others, regardless of their height or level of maturity, from seeing that you are concealing. the word "concealing" has a meaning that which is often spoke around rather than observed.
your bad, not the kids.

I think you might have missed a nuance here. Most of our kids are pretty cognizant that we carry a gun, whether they saw us put it on our belt that particular day or not. Whether they can see it at this or that moment doesn't really matter -- they're going to assume/know it is there.

And, failing that, I've seen my kids accidentally remind themselves it's there more than once. My daughter once nearly concussed herself running down a store aisle and impacting the butt of my 1911 with her forehead! On the floor, crying, big white dent in her forehead. Kids are curious, not wise to the world's subtleties, and generally unpredictable. Unless you're going with "Thunderwear", I wouldn't rest assured that they wouldn't be capable of causing an issue.

 

[SmokeJensen]

I don't have kids, but, I don't think I would see the point of even discussing CCW with a kid as young as 4 or 5; he really isn't old enough to understand, so, I would likely be using esheato's approach... out of sight/out of mind.

Chances are they know you have a gun but you don't know they know yet. Kids know alot that we don't know they know. At 4-5 years old, kids are watching every move everyone they see make. We may not notice it but they are watching. They have seen it when you didn't know it was showing. If its printing or your shirt rode up they saw it. Believe me. Children learn more between 2-7 years old than the rest of their life. They are a sponge and remember everything. Just think, they go from crawling and pooping diapers to running and basic math in 5-6 years. Some kids are bilingual and translate for their parents who have been in America longer than they have been alive. Kids are amazing. Don't ever sell them short. Just my opinion.

 

[hermannr]

Raise your kids to think it is just something everyone does...

think about it this way...your kids, even a especially curious 3 year old, does not go around to see if a person had underware on, or what colour it is, no?

If you make no more big deal about putting on you holster, than you do putting on your underware, you child will never think that anyone else does anything different.

When they finally figure out not everyone does, they will probably be old enough to be told that not everyone wears underware.

Edit to add:

One of my granddaughters, when she was about 6 years old, went running to her mother and said "mommy, mommy, Opa is naked!" (I didn't have a shirt on) She never sees her dad without a shirt, (he has sever psoriasis and always wears long sleeved shirts), so when she saw me without a shirt she thought I was not properly clothed.

 

[Claude Clay]

his son just busted out look dad he has a gun like you pointing at my sidearm

ahhhh----post #6---- i stand corrected, my bad.

SAM, i appreciate the kind manor in which you brought me up to speed.

klutchless, as all who have raised the little monsters will attest--even well behaved and under 7ish just ain't 100%

for my daughter i played 'secret' games when she was little. they were about unimportant things and when she was trustworthy with the little stuff, around 5 to 6, i introduced her to - daddy wears a gun and it is a secret. she kept that family secret all through high school; even when we went at least once a week to the range together from 7 on. WMMV especially as children are so different and change so quickly. good luck.

 

[JustinJ]

"I don't have children yet just wondering how to avoid this position when I do."

Why would teaching kids not to discuss your weapon in public be different than teaching them not to do anything else? However you decide to teach them not to swear, hit, scream inside, etc. is the way you do it.

 

[ForumSurfer]

Easy.
Don't. Have. Kids.

Brilliant response.

Yeah, they take a HUGE chunk out of your ammo budget. Expensive little critters!

Be that as it may, they are a constant source of entertainment and they are constantly reminding you about what is important in life...not to mention nothing humbles you more than your own kids, not to mention they force you to learn to laugh at yourself (or perhaps cry at times).

"Will you please pass the salt and pepper, Dad? And I'm not talking about your beard."

Classic.

I'm not sure I agree with the "not making a big deal of it" response. I took the time to explain to each (repeatedly) the intricacies of why I carry. From protection of loved ones on down to the 2nd amendment. It is a big deal to me, so I owe it to them to be honest and explain it. They may only get 10-50% of my explanation and retain it, but if I explain it repeatedly maybe they will get the other 50-90%.

think about it this way...your kids, even a especially curious 3 year old, does not go around to see if a person had underwear on, or what colour it is, no?

You'd be surprised. I dated a single mom whose 3 year old asked me that very same question (while busting open the bathroom door no less). His father died when he was one and he had no immediate male relatives, so he wanted to see what kind of underwear men wore. So I had to explain why I was carrying a gun, why I was wearing a particular type of underwear and what color it was all at once.

 

[hermannr]

nothing is fool proof, or should I say kid proof...

 

[thorazine]

Just tell them the evil closet monster will eat their brains and strangle the family cat while they sleep if they mention anything out loud about your firearm(s) out in public.

 

[NMGonzo]

I have no children but a child bumped his head against the but of my 1911 at the zoo last week.

He moved on to the giraffe enclosure without much fuzz.

 

[ForumSurfer]

Just tell them the evil closet monster will eat their brains and strangle the family cat while they sleep if they mention anything out loud about your firearm(s) out in public.

My kids are little miniature versions of myself and their mom. Say that and they'll do it, then stay up all night waiting to take pictures of this closet monster and set a bear trap...likely to be found by me in the wee hours of the morning.

 

[FIVETWOSEVEN]

I've never understood why people hide their carry piece from their kids, if its a everyday thing they won't bat an eye and won't suddenly exclaim in a store that you carry a gun when they find out. Just tell them what everyone else does, don't talk about guns outside the home.

 

[SmokeJensen]

You'd be surprised. I dated a single mom whose 3 year old asked me that very same question (while busting open the bathroom door no less). His father died when he was one and he had no immediate male relatives, so he wanted to see what kind of underwear men wore. So I had to explain why I was carrying a gun, why I was wearing a particular type of underwear and what color it was all at once.

That's funny. My ex had a 2 year old when I met her. I practically raised her. She doesn't know her father because he's a deadbeat. But anyway. I was getting out the shower one day when she was about 5. She busted the door open and I tried to cover the best I could but it was too late. She screamed "Mommy!!! Daddy doesn't have a who who!!!" I wanted to die laughing. She was so worried about why I don't have a "who who". That child is something else. The smartest kid I have ever met. Hands down.

 

[oneounceload]

How to keep kids from busting you?

Duct tape - comes in a variety of colors to match their clothes

 

[Apocalypse-Now]

the belt.

 

[Kliegl]

The above responses are why single moms are not on my dating list.

I wouldn't be too concerned about that event, just address it in private. If they
need some reinforcement, like not going anywhere fun until they learn discretion,
so be it.

 

[Sam1911]

Just tell them the evil closet monster will eat their brains and strangle the family cat while they sleep if they mention anything out loud about your firearm(s) out in public.

the belt.

Good grief. I know these are jokes, but remember how complex the issue is for adults to get sometimes. Scaring or beating a kid until they understand a socially nuanced matter of discretion is absurdly ineffective and -- like the old habit of making a kid sit at the table until they've eaten every bite on their plates -- likely to cause much more harm than good.

 

[1KPerDay]

Teach them manners.

+1

And review that they don't discuss security issues, guns, location of safe, whether we have guns or not, etc. with friends unless I'm present and they ask permission.

They know not to discuss the fact that I carry with anyone in public.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Teach them about guns, take them to the range and let them shoot. My daughter knows guns are tools just like a truck or hammer and all 3 can kill you or others if you misuse them.

 

[mrvco]

I was at a local store today when a man and his young son walked in behind me .The man looked very uncomfortable in a long dress shirt untucked. The temperature was in the 90 degree range and his face was flushed red.I was standing in the check out line when his son just busted out look dad he has a gun like you pointing at my sidearm.I turned and the mans face was a complete blank like he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.Obviously this man had made sacrifices in clothing and comfort to keep his gun a secret.So my question is how do you teach your child not to do this the boy may have been four or five
at most. I don't have children yet just wondering how to avoid this position when I do.

It sounds like he needed a better summer CCW plan to begin with, but his kid outing him just added to his discomfort and/or stress level.