CC around kids. That's something that could very well become complicated if not simply thought of. #1......have your firearms that are out of the safe with you at all times. This rules out the possibilities of the children finding and experimenting with any of them. #2...as you've previously stated, children and firearms education starts at home whenever it becomes necessary. You can bet your bottom tax dollar that firearms education won't happen in schools. It's an individual/parent's responsibility. #3.....CC is CC, and CC around kids may very well educate you in the best ways and means to stay concealed. The only reason anything would ever come up such as "daddy...why do you wear a gun?" would be if you were not fully responsible in the undertaking to begin with. In my opinion, sometimes folks over-think things when they don't really need to. Most of the times the answers to our most asked questions are right before us and so simple at times that they're easily overlooked. IMO, you're over-thinking things when you should be thinking in simple terms. Educate your children about firearms when the time is right for you to do so. Concealed carry and remaining concealed includes those of your family that don't need to know at the time just as if you were concealing in public. Reveal only when you feel it's time to explain and educate. In essence, there's no childproofing anything unless you are responsible for your own actions. This way....so called child-proofing is unnecessary so long as you take responsibility. The term child-proofing comes to bear when those responsible for the children fail in their responsibilities. That's the only time one could think of child-proofing anything. The ultimate responsibility lies with you, and not protecting your children from harm in what you do or how you do it. If you are fully responsible for everything you do, then child-proofing isn't necessary. Plain and simple.

 

Well said!

 

I always keep my weapons in the safe except the one that I am carrying. At night, I used to put that one weapon in my nightstand drawer. Once my son started walking, I elevated it to the closet. Once he started climbing, I bought a quick access gun vault.

 

Well I agree, on your person is the only way to keep a gun around children. Ya never know when you're gonna need to shoot one!













Ok, that was a joke! Don't get your panties in a wad! :rofl:

 

When my grand kids are over all guns are locked in the safe except my carry gun.

 

My children know I carry. It isn't anything out of the ordinary for them. Quite easy for them since I have a small safe mounted in the kitchen. When we come home from somewhere I always put my pistol in it. They really don't have much interest in guns yet. They see it as another adult thing, nothing interesting.

 

I have a gun cabinet and two spring operated handgun safes, because I have small children. Both of my children have shot at the gun club, .22 pistol and rifle. One of the greatest satisfactions in my life was the look in the eyes of the 4 year old after squeezing off 10 rounds with the Mk III faster than most adults probably could. Of course, I was holding the barrel support and the bottom of the pistol grip. Since then both girls have shot the 10/22 on the one hundred yard range with dad either holding or helping to hold the rifle. Don't need rounds skipping or flying over the berm, or worse. Just writing reminds me how great the weather is in NC and it's time for a another trip to the range.

Thanks for the refresher course on gun safety and kids!

 

If there is a gun that is not in the safe, then it should be on your person.

However, children should be drilled with gun safety. You can do EVERYTHING in your power to make sure that YOUR guns are safely stored, but you can't always say the same about other parents. If your kid goes and visits someone that doesn't share the same discipline with their weapon, your child will have to know not to play with the gun and possibly need to prevent friends from doing it as well.

 

If there is a gun that is not in the safe, then it should be on your person.

However, children should be drilled with gun safety. You can do EVERYTHING in your power to make sure that YOUR guns are safely stored, but you can't always say the same about other parents. If your kid goes and visits someone that doesn't share the same discipline with their weapon, your child will have to know not to play with the gun and possibly need to prevent friends from doing it as well.

:hand10:
This is why it is so important to teach kids as early as possible about the potential dangers of firearms. My kid will never get hold of one in my house, without my supervision, but who knows what the parents of his buddy down the street do with their guns.

 

I also believe in gun proofing the child.

I have two children in my life. My grandson who is four and a friends daughter who is five.

My grandson knows the difference between his toy guns and a real gun. I have taught him what a real gun can do and he knows he is not to touch one until he is old enough to start target shooting and hunting. I feel confident he will not be a problem. When I go to visit I take my carry gun off and put it on the bookcase top shelf in the living room. As with all boys he likes to rough house with grandpa and I don't want the gun on my body when he does.

As for my friends little girl I just leave my gun in the car when I go over there. They live out in the woods and her dad has plenty of firearms in the house should they be needed. He also has a nice little shooting range out behind his house which is another reason I like to go over there. :smile:

 

I was very proud of my 4 yr old last week when he was playing with some other boys and one of them started pointing a toy gun at the others and telling them he would "shoot them dead". My son told him it is NEVER safe to point a gun at someone and told him if he was going to play that way that he wouldn't play. I stood back for a minute proud and then sat them all down and talked alittle about gun safety. I have our long guns locked up along with his bb gun in a locked gun cabinet and he knows he is not to even touch the cabinet w/o mom or dad around.
The boys now squirel hunt in the backyard with their toys guns.

 

All of my guns are locked in a safe except for what I am carrying. And if I am at home it is usually a snubnose revolver in a Smartcarry.

The Smartcarry still allows me to roughhouse with my boys and not worry about losing control of my pistol

 

I believe Cornered Cat had a very good article about how to introduce a child to guns. She made a deal with the child that any time the child wanted to see the gun, all he had to do was ask, and do it while Cat was supervising. She feels this removes the mystery of the gun.

Cornered Cat - The First Lesson (Kids and Gun Safety)

 

Thanks for telling me about this article. I had never read it. Good stuff and very well said. I like her website, but I've never read this part of it.

 

Well, I am not sure I can add anything new to the discussion other than to say that my wife and I both carry daily. We have two children (ages 6 and 8) and have carried for three years now. It really comes down to the two standards mentioned: education and secure firearms. Anything above that is complicating the issue. My kids know the gun safety rules and the comply. I also keep all guns secure so it never becomes an issue when I can't supervise. When I see the curious look in their eyes I clear my gun, make it safe, and let them hold it. Thirty seconds later they are satisfied and life moves on. They have only done that a couple times in three years.

Gun safety with children really is easy. Educate and Secure.

 

If I amy add a few questions into the mix as I am both new to conceal carry firearms and to father hood.

My son is 7 months old now and probably only a few months from walking.

I already have a Cannon gun safe:
Costco - Cannon Safe C21E Fire & Security Vault with E-Lock

When my wife's and my carry gun are not on us, they are in the safe.

Q's:
1. do you put a gun lock on the guns in your safe too?
2. Can anyone recommend a good course for child gun safety or at least a place to start on that path?
3. How old should your kid be when you fist let them see a gun, hold the gun, and shoot the gun?
4. A buddy of mine doesn't allow any toy guns of any kind in his house. He feels this way his children consider any gun a real gun and never a toy.
Do you guys do this as well?
5. I am looking at paddle holsters for my 220, do you guys mostly only use a holster that has some form of securing strap clasp to keep the gun in its holster around kids?

 

Q's:
1. do you put a gun lock on the guns in your safe too?
2. Can anyone recommend a good course for child gun safety or at least a place to start on that path?
3. How old should your kid be when you fist let them see a gun, hold the gun, and shoot the gun?
4. A buddy of mine doesn't allow any toy guns of any kind in his house. He feels this way his children consider any gun a real gun and never a toy.
Do you guys do this as well?
5. I am looking at paddle holsters for my 220, do you guys mostly only use a holster that has some form of securing strap clasp to keep the gun in its holster around kids?

1. If your safe is always closed and locked (with a real locking mechanism) there won't be a need to add individual locks to each firearm. If your kids have access to the safe by knowing the combo or having any possible access to the key (no matter how unlikely) then change the combo or keep all copies of the key with you/your wife.

2. I taught my step-daughter when she was 16 (shortly after I became her step-father) so we were beyond that stage already. However, I believe the NRA has some good info to get started with.

3. That's going to be your call based on your assessment of the child and whether or not they are able to understand the basic concepts involved. When you're ready to introduce the idea of firearms you can start with a movie or TV show where firearms are used and discuss what's going on. Later, visit a gun range just for the child to observe. Use his/her reactions to these situations to gauge whether it's appropriate to put their hands on a real gun.

4. Some people choose to be very strict about toy guns, some do not and both sides have their arguments. Your kid, your choice. Even as a little kid, I knew the difference between a real gun and a toy gun. That kind of strictness would have amounted to nothing more than a pain in the ass for me. The better you know your kid, the easier it will be to make the right decision for him/her.

5. I didn't bother but, like I said, I didn't need to because I became an "instant dad" to a 16 yr old. It seems prudent to use a holster with some kind of retention strap or mechanism. Something that will alert you to the fact that your pistol has attracted the curiosity of small hands and give you plenty of time to react.

 

the rule in our house is "if its not on me, its under lock and key".

 

Children are dangerous in direct reverse proportion to their age, until they become teenagers, and then you start all over again.

Raising your kids around firearms is not impossible or crazy. In fact, the very act of such removes the mystique of the item in question and normalizes the concept. Not to say that they become complacent, just that they won't either run screaming into the wilderness, or become morbidly fascinated by a mere glimpse of an exposed gun.

Personally, I would love to see a nationwide socialized program to educate kids about firearms in Public Schools. Some folks think that sex education will reduce teen pregnancy, etc.

I think that the exact same argument can be made for firearms.

After all, telling kids to not touch them (ahem...:gah works real well huh?

How about this:

In the 1st grade, we teach them just that: Don't touch.

About 5th grade, we teach them the safety rules and take them out with a BB gun or some such.

In the 9-12th grade levels, we expand the training to include some basic marksmanship and further strengthen the emphasis on safety.

Don't think it can be pushed through?

That's what was said about sex ed in the 50's.

Just a thought...
:smoke23:

 

:aargh4: No I don't think gun's should even be discussed in school !