Balance between safety and vigilance

[BC1]

Also, consider the Eddie Eagle program for your little guy. The program is geared toward kids starting around age 5. We give the classes to kids every so often. They love the stuffed eagles, coins, stickers and comic books. It's a great way to reach the little ones. You can get the materials here... Program Materials Center - Home

[FN1910]

I can't give advice because I doubt how I grew up will work today. I was at my Grandfather's as much as my house and he kept two shotguns and two rifles behind the bedroom door loaded at all times. He also kept one pistol under the matress and one in his pocket at all times. I suppose that would get him arrested about five times over now. My father either kept his pistol in the nightstand drawer, the glove compartment of the car or his travel bag when he was driving a Trailways bus. By the time I was old enough to know about guns I suppose I had watched enough westerns on TV to know that you could get killed with a gun so I never bothered them. No one ever made any big deal about them other than the occasional mention to be careful because you could get killed.

I suppose that I am not one to ask for advice on children and guns because we never thought about it while growing up and besides we had our BB guns to play with. Times have changed and I really think people get too excited about guns and that is what leads to curiosity is children so much and why we have to lock them away. Like some others have suggested get one of the biometric safes and put it on your night stand. When the gun isn't on you it goes in the safe and act normal doing it. If children ask about it tell them what they need to know and show them what it is about. It ain't no big deal. I survived some way but I am not suggesting that you follow my experience.

[NCIC105]

Until you feel comfortable with your son understanding to leave it along I would say biometeric safe. My children are grown and we have grandchildren in the house now..I have a holster attached to the headboard. Unless you know the weapon is there, you would be hard pressed to find it....But I still un-chamber a round when they are here.

[Loffmar77]

As of yesterday, it sounds as though my wife has come to terms with needing to take an educational course. (She was explaining this to my office mate) The reason being the drastic increase in home invasions, and also that there was a drug bust 200 feet from my drive way. ...now, I live on a road that doesn't see much traffic; it actuall turns to dirt right before my house. She belives that there must be a drug dealer beyond our house.

I haven't heard of the front sight trainging course being in our area. I will have to do some reasearch... We just have your "run of the mill" instructors that do it on the weekend for extra cash.

[Speedbump]

I have no idea how smart your son is but if he is old enough to understand anything, you should be able to make him understand to leave your firearms alone. ;-)

That is simply not enough. He must ensure there is no possibility that the child can gain access.

I see BC1's point and I believe children should be taught as much as they can possibly absorb about guns and
gun safety. If you feel safe letting them shoot, do so. The more they do with a firearm, the less they are
apt to use one recklessly if they do somehow get their hands on one. Education is the key.

[SGB]

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[Doc Mustang]

Lots of good advice for you so far Marine. I am a father of 2 small boys and as much as I love both of them I know that they are not ready for unrestricted access to firearms.

I have a presentation that I give on firearm safety in the home. I use it for training other physicians on how to counsel their pro gun patients. (Patients who would react negatively to the party line of "No guns in the home")

As you mentioned there is a continuum between safety from outside threats and safety from the dangers of improper firearms handling. It starts with a threat assessment. Clearly there is a non-zero possibility of your home being targeted for home invasion. The first step is to minimize the likelihood that you will be targeted. Cutback your shrubs, plant and cultivate unfriendly shrubbery, add motion lighting, buy a dog, an alarm system or both. Do not advertise your wealth. Dispose of boxes from high value purchases discretely. Park your cars in the GARAGE.

Whether we like to admit it or not, once firearms are inside the home, in most situations, unrestricted access by untrained persons to firearms and their mishandling becomes a greater threat than criminal attack. I understand that this is a debatable point. (please note that this is a VERY qualified statement)

The dangers of firearms can be mitigated through safe storage practices and training in the proper handling of firearms. For adults training in a basic firearms course is a minimum. A course like the NRA's Personal Protection INSIDE the home is better. For Children Eddie Eagle is a very good option. Once children are responsible and reliable enough for range training (Your call Dad!) they should be treated like adults and trained accordingly.

Even (sometimes ESPECIALLY) trained children should not have unrestricted access to firearms. As from a developmental standpoint their ability to exercise good judgment and understand consequences has not yet fully developed.

Most firearms should be stored unloaded in a proper gun safe. Although a simple locker can be used it is simply not as secure as a modern, fire retardant gun safe. Most families should already have some form of fire resistant storage to protect their vital documents anyway so a good gun safe does double duty and is a good value. Ammunition should be locked away separately in another container. Lockers or safes for ammo each have their advantages. A proper ammo safe has venting as well as fire resistance to prevent the safe from becoming a bomb in a house fire and is the most secure option. Lockers do not require venting and are significantly cheaper. Most ammo will "cook off" a round or two at a time and it is only the brass that needs to be contained as the bullets tend to stay put. (it's a momentum thing) This fact can make a locker style storage container the best option for storing small amounts of ammunition.

Lastly we come to the concept of "ready guns" here I am going to advocate a position which has ruffled some feathers in the physician community: Concealed or open carry in the home for BOTH adult partners. Think about it, if your pistol is on your person, you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are not accessing it. Clearly this needs to be done carefully, I do not recommend this for everyone. If you and your partner are prone to argument or your marriage is in trouble this is not a good solution. Similarly if your teenager is driving you out of your mind, it might be better to take the gun out of the situation. This takes some responsibility on your part to judge if this is wise for your own domestic situation. No one else can tell you if it is a good idea.

A rapid access safe with either coded or biometric access is essential. This is where you store your firearm when you are not carrying it. It is stored loaded and ready. This minimizes "handling" of the gun when holstering it and allows it to be ready should emergency access be required. There are even rapid access options for the storage of long guns.

This has been a long post I have put forward some controversial information here. Pro gunners will not like my assessment about the dangers of unrestricted, untrained access to firearms often being a greater threat than home invasion. Anti gunners will balk at the carry in the home bit. I have always felt that a good compromise makes everybody equally angry. I hope I have achieved my goal.