Ally
Member
I recently bought a 9mm handgun. Currently it is kept with the slide locked back and a cable lock through it. I've been doing a lot of range/target shooting; I am taking my CCW course on the 23rd, and an NRA firearms course on the 30th. Until those classes are completed, the gun will remain unloaded in the house.
Here's the conundrum I have, and seem to be having a really hard time deciding which way to go. I have a 14-year old daughter who has never seen a gun in real life until now. My main concern is what to do with the gun if/when she is home alone.
On the one hand, I feel like it should be unloaded and locked if I'm leaving her home alone for any amount of time. This will prevent a possible tragic accident from occurring. On the other hand, if/when she was trained on gun safety, handling, shooting, etc., and it was kept loaded and accessible if I go out, it could save her life if she had to defend herself.
I don't know what level of maturity a child/teen her age needs to have to understand the danger and seriousness of a loaded gun. What I've done so far is posted the 4 rules of gun safety in five areas of the house. If she wants to see or touch the gun, she can ask me, recite by memory the 4 rules, and I'll take it out for her to look at and touch.
This has happened once. She did recite the 4 rules to me by memory, and I took out the gun for her to look at and handle. I taught her how to ensure that the gun is unloaded, and that you always triple check, even if it's got a lock on it, (it was kept cable-locked during this). The first thing she did was put her finger on the trigger (bad enough), but it's the second thing she did that horrified me. She pointed the gun at her face because she wanted to look in the barrel, (understandable curiosity). I immediately said "MOVE IT", explained why what she had done could get her killed, and put the gun away.
I imagine by the end of the month I will feel confident in keeping it loaded, as long as we are both in the house; it was purchased for self-defense after all.
What to do when I'm not in the house? Kids have friends over. Guns are fun to show to friends. Should I put it in a gun safe when I leave her alone? Then it gets back to the uselessness of the gun if I do that.
I'm guessing many of you have dealt with this. I'd appreciate tips, recommendations, whatever you have to offer for this situation.
Here's the conundrum I have, and seem to be having a really hard time deciding which way to go. I have a 14-year old daughter who has never seen a gun in real life until now. My main concern is what to do with the gun if/when she is home alone.
On the one hand, I feel like it should be unloaded and locked if I'm leaving her home alone for any amount of time. This will prevent a possible tragic accident from occurring. On the other hand, if/when she was trained on gun safety, handling, shooting, etc., and it was kept loaded and accessible if I go out, it could save her life if she had to defend herself.
I don't know what level of maturity a child/teen her age needs to have to understand the danger and seriousness of a loaded gun. What I've done so far is posted the 4 rules of gun safety in five areas of the house. If she wants to see or touch the gun, she can ask me, recite by memory the 4 rules, and I'll take it out for her to look at and touch.
This has happened once. She did recite the 4 rules to me by memory, and I took out the gun for her to look at and handle. I taught her how to ensure that the gun is unloaded, and that you always triple check, even if it's got a lock on it, (it was kept cable-locked during this). The first thing she did was put her finger on the trigger (bad enough), but it's the second thing she did that horrified me. She pointed the gun at her face because she wanted to look in the barrel, (understandable curiosity). I immediately said "MOVE IT", explained why what she had done could get her killed, and put the gun away.
I imagine by the end of the month I will feel confident in keeping it loaded, as long as we are both in the house; it was purchased for self-defense after all.
What to do when I'm not in the house? Kids have friends over. Guns are fun to show to friends. Should I put it in a gun safe when I leave her alone? Then it gets back to the uselessness of the gun if I do that.
I'm guessing many of you have dealt with this. I'd appreciate tips, recommendations, whatever you have to offer for this situation.