Vanity: Gun safety question

Vanity | 06.24.13 | South Hawthorne

[End Times Sentinel]

Folks, I need some advice here.

I own two weapons, a Ruger 9, and a Mossberg 500. Both are primarily for home defense, although I have a CC and take the 9 with me occasionally.

I live in the city, South Philadelphia, in a three story row home, and there are very few break-ins, not a great deal of crime in my neighborhood. I also have a wife, who has no interest in fire arms, and two children, a daughter 13 and son 11, who also have no interest in firearms.

Now I keep the Mossberg in the bedroom (3rd floor), where it can’t be reached by anyone but me. The question is: Where should I keep the Ruger? Currently, it’s in the bedroom with a gun lock on it, but it occurred to me, if I was downstairs and needed it suddenly, it would be useless.

I have a table with drawers near the front door, maybe that would be a good place? But should I lock it? The one factor is this Ruger needs to be racked to get the first round in the chamber and I’m really confident that I’m the only one strong enough to do it, and I doubt anyone else knows this needs to be done.

Yes, I know ideally it would be safest to keep the guns in a safe with locks on them and the ammo somewhere else all together, but if there was a break-in, they’d be useless.

Essentially, I’m looking for a balance between ease of access and safety. Any thoughts or suggestions would be much appreciated.

[Drill Thrawl]

Check the web sites of Cabela's and others for the hand gun safes.

Funny you should say that. The Cabela's flier just came and micro biometric hand gun safes are on sale this week.

[buffaloguy]

Biometric safe plus a Labrador.

The Lab will give you time and will probably scare anyone away. If they insist on breaking in they will meet up with “Hell on Wheels” in the form of a Lab.

The labs are extremely loving dogs but will defend you and your kids to the end. One of the most impressive breeds out there.

[Noumenon]

Let’s get to the heart of the matter: safety. You need to GTH out of Philadelphia, taco pronto.

[ConservativeInPA]

Looks like a lot of folks are advocating training the wife and kids. That is definitely a good idea. My wife went a long with a friend recently to a NRA class, Women on Target. She said it was really good.

When it comes to storing your weapons, carry the 9mm and at least put a trigger lock on the Mossberg, even if it is stored out of reach. Personally, I'd rather use a shotgun for personal defense inside a home, but your weapon needs to readily available or it is not much of a weapon.

[Manly Warrior]

Either lock it up or carry it. Never leave it unsecured with children in the home, espc. unfamiliar, untrained children; they are a tragedy waiting to happen (although firearm accidents have decreased over 95% since 1900, which is a direct result of NRA and state assoc/private org training programs, not gun control).

Kids of all ages have been known, tragically all too often, to be able to figure out the most complex and physically difficult problems.

Leaving it unsecured when you are not home is offering a firearm(s) to burglars or other unauthorized types.

Seek to interest your wife to at least become familiar with the use of the firearms, appeal to her motherly instincts if need be. Then, get her professional training-don’t try to do so yourself- family doesn’t often learn that well from the male in the house..... NRA has lots of trainers, look them up on line nraqh.org (join yourself as well).

You do not mention any perimeter security-home alarm, pet etc, you’d do well to use a monitored service- a bit of training for the family, minor expense but proven deterrent effect. Avoidance is much better than having to fight.

I think if you present the concern for safety in a comprehensive manner to your wife, she would at least agree to be prudent, if not forward leaning in soft measures, the firearms being a last resort.

Best;

[riverrunner]

My question is why don't they have a interest in firearms Have you taken the to the range. have you talked to them have you trained with them.

Personally you have to be the one to spark a interest in them to your children. You have to be the one to see that they get trained. You have to be the one make sure they are safe with them.

You can not let the schools, the media dictate to your children their interest in guns.

You need to have a serious conversation with the wife and the kids If you don't do it and let the popular culture, media and the anti gun schools dictate you well lose them to it.

Stand up show some leadership.

[End Times Sentinel]

The Cabela's flier just came and micro biometric hand gun safes are on sale this week.

Thanks for the heads up, problem solved! Thanks to all for the input on this thread. When it comes to gun advice, FReepers are second to none!

[KarlInOhio]

I’m really confident that I’m the only one strong enough to do it

Kids, especially boys, will do some amazing feats to get enough leverage to do things if he gets it in his head to do them. And if he doesn't have the strength to rack it in the conventional method then he could do it in an extremely dangerous way (let's see, I can't pull it back like on TV so what if I put the back of the grip on the nightstand and push the slide back with both hands.... I just got scared even thinking of where the barrel would be pointing to do that).

Lock it up if you aren't in physical control of it or teach the kids the right way to use it and trust them (if you can) not to misuse it.

[KC Burke]

Keep in mind that even though I was properly trained as a kid, I still knew how to get access to may Dad’s locked up and hidden fire arms — it is what kids do.

I never misused one, but I could have. In the fifties and sixties, we were more cautious of disobedience.

[mad_as_he$$]

What Vendome said. Oh and when it’s in the box keep it cocked and locked.

[PowderMonkey]

Whatever you do, don’t keep firearms or other valuables in the bedroom when not at home. It’s the first location burglars hit in their search for money, drugs, jewelry, and guns.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

If you aren’t teaching your kids how to properly use firearms you aren’t doing your job properly.

[Taxman]

Always carry the Ruger! Whether indoors or outdoors, CARRY IT!

And, put it on the nightstand when you are sleeping.

It would be well for you to interest your wife and kids in the shooting sports. Some gun safety courses and range time for them might be a life saver for all four of you one day.

[bigfootbob]

Everyone of these posts leave you vulnerable for home invasion style actions. Your choice of weapons is similar to mine. I have a Mossberg 500 I keep loaded and in the damn gun safe.

I have a Ruger SR40 which is similar to your 9. Yes, racking that thing is tricky, mine will jamb if you give it the least bit of limp wristing. Which could happen during an incident.

I keep my Ruger racked with the safety on and I make sure it is in a coffee table drawer or someplace I can reach it at all times. At night the Ruger sits next to the bed on the night stand. I also take out my Thureon Defense .40 caliber carbine with a 22 shot magazine and equipped with an EOTech 512 optics and lean it against the dresser. (I am a small farmer/rancher with Coyotes and other predators that roam at night along with the two legged varieties.)

Come day, I put them into the safe with the loaded Mossberg, unless I’m working away from the house, then I carry the loaded Ruger.

To me, a gun that isn’t ready isn’t a deterrent. You don’t need a safe when you are home, a bad guy will not wait for you to fumble with unlocking any thing. I do lock my guns up when we aren’t home or have company over. My kids and wife are trained and if they have no interest, that’s OK, but they still need basic training. My wife is as good or better shot than I am and she would not hesitate to fill you with lead our cut your balls off with her spring assisted knife she carries in her Dooney & Bourke handbag if she felt threatened.

[bigfootbob]

You are right. I just hate their damn digging habits. My last Lab ruined every flower bed the wife planted. Now we own a McNabb and it is a better fit with my critters and flowers. A Lab will kill Chickens and Turkeys for fun, my McNabb doesn’t.

[Red in Blue PA]

http://www.natchezss.com/product.cfm?contentID=productDetail&prodID=PPGG1

[tet68]

I have to go with the majority of posters on this.
Get your wife and kids firearm training, even if
they don’t take to it at least they have the basic
knowledge.

You may not be home, you may be sick and of little
use in an emergency.

Who knows, maybe your family
will enjoy the experience. Certainly your kids will
understand it’s not something to be played with after
that.

[taxcontrol]

So I will echo the train the wife and kids but I will also give you some arguments that will tend to work to start them on the path to being trained.

Arguments in order:

#1 - Honey, I would feel much better if you knew how to make the pistol and shotgun safe - just in case you ever have to. Then teach loading and unloading only.

#2 Honey, you know how to make it safe, I think the kids should be able to do the same.

#3 Honey, now that you know the basics of how to make the firearm safe, I’d like you to come with me to the range and practice loading and unloading for real.

#4 Honey, how about we make sure that you can actually shoot the pistol / shotgun properly. I want to know that if I am hurt or not there, that you can use these to protect the kids from a murder or a rapist.

#5 Wow honey, not bad, you seem to have some natural ability with these - can you hit a smaller target?

#6 You know honey, you are good enough that maybe we should send you to a formal instruction or class.

#7 From a safety perspective, the kids really need to know this as well.

[Vendome]

Yep. Cocked, Locked and Ready to Roll, with prayers you never, ever need to.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

I also have a wife, who has no interest in fire arms, and two children, a daughter 13 and son 11, who also have no interest in firearms.

I had no interest in bed making as a child. My parents still insisted that I had to learn how it was done.

You can't order your wife to go but you can, you must, teach the children how to handle weapons properly.

They don't have to learn how to strip down an AR-15 blindfolded but they should know more then "gun goes bang".