I'm wondering what all you guys/girls with young kids do with your "night stand" gun. I've got a 17 month baby with another on the way. Up to now its been easy to keep the gun high enough and holstered and its been safe. I think its about time to find a new method though since the 17 month kid is getting pretty mobile and curious. I've thought about the finger print safe, but what other options are out there that allow quick access if needed?
Guns and kids
1 - 20 of 39 Posts
Carry during the day. Once the kids are in bed get bedside gun our of safe. And be sure to put back first thing on the morning. Lock your bedroom door at night to prevent them from sneaking in in the middle of the night. They are surprisingly quiet and light on their feet.
Btw, don't let them see you open the safe, when mine was 3.5 or 4 he walked up to his daycare and punched in the code to get in, he saw me do it a few times and could do it by himself. The alarm code and the safe code was changed that evening.
Btw, don't let them see you open the safe, when mine was 3.5 or 4 he walked up to his daycare and punched in the code to get in, he saw me do it a few times and could do it by himself. The alarm code and the safe code was changed that evening.
Joined
·
34,443 Posts
I have one of these. It is on the floor next to my bed. My guns are always locked in there when they are not right with me. I leave nothing to chance, even thought my granddaughter knows never to touch a gun she sees.
http://www.gunvault.com/gv2000c-std.html
http://www.gunvault.com/gv2000c-std.html
Joined
·
2,627 Posts
Locks on doors and keys on your person, clock with hidden gun pocket inside. Or just get rid of the kids...
Joined
·
1,626 Posts
Same here right next to my bed on my nightstand. It works quickly has a key override and can be bolted down as well. I bought it with the Winchester brand and got a stupid deal on it. I must have paid about $50-$60 for it I don't recall.winds-of-change said:
Joined
·
1,504 Posts
haha well done!!BeyondTheBox said:
Joined
·
456 Posts
After much thought on this (I have a five year old), I went with a simplex lock safe for bedside. No keys to be found, no electronics to go bad and only takes a couple seconds to open. It wasn't cheap, mostly because I think only a few companies are making them at this point, but more than worth the money.
Joined
·
821 Posts
Dude...Im EXACTLY in your same position Kalboy! We need to compare notes....
My plan: take my holstered Glock 30 that sits loose on my night stand every night......move it to the mini safe on top shelf of my closet....unlocked....hidden by clothes. Still within 5 feet of me when I sleep and no way the baby could enter our room at night without me hearing, OR find a way to climb up my top closet shelf, OR know its there. Plus I never keep that gun with a round chambered.
I think thats a pretty bulletproof plan for now. Might change once the kids get older, but as of now thats like 5 layers in place that still make it easy for me to grab the gun in 3 seconds or less.
What do you think?
My plan: take my holstered Glock 30 that sits loose on my night stand every night......move it to the mini safe on top shelf of my closet....unlocked....hidden by clothes. Still within 5 feet of me when I sleep and no way the baby could enter our room at night without me hearing, OR find a way to climb up my top closet shelf, OR know its there. Plus I never keep that gun with a round chambered.
I think thats a pretty bulletproof plan for now. Might change once the kids get older, but as of now thats like 5 layers in place that still make it easy for me to grab the gun in 3 seconds or less.
What do you think?
Joined
·
22,674 Posts
When mine was little, i kept my duty weapon on me until bedtime, then put it in a safebox in the closet.
My HD gun was in a lockbox beside the bed on my wife's side.
The last thing I did before crawling into bed at night was put my shotgun under the bed on my side. The first thing I did in the morning was put the shotgun back in the safe.
My HD gun was in a lockbox beside the bed on my wife's side.
The last thing I did before crawling into bed at night was put my shotgun under the bed on my side. The first thing I did in the morning was put the shotgun back in the safe.
Joined
·
746 Posts
Until my kids were old enough to shoot with me i did not keep any loaded guns in the house. They were locked/hidden with ammo in a different area. Now that they shoot with me and demonstrate proper safety i keep mags loaded without worry.
*embarrassing story*
One time the wife was straightening upthe house and found where i stashed my loaded pistol. She mistook it for one of my sons' airsoft guns and i later found it on the shelf in my 9yo room. Sad thing is i am more comfortable with my youngest kid handling firearms than my wife...haha
*embarrassing story*
One time the wife was straightening upthe house and found where i stashed my loaded pistol. She mistook it for one of my sons' airsoft guns and i later found it on the shelf in my 9yo room. Sad thing is i am more comfortable with my youngest kid handling firearms than my wife...haha
Thanks for all the replies, sounds like everybody uses one of the finger print ones or the code ones. I just wasn't sure if I was missing something cheap and awesome. Do you guys have one on each side of the bed as well? I'm thinking we might just get one for now for my wife since she has the revolver on her side, and get one later for me since they are pushing 100 bucks or so. I will just keep mine unloaded as there is now way my little girl can rack it yet. And who would think to look in the sock drawer for a gun 
The gunvault and the sentrysafe are looking the best right now, but i will keep looking. I just dont want to have to fiddle with a key or combination in the dark under pressure.
The gunvault and the sentrysafe are looking the best right now, but i will keep looking. I just dont want to have to fiddle with a key or combination in the dark under pressure.
Joined
·
34,443 Posts
Holy ****!!!!
Joined
·
530 Posts
This was exactly my method when my two boys were young. They are now 16 & 13 and shoot w/me regularly but I left nothing to chance when they were toddlers.nosaj said:
Joined
·
246 Posts
I know this doesn't seem like what you are looking for but I thought I would post it anyway. I prefer a mechanical push-button lock and the safes that are using them are made with thicker steel than most of the electronic ones are. V-Line and Fort Knox are a couple others that use this style lock, but all have different features and different gages of steel. With a little practice, there isn't a faster way to open a handgun safe and this lock will probably last you a lifetime. If you do eventually wear it out, it can be replaced. Good luck and with all the choices out there I'm sure you fill find the right one for you.
FAS1 SAFE
Joined
·
1,427 Posts
To the OP - similar issue and I'm mobile right now so can't post the links, but have you seen the reports on some of theses $50-$300 safes? Very easy for a curious kid or determined teen to bust into. Forbes had an article and if you search YouTube for DEFCON and gun safe, you should find two videos - one from this year and one for a year or two ago (some foul language, so don't have the kids around). I'll post them later today.
Joined
·
1,427 Posts
<This won’t really apply if you need something with quick access for home defense, but it's something to think about if you use any of the locks mentioned in the posts above strictly to keep your kids out.>
I’m just getting into pistols, so I’ve been looking at this closely as well. I’m sure some of you have seen it, but there was an article in Forbes, and there are some videos by DEF CON (hackers), that demonstrates that a 3-year-old can get into some of these safes (tragically, after a child was killed).
From a home defense standpoint, there’s that decision of how accessible you need a firearm to be and abide by the laws of your state. But if you have kids/teens, or worry your kid could be peer-pressured into showing mommy/daddy’s guns, then I think you have to really consider a strong second line of defense.
Yes, virtually any safe or lock can be broken depending upon the determination, but if your concern for finding a lock/safe and quick access for home defense isn’t necessarily a priority, you want to make it as discouraging as possible to avoid an accident. Taking out the mystery and educating your kids is the best tool of all.
I’ve included the Forbes article link and the author’s blog post, and the YouTube DEFCON videos below. I’ll also counter the argument that these ‘safes’ need to be mounted to avoid being tipped/banged, as the same shock can be provided to the mounted case with a hammer.
As for the Simplex locks, there was also an article on how easy they can be defeated. I thought I came across a pistol safe once that had the old fashioned, dependable turn the dial combination lock on it, but can’t find it anymore. And I don't mean the thousand pound/dollar safes. I'm just trying to find something simple and small like everyone else.
I would like to hear if anyone has used the Omega system and what their thoughts are, as it looks like a great second-line of defense against the kids. Cable locks are just too easy to cut by a determined teen. www.omegagunlock.com
http://www.forbes.com/sites/marcweb...-gun-safes-can-be-opened-by-a-three-year-old/
http://www.thesidebar.org/insecurity/?p=793
NSFW – unfortunately quite a bit of foul language to make his point, but you can see the failures here. DEFCON 19 [ame]http://youtu.be/vIJFQO4DIxw[/ame]
More from the recent DEFCON 20, meat and potatoes starts around 19 minutes; little kid breaking in around 49:55. Yes, the kid was prepped a little, but any curious kid or determine teen won’t have any issue going this
route if they really want to get in. [ame]http://youtu.be/48HUctXZUNw[/ame]
Defeat a Simplex lock http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygre...-card-and-code-government-locks-in-seconds/2/
Someone else posted a great quote elsewhere: "Its a balance of convenience and security. The more security you want, the less convenience you will have. The more convenience you want, the less secure it will be. Choose wisely. "
Hope this is helpful to think about. No perfect answer that I’ve found.
I’m just getting into pistols, so I’ve been looking at this closely as well. I’m sure some of you have seen it, but there was an article in Forbes, and there are some videos by DEF CON (hackers), that demonstrates that a 3-year-old can get into some of these safes (tragically, after a child was killed).
From a home defense standpoint, there’s that decision of how accessible you need a firearm to be and abide by the laws of your state. But if you have kids/teens, or worry your kid could be peer-pressured into showing mommy/daddy’s guns, then I think you have to really consider a strong second line of defense.
Yes, virtually any safe or lock can be broken depending upon the determination, but if your concern for finding a lock/safe and quick access for home defense isn’t necessarily a priority, you want to make it as discouraging as possible to avoid an accident. Taking out the mystery and educating your kids is the best tool of all.
I’ve included the Forbes article link and the author’s blog post, and the YouTube DEFCON videos below. I’ll also counter the argument that these ‘safes’ need to be mounted to avoid being tipped/banged, as the same shock can be provided to the mounted case with a hammer.
As for the Simplex locks, there was also an article on how easy they can be defeated. I thought I came across a pistol safe once that had the old fashioned, dependable turn the dial combination lock on it, but can’t find it anymore. And I don't mean the thousand pound/dollar safes. I'm just trying to find something simple and small like everyone else.
I would like to hear if anyone has used the Omega system and what their thoughts are, as it looks like a great second-line of defense against the kids. Cable locks are just too easy to cut by a determined teen. www.omegagunlock.com
http://www.forbes.com/sites/marcweb...-gun-safes-can-be-opened-by-a-three-year-old/
http://www.thesidebar.org/insecurity/?p=793
NSFW – unfortunately quite a bit of foul language to make his point, but you can see the failures here. DEFCON 19 [ame]http://youtu.be/vIJFQO4DIxw[/ame]
More from the recent DEFCON 20, meat and potatoes starts around 19 minutes; little kid breaking in around 49:55. Yes, the kid was prepped a little, but any curious kid or determine teen won’t have any issue going this
route if they really want to get in. [ame]http://youtu.be/48HUctXZUNw[/ame]
Defeat a Simplex lock http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygre...-card-and-code-government-locks-in-seconds/2/
Someone else posted a great quote elsewhere: "Its a balance of convenience and security. The more security you want, the less convenience you will have. The more convenience you want, the less secure it will be. Choose wisely. "
Hope this is helpful to think about. No perfect answer that I’ve found.
Joined
·
246 Posts
From my understanding, Kaba locks manufactured after November 2011 have had the defect corrected. Their real issue is the cost to repair all the ones in the field, mainly on doors.
The other manufacturer of this type of lock used on handgun safes says theirs is not effected. Seems like a rare earth magnet the strength needed would not be very common in the typical thieves toolbox. I still think it is one of the better options available with all things considered.
The other manufacturer of this type of lock used on handgun safes says theirs is not effected. Seems like a rare earth magnet the strength needed would not be very common in the typical thieves toolbox. I still think it is one of the better options available with all things considered.
Joined
·
20,098 Posts
i dont think he will just lay there in bed and let the little guy play with the safe.
1 - 20 of 39 Posts
Join the discussion
Join now to ask and comment!