What to do...I have a handgun and 3 small kids...

[Byron Quick]

I don't have kids, so I've never had this worry. Barring sleep though, it's always seemed to me that my holster was the best place for my sidearm. I know exactly where it is, it's immediately available, and I know no one is fiddling with it.

 

[pax]

Byron's solution was mine, too. My husband and I have five boys, mostly teenagers now, and we have owned guns since they were very small. When the gun is on my hip, I know the little darlings aren't getting into it in the next room.

There's a lot about kids and firearms safety on my website, www.corneredcat.com Too much to retype here. Please do stop by and take a look.

pax

 

[svtruth]

Second the motion

pax has worked out a good solution to this problem which overcomes two weaknesses of your approach.
You are not in immediate control of a loaded gun.
The key is "hidden". Again, not under your immediate control.
My guns are stored, unloaded in locked cases, whose keys are in the range box, locked with a combination lock.
Good luck.

 

[Houdini]

Get rid of the kids...
Just kidding. They are never too young to teach. We were raised in the bush in NWT and had guns around as long as I can rember. If you teach them well there is less likely to be an issue. Also you can keep it in an area that is un reachable to little people. My dog does not have opposable thumbs so I dont have to worry.

 

[1BLINDREF]

I'm not a big fan of gun safes with keys. I only have combination safes so I don't have to worry about keys falling into little or wrong hands. I'd rather risk some speed getting into my safe than a tragedy. My kids are older now, but my defence system was HD gun in the safe in my bedroom and two Akitas to keep the boogie man busy while I got it out. If anything was left of the boogie man after the pups got through with him, I'd take care of it. Can't go wrong with a big dog or two!

 

[telomerase]

My dog does not have opposable thumbs so I dont have to worry.

I used to think that too... until I read about several people who were shot by dogs (mostly hunters who put their guns down leaning on the fence with the safety off). They love to chew on leather holsters.. I wouldn't trust mine with a Glock

 

[Tiny in Ohio]

Gunproof your children, not childproof your gun. My 6 year old knows not to touch any of my guns unless she asks me. I will show her any gun I have, she even has her own 10/22. It is better to educate them on guns than hide guns from them. If they know them, and respect them, they will be better citizens.

 

[Byron Quick]

Can't go wrong with a big dog or two!

I love dogs. Raised Dobermans and Rottweilers for years. Thinking about getting a Boerboel now.

But they aren't the ultimate home defense answer. The defense they provide can be penetrated by a knowledgeable and ruthless person. Dogs should be trained to be poison proof for one thing. I know from sad experience. Another is gender selection. One thing to be said for exclusively owning bitches is they can't be decoyed by providing a bitch in heat-males can be and I don't think you're going to have much luck training them not to be so decoyed.

I keep old tennis balls in my truck. Many 'guard' dogs and 'junkyard' dogs are so starved for human affection, that a simple game of fetch will totally re-orient their loyalties. I've had guard dogs at facilities race me to the gate so they could bat the ball back to me so we could play some more. Sad. The 'guard' dogs were so starved for human affection that I was petting them through the gate after playing with them for maybe ten minutes.

It takes planning, training, dedication, and love to make dogs an effective member of your defensive arrangement.

The confidence I see many people place in their dogs is going to be sadly misplaced if the opponent knows dogs, their weaknesses, and is willing to take advantage of that knowledge.