Guns in the home

littleo527

When DS was a couple weeks old I had four men come and pound on my door in a crazy manner. DS was in his swing in the living room and I was in my bedroom and heard them shouting. Got my gun and stood there in case they came in. When one of them looked inside the window and saw DS (I guess someone was home) so they ran to there car and left. My neighbor is a cop so I went over there and he had no doubt they where checking to see if someone was home then break in. I was so glad that I had a gun cuz if they came in it was them or my baby and it wasn't gonna be my baby! We also go to ranges often and have been around them all our lives. We also have been tought safety and have then unloaded and locked up and one loaded but locked in a place no child can get to .

JayNina

DH has to have a gun for work.  We have several guns but only keep one loaded near our bed.  I am in the process of getting my CC.  I travel a lot with just DD and horses.  We need one for protection. 

 

Also for all you with boys, they will turn anything into a gun.  Doesn't matter if you do not get them play guns.  Its the way they are wired.

matthew24

EML2011 said:

matthew24 said:

Growing up inthe northeast no one had/ has guns at least that I know of. I would never have a gun in my home nor would allow anyone in my home with one. I hate guns which completely goes against the grain of my job where I have a license to carrying and do on occasion but would only do so in the course of my work. After studying extensively this exact topic in grad school there is no reason to have a gun for protection statistically but if you want to have one the 4th Amendment allows you to do so just don't come in my house. Also, I think it is interesting with the regional component to guns and the attitudes towards guns; I always thought that was pretty compelling.

I believe it's the 2nd amendment...

And you would be right. I am unsure why unreasonable search and seizures was in my head.

missperky

I grew up with guns, because my dad loves to hunt. I think I was 7 when I shot my first gun. I've always thought of  guns as weapons meant to kill things. And that is their only purpose. Now I realize people use them for shooting target etc, which in is the Olympics now that I think about it. 

My husband has no interest in guns though he does go hunting with my dad. He got a caribou last fall it was delicious. Anyways I don't hunt and DH feels pretty strongly against having one so it's not really an issue. When DH was applying for law enforcement positions we discussed get a safe, unfortunately he didn't get the job so it again wasn't an issue. 

It's simple. If you have guns in your house teach your kiddos about them. With extreme supervision teach them how to shoot them. Believe me no 7 yr old  likes the recoil of a shot gun. My dad always had to hold on to me when I was shooting. I don't think I could shoot until I was about 11-12? when I could handle the recoil.  

Unfortunately the wrong people with guns aren't worried about gun safety when it comes to their children.  I'm sure all the pro gun families on this forum are and will teach their children the necessary education when the time comes.

Sorry this turned out long. :-\"

HobokensFury

Our family is anti guns.

nickelbride

I didn't grow up around guns and was very uncomfortable with them, and anti-gun in the home until about a year ago when DH deployed to Afghanistan.  About 2 months into his deployment there was a robbery at a gas station a few blocks away from our home, both of the employees were shot and killed.  This scared the pants off of me so I went to a shooting range with DH's handguns (he has two that were left to him when his father passed away) and learned how to shoot them.  I have never had to use them, or even taken them out of the safe aside from going to the range, but knowing how to use them made me feel a lot better about living alone at our new home while he was deployed.  We will definitely be leaving them locked up tight when baby arrives, but I don't think we would get rid of them even if I change my views down the line as they hold sentimental value to DH.  Perhaps they could be secured in a deposit box if it came to it? 

Andreabills

We have 2 guns, a rifle and a hand gun. We never have them loaded in the house and the ammo is stored separately. That being said, we WILL be purchasing a gun safe before baby arrives. We have never had a reason to buy one, now we do.

DEL14

I'm not a big gun fan but MH has a few related to work. He doesn't go anywhere without one. We do have a safe but one gun is always out. MH has already mention he wants to get a fingerprint safe for the gun he leaves out as it can't just be lying around if there are kids crawling about! I'm sure we will be having lots of discussions on this but in the end I know MH is very responsible so not worried.

candacedecker

We both grew up in Montana and have been around guns forever. DH has maybe six guns of different kinds, and we got a 22 for me. He takes me shooting and wants me to be fully confident with it. We'll be very responsible about how/where we store them when the baby is here and plan to teach our child gun safety as soon as he/she is able to learn.

rubyzuzu

When I was growing up my Daddy kept his shotguns under the bed. My sisters and I knew we were NEVER allowed to lay a hand on them and we didn't. My husband and I own guns, none of which are currently locked up and I don't foresee us ever locking them up. Our children will know they are forbidden to touch them, the same as I was.

lvlichelle

DH and I both have our conceal and carry.. both own a Ruger SR9c. DH has a shotgun, not sure what kind. We keep our 9mm cocked and ready in a gun safe (you need a code to unlock) next to our bed when we are not carrying them (one on each side of the bed). Shotgun isn't loaded.

I did not grow up with guns in the house and DHs parents just had a shotgun (I think).

We are not planning on getting rid of our guns. Although for home defense and carrying we have our guns loaded with hollow-point.. so it will not go through the wall and hit an unattended target.

We plan to teach our children to shoot at a reasonable age (when they are mature enough). One of our good friends is a CC instructor, so he will be a great help with advice and when and how to teach them.

We are very pro-2nd Amendment.

SomersIsles

ktlovess said:

When I was growing up my Daddy kept his shotguns under the bed. My sisters and I knew we were NEVER allowed to lay a hand on them and we didn't. My husband and I own guns, none of which are currently locked up and I don't foresee us ever locking them up. Our children will know they are forbidden to touch them, the same as I was.

Your kids may know not to touch the guns, but what about curious friends that find them? Or, if they show their friends and something happens? Not locking up your guns sounds like a recipe for disaster to me... But, to each their own.

Yeah this doesn't seem like a good idea. They make excellent safes that allow for nearly instant access. Why risk it?

Eilis123

rubyzuzu said:

When I was growing up my Daddy kept his shotguns under the bed. My sisters and I knew we were NEVER allowed to lay a hand on them and we didn't. My husband and I own guns, none of which are currently locked up and I don't foresee us ever locking them up. Our children will know they are forbidden to touch them, the same as I was.

That is so irresponsible it is breathtaking.  What happens when your kid disobeys you and kills themselves or their sibling or...God forbid...the child of someone else who was a responsible and innocent parent?  What happens when your guns get stolen and used in crimes?  What if your children have mental illness or are just sociopaths and use your guns for suicide or a mass shooting?  Think it can't happen to you?  It happens all the time.

That said, I grew up in a gun-owning home.  My dad is a sportsman and uses them for hunting, and my brother shoots as a hobby.  Both my dad and brother are absolute gun safety fanatics, and I was always taught to respect guns and handle them with utmost care.  Always stored and transported locked and unloaded.  

My husband and I used to enjoy going shooting with them when we visited, but honestly, since Newtown we just can't.  No ideological reason, I'm not anti-guns, I just still can't handle it emotionally.  Our neighbor was one of the teachers killed that day.  My infant daughter was with her grandmother and 6 year old cousin in his first grade classroom at another school 10 minutes away that morning, and in the 15 minutes between one of my co-workers telling me what had happened to me finally finding out what town and school it was I thought my baby was dead.  That just doesn't leave you for a very long time, no matter what your political inclinations are.

I would eventually like to go shooting again, but its still too fresh. 

amandoza23

I grew up with guns in the house and didn't even know it until a few months ago. DH and I aren't very outdoorsy so there is no need for a collection of rifles but any guns in our house are for protection or to go to the shooting range. I am all for the right to bear arms and I plan to keep any evidence of owning guns concealed so my kids aren't aware of it. I know it's possible since my sister and I were never aware of the guns my papa had.

roxi9020

I wish we had guns, but NYC doesn't allow it! I will say, when the time comes that the inflated US dollar collapses, there is no money to fund public assistance, and there are riots and looting, everyone here will wish they had a gun at home instead of just the people coming to loot it!

SomersIsles

roxi9020 said:

I wish we had guns, but NYC doesn't allow it!

I will say, when the time comes that the inflated US dollar collapses, there is no money to fund public assistance, and there are riots and looting, everyone here will wish they had a gun at home instead of just the people coming to loot it!

Seems like someone is watching a few to many episodes of Doomsday Preppers

LiFeIsAmIrAcLe

ad.marse7 said:

https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/crime-law/vandalia-child-dies-after-accidentally-shooting-hi/nM2yy/

https://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/02/24/son-uses-fathers-gun-to-defend-parents-from-armed-home-intruders/

The stories can go both ways. I think the biggest issue with guns in the home is them being kept in a safe location, with bullets elsewhere, and also children need to grow up being taught gun safety.  Kids are curious......so if you just tell them "no that's bad", they're gonna wanna see for themselves.  That's why I think kids need to be taught gun safety, and taught to safely handle guns. 

roxi9020

I wish I was just paranoid, but it really is only a matter of time! We have created a monster of a government. There is a reason the Dept of Homeland Security has been stocking up on Billions of rounds of ammunition (enough to supply a hot ground war for 20 years!). But denial is a lot more relaxing, in the near term, at least....

benevolentforce

DH didn't grow up with guns. I did, and am comfortable with operating a handgun or shotgun. However, we didn't have a gun when we lived in the US, and don't have one in AUS. In the US, we had tasers and pepper spray - and will again if we go back.

I've been fortunate to always live in areas where I haven't felt threatened, and am well-trained in self defense if I were. I can imagine potentially reconsidering gun ownership if I lived somewhere remote, but haven't had that happen yet.

ALHolli

We have a couple hunting rifles, a couple shotguns, and a couple handguns. Both DH and I know how to handle them, clean them, load and unload. Our kids will be taught gun safety and what to do if they find a strange gun or a gun at a friend's house. DH hunts and our kids are welcome to if they want to. It's not for me, though. I get too sad lol. 

melissaraemurphy

We have guns. Always will. We are responsible with them though, and kids will never have access to them.