The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Toddler Gun Safety vs. Firearm Accessibility

artemka · July 5, 2010, 09:47 PM

The last post by Gary left me speechless with one of those DUH moments. My CCW weapon is a Walther PPS, which already comes with a mechanical safety device! Specifically, the removable backstrap permanently de-cocks the firearm. I have not had much good experience with "lockable" guns (my Ruger Mark III comes with a key that needs to be turned a dozen times to "screw" the gun into safe/operable modes), but I can tell you that snapping that backstrap on the Walther takes all of 2 seconds.

With that in mind, effective immediately I'm keeping my safety protocol for the Walther as follows:

1. keep it holstered on the magnet at the top back wall of my entryway closet
2. de-cocked, no round in the chamber, magazine in
3. removable backstrap on my person, or in one of the internal coat pockets in the same closet

I feel that this setup provides enough safety for my now three-year-old, as she a. doesn't know the gun is there, b. can't see it, c. can't reach it without a tremendous amount of athleticism and ingenuity (if she knew it was there and actually wanted to try), d. is rarely unsupervisied, and e. can't make it operable by assembling it and chambering the round.

At the same time, I myself can access the gun easily and can make it operable in about five seconds. This is short enough a time frame for the two cases when I would likely want to access it: to answer an unexpected late-night door knock, or to make the gun ready to be carried on my person when leaving the house.

This, in addition to the firearm safety education as discussed on the 'corneredcat' website (thanks skullandbones) and in this forum, and keeping the rest of the firearms int the house under lock and key should in my view be sufficient to address my concerns about safety at this stage of my life.

Later on, as the kids get older and circumstances change, adjustments will need to be made. Glenn - thank you very much for your insightful comment on child psychology and the risks associated with it. Yes, we all like to think that we can bring up balanced, well-adjusted kids, but truth of the matter is that we live in stressful times, and stress enters our kids lives way too early for my taste. Trouble at school and trouble at home are only two of the possible sources of anxiety, and while there are many ways to get in trouble for a child, having ready access to guns can exacerbate things very fast. Bringing up kids in this environment seems to require an uncanny balance between constant vigilance and smothering your kids in unwanted attention. Nobody said parenting was easy...

Thanks again for your comments, everyone.

July 5, 2010, 09:47 PM	#24
artemka Member Join Date: June 20, 2010 Location: Connecticut Posts: 19	The last post by Gary left me speechless with one of those DUH moments. My CCW weapon is a Walther PPS, which already comes with a mechanical safety device! Specifically, the removable backstrap permanently de-cocks the firearm. I have not had much good experience with "lockable" guns (my Ruger Mark III comes with a key that needs to be turned a dozen times to "screw" the gun into safe/operable modes), but I can tell you that snapping that backstrap on the Walther takes all of 2 seconds. With that in mind, effective immediately I'm keeping my safety protocol for the Walther as follows: 1. keep it holstered on the magnet at the top back wall of my entryway closet 2. de-cocked, no round in the chamber, magazine in 3. removable backstrap on my person, or in one of the internal coat pockets in the same closet I feel that this setup provides enough safety for my now three-year-old, as she a. doesn't know the gun is there, b. can't see it, c. can't reach it without a tremendous amount of athleticism and ingenuity (if she knew it was there and actually wanted to try), d. is rarely unsupervisied, and e. can't make it operable by assembling it and chambering the round. At the same time, I myself can access the gun easily and can make it operable in about five seconds. This is short enough a time frame for the two cases when I would likely want to access it: to answer an unexpected late-night door knock, or to make the gun ready to be carried on my person when leaving the house. This, in addition to the firearm safety education as discussed on the 'corneredcat' website (thanks skullandbones) and in this forum, and keeping the rest of the firearms int the house under lock and key should in my view be sufficient to address my concerns about safety at this stage of my life. Later on, as the kids get older and circumstances change, adjustments will need to be made. Glenn - thank you very much for your insightful comment on child psychology and the risks associated with it. Yes, we all like to think that we can bring up balanced, well-adjusted kids, but truth of the matter is that we live in stressful times, and stress enters our kids lives way too early for my taste. Trouble at school and trouble at home are only two of the possible sources of anxiety, and while there are many ways to get in trouble for a child, having ready access to guns can exacerbate things very fast. Bringing up kids in this environment seems to require an uncanny balance between constant vigilance and smothering your kids in unwanted attention. Nobody said parenting was easy... Thanks again for your comments, everyone.