Handgun safety with kids

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Molly

New member
I have always carried a revolver in the car. It is in a zipped pouch, under the seat, unloaded but with rounds loose in the pouch.

So what happens when my kids get old enough to find it? I keep my car in the garage and can lock it, but I know that when I was a kid I always went into the garage with my friends to climb into my dads' cars and play-drive. Fortunately I still have a few years to figure this out.

So how do you folks with kids keep your car-guns?

Thanks much
 
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Captain Bligh

New member
With all do respect, I think keeping a gun in a car is not a wise idea. There are too many thefts from cars and you run risk of your gun falling in to the wrong hands. Risk to your child is just one of the risks. My guns are either locked away or under my direct control. Leave nothing to chance.

Randy
 
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DanP

New member
Unless they are way too young...

Teach your kids / grandkids the basics.

Or take them to a local NRA basic class.

They may hate or love guns, but that is their choice and irrelevant.

Teach them the basics of gun operation, and allow them to experience the power of a gun.

I can assure you that while my 14-year old daughter still snickers to my safety commands, she will not casually play with a gun that she may encounter in her social outings.
 
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gdhillard

New member
Teach them well, as DanP suggests, and keep every gun locked up, unless it is on your person. There are some great, quick access gun safes out there, such as Gunvault. Cheap kid proof safes are at Walmart. Use them, and don't let your kids, or their visiting friends, become a statistic. Gary
 
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Eric Larsen

New member
I carry all of the time and my kids are very gun safe and knowledgeable...my 8 year old shoots my K40..............
They are around loaded guns all of the time, which happen to be on me or close by. Education is paramount! And continues everytime we shoot together and sometimes when we dont shoot. Leaving a gun w/ ammo in a car isnt something I would recommend. If its a defensive gun...it should come in the house with you. Too many things are stolen from cars and kids will find a way to play in your car.....people, especially parents arent perfect and may forget to lock the car up. Teach your kids what to do when, not if, but when they find a loaded gun.
Shoot well
 
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bikeguy

New member
My rule is that If I'm not with my gun, it is locked up where only I can retireive/use it. The one exception is my HD shotgun (I have no children) which is loaded and out all the time. I try to remember to at least put on a trigger lock while I'm away for a slight margin of safety.

Now that I think about it, I think I'll unload that sucker every morning. I'd hate to come home and find myself staring at the wrong end of that thing in the hands of a burglar.
 
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Kermit

New member
I've learned, its' not my kids I have to worry about. I have taught them proper gun safety and they understand how to handle (or not handle) unlocked, unattended firearms. The big concern is w/ your kids' friends.
My suggestion...lock that gun up somehow. Personally, I keep my handguns on me or locked up at home. I don't leave them lying around.
 
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larryw

New member
Molly, I think Kermit hit the nail on the head.

And let me add that no matter how well behaved and trained, there are times when kids will be kids and they can't help but do something stupid. Drinking and driving is one example. Playing with guns is another.

If you must keep a gun in your car, there are many small quick access handgun safes available that you can bolt into the car. Depending on your car this may take some time to find one that allows you quick access without banging a shin every time you get in or step on the parking brake. Here's a link to help you start the search.
 
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Dan Morris

New member
I taught both my offspring from early ages, a firearm is no toy, all the safety rules and they did not touch untill alowed to. They were also taught that danger lies with the intent of the user. They are both acomplished rifle/pistol and shotgun shooters, safer
than a lot of adults.At no times were any of their friends alowed ....by them....to even see or touch any gun unless they were on a range or hunting trip with us.
Dan
 
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AlanD

New member
The only time I leave a gun in the car is when I have to remove it from my person because I'm about to enter somewhere (school, post office, etc.) where I can't carry it (and I first unload it and take all magazines with me).
 
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Rovert

New member
Lots of good thoughts and suggestions here, but let me add one more to the list.

Forgive me for sounding flip, but what good is an unloaded gun in a carjacking, or other emergency, situation?

"Excuse me, Mr. BadGuy, while I load up..."

IMO, either be ready to use it, and carry it with you at all times, or put it away, and forget about it. An unloaded gun is about as effective as a rock, for self defense.

Just my two cents.
 
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Dave R

New member
What Kermit said.

Postscript--quite by accident, I found that it is quite easy and effective to teach safe gun handling using toy guns. Bought my son a toy. On a whim, I asked him if he'd like to know the proper way to use it. He was interested, learned the 4 rules, and then, without my knowing it, he taught them to his younger sisters. Now they all know "finger off the trigger till sights are on the target, etc.". And they hold each other to them when they play.

Still, a firearm should either be locked in a safe, or controlled on your person at all times.
 
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croyance

New member
It seems to me that your storage method is the worst of all worlds. If you need to defend yourself the gun is not quick to access and must me loaded. The gun is there to be found by thieves or kids. The way the gun is stored will not keep kids from playing with it.
 
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DMK

New member
There was just a news story in my local paper where a small child found a pistol(loaded) in a closet and accidently killed her sister with it. It appeared to me that the childred were not aware that the pistol was there before they found it.

When I was a child, my dad had a few guns. I new exactly where they were, because he showed me. I never touched them once without his permission and supervision.

If it were me, I show my kids where they were, but keep the pistol loaded and locked in a quick access (simplex lock) pistol box. Getting access to it in an emergency would be faster than loading it.

When they are old enough to trust with weapons, you can give them the combination so that they could defend themselves if necessary.

However, in my state, it is illegal to store firearms unlocked.
 
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blades67

New member
Take your gun with you. If your car is ever stolen, so is your gun. If you're going to leave it unloaded, and the ammunition loose in the pouch, why have the gun in your car at all?
 
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Skip-2

New member
I have to agree that having loose ammo with the gun serves no purpose other then the gun been mis-used by someone when you are not there.
Personally I would lock the sucker away. If it's not loaded it's no good to you anywise...oh, what do you do when you leave the car in for service?
Having an in-secure gun in the vehicle (long term) is not a good idea.
 
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22lovr

New member
Leaving a gun in a car is probably not wise

When my car is at my home, either parked in the driveway or garage, there are never-never any guns left in that vehicle. They are brought in and locked up. Normally, when I'm motoring about, my carry piece is my "car" piece. I put it into a convenient map slot in my driver's door where I can have immediate access to it. When I leave my car, I take it with me. I think leaving a firearm in a car is just inviting a disaster.

Oh, and another thing: You out there who have young children.....Listen to me and listen carefully........LOCK YOUR CAR WHEN IT IS PARKED ANYWHERE, ESPECIALLY AT HOME !!! Why?
How many times have you heard of very young children getting into an unlocked car at home, getting trapped, then dying from the heat? If your car is locked, this should never happen and don't think a car thief would think twice about stealing your car right out of your driveway.
 
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Molly

New member
Thanks all for the concerned replies. One points:

A gun that is in the car but unloaded is not useless. Clearly it may be no good in some cases, but I would rather have a gun and ammo that only needs loading than to have no gun at all, again, in some circumstances. Like the time when I had a flat in my $60K car and was sitting on the side of an empty state road for an hour waiting for BMW assistance to show up. A car full of punks passed by several times rather slowly, for what I thought at the time was to assess my eligability as a mugging target. They did eventually fade off and not return, but I was glad to know that my .38 was under the seat in its pouch, with about 10 rounds with it.

I do like the idea of the safe in the car but they all seem to be made for trucks only. I will keep searching.
 
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