I dont know how much more we can take

[BlackHawk93]

Granted, the recent events of shootings and misconceptions SO MANY people have about guns just jumping off the counter and going off, killing people, we have had an uphill battle to fight to keep our 2nd Amendment right. However, how much more of idiotic events can we take? When my gun is not on my hip, its locked in a safe. Zero tolerance, and I dont even have kids in the house. But two shootings, within 2 days of each other, one here in Tennessee, http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/09/us/tennessee-gun-death/index.html and now this one http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/09/us/new-jersey-child-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_t2 whats it going to come to? Eventually ignorance is going to hurt us badly. Yes, it's terrible these two people had to die, but both at the hands of a 4 year old? The NRA is doing a wonderful job fighting for our rights, and so are all of us, but people need to start keeping their guns locked up when not on their hip or not being used.

 

I put this topic here in the carry forum because we deal with firearms daily. I just wanted to see how many of you lock up your firearm at the end of the day, and, like any responsible gun owner should do, make sure they are safe from the hands of someone who doesn't understand their lethality. God Bless those two who perished. But also bless those two children, for the weight they will carry in the future. And shame on those who left those guns in harms way. It only takes a second. Sometimes not even that long. Thank you

[rugerla1]

Amen!

[Guest Cami]

They also need to train those children.  A four year old is old enough to understand and comply with the word 'no'.  Eddy Eagle, the NRA educational comic book is an awesome way to start as young children can understand from your words and the cartoons about gun safety.  Would you leave your car keys in your car and let your child play in there?  Ignorance just abounds these days...

[jtluttrell]

Children are obviously hazardous to your health. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/apr/09/tennessee-woman-recovering-after-toddler-shot-her/

[Guest 6.8 AR]

I can't use my firearm if it's locked up while I'm in bed asleep. Kids or not(none here), I have a weapon

always available.

[Dolomite_supafly]

If a gun is out of a case or safe it is loaded. And I have several guns available to me at all times and they are always loaded. A gun that is locked up is useless and you have no idea when a bad guy will come to visit.

 

I have always had loaded firearms around the house, even when our son was young. He was desensitized to them early on so the novelty of them wasn't there. He never touched one he wasn't supposed to touch. Shielding a child from anything increases their interest in it. Exposing them to the item removes their curiosity. To my son a gun is just a tool just like a hammer or screwdriver.

 

When I had relatives over with their young kids the guns were always accessible. The gun would be on a kitchen counter or dining room table and I just threw a washcloth over them to conceal them. Out of sight worked just as well as putting them away. I was also aware of where the kids were at all times.

 

You can safely have a firearm readily accessible around children. You do need to be aware and pay attention.

[Earl33]

If a gun is out of a case or safe it is loaded. And I have several guns available to me at all times and they are always loaded. A gun that is locked up is useless and you have no idea when a bad guy will come to visit.

 

I have always had loaded firearms around the house, even when our son was young. He was desensitized to them early on so the novelty of them wasn't there. He never touched one he wasn't supposed to touch. Shielding a child from anything increases their interest in it. Exposing them to the item removes their curiosity. To my son a gun is just a tool just like a hammer or screwdriver.

 

When I had relatives over with their young kids the guns were always accessible. The gun would be on a kitchen counter or dining room table and I just threw a washcloth over them to conceal them. Out of sight worked just as well as putting them away. I was also aware of where the kids were at all times.

 

You can safely have a firearm readily accessible around children. You do need to be aware and pay attention.

I grew up around guns and knew what they where at an early age. I also knew not to mess with them thanks to the lost art of parenting. I also keep a loaded weapon ready at all times due to the above stated reason. The bad guy dont call and say he is on the way over. As an adult I am responsable for my weapons their location, ready state of use and the children that visit my home.. 

Edited April 10, 2013 by Earl33

[Jonnin]

good parents, bad parents, taught about guns or not, sometimes there is nothing you can do (short of the disassembled unloaded locked up 'strategy' which is not viable).

 

Every year,  in spite of taking precautions, a few kids die in car accidents.  A few drown.  A few fall too far.  Some overheat in the summer and die over a football game.  Some of them grab a gun and shoot themselves or someone else before anyone can move.  

 

Guns are not special.  They are just like any other dangerous item that can cause death or injury in the hands of a child or an idiot.  For every item except guns, this is accepted as normal "crap happens" day to day life in a country where we are not all contained in padded rooms.  When its a gun, though, people act like it is different. 

 

Case in point, last night there was another mass assault at a university.  Its not even in the news this morning.  Because the weapon was a high capacity assault knife, capable of stabbing thousands of times without reloading, but no one cares.  Many were injured, several seriously, and no one cares.   If he had used a pistol, it would be in the headlines for the next 2 months.

 

I guess the point of my rant is: don't let the liberal news make guns special.   They are not.  Call em on it, if they write off a dozen kids injured in a bus accident as no big deal but one kid shot is huge, call em on it.   20 stabbed is not important?  Call em on it.

[tnhawk]

There should be a law to protect us from them!

Children are obviously hazardous to your health. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/apr/09/tennessee-woman-recovering-after-toddler-shot-her/

[Citizen_B]

I agree with your sentiment BlackHawk. As a father of two young boys (4 & 7), I had to really think through the issue a few years ago. I have taught both my boys about firearm safety, they know the difference between a real firearm and their toy guns, and they know that they can handle a real firearm anytime they ask, but it has to be with Dad's permission. My biggest fear for them is that they will be at the house of another not so responsible owner whose child gets a hold of their firearm, so they know that if they see another child with a gun they need to run and tell an adult.

As far as firearms inside our home, for me it boiled down to an honest assessment of risk. I had to ask myself if there is more risk of a bad guy harming my family inside our home or more risk of my family being harmed by one of our boys or a child visitor (there seems to be a constant stream of neighborhood kids in and out of the house, which I love) with one of my firearms. I've been blessed with the talents and abilities to provide my family with home in a community very free of violent crime. When I factor those risks, the choice for me is to keep my firearms locked in the safe when one (or more) is not on my person.

[Ttitan27]

I agree with your sentiment BlackHawk. As a father of two young boys (4 & 7), I had to really think through the issue a few years ago. I have taught both my boys about firearm safety, they know the difference between a real firearm and their toy guns, and they know that they can handle a real firearm anytime they ask, but it has to be with Dad's permission. My biggest fear for them is that they will be at the house of another not so responsible owner whose child gets a hold of their firearm, so they know that if they see another child with a gun they need to run and tell an adult.

As far as firearms inside our home, for me it boiled down to an honest assessment of risk. I had to ask myself if there is more risk of a bad guy harming my family inside our home or more risk of my family being harmed by one of our boys or a child visitor (there seems to be a constant stream of neighborhood kids in and out of the house, which I love) with one of my firearms. I've been blessed with the talents and abilities to provide my family with home in a community very free of violent crime. When I factor those risks, the choice for me is to keep my firearms locked in the safe when one (or more) is not on my person.

My feelings exactly.

[tennessee01tacoma]

They also need to train those children. A four year old is old enough to understand and comply with the word 'no'. Eddy Eagle, the NRA educational comic book is an awesome way to start as young children can understand from your words and the cartoons about gun safety. Would you leave your car keys in your car and let your child play in there? Ignorance just abounds these days...

Amen, there was always guns around my house as a kid and there was 5 of us kids and guess what, no negligent discharges or accidents, it's all about education. If you hide the guns from your kids, then the guns have a mystery attached to them, and the one time you don't put it up they will find them and in my opinion be more inclined to atleast find out more about it.

My best friends son is 21 months old and when he walks into the room and sees my gun cabinet he points and says "pow pow", and he knows even at that age not to touch them.

[Guest Cami]

I was raised around guns, and was taught at a very young age not to touch without permission.  My sons were raised with them and taught the same way.  Very young children can be taught to be safe, it is easy, or it was for me.  There was always a loaded pistol in the house and plenty of 'scary assault knives', I was taught to use both... so I taught the boys and they will teach their children as well...  Parents are responsible for the actions and the safety of their children.  If that means locking the guns up then fine, whatever works for your family, we do not need and should not want the government making these decisions for us. 

[tennessee01tacoma]

I was raised around guns, and was taught at a very young age not to touch without permission. My sons were raised with them and taught the same way. Very young children can be taught to be safe, it is easy, or it was for me. There was always a loaded pistol in the house and plenty of 'scary assault knives', I was taught to use both... so I taught the boys and they will teach their children as well... Parents are responsible for the actions and the safety of their children. If that means locking the guns up then fine, whatever works for your family, we do not need and should not want the government making these decisions for us.

I don't have any children but I have 9 nieces and nephews from my wifes family and I have tried my best to impart good firearm handling skills in all of them even my nephew thats only 4 years younger than me. I can say that its been successful I even got my 2 nieces to shoot ny air rifle, it was the first "gun" they had ever shot. Edited April 10, 2013 by tennessee01tacoma

[Guest MilitiaMan]

My children know, understand and follow the rules in my home.

 

Rule #2: "Never touch daddy's guns or knives." - It's been the same rule recited since they were able to grasp the concept.

 

They, ages 5 & 6, also understand that relatively soon (as I see fit) I will begin taking them shooting with me. They both have an active interest in learning and want to go shooting with me. I will take them when they are ready.

 

 

All of that said, if a handgun is not attached to my hip, it is not loaded. If any gun is stored, it is not loaded.

 

I find absolutely no reason to leave a loaded gun just laying around whether there are children in the house or not. I'm sure there are many different opinions on this and to each their own in their own homes. I prefer to eliminate (as best as I possibly can) any chance of anyone being shot with any of my guns that was not intended to be shot.

[Smokeman13b]

I will admit that I have readily available firearms around the house, but luckily my kids are 14 and over and have been around firearms all their lives. When my son was young and curious I adopted a "never say no" policy when he asked to see them. As a result, he knew that he could see and shoot them anytime, all he had to do was ask and I would not say no. I would happily take him out and supervise his activity. Because he knew he could see them anytime (and I taught him safe handling and clearing) he never attempted to "sneak" and mess with my guns. There was no need because he was never denied supervised access.

 

The long and short is that education is imperative and execution is the best educator.

[enfield]

 . . . I just wanted to see how many of you lock up your firearm at the end of the day . . . .

 

When one day ends, the next one begins (usually).

[JAB]

I wouldn't keep a fire extinguisher under lock and key because, were it needed in case of an emergency, I'd want to be able to get to it quickly.  The same goes for some of my firearms.  By that, I mean that I don't have loaded guns sitting around everywhere but neither do I treat them like wild animals that have to be kept 'caged'.  I have bedside guns that are more likely to come out at 'the end of the day' than to be put away.

 

That said, I don't have kids and my mutt, as clever a dog as she is, lacks opposable thumbs.  Therefore, she gets no nachos (for those who remember that commercial) and probably can't shoot me, accidentally or otherwise.

[tnhawk]

If I have time to unlock a safe and load a weapon in the middle of the night, I have time to call the police.

[DaveTN]

Having children and guns available for use is a tremendous responsibility; I know I had to do it when my kids were little. Allowing kids access to loaded guns is reckless.

 

I take exception to the story about the Deputy that said “He took all the precautions, he's a trained law enforcement officer, trains with weapons all the time." He didn’t take all the precautions. I don’t know why he needed to take off his gun to show someone else a gun in the safe, but if you are doing that; you clear it.  

 

It’s terrible that the woman had to die and that this kid and the Deputy will have to live with this. But this was not an accidental discharge; it was negligent.

 

When I was a cop our instructors told us that no one likes to talk about the mistakes good Officers made who were killed in the line of duty. But they said they were going to talk about them so we didn’t make the same mistakes. This gun owner made a mistake and it cost a life. All this talk about its okay to have loaded guns accessible to small children and expecting them to be “trained” is ridiculous. It’s reckless; hopefully some will learn from this tragedy.

[BlackHawk93]

"All this talk about its okay to have loaded guns accessible to small children and expecting them to be “trained” is ridiculous. It’s reckless; hopefully some will learn from this tragedy."

 

Thanks Dave. I guess I haven't learned the best way to get a point across here on this forum. Why do people assume, because someone says they put their guns in a safe when they are not carrying, that they are unreachable, unloaded, and impossible to get to if someone were to break in? Nowhere did I say I unload my guns at night either. I only said when I wasn't carrying it, it goes in the safe. My gun safe is right beside my bed, bolted down, and all I have to do is place my hand on it and it opens. A lot better than leaving a gun laying somewhere for an intruder to grab it and have the upper hand before I even know he's there. Does that make sense? It seems I came under fire here for simply stating we all should be safe when it comes to leaving a gun laying around with kids nearby. But that seems to go with the territory here, and I'm used to it.

 

I just know that I'll never have to worry that some tragedy like this will happen because I was negligent. And anyone who thinks that because they've taught their children to never do this or to always do this is being naive. Accidents happen. And with all that's against us now with so many negligent, tragic mistakes being made concerning firearms, I think keeping a gun locked up when not being carried or used is smart and safe. And besides, if someone WERE to break into my house, being shot will be a much nicer choice than what is actually going to greet them when they get inside.

[LawVol]

My strict rule is that if it's not on me, it's locked up. Nevertheless, one thing I really like about my P7 is that if somehow my girls got ahold of it, they would not have the grip strength (or know how) to pull the squeeze-cocker.

[JAB]

Massad Ayoob is not a handgun demigod.  He is simply a human with an opinion, albeit a very experienced and some would say 'professional' opinion.  I do not always agree with the things he writes (often because he writes as if the laws in his state are universal laws and warns of things causing legal trouble that, under TN law for instance, might not.)  Also, as I previously stated, I do not have kids (and probably never will.)  All that said, I find the thoughts he presented in a now somewhat older article on children and guns to be interesting.  I will also admit that I would tend to grant more weight to his opinion, in this case, than to some others.

 

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/ayoob68.html

[Guest ab28]

I'm a minimalist, so I don't own anything that would be heavy, bulky, and difficult to move, so the safe is out for me. I live in a not so decent neighborhood, so my carry pistol always has a round in the chamber, whether I am carrying or not.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

"It seems I came under fire here for simply stating we all should be safe when it comes to leaving a gun laying around with kids nearby. But that seems to go with the territory here, and I'm used to it."

 

That's a silly response to someone with a different opinion. That's all I saw. I must be blind. There is no universally

accepted safety precaution, except training and education. Just because you have a safe bolted next to your bed

doesn't mean everyone else does.

 

Not criticizing, just observing.