Guns at home with a young family

[n5wd]

She's the boss in my house!

Any man who doesn't say that is either (a) not married or (b) hasn't asked his wife for permission to say that, yet!

[AJSully421]

I have three. 4, 2.5, and 10 months.

I went to Lowes / HD and bought one of those keypad locking door handles and installed them on our bedroom door and my gun room door ($100 each) Won't stop a bad guy, but then you can leave a loaded pistol in the nightstand drawer and an AR under the bed without having any worries. Then just don't let the kids in the room unattended. You also don't have to worry about fumbling for a combo or anything at 2am either.

It has worked for me for several years now. Plus, the door locks are about the same price as a pistol safe, and it also keeps them out of your bedroom to spill drinks on my work laptop / iPad, get into mom's makeup, and all sorts of other kid issues.

Your wife must be very tolerant. There is no way mine would accept having to use a keypad to get into her bedroom. She'd just tell me to put my guns in the safe. Well, she might if I insisted, but it wouldn't be worth the grief.

She's the boss in my house!

Oh yes, she is very patient, but she and I are really good as a team and both are willing to negotiate. She absolutely does not want the kids in my gun room with all of the sharp stuff, explosive stuff, and harmful chemicals that are in there. She also understands the benefit to having loaded weapons ready in our bedroom, and keeping the door locked and the kids away from the loaded guns, as well as the other aforementioned items, is well worth hitting a keypad 5-7 times per day. It was annoying at first, but after a few days you really get used to it.

[Smokey]

I too have kiddos, a tad older than yours. When I bought my gun, my wife was at first kind of leary about it, especially carrying around the kids and around the house. I actually bought my safe before I bought the gun.

When I brought the gun home, I sat down at the dinner table with my wife and kids. I showed them what my gun and safe looked like and explained some basic safety rules, mainly that you do not touch them and immediately tell an adult.

I've been open to discussing storage and locking strategies to ensure the kids do not get access. I also do not keep it on my nightstand because the kids come into our room at night all the time.

It has taken a few months but I think letting her see me act responsibly has warmed her up to the idea of having a fun around all the time. Now the kids know it's there (and occasionally bump their heads on it) and my wife sees it all the time, and it is not a big issue.

I think if you respectfully address your wife's fears and let her see that you are conscious about always keeping your gun secure, you will win her over in time.

[stealthfightrf17]

I have 5 kids (9,8,7,5,3) and one on the way. I decided several years ago that we needed to make sure our guns were safe from the kids and accessible if something were to happen. I always carry in my house, usually open. Everything else is kept in the safe. My oldest has been shouting science about 4.5, but he has always been very mature for his age. Non of the rest shoot at this time due to maturity. We also have another rule, anytime the kids want to see one of the guns all they have to do is ask. I will stop what I am doing and get it out, make sure it is unloaded, and allow them to see and hold it. At that time I start going through basic gun safety with them. None of my kids have ever tried to get one with out me. What I noticed is when we first started doing this it drove me crazy. They were always asking. Now, I can't tell you the last time any of them have asked. Only question I get lately is from my oldest who wants to go shooting. One time we did have one of the kids just touch my gun when it was on me, it was very quickly and severely dealt with, and has not happened again. We have a zero tolerance policy in the house when it comes to the guns.

[C-dub]

Guns in the house was always a battle for me before our daughter was born. It was never a major battle, but the wife always won. You know how you never really notice how many of a certain type of automobile are on the road until after you buy one and then you start noticing them all the time? Well, similar kind of phenomenon in that not long after our daughter was born we started noticing how many child abductions there were all around us from homes and stores and cars in parking lots. The wife relented and I bought my first gun, a Glock 22. After beginning the process of becoming proficient with it and taking her to the range to also learn how to use it she became less fearful. I know, not the easiest gun to learn with for anyone, but it wasn't the first gun to shoot for either of us. It was our first gun to own as adults. She is a very intelligent woman and recognized the uselessness of having a gun for home/self defense and not having it readily available. She has never asked me to keep it locked up or anything and never questioned me when I started wearing it around the house.

I began carrying around the house before our daughter was a year old and obtained my CHL before she was 18 months old. We actually have pictures of her and I asleep on the couch with her on my chest and the Glock in its holster on my hip. There was never a time when the gun was hidden from her. It was as common as a cell phone to her and never a mystery. She wasn't allowed to play with either and as soon as she was ready I took her to shoot. Not the Glock! She's now 14y and knows how to check every firearm I have to see if it's loaded and how to load and unload them to make them safe.

Teach them all the safety rules as soon as you think they can understand the basics of each rule and maybe even a little before you think they are ready because they might surprise you and understand more than you think. It seems like they always surprise us with other things. My dad took my brother and me out to shoot every couple years or so and then put the gun up and away in his closet and never really taught us much about them other than basic safety when out shooting similar to typical range rules. As a result, they were a big mystery to us and just like Scooby Doo, we had to investigate that mystery.

My biggest piece of advice is to take the mystery out of them and teach them the dangers just like with any other dangerous object such as the stove or a knife or certain tools and when they're ready to learn how to use them, let them, but always under supervision.

[misterlarry]

The NRA has developed excellent training courses for almost every type of firearm that cover basic safety, care, and usage. Their Handbook on Basic Handgun is simply the best that I have ever seen and should be a staple in any instructor's teaching library. Teaching the Basic Handgun course is also very rewarding because you help all types of new shooters make positive gains in knowledge, skill, and attitude about firearms and firearms safety.

Going to the range and seeing the big grin on the face of a person who only hours before had been paralyzed by fear and ignorance is absolutely priceless.

[goose]

the idea of having a fun around all the time.

gun = fun. Best auto correct or typo today.

(I thought that the rest of your post was good too. Communication and being observed being careful are high on the list of a person getting what'cha want.)

[allisji]

Lots of good options and ideas listed. It sounds like many others have had similar circumstances to mine

[RoyGBiv]

Anyone watch American Idol last night?

One of the contestants told the story of he and his older brother horsing around in the house and "we've been around guns all our lives" (they were 8 and 12 maybe?) and "we never keep them loaded" and "we were playing cowboys and Indians" and ... I shot (and killed) my brother....

I didn't get a clear feeling for whether the story was intended to be political or a tale of caution or both... or maybe it was "made for TV"?

Me? My kids started shooting when they were 5 and 7. At first they had fun, then they got bored, which was ok by me. Both are respectful shooters and now that they're older they come to the range with us occasionally. I'm a believer in teaching kids to shoot at an early age. Old enough to follow orders and understand the responsibility associated with gun handling. Not only does it demystify guns for them, it can instill and sense of responsibility. Every kid will be different. You know yours. Start slow (Don't point a nerf at anyone's face, always wear eye protection, etc.)... Let them prove themselves and earn their way to the range.

[VMI77]

Anyone watch American Idol last night?

One of the contestants told the story of he and his older brother horsing around in the house and "we've been around guns all our lives" (they were 8 and 12 maybe?) and "we never keep them loaded" and "we were playing cowboys and Indians" and ... I shot (and killed) my brother....

I didn't get a clear feeling for whether the story was intended to be political or a tale of caution or both... or maybe it was "made for TV"?

Me? My kids started shooting when they were 5 and 7. At first they had fun, then they got bored, which was ok by me. Both are respectful shooters and now that they're older they come to the range with us occasionally. I'm a believer in teaching kids to shoot at an early age. Old enough to follow orders and understand the responsibility associated with gun handling. Not only does it demystify guns for them, it can instill and sense of responsibility. Every kid will be different. You know yours. Start slow (Don't point a nerf at anyone's face, always wear eye protection, etc.)... Let them prove themselves and earn their way to the range.

Never watched it. Never will. I can assure you though that NOTHING on a show like that is accidental or apolitical. That story was there for a purpose and it wasn't an exhortation for people to handle guns safely, it was intended to show that guns are so dangerous that even people who have "been around guns all their lives" can't handle them safely. IOW, guns are bad and no one should have them. You didn't interpret it that way because you know differently, but you were not the intended audience for that bit of theater. That message was for those who don't know anything about guns...to keep them ignorant and fearful and supporters of those who want to deny us the right to own guns for self-defense.

[TexasCajun]

My son is 3 and has started to ask questions about guns. So far it's been centered on my range bag & boxes of bullets. We've youtubed the Eddie Eagle videos a few times. But as he's asking more and more questions -which I answer matter of factly, I'm thinking it's time to start a more educational and demystifying conversation. My guns are well overdue for a cleaning, so this will probably be a good opportunity to do some show & tell for him. I just have to remember to keep it short & simple.

I carry at home and don't make a big deal about it. It's just there. When I go to bed at night, the gun goes into a quick access safe in the dresser drawer.

[goose]

My son is 3
<snip>
My guns are well overdue for a cleaning, so this will probably be a good opportunity to do some show & tell for him. I just have to remember to keep it short & simple.

If yours is like mine were, just show. They'll "What's that?" the heck out of you until bored. :-)

[TxAggieEngineer]

I started taking my daughters shooting when they were 3 years old. They would should a Red Ryder BB gun but still had to wear eye and ear protection just to get them used to the concept. My wife and I would take turns standing back while the other would shoot so they would get used to seeing and being around firearms. They're now 5 and 7 and they regularly shoot .22 rifles and pistols at home and at our local indoor range.

We've had talks with them about not touching a gun without an adult around and what to do if they ever come across an unattended gun.

Our main goals have been to take they mystery away and educate them. IMHO, the biggest mistake people make with the guns/kids combination is trying to "wait until they're older" before introducing them to guns and shooting. Then they see it on TV and they don't know what to do if they come across a real gun and that's when bad things happen.

A friend of mine grew up in a very rural area and he used to say about his childhood that "in my house there was absolutely no question whether guns were loaded because there was at least one round in every one!"

[stealthfightrf17]

I wanted to add this to my earlier post, been bugging me all day. All our kids are very clear on the fact that if they want to shoot then they need to show us at home the can listen very well. We also have a rule when shooting. I tell you one time, you don't listen we are done. That can be something as simple as stop playing with rocks. Safety is always first, I must know you will listen when it matters.

[jed]

The two we have left at home are boys 18 and 16. We do not lock the safe while we are in the house but I would not trust them while they are home alone, after all, they are teenagers. They have been taught gun safety for a lot of years but they are teenagers.

Now, on the wife thing, sounds like some of yall need to sway your wives more towards guns. My wife can handle any gun in the safe to the point that if someone broke into the house at night, she would probably wake me with bang bang bang, not honey I heard a noise. Oh and she out shoots me on the range so I would probably wake her to go see about any night time noise.