Question about safety and protecting one' s home/family

[Pendrench]

Hello -

This is my first time posting in this forum, so I apologize if this topic has already been discussed.

Anyway, my question concerns those people who say their primary reason for owning a gun (or guns) is to protect their family and property. I've never owned a gun, but I seem to remember being told that the safest way to store a gun when not in use was to make sure it was locked away, and to have the ammunition locked away as well, but in a separate location. Is that correct?

If so, then is it known whether or not a majority of this group (people who own guns to protect their home/family) keep loaded guns that are easily accessible in case they need them at a moments notice if someone breaks in (or tries to break in) their house, or do they simply keep the guns and ammunition in separate locations that are close enough to each other so that they would have sufficient time to unlock the gun and ammunition to be able use their gun against an intruder?

It seems that there would be safety issues with both situations.

Thank you very much.

Tim

[NightWatcher]

1. first find out how to use a gun safely

Not everyone can handle a gun. I dont mean physically, but mentally. You have to have the mindset to be able to quickly grab the gun, aim for the "bad guy", identify then as the "bad guy" and squeeze the trigger until they are completely dead and no longer a threat. There is no "shoot to wound" or thinking that if you point a gun the bad guy will run away. Owning a gun and being able to use it to KILL another human being is not an easy thing to determine.

However, once you determine that you are ready to wield death from your own hands, you might look into a biometric gun vault where you and only you can quickly access your loaded firearm. An unloaded gun is a very expensive paperweight.


http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/49684-63799-895.html

I have no kids, live alone and have loaded guns lying around. Anywhere from 2-4 around my bedroom and office. I have been certified and trained on several guns.

[virginia mountainman]

2. I am a gun owner.

I have a large collection of Military firearms, dating from 1890 all the way up to the 1980's.

My wife and I also have a CCW permit, and we carry concealed firearms practical everyday. But here in the home, you would not be able to see that a gun owner lives here. The ONLY Sign that a gun owner lives in my house is when one needs cleaning, and then it is unloaded, and propped up in the corner of my living room, or laid on my computer desk. to remind me to get it cleaned. then it gets put up

Most of my guns, are under lock and key, my carry firearms, are kept loaded, and are stored next to the nightstand. I took a different tack, with my kids. Seemed to me that keeping them totally hidden from the kids view, would make the curious, and heaven forbid, one day you left one out for some reason. So I made it a point to let them see, handle, and be given a brief history lesson about them (the historical ones), while emphasizing that if misused, they can do great harm, but when used properly, they do great good. I have also taught them both how to shoot, and they each have a rifle, (that is stored with the rest of mine) that is "theirs".

I chose to educate them from an early age about gun, and since they are used to seeing one out from time to time, they pretty much ignore them, like the sharp knives in the kitchen, they are dangerous, but they are just "their" and always have been "their", their is nothing strange about them.

Now, when their Friends come over.. that is when the carry sidearms get put under lock and key.

[spin]

3. Some very good advise can be found at...

http://corneredcat.com/Kids/kidstorage.aspx

Another poster on DU will probably point out that one of the links on the main page will lead to an article written by someone who is racist and bigoted. This poster will state that the cornercat site is "recruiting tool for the right wing". Be forewarned.

If however you are looking for advise on how to store a defensive firearm in a home with children, you will find it at the link posted above. The table of contents link on the page will direct you to many other informative articles on responsible firearm ownership and self defense.

[SlipperySlope]

22. HOW DARE YOU POST A LINK TO THAT SITE!!!

HOW DARE YOU POST A LINK TO THAT SITE!!! DON'T YOU KNOW THAT MIGHT TEACH PEOPLE THAT GUNS AREN'T EVIL AND MIGHT EVEN LEAD TO RAISING CHILDREN WHO ARE SAFE 4ROUND GUNS! WH0 d0 U TInK U R!!!!!

:sarcasm:

[slackmaster]

4. I live alone and usually do not keep a firearm ready to load and shoot

At the moment I have a Lee Enfield rifle that I just refinished, leaning against a bookcase next to my computer desk. However, I don't have even a single round of .303 British ammunition in my house.

If someone were to break in right now, I'd grab the short sword next to the door.

[iverglas]

5. it wasn't my impression that you were asking for advice

Sounded like you were curious about what people do.

One indication of what people do is the large number of firearms that are stolen from homes in the US every year.

If they were securely stored, even when the occupant is not even home and is thus not likely to need quick access (as compared to the infinitessimal possibility that someone would need quick access anyway), the thefts would not be occurring ... and those firearms would not be making their way to the criminal market.

[Xela]

6. Guns for safety

Guns used for safety at home are always loaded. But tucked away discretely.

When kids and parents come by these are unloaded and tucked away safely.

Guns for other uses (collection, hunting) are tucked away safely and unloaded, and ammunition is stored separetely.

Xela

[iverglas]

7. that's so cute

"tucked away safely".

With their little blankies pulled up to their little chins?

Does that happen to mean stored in a way that secures them against theft or other unauthorized access?

I kind of have an idea that if you'd meant to say that, you would have said it.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

15. So now you don't like the word tucked?

Tucked, stowed, stored what difference does the verb make?

David

[AtheistCrusader]

16. Security through obscurity.

Better not to detail specifics of your own storage methods. Just makes it easier for someone to steal it. Not that I would think I'm being stalked by users of this site, just a good security habit to get into.

[iverglas]

19. and for all 3 of you

"tucked" != locked.
"discreetly" != securely.

Saying on an internet board that one's firearms are locked in a large strong safe behind a locked door when one is out of the house doesn't exactly give away special knowledge that would make one's firearms vulnerable to theft.

Saying on an internet board that one's firearms are "tucked" away "discreetly" pretty much = saying "I do not secure my firearms against unauthorized access when I am home or theft when I am not home."

[Pendrench]

8. Thank you all for your responses.

Sorry I didn't check in sooner...I had to pick up my son at band-camp. :)

I did ask more out of curiosity than anything else...I don't know if I will ever own a gun, but if I do, I would want to be sure that I follow the recommended safety rules and get the proper training.

Again, thank you all for taking time to respond.

Tim

[Xela]

11. No problem

And although I am not a member, these guys really have a lot of good info:
http://www.nrahq.org/education/guide.asp
http://www.nrahq.org/safety/eddie/infoparents.asp

All the best,

Xela

[virginia mountainman]

17. Have any more questions feel free to ask!! NT

[tburnsten]

9. I keep mine nearby

and loaded. I don't have time to go digging through lockboxes all the time, plus I have a carry permit, so whichever one I am carrying is the one that usually assumes nightstand duty as well.

[krispos42]

10. Basically there are two ways to keep them ready

One is a quick-access safe, such as made by GunVault. Some have biometric fingerprint-activated locks, others have ergonomic combination locks with a three-strikes-and-your-out anti-tamper system. This means that after three failed attempts to put in the combination, the lock takes a 15-minute time-out.

The other is to simply keep the gun in a handy location, such as in a drawer or underneath a bed, or hidden in something like a fake book or wall clock with a secret compartment.

Natually, you can't do the last part if you have young children. And it's not really conductive to theft-prevention either, which is an important issue.


As a matter of expansion, if you have a semi-automatic pistol or a rifle with a detachable magazine, you can have the guns locked up and unloaded, but retain the ability to quickly load and employ the gun simply by inserting a full magazine.

[jeepnstein]

12. Safety first.

If I have one of my guns out, it is under my direct physical control. That means safely holstered. You're also apparently not allowed to do that under the ex-DC gun law. Any time it is not under my direct physical control it goes into a safe. My duty weapon and my backup/off duty go into the safe loaded. An unloaded gun is even more dangerous than a loaded one, I'm not kidding.

If you are worried about home invasion you need to establish layers of security in order to buy some time. Just thinking you're safe because you have a gun in the house is kind of foolish. Whatever you choose to do, be safe and consistent. Have a plan about where to barricade yourself if you do have an intruder. That area should be where you keep your weapon safely stored.

My AR15 stays unloaded in the safe at all times. I guess if someone was running through the neighborhood shouting "To Arms, To Arms!" I might get it out, stroll down to the village green, and see what was going on.

Leaving guns just lying about isn't really all that safe or responsible. I once nearly got shot by a German Shepherd that way. He was quite a dog...

[gorfle]

13. How I store my firearms.

When I was single, and then married before children, I kept all of my long firearms except one were stored in my bedroom closet, neatly stacked, unloaded, against the wall. Ammunition was stored nearby in army ammo boxes. The pistols were kept in cases on a shelf in the same closet. One pistol was kept loaded in my nightstand drawer.

Now that I have a daughter, aged 2.5, I no longer feel it is worth the risk to keep a loaded firearm within reach of a child. So now the home defense pistol is kept on a high shelf in our bedroom closet, unloaded, and two loaded magazines are stored in a box on the other side of the closet. This situation will only be workable for another few months.

As before, all the long arms are stacked against the wall of the same closet, with ammo stored separately nearby in sealed army cans. Pistols are up on the shelf.

Within the next couple of months I am going to build a lockable display case for all the firearms, and they will go in there, unloaded. I want to get one of those electronics "instant access" safes for the home defense pistol. They are only about $150 - about as much as I spend on ammo for two trips to the shooting range.

I've been putting off more secure storage because my daughter wasn't old enough to get into trouble, but that time is over.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

14. As for my guns.

The revolver stays loaded in a holster, for my wife. My Springfield XD40 has a loaded magazine is holstered but no round in the chamber. They are both hidden but readily accessible. I'm not to worried about the children as they not likely to be able to pull the triggers of any of my weapons, the lack of opposable thumbs and all. I actually got my Springfield out the other night. I heard an extremely loud noise about 1:30 am. I got my tactical flashlight and my XD40 put a round in the chamber and went to investigate, turns out a set of crutches from an old injury had been leaning up against the clothes dryer and had fallen from the vibration and struck the wall of the bedroom I was in. I would never keep my ammo seperated from my gun. I may leave a magazine out of a semi auto pistol but that's about as far as I would go.

David

[SteveM]

18. Here is advice to reconcile safety issues ...

"As a general rule, a gun stored for any purpose other than personal protection should never be kept loaded in the home. Only in unusual circumstances should a loaded gun be kept in the home, and then only if special care and precautions are taken. For example, a gun kept in the home for protection is essentially always in use; however, the gun must be stored in a secure place where it is totally inaccessible to all unauthorized users (both children and adults). And, of course, all local laws must be observed." -- The Basics of Pistol Shooting, Pub. of the Nat'l Rifle Assoc. of Amer., 1991.

My father taught all his sons at an early age about the operations, hazards and uses of guns -- the best way to keep kids from indulging their "prurient" curiosity.

A study of how guns operate (for exp., "revolvers" vs. "auto-loading" pistols) will better inform you of the safety capabilities of each.

I have seven firearms; six are locked in a metal safe, and ammo is locked in a separate box.

[virginia mountainman]

20. Their was one thing I forgot to mention...

I live in a very rural area, and we do have a bear problem (that was exacerbated by a neighbor feeding it) I found it necessary during early spring, to keep a high powered rifle relatively handy. Due to mine, and the neighbor's kids playing outside. I kept one of my older "full power" Military rifles, unloaded, and in the coat closet, by the front door.

It was my M1 Garand, I kept a 8 rnd en-bloc clip, loaded with 180 grn Soft Points (full power hunting ammunition, for the non-hunters in here) , up on the high shelf in the closet. just for a "bear emergency".

One morning, when the kids where waiting for the school bus, It came into use, as a "noise maker"

Sometimes you must weigh safety, with the realities of your situation. Their are times when the situation demands that the gun, be left loaded and in easy reach. Just a few months ago, their was a out-of-state criminal, that got pulled over on the interstate (I live 5 miles from where this happened) and he shot a cop in the neck, and fled into the woods. When one of my neighbors called me to give me the "heads up", the situation demanded that we take prudent measures, We locked up the house, pulled the curtains, locked up the cars, and watched TV, with my loaded semi-auto AK-47 style rifle propped up beside me. As deputies and state troopers roared up and down the rural road infront of my home.

[SlipperySlope]

21. Safe storage does not require storing ammunition separately.

I recall reading a statistic, but I don't remember that source, that said that the MORE trained and educated an individual is with regards to gun safety, the MORE likely they are to keep their gun stored loaded.

I personally keep my "self-defense" firearms loaded when stored. My sporting arms are kept unloaded.

I can only think of one scenario where a firearm stored unloaded would be intrinsically more safe than one stored loaded - the case of a fire where the heat could cause the one round in the chamber to "cook off" and fire. If that was a concern than I would say simply keep the magazine loaded and in the firearm, but not actually chamber a round until you access the firearm.

A caveat; if the gun owner is going to be casual about the degree of training and education they give themselves, it very well may be safer to just keep the thing unloaded. If one isn't going to take responsibility for remembering how to quickly asses the state of your firearm, load it, and unload it safely, then one is probably better off only having loaded it when consciously intending to.

Generally though, the idea of keeping the gun and the ammo separate makes very little sense to me. One could argue that vehicles would be safer if cars were locked away separately from their tires, or knives would be safer if locked away separately from their handles, but this all just seems paranoid to me.