Due to a new addition to the family and an imminent move to a new home, the gun storage needs for my brother's household are going to be changing in the future.
He owns 3 or 4 handguns:
.38 Spl Snub-nose revolver
.45 ACP Colt Defender
Small .22LR semi-auto of some kind
9X18 Makarov
...and a couple long guns:
.410 single shot shotgun
.22LR bolt action single shot
12GA Browning pump action shotgun
He also has a few antique long guns as well.
In his old home, he just had the long guns unloaded in a cabinet - and all of the pistols were strategically placed throughout the home, loaded and ready to go. "Strategically placed" means nightstand drawer in the main bedroom, hidden in the DVD storage area of the living room - and in a cabinet in the kitchen.
Now - he is getting ready to move into a new home AND he and his wife just had their first baby. We live in a rural area (Southwest Virginia) - and this home is a brand new home in a fairly rural setting.
Due to the new kid, I am already thinking about the new gun storage requirements that will required eventually. The concern for new requirements is, of course, due to the fact that kids get into things and other visitors may now be in the household.
While I'm sure the kid will be familiarized with firearms as soon as he begins to show an interest (several years from now, of course), I want to be able to make a recommendation to him now regarding the new storage needs - so he can more appropriately plan for the future. This will give ample time to plan to buy a safe, etc. or might influence furniture placement, etc.
My initial "plan" for this household is as follows:
All long guns which are not for home defense would be kept in gun cabinet (as they currently are), however a gun lock would be installed on all of them. The primary purpose(s) of these guns are for hunting or to take care of pests (non-human).
The personal defense handgun(s) would be secured in a small safe (or safes) in the bedroom - and/or other rooms in the house (drawers of nightstand, cabinets, etc. throughout the home). These small safes would be something like the GunVault - or one other safes with electronic combination locks with key backup. Inside these gun safe(s), the keys to the long gun locks would be stored.
In the event that he chooses to use the Browning 12GA shotgun for home defense, I suppose he could keep rounds in the magazine - but chamber open and a gun cable lock through it - with the key in one of the little handgun safes. I don't think he uses the shotgun for defense, however.
All of the guns would need to be secured, but at least one, two or three selected guns would need to be readily available in the case of an emergency. The aforementioned plan would offer this.
Now - the purpose of this thread is to solicit helpful comments and suggestions from people who may have travelled down this road before - and have determined what has worked for them in similar situations. I'm interested to hear in (what we call in the IT business): "Best Practices" regarding home gun storage in a home with small children and possibly nosy visitors.
Fire away - and thank-you for your helpful suggestions.
He owns 3 or 4 handguns:
.38 Spl Snub-nose revolver
.45 ACP Colt Defender
Small .22LR semi-auto of some kind
9X18 Makarov
...and a couple long guns:
.410 single shot shotgun
.22LR bolt action single shot
12GA Browning pump action shotgun
He also has a few antique long guns as well.
In his old home, he just had the long guns unloaded in a cabinet - and all of the pistols were strategically placed throughout the home, loaded and ready to go. "Strategically placed" means nightstand drawer in the main bedroom, hidden in the DVD storage area of the living room - and in a cabinet in the kitchen.
Now - he is getting ready to move into a new home AND he and his wife just had their first baby. We live in a rural area (Southwest Virginia) - and this home is a brand new home in a fairly rural setting.
Due to the new kid, I am already thinking about the new gun storage requirements that will required eventually. The concern for new requirements is, of course, due to the fact that kids get into things and other visitors may now be in the household.
While I'm sure the kid will be familiarized with firearms as soon as he begins to show an interest (several years from now, of course), I want to be able to make a recommendation to him now regarding the new storage needs - so he can more appropriately plan for the future. This will give ample time to plan to buy a safe, etc. or might influence furniture placement, etc.
My initial "plan" for this household is as follows:
All long guns which are not for home defense would be kept in gun cabinet (as they currently are), however a gun lock would be installed on all of them. The primary purpose(s) of these guns are for hunting or to take care of pests (non-human).
The personal defense handgun(s) would be secured in a small safe (or safes) in the bedroom - and/or other rooms in the house (drawers of nightstand, cabinets, etc. throughout the home). These small safes would be something like the GunVault - or one other safes with electronic combination locks with key backup. Inside these gun safe(s), the keys to the long gun locks would be stored.
In the event that he chooses to use the Browning 12GA shotgun for home defense, I suppose he could keep rounds in the magazine - but chamber open and a gun cable lock through it - with the key in one of the little handgun safes. I don't think he uses the shotgun for defense, however.
All of the guns would need to be secured, but at least one, two or three selected guns would need to be readily available in the case of an emergency. The aforementioned plan would offer this.
Now - the purpose of this thread is to solicit helpful comments and suggestions from people who may have travelled down this road before - and have determined what has worked for them in similar situations. I'm interested to hear in (what we call in the IT business): "Best Practices" regarding home gun storage in a home with small children and possibly nosy visitors.
Fire away - and thank-you for your helpful suggestions.
