[MountainManXD]

My wife recently got me a shotgun for my birthday, and I am now wondering how to store it for home defense. I have some little ones roaming around, so I can't just leave it loaded and ready to go. Any suggestions would be a real help.

 

[usSiR]

well....

when I was living by myself I would just keep the AR propped up against the headboard of the bed, the girl friend at the time would always stare at it, once she asked if it was loaded, when I said yes she was just like "oh", then said we should go shoot it

now with a little one (3yo), the hand gun is loaded but on the shelf in the closet, my 10yo son (he does not live with me) could not pull the trigger on it when it was decocked, there is no safety on it. I'm not saying this is safe at all but at the moment I feel its ok, the wife hasent objected yet.

IMO...Where ever you put it dont let your kids see it for curiosity reasons, but let them know they are very dangerous and can hurt very badly and not to touch them.

My little girl knows not to touch them, I suppose some time soon (sooner for price reasons just to get it) I'll need to get a .22 rifle for her to get a good understanding of what there about when shes ready.

 

[scott.pete06]

I open my safe at night, it's next to my bed, and close it in the morning. I keep my 12ga my sks and two of my handguns loaded and ready.

 

[Guest]

I keep mine loaded in the safe, it comes out wen I am home. With little ones consider a cable lock, or bicycle lock through the action to your bed frame out of sight and not operational, unlock it at night, or lock your bedroom and let the gun hang loaded in the breeze

 

[usSiR]

I like the safe thing... Good idea
I guess I should get one, I've been thinking about it since they seem multiply

 

[eddified]

Well, I have this same problem. I have a shotgun, but I haven't figured out to keep it ready for self defense. I keep it under the bed or in the closet, but NOT loaded because I have a 2.5 year old running around. I have shells in the shotgun case under the bed, so I could theoretically load it when we hear an intruder, but 99% of the time I don't think there is any time to load it--and that's the problem. If I load it, my son could cause a negligent discharge. I don't worry about the shells and the gun both being in the reach of my child because at this point, he can't even lift the gun. He's a little guy. My shotgun is very heavy to him. There's no way that he'd figure out how to load the thing at this age and size.

I keep my .40 pistol loaded on the top shelf of my closet, next to my bed. I could get it really quick in an emergency.

My friend has a small keyless handgun safe for his pistol. He keeps his pistol in the safe next to his bed. It's a nice little safe that doesn't need keys, so no fumbling with keys in the middle of the night. Rather, he puts his fingers on the buttons and just 'dials' his code, and the safe pops open. I want to get one of these some day. I would imagine they have something like it for long guns, but I don't really know that for sure.

A quick google search found this: http://www.keylessaccesslocks.com/index ... e7cfae357f

 

[Guest]

http://www.galls.com/style.html?assort=general_catalog&style=VP238&cat=2693 heres a kid proof solution about any twelve volt switch and a lithium 9 volt battery will work, you could even use a keyed switch and/or add a delay.

They used to sell a pistol box spring open switch operated to mount under car seats.

 

[apollosmith]

Long guns for defense in a home with children does pose a problem. I keep my pistols in a GunVault bolted to a shelf in my closet. It's about 6 feet from my head when I sleep. I typically keep it open at night, but locked when I'm away. Even when locked, it opens in less than a second with the touchkey combination. My pistols are ALWAYS loaded with one in the chamber - pull the trigger and they go bang.

I keep a shotgun and an AR under my bed loaded, but without a bullet in the chamber.

My four year old daughter is very conscientious of my guns. She knows where they are kept and she KNOWS not to touch them. She couldn't possibly chamber and fire my shotgun or AR. She could easily fire my XD, but it's always on my hip, locked up, or 6 feet from my sleeping head. When my kids get to the age where they will be more curious about the guns and capable of misusing them, I will do my best to educate them, but will still probably keep them all locked in a long-gun case or with an easily removed lock, with the exception of my carry pistol and a backup (for my wife when I'm away) in the GunVault.

 

[Tarzan1888]

Right under my bead........

Tarzan

 

[James]

I open my safe at night, it's next to my bed, and close it in the morning. I keep my 12ga my sks and two of my handguns loaded and ready.

I like that idea. My safe is also close to my bed. It would work for me. I haven't been keeping
the shotgun ready or handy, but locked in the safe. I do keep my carry gun near at night. If it
ever came down to a home invasion at night, the shotgun would be a better choice of weapon.

In time of need, it takes too long to open the safe. It has a regular comb dial.

 

[GeneticsDave]

The only problem I see with keeping a safe open at night is, "what if you don't hear the burglar?"

I know people have varying depths of sleep, my neighbors in the hood where I grew up (nice area) woke up and found all their electronics, jewelery, and silver missing - the crooks even hauled off a MASSIVE projection TV (this was before flat panels). No one in the house heard a thing.

If something like this were to happen, the crooks may just take your guns (best case scenario), or you could have just armed them and they could use your weapons against you (worst case scenario). I like the GunVault for that reason, it's fast to open and I can keep it shut at night (keeping pests and children out). And the company recently started manufacturing bigger safes with the same technology and one of these is definitely on my list (the 5900 is even fire rated!):

 

[bane]

I once read on this forum from someone else a method that I think is the best all-around one. If you have curious teens this may not be the best; but with just little ones running around, it sure seems sufficient to me. Some may disagree.

Open your closet, duck your head in, and look at the space immediately above but inside the door. Most closets are fairly small and packed enough with clothes that a gun hidden there would be very hard to spot -- and it's high enough that it's out of reach of little kids. Mount some nice heavy-duty J-hooks up there and voila!: secret gun rack.

Almost no kids would ever think to look there and little kids can't reach up there. And I even think the average crook wouldn't think to look up there.

I wouldn't store all of my guns this way though. Just my main home defense one. Everything else would probably go in a safe.

Just an idea... I'm planning on doing it this way once I get my shotty.

 

[divegeek]

Dang you, Dave!

Now I have ANOTHER expensive item on my "gotta-get-it" list.

Hmm... you know, the fireproof full-sized gunvaults could be used to store important papers in addition to guns. I wonder if that'd get Kris on board? Hmm...

 

[GeneticsDave]

Hmm... you know, the fireproof full-sized gunvaults could be used to store important papers in addition to guns. I wonder if that'd get Kris on board? Hmm...

Yeah, that's what I like about the 5900 series, you get the addition of holsters for handguns on the door along with the fire protection so you can store documents, digital backups, etc in there as well - good for those of us who don't have room for multiple safes.

@bane - that's a neat idea, but to be honest, my 2 year old is super curious. He sees things I can't (because he is so low) and he knows how to pull chairs over to just about anyplace in the house, climb up and access what he wants (right now it's his piggy bank on top of a 4.5 foot dresser). Now I know that the shotty would be above 6' high and would be hard to get at, but don't underestimate the craftiness and curiosity of young children. If you have a child in the home, you had better keep them guns under lock and key and make sure to train them in gun safety - you'd hate to have a tragic accident that you know could have been prevented.

 

[Guest]

Dang you, Dave!

Now I have ANOTHER expensive item on my "gotta-get-it" list.

Hmm... you know, the fireproof full-sized gunvaults could be used to store important papers in addition to guns. I wonder if that'd get Kris on board? Hmm...

Both my safes are getting full (no not rich just store ammo, papers, and valuables in there too) I think thats my next safe

http://www.galls.com/style.html?assort=general_catalog&style=VP238&cat=2693
I still have one of these somewhere I think I will add one to my closet in my next home

 

[divegeek]

If you have a child in the home, you had better keep them guns under lock and key and make sure to train them in gun safety - you'd hate to have a tragic accident that you know could have been prevented.

+1

I had been getting pretty confident in my kids. All four of them know how to handle a gun and shoot, and the older three have passed their Hunter Safety course. So, lately I've stopped worrying about making sure all the guns were locked up.

Until last week.

My 10 year-old came to me and told me that Cade, my 15 year-old (who is impulsive, but should be the MOST trustworthy), had picked up my carry gun and LOOKED DOWN THE BARREL! :shock: He thought it was cool that he could see the bullet sitting there in firing position. Of course, seeing his example, my seven year-old had to go look as well. :disgusted:

So Cade got his butt kicked for the first time in quite a while. Hard. He's old enough that I rarely resort to corporal punishment, but I felt I had to make this point as clear as possible. Scared the crap out of me. The gun was in its holster (Serpa), so the trigger was well-protected, and I know there's no way it can go off, but, darn it! He KNOWS better than to treat deadly weapons casually! Dual safeties and covered trigger or not, you don't point a cocked, loaded, ready-to-fire gun at your HEAD!!!

After I cooled down a little, I had a talk with all four kids, re-emphasizing why the gun safety rules are so important (they all have them memorized, even the seven year-old). They seemed to get it, and I'm confident that it won't happen again.

But my guns are all locked up now.

 

[bane]

@bane - that's a neat idea, but to be honest, my 2 year old is super curious. He sees things I can't (because he is so low) and he knows how to pull chairs over to just about anyplace in the house, climb up and access what he wants (right now it's his piggy bank on top of a 4.5 foot dresser). Now I know that the shotty would be above 6' high and would be hard to get at, but don't underestimate the craftiness and curiosity of young children. If you have a child in the home, you had better keep them guns under lock and key and make sure to train them in gun safety - you'd hate to have a tragic accident that you know could have been prevented.

Huh. Maybe I under-estimate some kids based on my own youth. My dad kept 2 long-guns under the bed, a handgun in the dresser, and another long gun in the closet. Yes, I was curious enough to look around and found them. But I never touched them and I guess I just assumed most kids would be the same as I was. Probably a bad assumption on my part considering I don't yet have kids. Maybe I'll re-think that bit. But even then, could your 2 year old not only manage to reach that thing but get it "off" the hooks and have the dexterity and strength required to manipulate it once down???

But yeah, I guess I'm probably child-naive...

 

[GeneticsDave]

No, I don't think he would be able to do that. Like I said, your idea is interesting. My point was mainly this: Just because it's out of their reach, doesn't mean it's safe. They can climb, or get step stools or who knows how many other things to try to access something they find interesting.

The best thing I have found is to put it out of sight (securely out of sight). That way they can't see it (so they don't get the inclination to play with it in the first place) and they couldn't get to it if they wanted (locked up). Now, I'm not about hiding my guns from my kids so they never see them and are completely ignorant, far from it, I openly carry, so he sees it all the time. But the guns that are not in my immediate control (on body carry) are locked up to try to prevent any accidents.

Bane, when you have kids, you will be amazed what they can and will do :lol2: They're rascally little buggers!

 

[bane]

Bane, when you have kids, you will be amazed what they can and will do :lol2: They're rascally little buggers!

ahhhh... but that's EASILY solvable: handcuffs and hobbles, handcuffs and hobbles! :ROFL:

(my dad regularly hobbled me when I was a kid... I ran around too much!)

 

[knayrb]

Both my kids are older teenagers and I've taught them about gun safety. They know all precautions. That's not my issue with open storage of guns. I have a sister-in-law that feels guns created by satan for child rapist. My brother is working on her but she still has a long way to go. I love my nieces and nephews and want them to visit. Since they are not around guns nor will they probably be taught correctly I have to do what I can. I have a full-size safe that I just bought a few months ago. All guns but one are in there when not in use. I take out my CCW gun each morning before heading to work and put it back when I get home. I have a bedroom gun in a single gun-vault bolted to the top of my closet and well hidden. My wife didn't notice it for 2 months. It holds my protection for the evening. I also have a stupid little dog that sleeps very lightly and growls at anything in the house. It sleeps on the floor at the foot of my bed. If a kid gets up to get a drink I know about it. Unfortunately it will just lick the BG to death with tail wagging but it will alert me to anything. My house is laid out so that the BG would have to pass my bedroom door before going into my kids rooms. It would be difficult to get into any bedrooms from the outside. That's the best I can do at the moment. I have been offered to buy my friend's Magnum Research 45 colt/.410 revolver. It's huge and barely fits in the safe on an angle. It shoots 5 .410 shot gun rounds and I think it would really be a great bedroom gun. It does a number on watermelons - yet I don't think the rounds would go through walls very well. Currently I use my .357 magnum. I would really like to put my 12 gauge pump in service but can't secure it in a way that is quick on the retrieval. I'll keep looking for better solutions.