ATOT shotgun/rifle owners: how do you secure them at home?

[dank69]

OP - Look into something like this: http://www.sentrysafe.com/Home_Defense/Home_Defense_Center

Whoever designed that website needs a class in how to not be annoying.

 

[edro]

From the time my kids were 3, 4 and 5 years old they were taught to never touch a firearm. When my kids got up to around 6, 7 or 8 years old I taught them how to shoot a BB rifle, and then a 22 rifle.

My dad taught me how to shoot when I was young too.
When my parents left, I would get his shotgun out of the cabinet and shoot it with ammo I found in the garage.

Kids will do things even though you teach them not to.

A classmate of mine was killed with a shotgun, by his "friend", because he was being teased. The shooter said he thought the gun was unloaded and wanted to scare him.


To the OP:
The only way to keep guns safe from kids, is in a safe or with a gun lock.

Many people use a pistol box with a fast push-button combination.
For a shotgun, you might be limited to a trigger lock, chamber lock or gunsafe.

 

[Jeeebus]

OP - Look into something like this: http://www.sentrysafe.com/Home_Defense/Home_Defense_Center

Thanks - that actually looks like something I'd consider. A lot of the clamp locks (mounted in a wall stud) wouldn't necessarily work for my bedroom configuration/guns I was considering (apparently ghost rings screw em up).

Of course gun safety will be taught, but as said above, I remember what a pain in the ass I was growing up and want to be extra sure the gun doesn't wind up in my son's or a neighbor's hands without me there.

 

[FoBoT]

cheap gun cabinet with a lock
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sentry-5-Gun-Safe/4244347

 

[nick1985]

I keep my SKS loaded with 10 rounds of soft-tipped ammo in a zipper-case under my bed. Bolt locked back, safety on.

My other guns are in a safe, key on my keychain. I live alone though. If I had others living with my all firearms would be locked.

 

[hdfxst]

I keep my SKS loaded with 10 rounds of soft-tipped ammo in a zipper-case under my bed. Bolt locked back, safety on.

My other guns are in a safe, key on my keychain. I live alone though. If I had others living with my all firearms would be locked.

I don't know if you know this but the safety on an sks is just a trigger block and that gun is cocked and ready.All my guns are in a cabinet except the ones i keep out for intruders

 

[nick1985]

I don't know if you know this but the safety on an sks is just a trigger block and that gun is cocked and ready.All my guns are in a cabinet except the ones i keep out for intruders

The gun is not cocked and ready. The bolt is locked back. I would have to slam the bolt forward and move the trigger safety back

 

[hdfxst]

My mistake for not reading all of it,i just remember them going off when you bang them on the ground,i bought one for 49 dollars in the 80's and it was a 67 arsenal 26 norinco it was easy to bump fire

 

[FoBoT]

...i just remember them going off when you bang them on the ground

thats what she said

 

[Squisher]

I know that I don't want to be fiddling with a key in a dark room trying to get to my gun.

http://www.shotlock.com/

 

[JulesMaximus]

From one concerned parent to another, teach your children gun safety. There are a lot of parents who keep firearms in the house, but never take the time to teach the kids gun safety, or how to shoot.

I did not even buy my kids toy guns. The only thing they got that looked like a toy gun was a super soaker water gun.

Instead of having to explain to my kids why its ok to point toy guns at people and not real guns, I just excluded toy guns from the equation.

When my sons got about 6 years old, I bought them a daisy red ryder BB gun. The BB gun was treated just like a real rifle. It was kept in my room, and the children were not allowed to use it without adult supervision.

By the time we moved onto a 410 shotgun or 22 rifle, the foundation for gun safety had been laid down.

I had toy guns as a child and my son does too. I was taught to shoot when I was around 10 years old by my Step-Dad at the time. He taught me well and I never touched his rifles.

Trouble is, I'm at work from 7:00AM to 6PM every day and my wife has various friends of my son in and out of the house and I don't know what their parents have taught their kids so I don't want to even take the chance of one of them finding a loaded gun in my house.

It just isn't worth the trouble. My wife has zero interest in guns so the only one who touches them is me. When I'm not home they stay locked in the gun safe.

 

[Possessed Freak]

My rifles are in plain view resting in a corner or my ground floor. Ammo is located nearby but out of sight. My handgun is in my bedroom, ammo loaded mag is nearby but out of sight.

My father had a shotgun and rifle in the house while I grew up. I knew about them and he explained that I was not to touch them. I respected that. As I got older he taught me how to use his handgun which I did not know he had.

 

[roguerower]

I have my Mossberg 500 outfitted with a 18.5" home defense barrel right next to my bed. Chamber is kept empty but I put a chamber safety tool in so that I can be sure that the chamber is empty with just a glance. Gun is loaded with 5 rounds of #2 steel shot.

Chamber tool out > Close Chamber > Rack Round > Boom

Quick to fire but no way it's going off accidentally.

Didn't really shoot as a kid but my dad is a Marine and gun safety was taught and expected.

 

[irishScott]

For a shotgun, best way I can think of is a locking gun rack mounted high on the wall: http://www.cabelas.com/gun-cabinets-racks-cabelas-classic-gun-rack.shtml

My home defense choice is a 1911, so if I had kids, I'd just stick it in one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Gunvault-MVB50.../dp/B001UAMZD4

 

[Texashiker]

I had toy guns as a child and my son does too. <snip> When I'm not home they stay locked in the gun safe.

My oldest son was in the back yard shooting some cans with his pellet rifle one day - he was about 14 years old, and was not supposed to be shooting the pellet rifle without an adult at home. my wife and I were still at work when this was going on.

Some of my sons friends come over.

My son lets his friends shoot the pellet rifle.

They have some kind of cowboys-and-indians game, a kid ends up getting shot in the chest with the pellet rifle. The pellet (copper) goes between the ribs, into the lung and almost hits the kids heart.

Kid goes home, complains to mom he can not breath, tells mom what happened. Mom rushes kid to emergency room, kid spends 2 days in hospital.

 

[JulesMaximus]

My oldest son was in the back yard shooting some cans with his pellet rifle one day - he was about 14 years old, and was not supposed to be shooting the pellet rifle without an adult at home. my wife and I were still at work when this was going on.

Some of my sons friends come over.

My son lets his friends shoot the pellet rifle.

They have some kind of cowboys-and-indians game, a kid ends up getting shot in the chest with the pellet rifle. The pellet (copper) goes between the ribs, into the lung and almost hits the kids heart.

Kid goes home, complains to mom he can not breath, tells mom what happened. Mom rushes kid to emergency room, kid spends 2 days in hospital.

Which is precisely the reason you don't leave loaded firearms laying around your house when you have kids in the home. They do dumb things sometimes, they don't use good judgement all the time, and the risk with a real firearm is too great to allow them unsupervised access to them.

 

[Texashiker]

Which is precisely the reason you don't leave loaded firearms laying around your house when you have kids in the home. They do dumb things sometimes, they don't use good judgement all the time, and the risk with a real firearm is too great to allow them unsupervised access to them.

My wife and I got home from work and my son never mentions anything about the other kids.

Sometime around 6 - 7 pm, a cop shows up at my house and said he had a report from the hospital about a shooting with a pellet rifle.

I call my son outside and we have a nice talk with the police officer. A report is filled out and everyone goes on their merry way.

A couple of weeks later I get a call from my home owners insurance, the kids parents are suing me. Since the incident occurred on my property, I was responsible. The lady from the insurance does a phone interview with me and my son. Maybe 3 or 4 weeks later I get a letter in the mail saying the insurance has settled with the victim.

I had taught my son gun safety, it was his stupid friends that came over that did the actual shooting. But then again, my son should have not been shooting the pellet rifle without an adult being around.

The copper pellet was in the kids lung and maybe an inch or 2 from the heart. The pellet was close enough to the heart the doctors did not want to do surgery. Over time the copper would be absorbed into the kids system, or calcium would build up around the pellet.

The long term outcome was very positive. It was the kids shortness of breath that had the hospital and parents worried.

I had a gun safe where all of the firearms were kept, but my wife and I divorced and she got the gun safe. At the time of the incident the firearms were being kept in the closet.

 

[JulesMaximus]

My wife and I got home from work and my son never mentions anything about the other kids.

Sometime around 6 - 7 pm, a cop shows up at my house and said he had a report from the hospital about a shooting with a pellet rifle.

I call my son outside and we have a nice talk with the police officer. A report is filled out and everyone goes on their merry way.

A couple of weeks later I get a call from my home owners insurance, the kids parents are suing me. Since the incident occurred on my property, I was responsible. The lady from the insurance does a phone interview with me and my son. Maybe 3 or 4 weeks later I get a letter in the mail saying the insurance has settled with the victim.

I had taught my son gun safety, it was his stupid friends that came over that did the actual shooting. But then again, my son should have not been shooting the pellet rifle without an adult being around.

The copper pellet was in the kids lung and maybe an inch or 2 from the heart. The pellet was close enough to the heart the doctors did not want to do surgery. Over time the copper would be absorbed into the kids system, or calcium would build up around the pellet.

The long term outcome was very positive. It was the kids shortness of breath that had the hospital and parents worried.

I had a gun safe where all of the firearms were kept, but my wife and I divorced and she got the gun safe. At the time of the incident the firearms were being kept in the closet.

Man, that is scary as hell. Consider yourself VERY lucky.

 

[Numenorean]

Never keep a round in the chamber.

Dumbest advice ever.

Keep it locked up but round chambered.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Gun safe. There is no other option. A Gun locker, one of the cheap metal things you can get for $100 won't work. I can get into one of those with items found in your garage or kitchen.

If you put a gun safe in and properly anchor it to the floor it and it's contents are going no where.
I keep all of my long guns and most of my hand guns in the safe in the garage. I have a pistol safe in the bedroom next to the bed that I keep my 1911 and Diamondback in.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Dumbest advice ever.

Keep it locked up but round chambered.

I don't understand why people advocate keeping a round out of the chamber. They may think it's safer, but the reality is, having a round in the chamber is safe. What isn't safe is having someone play with the gun that shouldn't be.
When it comes time to use that gun are you 100% sure you're going to remember to load it?
Do you keep revolvers with one chamber empty too?
You have to be able to present the firearm and discharge it at a very quick pace. fumbling with racking a slide or pump is one more complication in the process you don't want to go through.

 

[highland145]

I don't understand why people advocate keeping a round out of the chamber. They may think it's safer, but the reality is, having a round in the chamber is safe. What isn't safe is having someone play with the gun that shouldn't be.
When it comes time to use that gun are you 100&#37; sure you're going to remember to load it?
Do you keep revolvers with one chamber empty too?
You have to be able to present the firearm and discharge it at a very quick pace. fumbling with racking a slide or pump is one more complication in the process you don't want to go through.

I was using a semi auto with a safety during my CWP test. We'd draw, safety off, fire 2, safety on, re-holster, 150 rounds during the whole class. At least twice, I forgot to un-safety and this was in a minimal stress situation. My daily carry is a taurus revolver or glock 26.

 

[Numenorean]

I was using a semi auto with a safety during my CWP test. We'd draw, safety off, fire 2, safety on, re-holster, 150 rounds during the whole class. At least twice, I forgot to un-safety and this was in a minimal stress situation. My daily carry is a taurus revolver or glock 26.

I have a SA, with the safety built into the grip so I don't have to think about it at all. That's one big reason I like it.

 

[Texashiker]

I don't understand why people advocate keeping a round out of the chamber.

Its an extra layer of safety.

Do you think a toddler can work the action of a shotgun? How about an AR-15?

One day I was going through my gun safe. I took the rifles and shotguns out, laid them on the bed and was looking them over. When I heard a "click" behind me.

My 4 year old daughter had walked into the room when my back was turned, reached up on the bed, and pulled the trigger on a rifle.

Tell me why you feel the need to have a round in the chamber.

~~ EDIT ~~

It was a cold winter day sometime around 1982 or 1984 when my family and I went to the deer camp. My uncle walks into the bedroom, takes a 22 rifle off the wall, looks at it, puts the rifle up to his shoulder, points the rifle towards the window and squeezes the trigger.

Unknown to my uncle, whoever used the rifle last did not unload it - the 22 bullet sent a hole through the window.

My uncle had been raised around firearms his whole life, all it takes is a split second of bad judgement to make things go really bad.

 

[highland145]

I have a SA, with the safety built into the grip so I don't have to think about it at all. That's one big reason I like it.

My nephew is going to Cali for a couple of months and needs some $$. $400 and I "hold" his XD40 until he comes back and pays me. I'll give it a work out.