Hiding Guns from Kids - Good Idea or Bad?

skot · July 3rd, 2009, 02:37 AM

First let me say that this thread is not about trying to hide an unlocked, loaded firearm from a child as a sole means of saftey. I think we all know that's insufficent and dangerous.

Here is my situation; I have a 6 year old son and 4 year old daughter. My son knows basic firearm safety (as well as a 6yo can anyway) and not to touch any gun unless I hand it to him. He has a crickett .22 and has shot several .22's and a .410.

All of my guns stay locked in a safe except for two that are in a locked drawer in my bedroom. These two (9mm & .40 auto's) are kept in condition 3 (i.e. full mags, empty chambers).

With all of this in mind is there any reason I should try to hide from my kids that there are guns in the locked drawer? Or should I just be open and honest with them that there are guns in it and hammer home the point that they are not to ever touch it under any circumstance?

My concern is not as much this stage in their lives, but more so when they are a little older, say early teens and want to show their friends 'dad's guns' or something along those lines. I'd like to decide on an approach now and be consistent through their upbringing.

rachilders · July 3rd, 2009, 03:20 AM

I have six kids between the ages of ten and thirty-seven and to "be open and honest with them that there are guns in it and hammer home the point that they are not to ever touch it" is usually the best approach from my experience, especially with young children who haven't fully developed a real concept of danger and it's effects. Believe me, at that age they know a gun is dangerous only because daddy said so, not because they reasoned out for themselves how a gun works, what damage a bullet does to a human body and how that damage can directly impact them if a gun is misused.

OTOH, children the age of your two require a different approach than the one you'll need when they become teens. By the time your kids are that age, they will have to decide for themselves what's right and wrong since trying to "protect" a teen from his/her self is more often than not an exercise in futility for EVERYONE involved. Luckily, you have a few years yet before you reach that point and by then, if you feel your guns must still be locked away to keep your kids from handling them in an unsafe or unwise manner, you've already lost the battle.

C9H13NO3 · July 3rd, 2009, 04:09 AM

I don't have kids, but I think a lot of what they do is driven by curiosity. If you take away all the mystery by being open about it, it kills off the curiosity about it.

Squawker · July 3rd, 2009, 04:27 AM

I don't have kids, and none come to my house. Because of that, I feel comfortable having guns throughout the house, hidden, in things such as cut out concealment books (My Beretta 93FS is sitting beside my recliner in the living room, in a Library book from Dan Diego, entitled "Shepard's Northwestern Reporter Citations- Every State and Federal Citation"- pretty boring sounding book, not one likely that someone would try to thumb through. I also have wall clocks which hold a hidden handgun. \I want to have a gun readily available, and I'm glad that I don't have children that I have to worry about. If I did, I just wouldn't feel comfortable with my current system, I would have to buy biometric safes. Even now, in the unlikely event that we would have a visitor that brought kids, I would take the book to my back closet, and store them in a safe.

GWRedDragon · July 3rd, 2009, 05:01 AM

When it comes to kids, hidden means nothing. Heck, when I was little I looked all over the place for 'dad's gun'. Expect them to look through all your stuff at some point. A locked drawer means "ooh, something interesting!"

Do not count on the drawer lock for security, either. It is probably relatively easy to open. Get a drawer mini-safe.

If you have a keyed safe rather than a combination safe, treat the key the same way you would treat the gun...keep it on your person at all times. If you have a combination safe, do not keep the number written down.

Kids are very smart, and they are also masters of imitating what you do. If they see you opening the safe, they will know how to do it.

SIGguy229 · July 3rd, 2009, 05:14 AM

I'm all for educating kids on firearms...started with my boys when they were 4 yr old....(now 6 and 12).

However, you might check with the laws of your state about control and access to firearms (I'm not saying you're going to leave it unlocked or give them the keys)...most of my guns are kept in the safe (where I know they can't get in), but I have one in a bedside COM safe (in a drawer) which is where it is kept while I'm sleeping (then it goes in a holster when I wake up).

The Eddie Eagle concepts still apply...don't touch, tell an adult....i don't think you need to tell them where you keep it.

usmc3169 · July 3rd, 2009, 05:21 AM

I would say show the kids and make sure that they know those things are dangerous.... we used to do a demonstration for Marines that hadn't been around explosives with a blasting cap, a foot or two of time fuse and an old kevlar helmet................:-)

goldshellback · July 3rd, 2009, 05:44 AM

Involve them when you clean them, show your 6yo how to clean his .22 after ya'll go shooting. Giving him a little responsability helps with removing the mystery of it all. At 10 years old I was cleaning my shotgun and rifles after hunting and range time, it was no big deal for me.

Also, reguardless of where you store your 'ready' sidearms, I'd invest in a 'quick' box.....a lock box specifically for handguns for storing. One with a combonation type cypher lock..... A locked drawer isn't secure when faced with a child's curiosty and imagination.

Vigiliance while raising children with guns in the houseis needed 24/7.....but.....knowledge and removing the 'taboo' mystery of your guns helps later on. Besids, kids have friends who will want to 'see' your guns and you won't always be home.

My daughters lost all curisioty and mystery when they started 'helping' me clean my guns after we had been to the range........cleaning ANYTHING made my girls not want to touch them;)

MinistrMalic · July 3rd, 2009, 10:01 AM

I practice the general sentiment of the thread. I think education is the key. I have made my firearms accessible to my kids any time they want. IOW, I let them hold, inspect, and fire anything I own. They clean them with me and have seen what a firearm does. The smaller ones (7 & 3) know how the gun goes BANG and that maintains a healthy respect.

Because the firearms are common items in our home, they are about as mysterious as a mop. So the kids don't get the urge to play with them. Now that being said, we homeschool so the kids are not home alone with guns much.

I just think that education and training is a far better method than hiding and intimidation.

Hopyard · July 3rd, 2009, 10:40 AM

I do not think education or secrecy are sufficient as your children move forward from their very young present age.

If not a gun safe, at least some sort of lock-box is necessary. Kids not only do the darndest most unexpected things, they sometimes start to get moody and emotional as they enter and pass through the teen years. Ten to 14 year olds don't really quite understand "dangerous" and they want to explore the boundaries of the word, "NO." I had a rather scary moment when mine was 10 ish. There aren't any good answers because even the best behaved child is a bit unpredictable.

July 3rd, 2009, 02:37 AM	#1
skot Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 147	Hiding Guns from Kids - Good Idea or Bad? First let me say that this thread is not about trying to hide an unlocked, loaded firearm from a child as a sole means of saftey. I think we all know that's insufficent and dangerous. Here is my situation; I have a 6 year old son and 4 year old daughter. My son knows basic firearm safety (as well as a 6yo can anyway) and not to touch any gun unless I hand it to him. He has a crickett .22 and has shot several .22's and a .410. All of my guns stay locked in a safe except for two that are in a locked drawer in my bedroom. These two (9mm & .40 auto's) are kept in condition 3 (i.e. full mags, empty chambers). With all of this in mind is there any reason I should try to hide from my kids that there are guns in the locked drawer? Or should I just be open and honest with them that there are guns in it and hammer home the point that they are not to ever touch it under any circumstance? My concern is not as much this stage in their lives, but more so when they are a little older, say early teens and want to show their friends 'dad's guns' or something along those lines. I'd like to decide on an approach now and be consistent through their upbringing.

July 3rd, 2009, 03:20 AM	#2
rachilders Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Longview, TX Posts: 801	I have six kids between the ages of ten and thirty-seven and to "be open and honest with them that there are guns in it and hammer home the point that they are not to ever touch it" is usually the best approach from my experience, especially with young children who haven't fully developed a real concept of danger and it's effects. Believe me, at that age they know a gun is dangerous only because daddy said so, not because they reasoned out for themselves how a gun works, what damage a bullet does to a human body and how that damage can directly impact them if a gun is misused. OTOH, children the age of your two require a different approach than the one you'll need when they become teens. By the time your kids are that age, they will have to decide for themselves what's right and wrong since trying to "protect" a teen from his/her self is more often than not an exercise in futility for EVERYONE involved. Luckily, you have a few years yet before you reach that point and by then, if you feel your guns must still be locked away to keep your kids from handling them in an unsafe or unwise manner, you've already lost the battle. __________________ "... Americans... we want a safe home, to keep the money we make, and shoot bad guys." -- Denny Crane

July 3rd, 2009, 04:09 AM	#3
C9H13NO3 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 1,188	I don't have kids, but I think a lot of what they do is driven by curiosity. If you take away all the mystery by being open about it, it kills off the curiosity about it. __________________ -Ryan All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

July 3rd, 2009, 05:01 AM	#5
GWRedDragon Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 1,155	When it comes to kids, hidden means nothing. Heck, when I was little I looked all over the place for 'dad's gun'. Expect them to look through all your stuff at some point. A locked drawer means "ooh, something interesting!" Do not count on the drawer lock for security, either. It is probably relatively easy to open. Get a drawer mini-safe. If you have a keyed safe rather than a combination safe, treat the key the same way you would treat the gun...keep it on your person at all times. If you have a combination safe, do not keep the number written down. Kids are very smart, and they are also masters of imitating what you do. If they see you opening the safe, they will know how to do it. __________________ "Trust in God with hand on sword" -Inscription on my family's coat of arms from medieval England

July 3rd, 2009, 05:14 AM	#6
SIGguy229 VIP Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Kabul, Afghanistan Posts: 2,272	I'm all for educating kids on firearms...started with my boys when they were 4 yr old....(now 6 and 12). However, you might check with the laws of your state about control and access to firearms (I'm not saying you're going to leave it unlocked or give them the keys)...most of my guns are kept in the safe (where I know they can't get in), but I have one in a bedside COM safe (in a drawer) which is where it is kept while I'm sleeping (then it goes in a holster when I wake up). The Eddie Eagle concepts still apply...don't touch, tell an adult....i don't think you need to tell them where you keep it. __________________ Patriotic dissent is a luxury of those protected by better men than they Sacrifice: Congress thinks having to stay late to vote is sacrifice. Ask the Sailor, Soldier, Airman, or Marine meeting his child for the first time what sacrifice means martyr is a fancy name for crappy fighter

July 3rd, 2009, 04:27 AM	#4
Squawker Distinguished Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Las Vegas NV Posts: 1,460	I don't have kids, and none come to my house. Because of that, I feel comfortable having guns throughout the house, hidden, in things such as cut out concealment books (My Beretta 93FS is sitting beside my recliner in the living room, in a Library book from Dan Diego, entitled "Shepard's Northwestern Reporter Citations- Every State and Federal Citation"- pretty boring sounding book, not one likely that someone would try to thumb through. I also have wall clocks which hold a hidden handgun. \I want to have a gun readily available, and I'm glad that I don't have children that I have to worry about. If I did, I just wouldn't feel comfortable with my current system, I would have to buy biometric safes. Even now, in the unlikely event that we would have a visitor that brought kids, I would take the book to my back closet, and store them in a safe.

July 3rd, 2009, 05:21 AM	#7
usmc3169 Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Alaska Posts: 485	I would say show the kids and make sure that they know those things are dangerous.... we used to do a demonstration for Marines that hadn't been around explosives with a blasting cap, a foot or two of time fuse and an old kevlar helmet................:-) __________________ S&W M&P340CT, Glock 22, Springfield XDm, SIG Sauer P229 Elite "For those who have fought for it, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know". Unknown Marine, Khe Sanh

July 3rd, 2009, 05:44 AM	#8
goldshellback VIP Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: St. Mayberry, GA Posts: 2,493	Involve them when you clean them, show your 6yo how to clean his .22 after ya'll go shooting. Giving him a little responsability helps with removing the mystery of it all. At 10 years old I was cleaning my shotgun and rifles after hunting and range time, it was no big deal for me. Also, reguardless of where you store your 'ready' sidearms, I'd invest in a 'quick' box.....a lock box specifically for handguns for storing. One with a combonation type cypher lock..... A locked drawer isn't secure when faced with a child's curiosty and imagination. Vigiliance while raising children with guns in the houseis needed 24/7.....but.....knowledge and removing the 'taboo' mystery of your guns helps later on. Besids, kids have friends who will want to 'see' your guns and you won't always be home. My daughters lost all curisioty and mystery when they started 'helping' me clean my guns after we had been to the range........cleaning ANYTHING made my girls not want to touch them;) __________________ "Just getting a concealed carry permit means you haven't commited a crime yet........CCP holders commit crimes." Daniel Vice, senior attorney for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, as quoted on Fox & Friends, July 7th, 2008

July 3rd, 2009, 10:01 AM	#9
MinistrMalic Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 481	I practice the general sentiment of the thread. I think education is the key. I have made my firearms accessible to my kids any time they want. IOW, I let them hold, inspect, and fire anything I own. They clean them with me and have seen what a firearm does. The smaller ones (7 & 3) know how the gun goes BANG and that maintains a healthy respect. Because the firearms are common items in our home, they are about as mysterious as a mop. So the kids don't get the urge to play with them. Now that being said, we homeschool so the kids are not home alone with guns much. I just think that education and training is a far better method than hiding and intimidation. __________________ "...whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one." (Luke 22:36) Here is my blog if you're interested :)

July 3rd, 2009, 10:40 AM	#10
Hopyard VIP Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: College Station Posts: 2,834	I do not think education or secrecy are sufficient as your children move forward from their very young present age. If not a gun safe, at least some sort of lock-box is necessary. Kids not only do the darndest most unexpected things, they sometimes start to get moody and emotional as they enter and pass through the teen years. Ten to 14 year olds don't really quite understand "dangerous" and they want to explore the boundaries of the word, "NO." I had a rather scary moment when mine was 10 ish. There aren't any good answers because even the best behaved child is a bit unpredictable.

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