Gun Safety....

[BeatlesSteve]

I expect my permit to purchase a handgun will be available for pick up on Monday.

I have a 2 and 1/2 half year old and was wondering if anyone could provide some feedback/opinions on safety I would appreciate it. Should I go with a trigger lock or safe?

I am also keeping in mind ease of accessbility if I ever need to use it.

[MrDuffy]

I expect my permit to purchase a handgun will be available for pick up on Monday.

I have a 2 and 1/2 half year old and was wondering if anyone could provide some feedback/opinions on safety I would appreciate it. Should I go with a trigger lock or safe?

I am also keeping in mind ease of accessibility if I ever need to use it.
I'm a big fan of the GunVault Bio Safe. It works really well and opens very quickly.
Look at gunvault.com or give them a call at 800 242 1055.

[BeatlesSteve]

I'm a big fan of the GunVault Bio Safe. It works really well and opens very quickly.
Look at gunvault.com or give them a call at 800 242 1055.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?id=0049018228763a&_requestid=103127

This looks like a great lock, although I would need to have one of the spaces in the cylinder unloaded for the lock to work.

My only reservation is that my revolver has 5 rounds and now I would be down to 4.

[Samm]

I expect my permit to purchase a handgun will be available for pick up on Monday.

I have a 2 and 1/2 half year old and was wondering if anyone could provide some feedback/opinions on safety I would appreciate it. Should I go with a trigger lock or safe?

I am also keeping in mind ease of accessbility if I ever need to use it.

The best thing you can do to keep your child safe from your gun is to teach that child gun familiarity and gun safety; take that child with you when you go to the range - even at this age. Get them used to being around guns and when they are older, say 6 or 7, let them shoot the gun; let them see the potential a gun has. Melons or jugs of water are good demos.

In the mean time, there are many good pistol safes available that keep the gun secure, but which provide quick access if you need it... even in the dark*. Don't ever use a trigger lock... it cannot be removed quickly or easily in the dark (where do you keep the key when you are sleeping?)

* http://www.safetysafeguards.com/site/402168/product/GV1000CDLX

[rob_b52]

I remember growing up sitting in grampa's chair would earn us a good firm spanking... I didn't realise why until I was a little older. It was because gramps had a loaded .38 in the compartment of his lazy boy chair. None of us would go anywhere near it.

[Samm]

I remember growing up sitting in grampa's chair would earn us a good firm spanking... I didn't realise why until I was a little older. It was because gramps had a loaded .38 in the compartment of his lazy boy chair. None of us would go anywhere near it.

It is a damn shame that the Bleeding Heart Liberals have taken that tool away from parents; an awful lot of common sense used to be administered through the seat of the pants...

[MrShotShot]

I agree with Samm - if you treat a firearm like it's taboo, then kids are naturally going to graviate to it. Teach them to respect it and treat it like any other tool.

[tjvh]

I expect my permit to purchase a handgun will be available for pick up on Monday.

I have a 2 and 1/2 half year old and was wondering if anyone could provide some feedback/opinions on safety I would appreciate it. Should I go with a trigger lock or safe?

I am also keeping in mind ease of accessbility if I ever need to use it.

Safe, with easy access. Close to you, and up high (maybe in a closet) They make small ones with push button locks that open pretty quickly. Bolt it to wall studs from the inside so nobody can remove it (unless it is open) and carry it away.

[Gunslinger]

Teach the kids about the firearm as early as you can, to include shooting at a reasonable age and the accidents dramatically drop.

I would invest in a bio-safe as suggested, but if you use the locks and leave it unloaded, the chances of you being able to get to it when you're actually going to need it... are almost none.

It needs to be ready to roll right from the go, so at most accessible safe storage.

[sgtmac_46]

I expect my permit to purchase a handgun will be available for pick up on Monday.

I have a 2 and 1/2 half year old and was wondering if anyone could provide some feedback/opinions on safety I would appreciate it. Should I go with a trigger lock or safe?

I am also keeping in mind ease of accessbility if I ever need to use it. The late great Col. Jeff Cooper covered it completely and concisely.

RULE I: ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED

RULE II: NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY

RULE III: KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET

RULE IV: BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET

http://www.thefiringline.com/Misc/safetyrules.html [/quote] That's them.....if you obey those rules, you are safe. You need to break two or more at the same time in order for someone to be injured.


As to external safety devices like trigger locks and safes, they are not a substitute for the first and primary safety, the human brain.....and the answer to keeping kids safe around guns is education, education, education......to include DRILLING Jeff Cooper's rules of firearm safety in to their heads, and never tolerating deviation.

I made my 6 year old daughter memorize them, and soon i'll start on my 3 year old son. I take my daughter shooting, and on the ride there it's 'What is the first rule of firearm safety? What is the second rule? The third? The fourth?'

[spearmaster]

I agree with everyone else about starting early on firearms. I started off at a young age with my BB gun and graduated up to the .22 LR.

[Samm]

I agree with everyone else about starting early on firearms. I started off at a young age with my BB gun and graduated up to the .22 LR.

Yes... nearly every boy (and a lot of girls) of my generation were proficient with BB guns long before we got our first "real" gun (usually around age 12).

Of course, most of us also learned at an early age that being shot with a BB was not particularly dangerous as long as we heeded Mom's warning ... "You are going to put an eye out with that thing!" And being caught by Mom shooting at each other was a lot more painful than being shot by any damn BB. ;)

[odg]

I agree with teaching a kid as soon as possible.
I remember my dad taking me hunting with him at a very young age. 6-7
and never forgot the first time shooting his shot gun. I still have it and it is one of my most treasured guns and memories of my dad. God bless him.

[Cav Scout]

I expect my permit to purchase a handgun will be available for pick up on Monday.

I have a 2 and 1/2 half year old and was wondering if anyone could provide some feedback/opinions on safety I would appreciate it. Should I go with a trigger lock or safe?

I am also keeping in mind ease of accessbility if I ever need to use it.

Keep the gun where you feel comfortable keeping it.

Trigger locks make firearms into very poor clubs.

Teach your children young, teach them right and demonstrate what the firearm can do. If they do not know they will want to find out.

1. Every Gun is always loaded.
2. Never point the gun at anything you do not intend to kill.
3. Put your finger on the trigger when you are ready to shoot and not before
4. Be sure of your target, never shoot at 'sound'.
5. Guns are tools, and tools only work when you take care of them teach them to clean and maintain it.
6. Guns are not for scaring they are for killing.
7. Every gun is deadly, its not what you shoot, its where you shoot.

Take your kids out shooting as soon as possible, get them used to it, if the newness is gone so is the 'curiosity'.
Teach them good fundamental shooting.
Proper sight picture, Breathing, stance, grip.
Teach them to breath, relax, aim and squeeze.
No fancy tricks. Tricks are for pros and it takes a lot of rounds to make that status.

Be stern, shooting is and always will be fun but its not fun when something stupid happens.

Take them hunting if possible, it is one of the best father/child experiences in the world.

My daughter, this is her first hunting trip and she was 7. I started her on the Cricket rifle at 5.