How do you keep your gun safe yet accessible when you're not carrying it?

[Stockbridge]

I'm getting my first gun (S&W 642) in a few weeks and I want to get ready for it. I have two kids, an eight-year-old, who would respect a firearm, and an almost two-year-old, who doesn't yet.
My question is, what's the recommended way to keep a gun safely stored at home, but still keeping it accessible? If you use a safe, what brand do you recommend to purchase or avoid?
Thanks.
Race

[swmp9jrm]

Stockbridge: I have two ways that I use to keep the guns away from the grandkids:

• GunVault beside the bed (GunVault)
• Secure-It beside the La-Z-Boy (Secure-It)

[Suwannee Tim]

I carry my 5 shooter 38 even at home but when in bed, the shower, etc. I keep it in a Gardall safe which is about the size of a microwave. I'm very happy with the Gardall, it has enough room for my gun, my wife's, a couple of others, wallet, money, pain meds, checkbooks, etc.

http://www.gardall.com/area-safes-sa...rowave.htm.htm

[Pyzon]

Howdy Stockbridge. Merry Christmas and thanks for joining this fine group. I hope you enjoy the forum as much as I do.

I know you have taught your 8 year old the damage that firearms can inflict, especially unintentional, and thanks for doing that. It seems a natural that kids and guns are a bad combination, but many parents don't seem to get the connection and fail to do their part to keep the two apart.

BUT......when you read the vast and so sad chronicles of accidental shootings involving kids, (and the guns they find in the damndest places) I think we have to go the extra mile to make sure that no matter how well we think we are hiding our guns, putting them under lock and key is mandatory.

There is something that kids find magical and fascinating about guns, and no matter how often they are told to not touch, in the absence of adults supervision the temptation is more than they can resist.

Please, when they are not in a holster on your belt, or in your pocket, lock them up.

Thanks again for joining, please post often.

Pyzon

[dmazur]

I got a Phoenix Home Security Locker a few years ago.

http://www.gunlocker.com/SafeSite_content.html

These aren't cheap, but they are very well designed and easy to use. They mount between studs, typically in the back of a bedroom closet.

Electronic keypad is programmable to whatever combination you want, and there is a key backup for dead battery. (You do need a secure location for the key...possibly a second gun safe or a safety deposit box.)

The idea is to put one or two handguns in nylon holsters on the door, and various miscellaneous important stuff on the shelves. If you're into an "intrusion center", this could be flashlights, extra magazines, etc. or it could just be checkbooks and other things you don't want left around asking to be stolen.

IMO, these things have to be easy to use or you won't use them.

[treg]

Here's the one I use - http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...=list&_start=1

Mine is the $54.99 model, it was significantly cheaper when on sale ($30?) and will hold a good size hand gun / several at a time. Can be set on the kitchen counter, a dresser, the dryer by the back door etc., it's easy to move and quick to open.

I don't use it as my primary safe, just to keep visiting kids and company away from my pistols instead of leaving them laying out during the day. Sometimes I'll have one or two in there waiting while I "play" with or use another.

[My870inVT]

I've got no kids, so the coffe table with an empty chamber is good for me. as for my shotgun, thats loaded and ready by the door.

[miker84]

3 of my teenage kids and one 2 yr old nephew crawl all over my house. I have one of these under the bed, screwed to the floor. I programmed it with a code that I can type in without looking. I keep 3 loaded handguns in there along with extra mags. It could hold 4 if I didn't keep the mags in there. I also keep a dessicant pack in there too.

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/st...05000_425-5-11

[SevenSixTwo]

If a safe is a little outside your budget, you can always use a cable lock through the magazine well to render it useless. Just carry the key with you in your pocket. I keep all my guns in a stack-on 10 gun safe (not gun cab) bolted to the floor and locked at all times. At night I bring my preferred HD gun out of the safe with ammo nearby. I don't have kids though, but I do have a 13 year old cousin. I'm sure if he found one of my guns he would have a field day...So I lock em' up regardless.
note:
sorry I forgot to see the model number. Since it's a revolver, you can loop the cable lock through the barrel while the cylinder is swung out rendering the pistol useless to anyone unauthorized.

[swinokur]

Stockbridge: I have two ways that I use to keep the guns away from the grandkids:

* GunVault beside the bed (GunVault)
* Secure-It beside the La-Z-Boy (Secure-It)

+1 on the Gunvault. i have a 2 year old in the house so my procedure is to keep my Glocks locked until I go to bed. then I open the Gunvault and close it when I wake up. Another layer of security is both Glocks (G22 and G30) are unchambered. No 2 year old can rack a slide that I am aware of.

My 870 is kept "cruiser ready" in a locked Stack On gun cabinet. Same procedure as the Gunvault. Open at night, locked first thing when i awaken.

[EdInk]

Keep it in room they don't need to go into with the door locked. The master bedroom is an example. You can either keel the key in your pocket or put it on top of the door frame if there's crown molding around
the door.

An unloaded gun is a paperweight. The best thing to do is secure your ammo.
You can keep a speedloader or speedstrip on you and quickly load the gun if needed.

[swmp9jrm]

Pyzon wrote:

Please, when they are not in a holster on your belt, or in your pocket, lock them up.

+1

With an 8 year old and a 2 year old in your house, anything short of this is just plain negligent.

[dondavis3]

No kids at home any more - so they are all over the house.

Wife locks them up when grand kids get here (I can't ever remember where they all are

When kids did live here - lots of training - kids could ask to see them anytime.

Then lot;s whole family shooting outings - loads of fun for all.

And locked in a puch button gun safe under my side of the bed.

All my grown kids - girls & boys all shoot as adults, and my grand kids are all starting to shoot

[MQP]

Friends,
I have a handgun safe by both sides of the bed, one for me and one for my wife.
I use the AMSEC PB2 handgun safe from the Dean Safe Co. online store.
I took the image from their website.
<http://www.deansafe.com/amg-swpb2.html>
I keep my bedside hand guns locked up because I, at age 12, shot a revolver by accident at home.
I learned my lesson.
I recommend this gunsafe to your consideration.
Q

[nolaOE800]

i don't know if anyone will agree with me on this one but this is what I do so my daughter doesn't get hold of my Glock.

I have a small and cheap safe (not even a "gun safe" just a small safe) that I keep all my ammo in. keep in mind, the safe is not for protection against theft, only so my daughter can't access the ammo.
I keep a magazine loaded with Gold Dot hollow points in my pocket at all times (when I'm home) and the gun empty on top of my dresser.
when I go to sleep, the gun sleeps on the night stand next to me with the magazine in it, no round in the chamber.

I also have a 12 gauge ready to rock 'n roll inside of a long-gun safe for my wife to grab while I'm lining up my night-sights on the front door.