Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
After carefully weighing the pros and cons and conferring with my wife, I have purchased my first personal handgun, a Taurus 9mm.
I carried a 9mm on duty while in the Navy and was thoroughly trained on how to use it. I plan on taking a CWP course soon, but don't have any intentions of actually carrying it around. I just would like the additional training.
I live in a safe neighborhood with an alarm system on the house for extra security. Also have two dogs, so not really worried about a home invasion or break in. I mostly bought it for "insurance" in case there ever is a SHTF scenario. I do plan to take it to the range now and then to stay comfortable with the gun.
My wife and I are at odds though about the weapon. Right now it is unloaded and in a secure space. I want to show the gun to my children and explain to them that it is a deadly weapon and not a toy. My wife thinks I should not tell them. I feel kids will find it eventually, but I do have two gun locks on it.
After carefully weighing the pros and cons and conferring with my wife, I have purchased my first personal handgun, a Taurus 9mm.
I carried a 9mm on duty while in the Navy and was thoroughly trained on how to use it. I plan on taking a CWP course soon, but don't have any intentions of actually carrying it around. I just would like the additional training.
I live in a safe neighborhood with an alarm system on the house for extra security. Also have two dogs, so not really worried about a home invasion or break in. I mostly bought it for "insurance" in case there ever is a SHTF scenario. I do plan to take it to the range now and then to stay comfortable with the gun.
My wife and I are at odds though about the weapon. Right now it is unloaded and in a secure space. I want to show the gun to my children and explain to them that it is a deadly weapon and not a toy. My wife thinks I should not tell them. I feel kids will find it eventually, but I do have two gun locks on it.
Sounds like a worthless paper weight now. Take too long to secure in a emergency.
IMHO, you should show it to them and maybe even take them to the range and have them shoot it once. My Dad had a small .22 revolver that he kept in his home office when I was a kid. (I'm 57 now so we are talking mid '60s.) I'll bet, to this day, he doesn't know that I used to not only know where it was but I used to sneak in there and 'play' with it. Because of TV, I knew enough not to pull the trigger but I wanted to soooo bad! When my daughter was young, I had a trap shooting shotgun locked and in a case in my bedroom closet. I showed it to her and she couldn't have cared less about it. Take the mystery out of it so they aren't tempted by it, and keep it safe with the locks. In some states, you can go to prison for not having a gun locked up, BTW.
After carefully weighing the pros and cons and conferring with my wife, I have purchased my first personal handgun, a Taurus 9mm.
I carried a 9mm on duty while in the Navy and was thoroughly trained on how to use it. I plan on taking a CWP course soon, but don't have any intentions of actually carrying it around. I just would like the additional training.
I live in a safe neighborhood with an alarm system on the house for extra security. Also have two dogs, so not really worried about a home invasion or break in. I mostly bought it for "insurance" in case there ever is a SHTF scenario. I do plan to take it to the range now and then to stay comfortable with the gun.
My wife and I are at odds though about the weapon. Right now it is unloaded and in a secure space. I want to show the gun to my children and explain to them that it is a deadly weapon and not a toy. My wife thinks I should not tell them. I feel kids will find it eventually, but I do have two gun locks on it.
JMHO but you, your wife AND your children should all learn to shoot it. Let the kids become familiar with it. Then if they do find it there is no mystery. Explaining its a dangerous weapon & then hiding it is going to be a temptation for them to look for it. Not telling them is just as bad if they do find it. My children started shooting around 4 or 5 & now I trust them more than most adults around guns. There is no mystery & they simply pay them no mind whatsoever unless we are going out to shoot.
First of all, you say you have gun locks. Do you mean trigger locks? THROW THOSE USELESS THINGS AWAY. Trigger locks are no good, in that you can still fire a weapon with one on. They will give you a false sense of security.
Second. You don't tell us how old your children are. Even if you plan to keep your weapon in a gun safe 24 hours a day, they will find the weapon when you take it out, clean it, etc. And when that happens their natural curiosity will take over and then that's when trouble starts. If there are old enough, 9 or 10, at least show them the weapon, show them how it works, give them a quick tutorial on it, including basic safety leasons. That will at least aleviate their natural curiousity. Regardless, invest in PROPER gun safety devices, not trigger locks, They have safes you can open by touch that attach near your bed.
Use discipline and common sense in not leaving weapons laying around in a moment of laziness or oversight - gun safety responsibility is part of gun ownership.
If you want to go to the next level and if they are old enough, you can take them to the gun range, really train them in gun handling, etc.
I'd recommend she read or listen to the audio book by Gavin DeBecker on "the Gift of Fear". Gavin is not pro-gun but he makes compelling arguments that it is not wise to dismiss clues of danger.
I suspect your wife is uncomfortable with a gun in the home because she has had no exposure, education, or experience with them. Help her find a ladies firearms class to attend so that she can confront her fears and be in the company of other women who have experienced similar but have overcome them.
Thanks for all of the great advice, especially the info from the last poster. One poster mentioned it is a paper weight right now, and I agree. But I am just taking baby steps until I take some of the safety courses as mentioned above.
Kudos for searching for safety classes. *THAT* is a fantastic idea IMO. Expect to know more, feel more comfortable, and above all be more safe, after taking some classes.
Please talk your wife into taking some classes with you. The more the better, even. Getting her used to shooting the gun would be the best of all, if you can talk her into it.
Don't pressure her to think or even dream of using it in a defensive situation, even though it is there for just that. Just get her more comfortable with shooting it, and maybe even some bulleye targets.
Give your kids safety talks, make sure that the gun can't be handled without you there, and above all take them shooting.
My wife can shoot, although she only does it seldom. All 4 of my kids can shoot, as can my son in law. My grandaughter is too young yet, but she will be able to shoot as she grows up too.
There is no mystery with guns in my home. They are locked up as safe as I can get them. The carry/defense handgun most used is in a quick access safe that the remaining children at home do not have access to, even in case of an emergency.
Their whole lives, all of my children knew that all they had to do to see one of my guns is to simply ask, and they certainly have done exactly that. When we go shoot (not near as often as I would like to of course) I usually let them pick which one they want to shoot even.
Ground rules have to be set in a household. Appropriate storage outside of the reach of curious hands are important. Not knowing the age of the children is a hindrance but kids can bring ammo into your home from a friend's house, easily.
When my daughter was 8, I put an unloaded Glock 27 into here hand. I asked here to cycle the slide. No problem. She couldn't budge it. I told her the rules of firearms and responsibility. She still remembers it. I had her dry fire it. It was scary and she didn't want to have anything to do with it. I advised her to tell a grown up and not handle a gun found anywhere. Always assume the gun is loaded. Never point it at anything you don't want to destroy. You cannot take a bullet back once it has left the barrel of a gun. The only reason for a gun is to kill something or someone.
Agree on a safe place to store it. Take a firearms safety class. Have your wife attend. Get your kids to attend shooting safety classes.
It is important for you, as a gun owner, the safe operation and handling of a gun. You must practice dry firing with an empty weapon for trigger control. Never assume the gun is NOT loaded. I do a visual and tactile check. I do it weather it comes from the safe, range bag or whatever.
You need to be intimately familiar with operation, clearance drills, shooting drills. Lastly, know the laws in your jurisdiction.
I was responsible for our dogs [and ducks they came back with] in the duck blinds when my Dad and his buddies were shooting at age 12 or so, maybe earlier. I was taught to clear before I went [Shotgun]. As an adult, I shot clay birds for fun and rifle for skill. My husband will shoot anything.....By age 9, both our daughters had been to the range with us. [I shot rifle and my husband pistol in leagues.] Their Dad had taught them gun safety and started with how to clear every gun in the house (handgun, shotgun, rifle). [They were also exposed to this with many family members who had guns-- several farmers who used them for varmint and control of nuisance animals, so with their cousins, out in the country, they got to use their range skills.] In their 30s now, one daughter has a CCW permit. Her sister couldn't care less, but she knows how everything works. Dad's safety rules worked.
Teach your wife gun safety . Start with clearing and unloading. Once she is happy with the gun being cleared, then teach her to load and take her to a range. Chances are she will not be afraid once she understands a gun.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
