bedroom gun safety?

How do you guys protect kids from home defense guns while also making them quickly accessible?

My son is now able to move around and I have had to put away my HD Shotgun. It has never been an issue being unloaded in my closet, But since my son has began to craw i have put it away in the safe.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

There are various "hidden" bookshelves and such that are magnetic locked. That would be out of a child's reach while still allowing quick access. http://tacticalwalls.com/shop/


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Biometric gun safe attached to underside of bed.

Long guns can be hung in closets high enough that little ones can't get to them.

Simple lock it up when the tyke is active. Unlock it when hes not.

This,

http://www.shotlock.com/ShotLock_Shotgun.php

..bolted to a stud behind your closet door.

Anyone have experience with these?
http://www.amazon.com/V-Line-Quick-Access-Keyless-42-Inch/dp/B000T2A6BW

Enough to keep the curious and honest out.

This is a great question, gun safety and kids at home.

Most often I agree with what most folks say, but so far I mostly disagree with some comments here. Not trying to start a debate, just that lots of people will read this over the years and it's a critically important topic.

Good parenting and teaching kids about gun safety at an early age is most important. Even if you do a perfect job of securing your guns at home, it's still likely one day your child could be unsupervised around a gun, say at a friends or relatives house. Imparative your child is knowledgable and safe around anything potentially lethal. I'm talking age appropriate basic stuff like don't pickup snakes, don't touch a hot stove, don't stick a fork in an electrical socket, pills are not candy, very basic stuff. At early ages. As they get older and more mature, add in that not only should they not touch a gun and tell an adult, but they should tell other kids to not touch them if found. As my son became more mature and I had taken him shooting a few times, I added that if he were around other kids (no adults present), and they found a gun to make sure it was secured if another kid was in any jeopardy. By this time he could confidently unload, inspect and handle any common firearm unsupervised (if necessary). As an older kid I told him he was much safer than other kids and it was his responsibility to look out for the other kids around firearms. All this before he was the Maryland legal age of 16.

Do not just hide a gun from your kids, they will eventually discover the hiding place, you must actually lock up your gun(s) if there are kids in your house that have not successfully taken the hunter safety course (Maryland law).

I also don't like electronic locks, especially the digital push button type in those flimsy cashier type boxes. I generally also don't like key locking boxes; keys can be found, and they are slow to access. I'm also not a fan of the Maryland required lock, they are junk, often break, slow to use and could actually damage your firearm. If it's all you have, use it and the free (also junk) lock that comes with every new gun purchase. But upgrade to better security as soon as possible.

If you own more than a couple guns, I recommend a legitimate gun safe. If you can't afford a heavy duty gunsafe or your gun doesn't warrant the expense of a big safe, there are several options. One good option mentioned already by DC-W:

DC-W said:

Anyone have experience with these?
http://www.amazon.com/V-Line-Quick-Access-Keyless-42-Inch/dp/B000T2A6BW

Enough to keep the curious and honest out.

Click to expand...

Just spoke with a buddy yesterday about this option. Any of the strong boxes (10 gauge or better), with a quality Simplex lock is a good alternative to deter thieves and thwart kids. These boxes should be bolted or chained down and also hidden (from possible thieves) if possible.

A heavy duty lockable tool box can also work. Although the box might not be secure from a thief with a crow bar, it will slow them down and stop your kids. Better if you have more than one strong box, and you disassemble your gun(s) and put parts in different lock boxes.

A much lesser option, but maybe appropriate for some is to use a cable and padlock. Master makes a speed padlock that can be opened by the owner in a few seconds, that will prevent most guns from walking off. If you have to resort to this minimum level of security, it can be enhanced by locking parts of the disassembled gun separately and hide them well out of reach.

It's also possible to combine these options I mention; perfectly reasonable to padlock a gun that's in a safe or strong box, even if already cable locked and hidden.

Obviously if it is your home defense gun and you need relatively quick access, your fastest and most secure option is probably just a strong box with Simplex lock, maybe consider adding a padlock behind the trigger too.

Firearm safety is your responsibility; the information I provided here is not for everyone, there are lots of reasonable options.

Stay safe!

Fort Knox pistol box.

As Minuteman said, there are a lot of different options, and everyone has different budgets/requirements.

One possibility would be the Sentry Safe Home Defense Center

It's designed to hold a handgun and a long gun at the ready, is small enough to fit just about anywhere (9"x9" footprint), and the four button keypad allows for quick access when needed.

SmokingGun said:

Fort Knox pistol box.

Click to expand...

I second this. Great product. Bolt it to the floor. But I also agree with the need to begin the safety education process early. Children will find what you have hidden especially as the reach their teen years.

I use two Multivaults, one in the bedroom and one in a first floor closet

NRA gun safety/education resource for parents (in addition to responsibly securing your firearms): http://eddieeagle.nra.org

Lots of excellent recommendations. I went through this analysis last year to decide how to balance security with quick accessibility. Didn't want to rely on anything that used a battery. Went with a Ft Knox pistol box, bolted to the bottom of a large cedar chest. It's not burglar proof by any means.

Of course, the education of the little ones will be crucial. I am more concerned with them being in a situation at someone else's home when jr wants to show off what he found in dad's nightstand.

.

Just crawling? I know people say kids find anything and that true, but when they are small what is wrong with unchambered and on the top shelf of a closet? No way a toddler is getting up there for a couple years at least. Physical limitation is a safety in itself. Just know when it is getting close not being.

This is a concern for me as well. Not for really little kids though, as my youngest is 5. All my guns are locked up in a safe, in the basement two floors away. So If there was an intruder I'd pretty much be screwed. I've had the gun safety talk with all my kids and we go through it every now and again, but I'm still uneasy about keeping a loaded pistol anywhere in my bedroom, even locked up.

Blaster229 said:

Just crawling? I know people say kids find anything and that true, but when they are small what is wrong with unchambered and on the top shelf of a closet? No way a toddler is getting up there for a couple years at least. Physical limitation is a safety in itself. Just know when it is getting close not being.

Click to expand...

That was my line of thought as I went from shotgun behind the bedroom door to on a shelf and unchambered as my kid grew. Eventually it became a handgun in a lock box bolted to a dresser and chained to another piece of furniture.

Adapt to the kid's age and mobility.

As always and as said previously: education

.

SmokingGun said:

Fort Knox pistol box.

Click to expand...

I would like to see you fit a shotgun in a pistol case.



Lol