So I've read back and found one thread that deals with how to manage the balancing act of allowing for quick access to a home defense weapon and securing said weapon away from little hands. The post had many suggestions, but I'm afraid no preferred solutions.
My situation: I have one child, turns two in February, and one child on the way, due in February. One more is planned, maybe 2 years from February? :yup:
My toddler is too young to handle the responsibility of gun training and safety. It looks like I will be in the situation of having one child old enough to operate a gun accidentally, but too young to realize what he/she is doing for at least 4 more years, if not 6+. I live in the country where the police are not around the corner, and even if they were, the corner is more than a mile down the road in one direction and 3.5 in the other. My weapons are my first line of defense against any home intruders.
The assumptions I am operating under are and willing to accept:
1 - My child will not wake me up every time he enters my room. I sleep well.
2 - I am human, and therefore will not always perform things perfectly and am prone to forget things. To avoid the soap boxes, if you are perfect I don't want to hear about the responsibility of gun ownership and all that, I got it; you're just smarter than I am and I'm not giving up my guns.
3 - In combat and high pressure situations, especially immediately after being woken from sleep, motor skills and cognitive ability is often severely compromised. Ask a combat veteran.
4 - Time is of the essence.
5 - Given infinite monkeys on infinite key boards, the monkeys will eventually write every book ever written... not to compare my child to a monkey, but he will eventually figure out how to get the magazine into the weapon and load the weapon, given time and opportunity.
6 - Murphy's Law; assumption #5 will occur when I'm asleep.
7 - My child will figure out all the hiding spots in the house quicker than I will... he's proficient at this already. Hiding the gun is not satisfactory.
8 - The purpose of the retention devise is not to avoid theft, but only to prevent little hands access to the weapons.
So the question: it is statistically unlikely that I'm the only person on the forum that is in this situation or one similar, what is everyone else doing? I know this is a dilemma and not a problem and therefore may not have a preferable solution; but I'm interested in what the best compromise everyone else has come up with.
The way I see it is a balancing act between security and accessibility. What is the sweet spot? Have you ever used a weapon in home defense, or do you know someone who has? What timeframe is the weapon needed in?
Thanks for any insight,
Jason
My situation: I have one child, turns two in February, and one child on the way, due in February. One more is planned, maybe 2 years from February? :yup:
My toddler is too young to handle the responsibility of gun training and safety. It looks like I will be in the situation of having one child old enough to operate a gun accidentally, but too young to realize what he/she is doing for at least 4 more years, if not 6+. I live in the country where the police are not around the corner, and even if they were, the corner is more than a mile down the road in one direction and 3.5 in the other. My weapons are my first line of defense against any home intruders.
The assumptions I am operating under are and willing to accept:
1 - My child will not wake me up every time he enters my room. I sleep well.
2 - I am human, and therefore will not always perform things perfectly and am prone to forget things. To avoid the soap boxes, if you are perfect I don't want to hear about the responsibility of gun ownership and all that, I got it; you're just smarter than I am and I'm not giving up my guns.
3 - In combat and high pressure situations, especially immediately after being woken from sleep, motor skills and cognitive ability is often severely compromised. Ask a combat veteran.
4 - Time is of the essence.
5 - Given infinite monkeys on infinite key boards, the monkeys will eventually write every book ever written... not to compare my child to a monkey, but he will eventually figure out how to get the magazine into the weapon and load the weapon, given time and opportunity.
6 - Murphy's Law; assumption #5 will occur when I'm asleep.
7 - My child will figure out all the hiding spots in the house quicker than I will... he's proficient at this already. Hiding the gun is not satisfactory.
8 - The purpose of the retention devise is not to avoid theft, but only to prevent little hands access to the weapons.
So the question: it is statistically unlikely that I'm the only person on the forum that is in this situation or one similar, what is everyone else doing? I know this is a dilemma and not a problem and therefore may not have a preferable solution; but I'm interested in what the best compromise everyone else has come up with.
The way I see it is a balancing act between security and accessibility. What is the sweet spot? Have you ever used a weapon in home defense, or do you know someone who has? What timeframe is the weapon needed in?
Thanks for any insight,
Jason