Guns and Toddlers

I keep my weapon in the holster most of the time. The trigger is covered and nobody in my house is going to sneak up on my and try to push the release button. My 4 year old daughter is very conscious of daddy's "safe side" and "dangerous side" as she calls them. When I unholster for bed, shower or whatever it goes straight into a biometric gun vault. There's no in-between. I won't even set it down outside the safe while I change clothes. If its never set down loaded outside the safe or holster then it will never be overlooked and turn into a tragedy.
I also make sure my daughter gets plenty of opportunities to see how it works. She knows where the mag release is and what it means when the chamber loaded indicator is sticking up. She knows the basic safety rules, and that she should leave it alone and go find a grow-up if she ever sees a gun laying around. My wife and I occasionally leave an empty (double checked by both of us) weapon for her to find to make sure she does as she's told.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TSiWRX

??? I'm not sure I understand this...please elaborate?

---

I'm a novice at firearms. I grew up in a household and was not allowed to even have toy guns. So my level of awareness with my firearm, my level of trust in myself with them is not where I would like it to be. I assume after a few years it will be second nature with continued practice and learning.
Also, this is my first kid and her intelligence, stealth, and quickness surprise me. (ok so I have no idea what I'm doing at child rearing)

Quote:

---

If this is how you choose to impose an extra level of safety, please remember to occasionally check your child/children's ability to pull back the slide and chamber a round. :smile:

---

Thank you.

Only saw the thread title, no time to read the posts, so let me just make my suggestion: nothing bigger than a subcompact in a .25 to .32 cal. And sew some mag pouches into their diaper. Toddlers are always losing things!

I've got 5 kids, I keep mine either in my holster or in the safe. I've got the push button kind of safe (with a key back up if the batteries go) that's mounted on the wall. My gun always has one chambered - whether it's in my holster or in the safe. I never let myself get in the habit of setting it down anywhere, loaded or not, kids home or not. From the holster to the safe, from the safe to the holster.

I was a bit nervous at first at grabby hands or a foot at the waist when picking one of them up but a good holster and the gun stays in place, the trigger is covered.

^ Exactly the same with me, too.

I only have one to worry about, but it's the same thing. It's either in the safe or on my person. No exceptions, ever.

Always and absolute positive control over the firearm.

A good holster is always a good investment, for a number of reasons. Grabby kids included!


-------

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by i10casual

I'm a novice at firearms. I grew up in a household and was not allowed to even have toy guns. So my level of awareness with my firearm, my level of trust in myself with them is not where I would like it to be. I assume after a few years it will be second nature with continued practice and learning.

---

Ah! I see, now. :smile: No worries, you will learn fast - I recommend reading, participating in discussions (never being afraid to ask a genuine question, since we've all been beginners at one time or another :yup:), and, importantly, finding some like-minded locals.

Quote:

---

Also, this is my first kid and her intelligence, stealth, and quickness surprise me. (ok so I have no idea what I'm doing at child rearing)

---

Hey, I don't think that any of us first-time-parents (myself included) have much of an idea! It's as much luck as it is anything else!

And yes, I agree with you, totally.

And that's a big part of the reason why I encouraged you to remember to test your child's strength/dexterity, when it comes to chambering a round. They grow so fast and they can pick up new skills/capabilities so quickly. Be sure that your safety efforts can withstand even their best attempts: my daughter, as a three-year-old didn't have the strength or dexterity to chamber a round, but now that she's six-and-a-half, it's a completely different story, particularly as she can properly execute an overhand stroke. It's no bother tapping in the combo to your safe with your infant cradled in your arms, but be careful to let your puzzle-loving child watch you spin the knob or key in your code - they just may be slowly memorizing the pattern. :blink::image035:

:smile:

Same issues plus a generation, i.e. grand kids.

In a gun safe, or on my person in a good holster. (The trigger must be covered.)

In any kind of realistic emergency, you'll likely have a squirmy toddler in one hand. The other hand needs to be able to function alone, so yes loaded and chambered.

My guns are loaded and ready for me and my sixteen year old son. I have been carrying at home lately but I always have a second gun loaded for my son when I'm gone. I might get a wheel gun for him when I'm not here.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by iKelvin

Sorry, were you saying I shouldn't carry having toddlers or cracking a joke about toddlers being too young to carry?

---

if you have to ask, than im all for refering the question to Mr. Spock for an answer

---------------
2 BHP's placed about the home and you and the mrs each have a loaded magazine.
the gun without the mag is useless ( with a tip-of-the-hat to Murphy) but for
you and the wife--its there when you need it.

BHP's may be pricy but in 8 or so years you can get back what you paid, perhaps more depending on how carefully you researched what you buy now.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lish

I've got 5 kids, I keep mine either in my holster or in the safe. I've got the push button kind of safe (with a key back up if the batteries go) that's mounted on the wall. My gun always has one chambered - whether it's in my holster or in the safe. I never let myself get in the habit of setting it down anywhere, loaded or not, kids home or not. From the holster to the safe, from the safe to the holster.

I was a bit nervous at first at grabby hands or a foot at the waist when picking one of them up but a good holster and the gun stays in place, the trigger is covered.

---

You've got room for five kids in your safe? Big safe!

I have twin two year old boys. I'm an LEO, so I spend all my time at work wearing a uniform, gun belt, and vest. Given that, I like to dress down at home as much as possible, generally that involves a t-shirt and gym shorts (in warm weather) or sweat pants (in cool weather). As such, I can't carry my usual carry guns around the house and keep my pants up. I carry a Kel-Tec P32 with a pocket clip in my pocket. I have two lock boxes with electronic locks (and key backups) in the house. I keep a key chain with the keys to them both in my other pocket, even when I am sleeping. When I get home I put my duty weapon (G23), backup (G27), Taser, and OC spray into the lock box in the kitchen. Then I change clothes and get the P32 out of the lock box and put it in my pocket. The other lock box is in my bedroom and contains my home defense handguns. My actual gun safe is in the garage in a room that is climate controlled and the kids have no access to it without multiple (different) keys and a complete lack of supervision.

I never carried on my person at home before I had kids, but since they were born I have had to change my procedures at lot. In the past I simply always had a loaded gun within arms reach. Hopefully the P32 will get me to one of my lock boxes should the need ever arise. I just bought a NAA PUG .22 Magnum, and I might start carrying that in my other pocket.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by joker1

Welcome to the forum!

If I'm awake my loaded (one in the chamber with a full magazine) EDC is in my holster on my hip. The holster covers the trigger so the gun is safe. I routinely wrestle 3 nephews in this mode of carry without an issue yet. When I undress for the day my pistol goes into a Homak lock box which sits on my nightstand. 5 keystrokes and I'm in the box. My wife and teenage daughter have both been shooting and know not to mess with the guns but I take the precautions anyway.

Pistol is loaded unless I'm cleaning it.

---

It is as if joker1 wrote my response for me.

I couldn't bring myself to trusting the fingerprint scan, so I went of for the Gunvault safe (the one with the outline of a hand for the keys), and would recommend this safe to others.

As for one in the chamber, I thought it was an unnecessary move for a while and that the added risks were not justified by the extra second it takes to rack the pistol. I have since changed my mind after doing some drills with an *UNLOADED* pistol (check, check, check, and re-check). Had a mock-attacker come at me from across a medium size room (20ft. or so). I actually asked him to really go for it (but try not to break anything) because I generally wanted to be 'scared'. I felt like if I knew he was just running at me, but was not going to inflict real pain, my response would not be genuine and representative. Through this process, I determined that I'm not willing to dedicate both hands to the firearm when someone is coming at me. I need one to try and keep the danger at bay.

I also did tests to try and get my trigger to pull while the gun is holstered. With the holster/gun combination I use (PPQ in a Silent Thunder holster) it seems impossible under real life situation, though I was eventually able to pull the trigger back while in the holster if I bent a paper clip into a perfect form, slid it in, turned it, and pulled just right.

The decision of keeping one in the chamber is up to you. I suspect that you may initially choose to not have a round in the chamber, but as you become more comfortable and practiced, you will move to have one in the chamber. Even if you don't have a manual safety (which I do not).

One final thought. After doing the research and deciding that having and carrying a pistol was the best decision for me, I had to convince my wife. She was concerned and like me, she did not grow up around guns, but had read all the propaganda about how dangerous they are to have in the house. (I maintain that they are dangerous, but much more so to bad guys)

I pointed to the set of razor sharp kitchen knives up on the counter and asked her why she was comfortable not locking them up. My point wasn't to argue that we should leave loaded weapons sitting around the house, but rather that our perception of danger is driven by propaganda which has been fueled by our own ignorance.

The guns are either on my person or in my safe. The knives are still on the counter.

My daughter - a very mature 5.5 y.o. - won't touch either without asking, but when she does ask, we let her under strict guidance. We took her to the range for the first time last weekend, and she had a good time shooting a kid-size .22lr rifle. Most importantly, she was *safe*, never once breaking any of the golden rules. I have a nephew who is 10, and I have some serious reservations regarding whether he is mature enough to handle firearms, and when he visits, I doubt that I will take him to the range. I'll leave it up to you to take from that what you will.