Shotguns and Kids

[mattd]

Wouldn't a shotgun be the best type of gun for home protection if you had a kid and didn't want a trigger lock? Seems the kid would have a really hard time shooting himself or racking a round into the chamber and taking the safety off. Maybe put a very low power blank or just a primed shell, loud enough to hear a it in another room or scare the kid into not screwing with the gun no more. I don't know about child psychology but if the gun was on a rack or clearly next to the best the kid wouldn't want to touch it as much if he didn't have access to it or if it was hidden, like how you always want something you can't have.

 

[Edward429451]

You're talking little kids I presume. I think that the the intuitiveness of kids should not be underestimated. It wouldn't suprise me one whit to hear that a kid could figure out how to rack one or take off the safety. In that light I also think keeping a blank or primed only shell is a very bad idea for multiple reasons beyond any safety around kids.

I think you'd have a better chance at keeping the kids safe around it if you attack the problem from a different angle than doing something to the gun. Take the kid(s) to the range and let them watch you blow up a few cans of soda pop. Pick up the can shreds and give to kid and say "fix it" "make it better" "this is real life, not tv" "this is what would happen to you or your brother if you play with it" stuff like that. There is no safety in ignorance and you cannot childproof a gun. You have to attempt to gunproof the child. This is what worked for me.

Depending on the childs age, you could take away the "forbidden fruit syndrome" by allowing the child to handle the gun in your presense, anytime he is responsible enough to ask first. No ask and its big big big time trouble. And stick to it, make a big show of "Let's make sure there's no bullets in it" and so forth. I have put the card game on hold with friends to go let my kids handle a gun because they asked first and I wanted to keep my word to them. Telling them no pretty much guarentees that they will go for it behind your back.

Good luck and I hope I've given you some good ideas that will help.

 

[BerettaNut92]

I think that's overthinking the solution....

I don't know what would be the best for your family as far as storage, but one of my coworkers said that his dad always made him clean his guns when he was a kid so he never wanted to touch the damn things.

 

[45Badger]

Use your heads here folks! Little kids are smarter and have more strength and dexterity than we think. Unloaded, locked guns, with ammo stored in another locked container is what works.

Before the flames start- I know that ALL OF YOUR KIDS would never touch, wouldn't be able to work, etc, etc, the gun. That kind of thinking results in a couple (or more) dead kids every year.

My 8 year old has a .22, knows how to us it. Knows the rules. It still gets locked in my safe, and ammo stored in basement locker. His little brother knows all the rules too. No F*&*&%$*ing way do I leave any chance that they get access to guns or ammo. No games, no "training" with a primer.

 

[Black Majik]

Kids are a lot more curious than we think they are. I remember when I was around 7 or so I specifically went looking around my parents closets to find anything "cool". My find was a CO2 BB Gun which looked like a 9mm Luger. It was unlocked and unloaded, and was just laying on the dresser. I thank God for the gun not being real.

Now, as far as children racking a shotgun slide, it is very well possible. After checking my shotgun, I let my 9 yr old sister try and rack the slide of my Wingmaster. She did it with ease, and even liked the sound of the slide racking.

After knowing that, I used what Edward advised. Let the child know that they can only see the gun when I am around. All they have to do is ask me. It'll relieve a lot of the mystery about firearms. I taught my sisters about gun safety using BB guns: How to treat them with respect, safe gun handling, how to check for bullets etc...

Recently, My dad and I took my two little sisters to watch us shoot skeet. My 10 yr old (the one that was 9 in the story earlier) sister has been showing interest in the shooting sport for a while now. The next lane over a father was teaching his 10 yr old daughter to shoot also.


Conclusion:
I now always wish my dad taught me about gun safety. It was something I had to learn on my own. I learned everything all wrong before, I wasn't really aware of the keep your finger off the trigger etc when I was young. But I picked it up when I was 12 and shot an M-16 along w/ a variety of other firearms w/ my uncles in Indiana. I finally had some sort of guidance towards proper gun handling, and I'm thankful for it now.

I didn't want my sisters to go through the same mistake I wen through. My dad isnt much of a firearm fan, although he has shot when he was young and now shoots skeet/trap w/ me. Therefore, I try my best to keep my younger sisters interested in the sport as safely as I can.

Teach them young, and teach them well.

 

[sm]

In a simpler time and before we all became so "protected and educated" for our own good...I was brought home from the hospital and next to the dresser drawer ( my infant crib) was a loaded revolver. That gun was alwyas mine and always loaded. Taught safety and the whole bit. There was a belt/switch nearby that would etch the rules in my hide if I didn't listen. Not sure what happened to discipline, used to be in the dictionary.

All guns were always loaded, and we kids all knew the rules.

Today with all the "protection, education" and whatnot I would probably suggest pax's suggestion...wear the gun concealed always even around the home, when sleeping put in a safe place, if go to bathroom in middle of night...take it with you or wake spouse and "here-hold this, gotta pee".

My problem with locking anything up, is unlocking the darn thing. To steal a line from competition and twisting it...

"One can't unlock fast enough to win".

 

[BluesBear]

I know you've seen me say it before, and some of you may be tired of it but...

Every household in the world, whether or not they even posses a firearm, NEEDS to have a copy of Massad Ayoob's book "How To Gunproof Your Children".

Now I respect Mr Ayoob, but I don't always agree with him.
In this case, however, he is spot on.

If everyone would get and read this little $4.95 book and teach it and live it, we would have no children mistakenly shooting themselves or other children.

Because you CAN'T childproof a gun and still have it useable.

 

[Dave McCracken]

The younger McCs got gun cognizant at a very young age. Both knew about the time they were potty trained they could examine any firearm here with permission and under supervision. That took away the mystery.

A Cannon gun box big enough to hold 2 handguns with a combo lock kept WW's house gun and my off duty weapon.

The HD 870 was kept Cruiser Ready and about 7 feet off the deck in a closet.

Now they're big enough to help with HD if needed. They know where the ready firearms are and how to operate them. Dunno about Daughter, but Son shot my GM when he was 9. Both shot 22s at about 6.

 

[GySgt]

From my perspective, it's quite simple. Instead of trying to child proof your weapons......Teach your children about weapons!!!!

Your children need to learn to adapt to their surroundings, instead of the other way around.

It's to their and your advantage!!

 

[7.62FullMetalJacket]

Gun safes are for collectibles. I grew up on a farm with guns all around. My house is now the same way. Both of my kids learned the manual of arms for all of them, fire them at the range, and see the damage. They are also well aware that they are off limits except in an emergency (they are older now) or under supervision. There is no mystique. They are just tools.

 

[learnedmonkey]

I'm all about locking up the guns, because while I believe in teaching kids about them early and "gunproofing the child", so to speak, I also remember that me and my friends did a lot of dumbs**7 stuff as kids even when we were old enough to know better, including dumbs**7 stuff with guns. We weren't afraid of getting in trouble, because we were smart enough to get several acres away from adult supervision, or wait until we knew the adults were going to be gone for at least an hour. Never underestimate a child's ability to reason through non-verbal problems such as unfamiliar gun mechanisms, or their ability to deliberately do something they know is a very bad idea.

As for childproofing, in my experience childproofing only works on adults.