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Guns were never "left" around the kids intentionally...but with four adults in a home, two military, and one in law enforcement...guns on the table happened once in awhile. (Yes, I raised heck when it did!).
Age five is about right. For education, when you clean your gun each week, show her the parts, and how it works. This quells the "curiosity"...the gun is viewed as "yours"..and it is viewed as fairly routine and boring. Always stress she can only touch it when you allow her to do so.
There will no doubt be other viewpoints on this subject.
Concealed weapons permit...not in Illinois where I live.
My dd does know I have the gun, but I guess I did make it forbidden to touch. I tried to quell her curiousity by showing her and letting her hold it, unloaded of course, and told her that she was never supposed to touch or play around with guns. Then it was put away and she never saw it or asked about it again. She's only 5 though...how old were your kids when you taught them about guns and left guns around them?
Also, for Dew Drop Inn...I did find a gun safety class for $75, and registered for it. Keeping my family safe is definitely important, thanks for the tip.
My daughter too is 5 years old. When we had both burglary and a near-home invasion (DH just happened to be awake and at the door... they weren't prepared for him. But damage already done to our car) in a matter of days, we got a shot gun. Especially since my husband works long shifts and DD and I are essentially alone and unprotected. We explained to her that it was for self-protection against the bad guys, and *stressed* to her that it was dangerous and how it was dangerous. She was allowed to look at it, but not allowed to touch it unless she had the ok from her parents. To mark it "forbidden" only makes it enticing to a point the kid's going to want to try to play with it unsupervised. So DH and I did what we could do to normalize it (by not making it a big deal, also sitting down explaining and educating). We left the gun loaded (but locked) where she possibly *could* reach it.
Since we are often home alone because of DH's schedule, I've thought of getting a gun. We live in a neighborhood similar to OP's. But I am very afraid of guns! I just don't think I have the right temperament for them. So, I sleep with a baseball bat next to my bed.
I have a gun that I keep unloaded and high on a shelf that my 5yo could not reach. Lately where I live, there has been an alarming number of armed robberies, car jackings, shootings, and home invasions, including a couple in broad daylight, and involving a mother home with her children. I live alone with my dd, and it's gotten to the point that I feel I need to have that gun loaded and accessible. At the same time, I need to have it secured so that my dd is not in danger.
I've heard that gun locks still allow the trigger to be pulled, and keeping it locked in a box would mean having to find the key and unlock it while someone is already holding theirs. For gun owners with children, how do you secure your weapons in your home so that they are safe and easy to get to?
Why do you have a loaded gun around with a 5 year old child in the house? My son was a "climber" when he was 18 mos. old and by the time he was 5, he would have figured out how to climb up there for sure and pull the damn trigger. Please, please, please, buy a lockbox for that thing and wear the key around your neck!! Better yet, get a dog. Unless you figure out a way to secure that gun, you could find yourself celebrating one of your Mother's Days alone with no child. Hard core? You betcha....I fear for your child.
Where do you live that you feel it necessary to have a loaded gun? Perhaps you should look into moving to a better section of "town" where the need for a gun is not as evident. You could always get a house alarm that ties directly into a security company who will phone the police. We have a house alarm and I accidently tripped it and the police were at my house in less than 5 minutes! We also have a small female pit bull who looks mean but really isn't. Just the fact that we have her is enough to deter most people from trying to get in here.
Either get rid of the gun or lock it up!! In the meantime take the damn bullets out of it...PLEASE.
Why do you have a loaded gun around with a 5 year old child in the house? My son was a "climber" when he was 18 mos. old and by the time he was 5, he would have figured out how to climb up there for sure and pull the damn trigger. Please, please, please, buy a lockbox for that thing and wear the key around your neck!! Better yet, get a dog. Unless you figure out a way to secure that gun, you could find yourself celebrating one of your Mother's Days alone with no child. Hard core? You betcha....I fear for your child.
Where do you live that you feel it necessary to have a loaded gun? Perhaps you should look into moving to a better section of "town" where the need for a gun is not as evident. You could always get a house alarm that ties directly into a security company who will phone the police. We have a house alarm and I accidently tripped it and the police were at my house in less than 5 minutes! We also have a small female pit bull who looks mean but really isn't. Just the fact that we have her is enough to deter most people from trying to get in here.
Either get rid of the gun or lock it up!! In the meantime take the damn bullets out of it...PLEASE.
Hmmm. I'm sure OP posted to get some feedback on how to protect the child and herself with a gun that she has a right to own. PP have said there is a way for her to have her gun loaded AND be safe. Why do you feel the need to give her a verbal lashing?
Since OP is in a situation very similar to me, I'll give an answer as to why one can't just up and move: money. I'd love to move out of our area but we just don't have the money right now. It costs a lot to move - first & last month rent + security + the cost of moving = mucho dinero. Same with a security system: it costs money that some of us don't have and if you rent, your LL may not allow you to have one.
Hmmm. I'm sure OP posted to get some feedback on how to protect the child and herself with a gun that she has a right to own. PP have said there is a way for her to have her gun loaded AND be safe. Why do you feel the need to give her a verbal lashing?
Since OP is in a situation very similar to me, I'll give an answer as to why one can't just up and move: money. I'd love to move out of our area but we just don't have the money right now. It costs a lot to move - first & last month rent + security + the cost of moving = mucho dinero. Same with a security system: it costs money that some of us don't have and if you rent, your LL may not allow you to have one.
She also said that it is kept unloaded, that she is getting a lock box before loading it and will be taking a gun safety course.
Why do you have a loaded gun around with a 5 year old child in the house? My son was a "climber" when he was 18 mos. old and by the time he was 5, he would have figured out how to climb up there for sure and pull the damn trigger. Please, please, please, buy a lockbox for that thing and wear the key around your neck!! Better yet, get a dog. Unless you figure out a way to secure that gun, you could find yourself celebrating one of your Mother's Days alone with no child. Hard core? You betcha....I fear for your child.
Where do you live that you feel it necessary to have a loaded gun? Perhaps you should look into moving to a better section of "town" where the need for a gun is not as evident. You could always get a house alarm that ties directly into a security company who will phone the police. We have a house alarm and I accidently tripped it and the police were at my house in less than 5 minutes! We also have a small female pit bull who looks mean but really isn't. Just the fact that we have her is enough to deter most people from trying to get in here.
Either get rid of the gun or lock it up!! In the meantime take the damn bullets out of it...PLEASE.
In addition to the two posts above me, I'll add that all able-bodied adults have a fundamental right in this country to arm themselves. It may not be something you or I choose to do, but we can if we want to. I think it is a good idea for everyone to learn about gun safety, because nobody can be too careful around a gun. Children should know that must never, ever touch one without an adult's permission, and if they are at a friend's house and someone says, "Hey, want to see my dad's gun?" they must leave or call a parent. The young son of one of my teachers in high school was nearly shot in the face because a friend was playing with a gun in the garage. The parents thought it was well hidden.
Whatever the OP's reason for wanting a gun, I think she is doing the responsible thing and learning how to own one safely.
In addition to the two posts above me, I'll add that all able-bodied adults have a fundamental right in this country to arm themselves. It may not be something you or I choose to do, but we can if we want to. I think it is a good idea for everyone to learn about gun safety, because nobody can be too careful around a gun. Children should know that must never, ever touch one without an adult's permission, and if they are at a friend's house and someone says, "Hey, want to see my dad's gun?" they must leave or call a parent. The young son of one of my teachers in high school was nearly shot in the face because a friend was playing with a gun in the garage. The parents thought it was well hidden.
You raise an excellent point that even if one doesn't own a firearm personally, gun safety should always be taught to children along with other basic personal safety.
Around here many people own firearms, and children will see them.
I grew up with firearms in our house, we were taught how to use them at about 11 years of age. We did have a near-tragedy when my mother got up in the night to investigate a noise, my dad heard my mom (didn't know it was her), got a weapon and went to investigate. After that we had more safety training.
My concern would be the risk of hurting yourself or your child in the act of protecting yourself. In addition to the excellent advice to take a safety course, I would advise also doing regular target practice. The more comfortable you are with the firearm, the less likley something will go wrong during a period of stress.
Why do you have a loaded gun around with a 5 year old child in the house? My son was a "climber" when he was 18 mos. old and by the time he was 5, he would have figured out how to climb up there for sure and pull the damn trigger. Please, please, please, buy a lockbox for that thing and wear the key around your neck!! Better yet, get a dog. Unless you figure out a way to secure that gun, you could find yourself celebrating one of your Mother's Days alone with no child. Hard core? You betcha....I fear for your child.
Where do you live that you feel it necessary to have a loaded gun? Perhaps you should look into moving to a better section of "town" where the need for a gun is not as evident. You could always get a house alarm that ties directly into a security company who will phone the police. We have a house alarm and I accidently tripped it and the police were at my house in less than 5 minutes! We also have a small female pit bull who looks mean but really isn't. Just the fact that we have her is enough to deter most people from trying to get in here.
Either get rid of the gun or lock it up!! In the meantime take the damn bullets out of it...PLEASE.
For the things I didn't make clear...I live in an apartment, so I can't install a house alarm. For the same reason, I can't own a dog. I don't have the money to move anywhere else, so I have to live here for now.
For the things I DID make perfectly clear and you failed to comprehend, I DO NOT keep the gun loaded. And every child isn't like yours; my child does not climb, and could never get to the top of a bookshelf to reach that gun, even if she stood on a chair. And even is she somehow managed it, the bullets are in a separate location and she can't load it herself. It is in a safe place now...my question was how to keep it loaded AND safe. Read carefully next time before responding.
And for the record, I own my gun legally and have the right to do so. My question was not whether I SHOULD own a gun, but how to keep it safely loaded. I appreciate the helpful and thoughtful advice I have gotten from other posters, but don't appreciate the self righteous "why don't you move" and "buy a security system" kind of comments. Obviously, if I could move, I would. For now, the best I can do is protect myself and my child, which I have the right to do.
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