Gun safe dilemma

[Binarycow]

Here's my problem:
I own a couple of S&W revolvers for self-defense/home-defense. I also have a 6-year old son who is pretty good at following instructions/rules as far as that can be said about any boy of his age. Right now either myself or my wife is with him at home at any time of the day so I hide my firearms unloaded on a closet shelf 8ft off the ground behind a bunch of uninteresting stuff. Bullets are stored at a separate place also hard to get to.
The problem with the current situation is that I might as well not own those guns since it would take me a good deal of time to get them ready to be used for defense if (God forbids) someone should break in when we're at home.

I'm shopping for a gun safe right now but from what I have seen they won't improve the situation by that much. I'm a heavy sleeper so waking up in the middle of the night trying to get a safe combination right in the dark will definitely be a problem. I might be long dead before getting them out. The ones with glow in the dark key combination all run on batteries so I'm not too sure how reliably they work (Murphy's law here).

When I was by myself, I always kept a loaded gun in my night stand drawer but that's a no-no at the moment with that boy around.

So any suggestions, anyone? I'm sure this is a common situation so someone must have this figured out, it's just that I'm stumped at this point.

 

[IronWing]

If I recall myself at six years old correctly, a closet shelf would be accessible. A gun would be cool to a six year old. I think your best bet might be a keyed lockbox near the bed (inside a nightstand drawer?) with the key on your keychain that you take with you when you go places. When you go to bed, put the key in the lock.

 

[mnewsham]

Keyed lock box with key around your neck, classic safe with a dial lock you have practiced on (and are good at opening quickly). I think you can get a dial lock with glow in the dark lettering

 

[Phoenix86]

Trigger lock?

 

[Binarycow]

thanks, guys, can I ask what you guys gun owners personally use for your gun safes so I will have a starting point when go shopping?

 

[mnewsham]

thanks, guys, can I ask what you guys gun owners personally use for your gun safes so I will have a starting point when go shopping?

I personally keep my rifle off site

I have friends who have gun safes, but I personally don't (yet)

 

[Pr0d1gy]

I will share a bit of personal experience with you. When I was a kid some of the other kids in my neighborhood were hanging out together in one boy's house. They found a gun and one of them got killed. My advice is don't have a gun in a house with a kid unless it is absolutely necessary. And it usually isn't necessary.

 

[PrinceofWands]

My firearms that are non-defensive are in a locked safe/closet. My defensive firearms are loaded, chambered, and on safe in accessible but hidden locations throughout the house. My daughter is now of age that this is not an issue (17). When younger they were placed in higher, harder to reach locations, and she was not left alone with them.

Were I to have more kids to raise I would likely get one of these for my sidearm http://www.gunvault.com/ and some sort of simple trigger lock for my shotgun until the kids were trained and a bit older. I figure from about 12 on the standards can be relaxed significantly as long as they've exhibited good judgment thus far.

Remember, nothing you try to do is going to be conclusive in the end. Kids are going to be and do what they are inclined to. The best we can do is give them the education and experience to make the best decisions possible.

 

[Ruptga]

Leave it in the nightstand unloaded but with a speedloader also in the drawer?

 

[de8212]

I bought a Sentry 24 gun safe when my son turned 2 IIRC. It's not a top of the line Fort Knox, etc. but I got it just to keep him out of and I know it will do the job.

It's a digital keypad safe that takes a 9 volt battery. I replace the battery every year on my bday (so I don't forget). It's overkill and the battery still has alot of life left in it but I just use it in my alarm clock or a kids toy, etc.

I do have 2 handguns in a location that he can't reach nor will he be able to for several more years. I'll have to re-evaluate in a few years.

But one other thing I do occasionally is let my kids go through my gun safe with me and I let them hold the unloaded guns, etc. but never let them put their finger on the trigger. I explain about the dangers and the importance every time. Also making sure the know what to do if they are ever at a friends house and even see a gun.

 

[Phoenix86]

I will share a bit of personal experience with you.

I don't think that qualifies as just a bit. :sneaky:

 

[ahenkel]

Seemed like its relevant to this thread

http://www.google.com/hostednews/af...docId=CNG.6ebba5d245517495a56203960912fb92.81

Opening gun safes is childs's play at DefCon
By Glenn Chapman (AFP) – 2 days ago
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Lock cracking experts have shown hackers that opening small gun safes widely sold in the United States is child's play.
The demonstration by Security Labs came Friday as the country grappled anew with the hot-button issue of gun ownership in the aftermath of a deadly shooting rampage in a Colorado movie theater.
"This country has reached a level of violence that America ought to do something about it," Marc Tobias of Security Labs said as he demonstrated his findings for AFP at the infamous Def Con hacker conference in Las Vegas.
"Do kids have a second amendment right to have weapons?" he asked rhetorically, referring to a part of the US Constitution assuring citizens the right to bear arms.
"It's not a gun control problem; it is a people control problem."
Tobias said that Security Labs turned its attention to gun safes after the three-year-old son of a now-former sheriff's department detective in Canada was shot to death by a sibling with a pistol that had been locked away at home.
Researchers toyed with the Stack-On safe at issue and discovered it could be opened by simply tipping it a bit and then dropping it, with the jar of the impact causing it to unlock.
Intrigued, the pair scrutinized another half-dozen or so models of gun safes from the Illinois-based company.
"They could be opened with wires, a drinking straw, bouncing...," Tobias said, rattling off unsophisticated techniques used to crack gun safes.
"They are putting everyone who buys these at risk."
A high-end gun safe with a fingerprint scan activated lock can be opened using a pair of paper clips thanks to a hole under the scan pad that allows access to the latching mechanism inside, Security Labs' Toby Bluzmanis showed.
The demonstration at Def Con included video of a three-year-old child opening a gun safe by lifting it part way and letting go. Tobias also uploaded video of gun safe cracking to YouTube.
Bluzmanis told of his young son noticing him trying to crack gun safes and offered to help, then curiously tapping key pads and poking things in cracks or key holes.
He asked his son to move the 30-pound safe. The boy lifted it part way and pushed before dropping it, with the door unlocking, the father said.
"This is a game for them," he said of a typical reaction by children to the challenge of a locked gun safe. "At three years old they can't pick it up, but they grab it and try to move it around then drop it and, bingo, it opens."
The researchers focused most intensely on Stack-On safes, but also checked out models from GunVault, BullDog and AMSEC.
The safes tested are widely available at sporting goods shops as well as retail giant Wal-Mart and online shop Amazon.com, according to Security Labs.
"I've only found one gun lock in the country that I think is worth a damn, and it is made by a guy in California," Tobias said, identifying the maker as Omega Safety Systems.
Omega locks consist of expandable rods that slide into gun barrels and can only be removed with special keys, according to its website.
Sharing ways to crack gun safes with the thousands of hackers at Def Con was intended to call attention to the situation, according to the researchers.
"This is about insecurity engineering of real products that protect real people," Tobias said. "It isn't about how to open the gun safes; it is about how easily they can be opened."
The results of a Gallup poll released late last year indicated that there were guns in 47 percent of US homes or somewhere within easy reach on the property

 

[Pr0d1gy]

A people control problem? Wow, that is just, wow.

Looks like you may not have to worry about what to do with your gun soon:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...or-gun-control-legislation/-+Politics+-+Text)

http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=40321&comments=0

http://www.unelected.org/republican-chris-christie-supports-gun-control

 

[Kelvrick]

Do you only have the revolvers? No need for anything big then. If say even one if those sentry safes like these will do.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005P1...3722796&sr=8-1

If you wanted room to expand, then maybe this.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000Z8...722952&sr=8-21

More room for expansion here.
http://m.slickdeals.net/f/4947936-Liberty-Centurion-12-Gun-Safe-358-29-w-10-coupon-WA-Lowe-s-YMMV?

 

[oynaz]

What are the odds of actually needing the gun for self defense versus the odds of some kid getting hold of it and accidentally killing someone?

I would get rid of the gun, or at least keep it tucked somewhere safe. If someone breaks in, too bad. Let them have the damn TV or whatever. Better than a dead kid.

 

[Scotteq]

There are Biometric safes available now - Ones that require a full sized adult hand have been around for years,, and now of course there are some which recognize fingerprints: http://www.gunsafes.com/Biometric-Gun-Safe.html

 

[Sinsear]

The majority of burglaries happen during the day while no one is home. Home invasions are Usually not random and target someone with lots of cash or drugs on hand. I wouldn't be so concerned if i were you.

 

[dawp]

Seemed like its relevant to this thread

http://www.google.com/hostednews/af...docId=CNG.6ebba5d245517495a56203960912fb92.81

related to your link, but with videos

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/07/gun-safes/

some safes are not really all that secure, including the biometric ones.

 

[oynaz]

Seen the Mythbusters episode where they easily break biometric locks?

And that is exactly the kind of challenge a bright kid might enjoy.

 

[ichy]

Realistically your kids is much, much more likely to hurt himself than you are to need your gun against a violent home invader. Err on the side of making it harder for your son to get to, even if it means it takes you a little longer to get to at night.

 

[sourceninja]

Honestly, don't spend a lot of money on a 'gun safe'. They are not safes and are not really secure (in terms of stoping a thief). Just get one with a lock that is strong enough to keep out the casual wanderer. A nice metal locking cabinet with a strong padlock would work fine.

If you want more than that, find and invest in a real safe. Most gun safes are not real safes, but are RSC's and cost a lot for very little protection. To get the UL rating they just have to survive for 5 minutes against a screwdriver. A real safe is going to have plate steel walls and door and a much higher cost, but with real security.

 

[Texashiker]

I have a basic $400 gun safe from academy sports and outdoors.

 

[sdifox]

electronic safe with emergency override key?

http://www.amazon.com/SentrySafe-X055-Security-Cubic-Black/dp/B000Z8P5Z2/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1343738732&sr=8-8&keywords=small+safe

 

[velillen]

I have a Winchester gun safe I got at Costco a year ago. It's nothing fancy but its a decent size. Holds my important documents and guns. 4 hands hands and currently all my ammo (100 shotguns shells and like 500 9mm plus a brick of 22 and 200 357) 3cu ft I think is the size. It's heavy....like 200 to 250 pounds and can be bolted down as well so its not going to be no ed very easily. Cost like 300 I think?

As for rifle and shotguns I just have them out but unloaded and the ammo and mags are all locked up in the safe or in my reloading cabinet.


Honestly though I grew up with the same setup...unloaded rifles in the house and was just taught control from an early age so it was never.a big deal. That's honestly the biggest factor in keeping kids safe.....teach them young and the desire to explore on their own goes away.

 

[Merad]

Whatever you end up getting I would add in the recommendation to start teaching your kid about guns in the near future (with just a .22LR youth rifle or something). Part of the learning should be gun safety. And if he actually had some knowledge about them hopefully he'll be less likely to "play" with them if he gets ahold of one unsupervised.