s/o Guns in the home

Dreamsicle23 · May 2011

How is a gun useful for protection if it's unloaded and locked in a safe? If someone breaks in, do you just say to them, "Excuse me while I turn on the lights, go find the key, unlock my gun, get the ammo, and load the gun."?

(PS - I'm not anti gun, I just don't get this)

ASmallWonder · May 2011

I'm with you. If it's locked away safely enough that a kid can't get to it, IMO it's locked away too safely to be of any help to me.

emiliemadison · May 2011

They're not useful for protection. We have a hand gun. It's locked in a safe and if we do have ammo (which we usually dont), its in a separate safe. The gun is NOT MEANT FOR HOME PROTECTION. It's for recreational target practice. The only way a gun can truly protect you in the event of a home invasion is if you keep it loaded and at hand. And obviously the chances of shooting yourself, someone else, or having a child find it and shoot themselves/someone else are about a thousand times higher than ever having your home broken into in the first place.

walkernewton0704 · May 2011

We have guns in our home, locked safely away and separately from ammo, but I agree with all of you. We don't claim that any of our guns are for "protection" in the sense that if someone breaks into our home that's what we will defend ourselves with, but we live in the middle of nowhere and hunt in our backyard practically so it just makes sense to me. We don't have any pistols, just hunting rifles.

Also, in relation to the other post about guns in the house, my DH and BIL always unload their guns in the field before they come near the house. When my BIL doesn't (very rarely) he gets a good butt chewing and the guns are always unloaded before they come in the door at minimum.

ABColeslaw · May 2011

I agree. Even if you could get to it in time, you adrenalin is going to be pumping so hard, you won't be able to think straight. Verses the crazy person in your house who is moving a lot faster than you. I just don't think that situation ends well for the person trying to protect their family as often as we'd like to think.

MiniZig · May 2011

DH keeps his hand gun in a biometric gun safe in his night stand. It takes seconds to open it and it will only open with his fingerprint. Bullets kept in a seperate place. This was our compromise. We were more worried about home invasions at night, when we would be in bed, hence the guns location. It is kept locked and closed at all times and not loaded. Our bedroom is upstairs and we have an alarm, so between all those variables, if an intruder was to ignore the alarm, and still try and come in, DH would have time to pull things together for protection.

PrincessShay80 · May 2011

MiniZig:

DH keeps his hand gun in a biometric gun safe in his night stand. It takes seconds to open it and it will only open with his fingerprint. Bullets kept in a seperate place. This was our compromise. We were more worried about home invasions at night, when we would be in bed, hence the guns location. It is kept locked and closed at all times and not loaded. Our bedroom is upstairs and we have an alarm, so between all those variables, if an intruder was to ignore the alarm, and still try and come in, DH would have time to pull things together for protection.

I bet we have the same safe- I think it's the coolest thing ever, the safe- not the gun. Ours in the bottom drawer of the nightstand, and the bullets are kept in the top drawer, if our alarm goes off or the dog is freaking out DH would have enough time to get the gun and load the bullets- it doenst take but a second.

I could see how fiddling with a key or a combo lock would take up time, but that's why the fingerprint safes make so much more sense.

I just read somewhere that you should keep wasp spray nex to your bed, because it sprays several feet in front of you and it would blind an intruder. I though that was really good idea.

MiniZig · May 2011

I don't disagree with you though. My husband comes from a family of hunters, my father in law has his dealer license, and my sister and BIL are ATF. He was very adament about wanting a gun. He uses it for target practice, and likely that is the extent of its use. He never really claims it will be used for protection, but whatever makes my husband sleep at night. I have never seen it out of the safe to be honest with you. To me, it's a waste of money. Just my opinion.

ashnoelle · May 2011

Brandi Bee:

It isn't useful. But Americans love their guns and logic doesn't matter at all when it comes to this matter. Seriously.

And I'm not trying to be rude and I'm in the middle on guns, really. It just annoys me to no end when pro-gun people swear they are doing it to save their family.

all of this. I'm in the middle on guns too.

The bolded is especially true. I am hearing a great Bill Hicks skit in my head right now...

tarebear9891 · May 2011

You are right...guns in a safe would do no good in a break in. We have a handgun we keep on the top shelf of our closet with a trigger lock on it. It isn't dangerous for the kids and we could unlock it with the combo very quickly to use it.

The biggest issue to me is that a lot of people have guns but don't use them properly and have never taken a safety course.

12bailey18 · May 2011

elmoali:
I'm with you. If it's locked away safely enough that a kid can't get to it, IMO it's locked away too safely to be of any help to me.

This exactly.

vernab · May 2011

There isn't a point. We have a loaded pistol in a safe next to our bed. It takes a 4 digit code to get into. DH practices opening often and can do it without looking while laying in bed.

mtnrider · May 2011

vernab:

We have a loaded pistol in a safe next to our bed. It takes a 4 digit code to get into. DH practices opening often and can do it without looking while laying in bed.

This is us too except DH keeps the bullets in the safe. He says there's plenty of time to open the safe and load the gun if someone breaks in. But he's an ex cop and was an expert marksman so he's good with guns. He claims it's impossible for DS to randomly hit the right combination to open the safe, and he also says it would be physically impossible for a toddler to *** the gun/load a bullet into the chamber of a 45. I don't like it but he won't compromise on this issue. But that's very different from the OP's post about leaving a loaded rifle within a toddler's reach. Unfortunately there are some really stupid people out there with guns. My friend asks the parents of all her daughter's new friends whether they have a gun in the home and how well it's locked up, before she lets her go to any new friend's house for a playdate...probably not a bad idea.

aocain02@yahoo.com · May 2011

Pistol whip? We have a rifle, the sound of cocking it would be a deterrent for me and I'm not sure if I'd stick around to see if the thing is loaded. We also have a baseball bat under the bed.

Temp36641187503164 · May 2011

emiliemadison:
They're not useful for protection. We have a hand gun. It's locked in a safe and if we do have ammo (which we usually dont), its in a separate safe. The gun is NOT MEANT FOR HOME PROTECTION. It's for recreational target practice. The only way a gun can truly protect you in the event of a home invasion is if you keep it loaded and at hand. And obviously the chances of shooting yourself, someone else, or having a child find it and shoot themselves/someone else are about a thousand times higher than ever having your home broken into in the first place.

This is why I won't be allowing DS to ever be out of my sight in my IL's home. They all sleep with loaded hand guns under the pillow - because they bought them for home protection. I will be telling my FIL that if his guns are not locked in a safe at all times, DS will not be left with them at their house. There will never be a reason for DS to be at the other IL's homes without me.

diana.filipi · May 2011

When our nephews lived with us I always, always asked friends parents if they had a gun in the home and if so where it was.

I have my concealed weapons permit. I took the class through the police department about 10 years ago. I had a handgun when I lived out in the country and before I had a child. Once I moved to the city I gave the gun to my Dad. In the state of Virginia warning shots are not recognized so if you are going to shoot someone you should kill them or they can turn around and sue you. For real. That's how the cops explained it. I think unless you are trained the likelihood of hesitating and being harmed by your own weapon is high.

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