Had to clear the house this morning

[Steve-$]

Any of your kids ever have friend or two, come over to your house to play?
How about a sleepover with 4 or 5?
Even with training of your own children, it's hard to know what others might be thinking or doing, but you are still responsible for their safety and well being.
Somthing to think about.

[getsome]

Hi, B18c5 Tom....Sounds like we must be related....My kids don't believe all the tales I tell from my boyhood...Da#m lucky to be alive and if a kid did some of those things today they would be under the jail!!!...Maybe we should start a thread about all the dumb stupid jacka$$ things we got away with!!! I agree that keeping the children safe is priority ONE and a good safe is a smart idea..Practice opening it in the dark and let it become second nature by feel... I tried to make my kids gun safe and it does work to remove some of the curiosity factor but you can't account for their friends in the house that might find a loaded gun and for some reason it seems they always point it at a friend and pull the trigger...Thats something I don't think I could live with...

[getsome]

+1 Steve-$ you got in before I could get mine typed but yea thats what I fear the most....

[Bawanna]

By removing the curiosity factor your kids will be safer when they visit their friends house as well. IE: leave when the kids wants to check out his dads gun, booze, cigs. I was always more concerned about that than my own house. Your absolutely on the mark though, child safety is #1 no matter what. My avatar is my 1st son at about age 1. He's 25 now. With a Ruger 44, great picture, I have one of the day he came home from hospital in the little carrier deal with a 45 on his chest, I'll cherish it forever.
When unknown little kids or even inquistive (nosey) adults come over we go into lock down mode but otherwise I have access to a few well placed tools.

[wyntrout]

Visiting children are a big hazard if your child easily succumbs to peer pressure to show them his/her dad's guns or he/she voluntarily shows them to friends to impress them. This can also lead to theft of these guns because the "friends" now know where the guns are or that they easily accessed.
This happened here last month when two "friends" stole another child's father's gun or guns and killed a teenage girl.
Maybe your child knows how to handle a gun but with peer pressure and losing control of the gun, who knows what other children might do. This is one thing that needs to be impressed on your children as well as trust and the solemnity of trust.
My daughter is 35 and my son is 37 now and have never had a problem with guns. We had family outings to the range when they were 5 and 7 or earlier. I can remember "helping" my daughter shoot a revolver -- once was enough at that time. I kept a gun at the head of the bed and I never had any problems with them, of course my wife was a stay-at-home mother then.
Wynn

[B18C5 Tom]

Hi, B18c5 Tom....Sounds like we must be related....My kids don't believe all the tales I tell from my boyhood...Da#m lucky to be alive and if a kid did some of those things today they would be under the jail!!!...Maybe we should start a thread about all the dumb stupid jacka$$ things we got away with!!!

Uhhh...yeah I'd probably not post all the things I did in my youth. A lot of it was property destruction and vandalism - criminal for certain. I'm not proud of it, and I cannot believe I've never been shot or held at gunpoint while someone called the police on me and my buddies. I've placed myself in potentially lethal situations simply by trespassing at 3:00am, etc. It was never robbery, physical attacks, etc.

[Bawanna]

Uhhh...yeah I'd probably not post all the things I did in my youth. A lot of it was property destruction and vandalism - criminal for certain. I'm not proud of it, and I cannot believe I've never been shot or held at gunpoint while someone called the police on me and my buddies. I've placed myself in potentially lethal situations simply by trespassing at 3:00am, etc. It was never robbery, physical attacks, etc.

Good idea not to put your location in here. You have the right to remain silent, ah forget it, try to behave yourself ok?

Officer Friday.

[getsome]

I don't think we did anything criminal in nature at the time but today it might be a different story, such as, In the late 60's early 70's the local Woolco store (prehistoric Walmart) would sell us all the shotgun shells we could carry and we saved up a bunch and spent a good bit of time cutting those things open to get the gun powder out which we mixed up with a whole bunch of powder from a lifetime supply of M80's we had in our stash so we ended up with a large supply of entertainment material... (you see where this is going right) Welllllll we learned how to make pipe bombs and got pretty good at it too....We would set them off in the creek behind my house....Didn't think anything at all about how maaaaybe that could be just a little bit dangerous.... One day we tried a rather big one in my friends dads brick BBQ grill to try and hold down the sound from the explosion but not only did it not stop the noise but it didn't stop the force of the blast and blew that brick BBQ pit into a million pieces....Now today something like that would make the network news but back then things were a little different....So that was the end of our bomb making career but there were other misadventures............So many tales, so little time...

[Bawanna]

I don't think we did anything criminal in nature at the time but today it might be a different story, such as, In the late 60's early 70's the local Woolco store (prehistoric Walmart) would sell us all the shotgun shells we could carry and we saved up a bunch and spent a good bit of time cutting those things open to get the gun powder out which we mixed up with a whole bunch of powder from a lifetime supply of M80's we had in our stash so we ended up with a large supply of entertainment material... (you see where this is going right) Welllllll we learned how to make pipe bombs and got pretty good at it too....We would set them off in the creek behind my house....Didn't think anything at all about how maaaaybe that could be just a little bit dangerous.... One day we tried a rather big one in my friends dads brick BBQ grill to try and hold down the sound from the explosion but not only did it not stop the noise but it didn't stop the force of the blast and blew that brick BBQ pit into a million pieces....Now today something like that would make the network news but back then things were a little different....So that was the end of our bomb making career but there were other misadventures............So many tales, so little time...

Those days were different and to me better by far. Just out of curiousity can you account for all your fingers, hands and appendages? By todays standards you have to wonder how we ever survived.

[getsome]

By the Grace of God yes we all survived our explosives phase intact although my friend did break both arms and an ankle falling off our 40 foot high home made slide for life cable pulley ride...(Bad Summer)...Later that year we both got our drivers licence and the real fun started!!!! Think about this one, Take a car, an Army surplus parachute with full harness, a long ski rope and hmmmm what could we do???? WATCH ME FLY!!!! .. The flight part was great but the take off and landing deal was a real b!t@h!!!

[Bawanna]

By the Grace of God yes we all survived our explosives phase intact although my friend did break both arms and an ankle falling off our 40 foot high home made slide for life cable pulley ride...(Bad Summer)...Later that year we both got our drivers licence and the real fun started!!!! Think about this one, Take a car, an Army surplus parachute with full harness, a long ski rope and hmmmm what could we do???? WATCH ME FLY!!!! .. The flight part was great but the take off and landing deal was a real b!t@h!!!

Hmm. we did the same surplus parachute thing, left the car behind and used a boat, thinking we could improve the landing. Who knew that parachutes were a one way deal???? It was still ugly. Lesson learned spend the money buy a real parasail. We did find a third party, much lower IQ than us (if that's possible ) to use as a test dummy. So dumb we got him to try 3 different modifications, (all dismal failures) before he decided he didn't want to play anymore. Course we were young and impatient, couldn't wait for his recouperation periods. Had to move on with the project.

[a.squibload]

Agree with training and respect, not just for guns.
Carry _almost_ 24/7, always a few within reach at home.
Lockbox is for when we are not home.
Handgun under pillow at night with cylinder full or one in the pipe,
since my teens. Might not have time to fiddle with a second device
to get the one that's important.

You made me think of my Dad's attitude with us, sixguns & holsters of course
as kids, we knew were toys but "don't point that at me". Gave us old faucets
to "shoot" firecrackers out of, if you hold the spout it's like a pistol and directs the force away from your face (still have my fingers too).
A little older we had BB guns, learned safety, learned to disassemble & clean
real guns, took us out in the field to shoot 'em.

Come to think of it, that clothesbrush hanging in the closet probably had a
lot to do with our learning curve, was kinda like a talisman, warded off
juvenile evil. Only ever needed a few applications to our butts.
Mom preferred the wire coathanger. Lighter, higher velocity. The fact that
she was thusly "armed" carried great weight with us kids.

Dang, look what I did, are you asleep yet?

[medezyner]

Oh man, immaturity & testosterone, what a combo! I kept it trigger locked when the kids were rugrats b/c I remember my youth – hmm, if a little gunpowder goes bang, what will a lot do? Man, did that story bring back memories.
I practiced accessing the key in the dark and unlocking. Of course in a stress situation everything goes to hell in a hand basket. I educated my kids as I was educated and felt I could trust an unlocked firearm in my bedroom, but that trust was not extended to their friends. No need to lock it now, but that will change when the grandkids start tearing up the house. When the little grand rugrats are old enough, their visits to grampy’s house will include range-time. I can’t wait!

[rholmes69]

I'm really not for any regulation of how people want to store their firearms, but I believe that in some states, you are required to keep them locked, especially based upon interpretation by some and the gross negligence of those who have no reason to own one and end up having accidents in their homes. For example, in NC, we are supposed to keep our firearms locked up in the house if minors are present. Again, probably up to a lot if interpretation based upon the situation, but regardless, I have a 4yr old girl who I am making very familiar with firearms and I still keep it in a safe in the closet. My home alarm (100lb german shepard) will let me know when a stray cat is outside, so I can probably safely rely on her to give me 5 seconds to put a pistol in my hand before the BG can make it past her and up the stairs.

§ 14‑315.1. Storage of firearms to protect minors.
(a) Any person who resides in the same premises as a minor, owns or possesses a firearm, and stores or leaves the firearm (i) in a condition that the firearm can be discharged and (ii) in a manner that the person knew or should have known that an unsupervised minor would be able to gain access to the firearm, is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor if a minor gains access to the firearm without the lawful permission of the minor's parents or a person having charge of the minor and the minor:
(1) Possesses it in violation of G.S. 14‑269.2(b);
(2) Exhibits it in a public place in a careless, angry, or threatening manner;
(3) Causes personal injury or death with it not in self defense; or
(4) Uses it in the commission of a crime.
(b) Nothing in this section shall prohibit a person from carrying a firearm on his or her body, or placed in such close proximity that it can be used as easily and quickly as if carried on the body.
(c) This section shall not apply if the minor obtained the firearm as a result of an unlawful entry by any person.
(d) "Minor" as used in this section means a person under 18 years of age who is not emancipated. (1993, c. 558, s. 2; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 14, s. 11.)

[getupatree]

Wow, OP here....this thing has taken a life of it's own! Gun safety and children was not my intent for this topic but no worries. That topis ahs caused some recent friction with me and the in-laws.

If you think kids won't mess with guns because they've been tought better - your kidding yourself.

No I am not selling the biometric boxes by any stretch but I beleive in it. 2 second access and childproof and casual theft proof. I am quicker on the draw than those who keep a loaded one in the nightstand drawer...time it.