Keeping weapons locked up

[TallPine]

It seems to be some sort of unwritten rule that all homes in rural Montana must have some sort of long gun leaning in every corner inside the house

 

[Ala Dan]

Att .22 rimfire My Friend-

It also helps; to be the only person with the combination to the
RSC~!

 

[jackmead]

Some people that don't own guns go a little overboard on the locked-up issue. They insist that our weapons be unloaded, locked in a safe with a lock on the trigger, and that the ammo is locked in another box. This seems like overkill to me, if these guns were cars they would be locked in a garage, with the doors locked with gas and tires in a separate place. :banghead:

 

[Neo-Luddite]

I'm trying to understand how the safety vs. access question would be resolved in homes with children.

Train the child in an age appropriate manner from birth. It is an on-going process. The gun safe is to keep *OTHER* peoples' kids (and some adults) from un-authorized handling.

Our kids are small (3 and 4.5 years) and for now the rule is hard and fast; you may touch and inspect any firearm only if Mom, Dad, or Grandpa is physically touching it when you do. But make no mistake--I will let my kids inspect any firearm they want at any time and have show and tell. THAT is the on road to safety--to model safe gun practices often and with the kids' help and interaction.

Guns are very dangerous tools--but they are not untouchable and hidden secret mystery fetish objects to be shunned from kids in any way. That is the dire and dastardly 'safety' message of the HCI/ Brady people and the cause of needless harm to children and even some adults.

Locks and safes have their place, but I can't bet my kids' lives on them; the majority are locked up anyway, and the ones that aren't I secure in my own way.

 

[dmftoy1]

Train the child in an age appropriate manner from birth. It is an on-going process. The gun safe is to keep *OTHER* peoples' kids (and some adults) from un-authorized handling.

Our kids are small (3 and 4.5 years) and for now the rule is hard and fast; you may touch and inspect any firearm only if Mom, Dad, or Grandpa is physically touching it when you do. But make no mistake--I will let my kids inspect any firearm they want at any time and have show and tell. THAT is the on road to safety--to model safe gun practices often and with the kids' help and interaction.

Guns are very dangerous tools--but they are not untouchable and hidden secret mystery fetish objects to be shunned from kids in any way. That is the dire and dastardly 'safety' message of the HCI/ Brady people and the cause of needless harm to children and even some adults.

Locks and safes have their place, but I can't bet my kids' lives on them; the majority are locked up anyway, and the ones that aren't I secure in my own way.

Amen!

My kids all know how to check/double check (visual and tactile checks). I worry more about a friend of theirs or some idiot who happens to be visiting and that's why mine are locked up. My kids are 22-24 though so it's a slightly different story.

Have a good one,
Dave

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

I also wear mine all the time during the day. I just put it on when I'm getting dressed. To me, it's just like a cell phone, wallet, or keys. Just another tool I like to have with me. At night, I just take the holster off and set it by my bed with my E2D.

I live with just my gf, and though she's not a shooter(yet), she's well aware of safety procedures. So with just the 2 of us, having a gun out while we sleep is no big deal. I only have 2 guns out when I'm not going to the range. My P99, which is either on me or next to me while I'm sleeping, and my MilPro, which sits inside a hidden compartment in my backpack, which also goes with me everywhere.

 

[Black Adder LXX]

I have 4 little ones, so I keep mine locked up throughout the house. 22s unloaded and locked up. HD and CCW stay loaded and secured by keyless lock boxes in a few places.

 

[Hardtarget]

The only one not in the safe is my carry. Wifey knows the combination but getting to the safe and open...not good. Thing is...she will not get her CCW and doesn't want to run up and down stairs to the safe. She is in and out several times a day. Our grand children are never here unless we are home. Several problems that need to be fixed...

Mark.

 

[BlackBearME]

In Maine the requirement is guns must not be in "easy access" to children. I don't have access to a legal library at the moment, so I don't know what cases there may be relevant to it, or what legislative intent might be. I like to think that this is a law to attempt to keep children safe while compromising the necessity of access. I only have two long guns at the moment, which are kept on the top shelf of my closet, with items in front of the closet so chair access is deterred. I'm saving for my carry gun, and the next firearms purchase after that will be a safe, but I'm working on training my daughter (4 in March). She knows a gun on sight, and every once in a while I ask her what she does when she sees a gun. She's gotten to where almost every time she says "Go get mommy and daddy, or a big person"....although every once in a while her trigger finger starts twitching. I don't think interest is going to be a problem, I think it's going to be restraint!

 

[Hardtarget]

The only one not in the safe is my carry. Wifey knows the combination but getting to the safe and open...not good. Thing is...she will not get her CCW and doesn't want to run up and down stairs to the safe. She is in and out several times a day. Our grand children are never here unless we are home. Several problems that need to be fixed...

Mark.

 

[jr_roosa]

I have a 5 month old, but the guns stay locked up, ammo too. We live in a relatively safe neighborhood and share a house with other family members. I believe that in our current situation my child is at higher risk of somebody screwing around with an unlocked gun than she is from any intruder busting in. I even bought cases to lock up the guns that belong to our family members.

If we had the house to ourselves I'd probably have the shotgun accessible. A quick-access safe for a handgun would be nice if I had anything other than a .22 target pistol.

-J.