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Your Family and Guns

Who Has Access to Your Guns?

  • I'm the Only One

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Me and the Wife. They're actually her's, but she let's me use them frequently

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • The Whole Family can Get My Guns

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0

FightingGlock19

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Sep 18, 2007
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Location
, Kentucky, USA
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Many of us, on the forums, have families, and many of those families have children. I'm a firm believer in "families that race together, stay together." I also believe families that shoot together, stay together, as well.

This one is more geared towards the guy (or gal) that has children in their home.

I have two boys in the house, ages 6 & 10. Both of them have shot my (and momma's) pistols, my AK-47's, among their 410 shotgun (the 10 y/o's) & .22 Cricket (the 6 y/o's). They are both well learned in the four cardinal rules of firearms & have both shown responsability enough to be around guns & use them.

I know some folks lock their weapons away from young children, however, like mentioned above, mine are not. Either boy knows where they are kept & knows which are loaded. Momma & I do our jobs and neither boy has snooped toget them, nor tried to sneak them.

I would like to get a feel for the rest of the forum members
 

OC-Glock19

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Jun 13, 2006
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Woodbridge, Virginia, USA
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According to the quote below, you're doing all right, FightingGlock19.

"A study by John Lott and John Whitley finds no support for the theory that safe gun storage laws reduce either juvenile accidental gun deaths or suicides. Instead, these storage requirements appear to impair the ability to use guns defensively. During the first five years after the passage of safe storage laws, the group of fifteen states that adopted these laws faced an annual average increase of over 300 more murders, 3860 more rapes, 24650 more robberies, and over 25000 more aggravated assaults."
 

Felid`Maximus

Activist Member
Joined
Nov 12, 2007
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Reno, Nevada, USA
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Under the conditions which firearms are allowed to be legally accessible to persons under the age of 18 in NevadaI have had access to firearms since I was 14.
 

FogRider

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Joined
Jul 23, 2007
Messages
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Location
Centennial, Colorado, USA
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When I was a kid I knew where the key to the gun cabnet was, but was trained well enough to not get into it. Now as a single guy I am the only one with access to my firearms.
 

expvideo

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2006
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Location
Lynnwood, WA, ,
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I answered #2, although we aren't married yet. My fiancee has access to all of my guns, and to her gun.

When we have kids, they won't be allowed access to them. I see no reason to let my kids have access to my guns.
 

LEO 229

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Joined
Feb 21, 2007
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USA
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OC-Glock19 wrote:
According to the quote below, you're doing all right, FightingGlock19.

"A study by John Lott and John Whitley finds no support for the theory that safe gun storage laws reduce either juvenile accidental gun deaths or suicides. Instead, these storage requirements appear to impair the ability to use guns defensively. During the first five years after the passage of safe storage laws, the group of fifteen states that adopted these laws faced an annual average increase of over 300 more murders, 3860 more rapes, 24650 more robberies, and over 25000 more aggravated assaults."

Penalty....!! No cite providedso I will correct that

http://www2.economics.adelaide.edu.au/workpap/ecowpsumm.htm

Second penalty....!! The author does not citewhere he got the numbersor what the circumstanceswerein each of the 15 states. The states are also unknown so you cannot check for yourself.

"the group of fifteen states"


Let's look at each item he discussed to make you believe it is a bad idea.

300 more murders:

Now300 murders may sound like a huge jump but if you divide that among the 15 states you get a whopping 20 more murders a year for each.Were thosemurderedactually people that locked up their guns at home? Were they even murdered at home?

In Virginia alone (where you are not required to lock up your firearms) there have been an average fluctuation of41 deaths a year in either direction. So 20 more is actually below the average thatVirginia has with no law.


The following states have the following murderfluctuation each year:

  • Maryland- 22
  • Texas- 61
  • California - 79
  • Kansas - 31
  • Arizona - 31
  • Michigan - 38


3860 more rapes:

This comes out to 240 per state.Did all of these rapes occur at the persons home where they could not get their gun?



24650 more robberies:

This comes out to 1643 more robberies.A robbery does not happen in the home. A robbery happens on the street or at a business. If it is at a home then if would be a home invasion or burglary. These numbers are useless. Securingguns stored at home has littleto do with being robbed on the street.



25000 more aggravated assaults:

This comes out to 1666 more aggravated assaults.Did all of theseaggravated assaults happen in the home and the person could not get to their gun?

In Tennessee they have a fluctuation of 1193 aggravated assaults each year.



Here is a link that says securing guns saves lives

http://www.firearmslawcenter.org/content/locking_devices.pdf
 

LEO 229

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2007
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7,606
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USA
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So far... I know of7 states that only required the guns to not be in "easy access" to others and 6 identifythose under 16.

I know that cable locks and trigger locks can be defeated. This is why I have a safe. Trigger locks will keep the curious kid from getting shot but if the gun is in his hands and he has time.... he can eventually remove the lock.

This must be why7 statessay no "easy access."If you are not home and your 12 year old and his friends search the house... they can find it and play with it.

Having guns laying about IMO is just dumb and irresponsible. You are allowing the guns to be stolen during a burglary and easy access to kids that maybe should not be playing with them.

I understand having a gun readily available for protection.... and I have one in a wall safe that can be opened as quickly as opening a dresser drawer. It is going to take a few hours for someone to actually break in and get it. I sure do not want to make it easy for them to get their hands on.

If you have a child at home who is trained to handle guns... great!! Give him the combination if he is allowed to have access based on the laws of your state. Do not leave them out so they can be stolen and handled by others that should not have them.

EDIT: And yes... more kids are killed in swimming pools and car accidents than playing with a firearm. But you cannot prevent a car accident unless the car never moves and you cannot stop the kid from drowning unless you do not let him in the water.

Accidents and drowningshappen more often only because they are exposed to both more frequently. Kids are going to have a need to ride in cars and swim in pools. They do not have a need to play with real guns.

But even beyond children access..... having them stolen and then used in crimes.
 

compmanio365

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2007
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2,013
Location
Pierce County, Washington, USA
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I have all my pistols/rifles locked in the safe except for my current carry weapon, and the wife has her carry weapon. The rest of the weapons are locked away. Both the wife and I have keys to the safe so we can get into it whenever we need to. I know locking them up isn't a huge deterrent to a thief, but if they make more noise or it takes them a little longer to get to the weapons and ammo, that gives me that much more notice/time to find that person breaking into my stuff and trying to steal my weapons.

Basically it just adds an extra layer that someone has to get through before they have access to my weapons.......no children, but when we do have a kid, I think teaching them about firearm safety is much more effective then trying to lock something away from them.....it's been shown that it's just not that effective, so when they do get their hands on your gun, they are much more likely to shoot themselves with it.......
 

Sa45auto

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2008
Messages
387
Location
, , USA
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Do I have guns?

Maybe yes and maybe no.



If I have guns, are they in a location of easy access?

Maybe yes and maybe no.



If I have guns and if they are in a place where they can be readily accessed, are they loaded?

Maybe yes and maybe no.



You will have to come to my house at night and find out . :what:
 

asforme

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Mar 27, 2008
Messages
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Location
Kalamazoo, MI
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Right now my son is only 3 weeks old so I don't have to worry about him getting to the guns just yet, but here's my plan. The only accessible gun will either be on my hip or in my nightstand drawer while I'm sleeping next to it. I always carry in the house, so if it is not in my possession or my wife possession it is locked up.

I will judge based on my sons maturity level whether or not he will have access to the safe. I plan to familiarize him with guns and hopefully buy him a .22 when he is around 5-7 (again depending on maturity). I also will not be leaving him home alone until he is mature enough to be able to keep a gun in his room, or carry it in our house. If he is not capable or mature enough to defend himself, he cannot stay home alone.

Of course I am a first time parent with a 3 week old and this is what I'm thinking right now. I never say never or always and I am constantly seeking advice from more experienced parents.
 

bohdi

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Centreville, Virginia, USA
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The only one at the time is either in the safe, on me, or within my reach at night. Rarely do I keep it near at night but I'm slowly working that in. The kids that are old enough to grab it 1) no longer sleep walk or 2) are locked in their room to prevent sleep walking. Either way no one but me knows when it's on the nightstand at night, which as I said is rarely, and only when everyone else is already asleep. So Idon't see that as adanger. As it is it stays in the holster just in case - I'm confident my wife who's a lighter sleeper than I will hear the dooropen ifthe oldest tried to come in for any reason, and by then I'll be awake when she starts to move.

We're getting a .22 for the oldest, the others won't be ready for a while. My wife might start shooting the .22 and maybe someday move her up to a 9mm or something similar when she becomes more comfortable with the idea.
 

Tess

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Bryan, TX
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I have a special circumstance, so the answer isn't really relevant.

I firmly believe children who can understand should be taught gun safety from an early age, as I was. I can't remember a time when I didn't know the rules.

A couple of possibilities concern me, though, and explain why (I think) I would lock up a firearm that was not in my direct sight:
- Kids may know not to play with the gun, but who's to say some medicine he takes for something unrelated, or something he eats (by accident or by ignorance), won't make him act outside the norm. Kids up to and through puberty can and do develop strange reactions.
- Kids have friends. You don't always know your kids' friends maturity/knowledge level (Eddie Haskell, anyone?), nor do you know that a "friend" won't bully information from your child, or won't do something underhanded that your child may be completely unaware of.
- Teens, particularly young teens, have a tendency to do stupid things even when they know better, even knowing they shouldn't, even knowing in their head and heart it's wrong


Everyone has to make this type of decision for himself. Every family will be different.
 

LEO 229

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USA
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Tess wrote:
I have a special circumstance, so the answer isn't really relevant.

I firmly believe children who can understand should be taught gun safety from an early age, as I was. I can't remember a time when I didn't know the rules.

A couple of possibilities concern me, though, and explain why (I think) I would lock up a firearm that was not in my direct sight:
- Kids may know not to play with the gun, but who's to say some medicine he takes for something unrelated, or something he eats (by accident or by ignorance), won't make him act outside the norm. Kids up to and through puberty can and do develop strange reactions.
- Kids have friends. You don't always know your kids' friends maturity/knowledge level (Eddie Haskell, anyone?), nor do you know that a "friend" won't bully information from your child, or won't do something underhanded that your child may be completely unaware of.
- Teens, particularly young teens, have a tendency to do stupid things even when they know better, even knowing they shouldn't, even knowing in their head and heart it's wrong


Everyone has to make this type of decision for himself. Every family will be different.
Excellent point Tess,

You can teach your kids how to handle guns safely and responsibly.... but they have friends.

Friends that may pressure them into letting them see the guns and then handle them in an unsafe manner. The friends may even find them on their own while they visit.

If anything... a gun that is locked up but accessible to the responsible child can be obtained if the friend can manipulate him.

You have to be sure the child is very responsible and knows the rules.

But I agree... each family will be different. In my family... mine are all locked up.
 

deepdiver

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Apr 2, 2007
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Southeast, Missouri, USA
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My fiancee and I have talked about this and we will keep the guns locked up or on our person. We will teach our children about gun safety and handling starting at a young age and building on the knowledge as age appropriate. At some point we may allow certain firearms to be accessible to the children for self-defense when we are not there. When, if and how will depend on what the future holds.

I had access to firearms when at my grandparent's house from about age 12 onward. I knew firearm safety and also knew not to touch them without permission. On the other hand, I would go hiking alone in the hills of rural KY around my grandparents at 11-12 with my BB gun and 13-14 with a 22 bolt action rifle. There were wild dogs and other possible threats. Back then it just wasn't a big deal and nobody even thought twice about me or anyone else walking around the woods with a rifle.
 

ScottyT

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Apr 7, 2008
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Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
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Just my wife and I for now. Our two long guns are just in the closet, our pistols are either on our person or in the nightstand drawers. I am comfortable with the current arrangement as we rarely have visitors and never have visiting children. We will be getting a couple of safes before having kids, one for rifles and such, one quick access safe for carry pistols.
 
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