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The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to come back and say thanks to bronco78. Based solely on my first post (which is all he had to go on), his admonition was wholly appropriate and thoughtful. We need to constantly remind each other of all aspects of safety. . . and these threads live on long after the conversation dies off. For those readers who might come along later and could have been given the impression that being complacent with firearms around kids is acceptable, I'm grateful for the opportunity to flesh out the topic.

As a believer, I'll never object to re-hearing the sweet truths of the Gospel. As a gun owner, I'll never shy away from another conversation about safety.

Anyway, in my rush to elaborate, I neglected to thank or validate bronco78 for his input.

One investment we're planning for next spring is a combination of outdoor lighting - decorative and security. Even the decorative lighting serves a security purpose.

Back to the OP, we also have other measures:
- I rarely answer the door if we aren't expecting somebody or know who it is, especially late. My wife never does. If I do, I'll retrieve a firearm first.
- We changed our back door to be a double-keyed deadbolt sine the door has glass in it.
- We keep the doors locked with a few exceptions (I'm working in the yard, the kids are playing in the backyard, the dog is going in or out. In the evenings we just lock the handle, not the deadbolt. . .but somebody would still have to break the window to unlock it or kick the door in. That gives us a little time.
- We have heightened awareness when we arrive home or are leaving the house. We used to park in the garage and I would have the door shut before we exited, but now we have to park in the driveway. . . so we look around and have our firearms on person before exiting.

We had our peephole added inexpensively, but if it's late, don't look into it immediately after turning the porch light on. . . seems like it'd make a good target to me. If the light was already on it's a little different.

bronco78 wrote:

fickman wrote:I plan to always have at least one firearm that is out of the reach of the little ones but still accessible.

Please reconsider this option... reality, my personal experience and anecdotal evidence in thousands of accidental or negligent shootings, poisonings, burns, slips, trips and falls, will clearly show.. there is no such thing as " out of the reach of the little ones but still accessible" Those little creatures are conniving, quick, smart as can be and expert at getting to things adults think are not accessible

I knew that was coming but I didn't have time to preemptively elaborate more.

"Out of reach" doesn't simply mean "on a high shelf". . . I mean fully inaccessible to them. We know their capabilities and will continue to evolve as they grow. This subject is not taken lightly in our house.

Nothing's ever 100%. Dangers abound. We have knives. We have electricity. We have appliances. We have fire (grill, smoker, stove, oven, matches, lighters, fireplace). We have hot water. We've been diligent at childproofing. Some might be lulled into a false sense of security and have a single point of failure: a kid can stumble into a quick-access safe, especially the little handheld ones (or the safe can fail). An older kid is likely to know you well enough to guess your password or combination on a traditional safe. A kid will have more access to the gun on your waist if you doze off on the couch than they would if it was stowed away.

There is a continuum of risk that has to be managed. . . there's a level of responsible, prudent precautions to be taken. Security and safety are layered solutions. That's our approach, and like I said, it's fluid.

Some people teach their kids to play with toy guns. Our older two have gone shooting, can recite (and genuinely respect) the Eddie the Eagle rules and other firearm safety guidelines. They have a healthy, respectful fear / reverence for firearms. They've seen videos of the destruction of firearms (watermelons, hunting, etc.). They don't play with any replicas as toys. That is another part of the layered approach because I can't guarantee they'll never come across one in somebody else's house.

I absolutely do not underestimate kids and have no naivety about their capabilities and no misunderstandings about the ramifications of what's at stake.

I don't carry on my person in the house, but we've got firearms accessible throughout, and I'd never open the door or even look through the peephole without having one if I didn't know who was on the other side.

We also have four little ones (5, 3, 2, and 10 months); we've got an adaptive plan. My wife is a homemaker, we homeschool, and I work from home. . . based on that and the kids' ages, they're never unsupervised in the house.

I keep one in my office upstairs. It's hidden in an elevated position and the office door has a key lock on it. The kids don't have access to the key, aren't aware of the firearm, and couldn't stumble upon it. It's a regular interior door that you could shoulder through in an emergency.

Our kids aren't allowed to play in our bedroom. There's a gate on the door that only the oldest is able to open. In my room is a loaded - not chambered - shotgun.

My gym bag is kept in an elevated place in the laundry room where the kids as yet aren't able to reach (even by climbing); there's a firearm there.

My wife's purse is kept on top of the china cabinet with a firearm there. The kids don't play with purses and also cannot climb - even with chairs or toys - to the top of it.

We'll of course have to adapt our plans as the kids become older and more capable, although we also intend to continue teaching them respect for firearms and how to never touch one without my wife or me present. . . up to a certain age. . . after which they'll be expected to be armed and hold a position during an emergency.

A safe is sure to be in our future, but I don't even trust the quick-access safes during an emergency. I plan to always have at least one firearm that is out of the reach of the little ones but still accessible.