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Old April 21, 2010, 08:30 PM   #1
macruadhi
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Intro and several questions

I just registered this morning, mostly be because I liked what I read, but now that I've had hours to think about it, I think I can learn a lot from you guys. That said, I'm a 34 y/o male nurse in Tn. I grew up around guns, love em, love to shoot them. Heck, some times I like to just lay them in my lap and stare longingly at them, .

Most of my shooting life I have concentrated mostly on hitting small targets from far away, with open sights. But now I want to train myself and my wife to protect ourselves in the event of burglarly or home envasion. In doing that, I realise the need to practise on "man sized targets" and the like, but how far away? And additionally I know that picking up the firearm and pointing it at a target and firing is not the same as being awakened in the middle of the night and groping around in the dark trying to find your gun and load it before your intruder gets you.

And, having a 4 year old in the house and not being able to afford one of those snazzy combination locked boxes that springs open, how would you store a loaded weapon that is not accessible to her?

Thanks
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Old April 21, 2010, 08:35 PM   #2
ActivShootr
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You're in TN? So are these guys, www.tacticalresponse.com

Check them out and get some training.

Rangemaster in Memphis is also a great place to learn.

Quote:
And, having a 4 year old in the house and not being able to afford one of those snazzy combination locked boxes that springs open, how would you store a loaded weapon that is not accessible to her?
On my hip or locked up is the only way I roll with little ones around.
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Old April 21, 2010, 08:53 PM   #3
macruadhi
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Yeah, thanks for the heads up about Tactical response, I would love to take it but if it costs more than free, it costs too much, plus (and I know you had no way of knowing.) it's almost 400 miles away. Again, thanks, maybe one day distance and cost won't be an issue.
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Old April 21, 2010, 08:55 PM   #4
ActivShootr
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Do you have a TN handgun carry permit?
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Old April 21, 2010, 09:00 PM   #5
macruadhi
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Not yet, funds permitting I intend to get one for myself and one for my wife when or if she's ready for it.
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Old April 21, 2010, 09:07 PM   #6
coldpointcrossing
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Welcome to the club! Hope you find this forum as enjoyable as the rest of us. There are alot of knowledgeable folks here and some really good discussion across the board.

Quote:
And, having a 4 year old in the house and not being able to afford one of those snazzy combination locked boxes that springs open, how would you store a loaded weapon that is not accessible to her?
Thats a tough one. To decide to have it out and readily accessible while you slept means the possibility that your little one could be exposed to a live firearm should she enter your room in the middle of the night because she had a nightmare or saw the boogieman or just wanted to be close to mommy and daddy or etc...or place it high up in the closet or what-not so she couldn't stand a chance of being able to reach it without you noticing but it is also farther away from you when you may need it most. Or worse, tuck it away in a lock-box that can't be opened in a matter of seconds and without at least a modicum of coherent thought even though you JUST woke up because of some living, breathing, walking, nightmare boogieman just crept into your home while you, your loving wife, and your precious daughter were blissfully asleep.

I say, find a way to afford one of those snazzy boxes, sleep soundly, and wake up in the morning and kiss your wife and baby girl knowing that they are more than worth it.

And get a dog if you don't already.

Probably not what you want to read but remember, this is only my opinion. Later, I gotta find my flea bag mutt. He's probably viciously attacking a couch cushion about now.
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Old April 21, 2010, 09:13 PM   #7
macruadhi
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Luckily I do have a barker, she would start barking as soon as the door was opened, even sooner if she was asleep on the livingroom, that would give us at least a few seconds to prepare ourselves. But if in the event we were not able to get to our firearms, we do have a plethora of pointly and very sharp edged weapons with which to defend ourselves.
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Old April 21, 2010, 09:13 PM   #8
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The hangun permit class is good basic saftey and legal training. Start there and try to get more training afterwards as time and funds allow.
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Old April 21, 2010, 11:20 PM   #9
2cooltoolz
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Simple Answers

For SD, practice at 7 to 10 yards. Any further than that and it's not SD (in the eyes of a liberal jury). Use man sized targets (silhouettes) if you want, but I usually draw a little dot in the center. Aim small, miss small.
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Old April 22, 2010, 12:28 AM   #10
NavyLT
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Do you have a nightstand next to the bed? You could pull the nightstand out from the wall with enough room to mount a holster to the back of the nightstand and allow you to easily reach behind it and retrieve the gun.

Not ideal, but maybe workable.

I agree with 7 to 10 yards for distance.
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Old April 22, 2010, 12:47 AM   #11
Irish80prf
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NavyLT you nailed my set up on the head. I have the magazine stuck in the belt clip of the holster so it is ready to go if it's ever needed. I'll have to move it when my son is old enough to make it over the baby gate and up the stairs on his own.
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Old April 22, 2010, 07:00 AM   #12
CWPinSC
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Welcome!

Generally, you must be in fear of your life to shoot. Unless the BG has a gun, that puts him within a room's distance. I'd practice at that. Start at 5' and work outwards. Practice hitting where you aim and aiming well. Shot placement is everything. When you have that down pat, practice for speed in getting your weapon in a fighting grip and getting it up and on target. The average human can run 15' in one second for a brief period. That gives you an idea of the time you have to draw (or grab) and shoot. "Situational awareness" will increase that time a lot. In the house, barkers are great and will often scare the BG off. Alarms work well, too. I recommend CPI. Crooks don't like anything that takes time, takes effort, makes noise, or uses light. Barkers, alarms, motion sensor lights, and good locks are a multi-layered defense that buys time and distance.

As for safety around "rug rats"...I like the little single-gun safes with a numbered keypad lock. Bolt that sucker to the nightstand and only you and your wife know the code. I quick "tap-tap-tap" on the keypad opens it.
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Old April 22, 2010, 01:50 PM   #13
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Quote:
Do you have a nightstand next to the bed? You could pull the nightstand out from the wall with enough room to mount a holster to the back of the nightstand and allow you to easily reach behind it and retrieve the gun.

Not ideal, but maybe workable.
My setup exactly, but mine daughter is only 18mo. Here in the next few months, I'm either going to have to get some sort of drawer safe, or only put the gun there when I'm in bed.

Your only option (if you don't keep it locked up) is probably just being very diligent about only having the gun there when you are in bed. When you aren't in bed, perhaps you could store it in a closet on a top shelf.

A decent little pistol safe can be had for relatively cheap and is a great investment. In fact, I'm in Knoxville and I have a small safe that I'm not using. If you are in my area, PM me and maybe we could work something out.
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Old April 26, 2010, 08:44 PM   #14
EnoughGUN
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I think the small button lock gun safe near the bed is the best bet. A safty guy at work the other day said something very smart "safty equipment is the last line of defense" The fist one being training aka acting in a manner that never results in being in harms way. I would spend some time familiarizing your child with what a gun is and teaching them to be safe. Children like to investigate things. If they know what it is and understand it is dangerous and not a toy everyone is better off. I grew up around guns, had BB guns and toy guns etc. Thanks to my family I would never have thought about pulling out my fathers gun and playing with it.
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Old April 27, 2010, 12:03 AM   #15
MauiDoc
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Cheapo gun safe

Hey, welcome--

Here's an idea for a cheapo gun safe--won't stop a burglar, but I doubt a 4 year old could get in.

I work across the hall from an alarm company, and they are always throwing out old lock-boxes that protected their equipment on the outside of a house or business. Steel box, welded piano hinge, key lock (like on a file cabinet drawer), holes for mounting to whatever. They've given me two, free for the asking, and I could easily get more. You might need to replace the lock--$5-6 at any hardware store. They also toss out high-quality poly foam, used for packing their sensitive computer stuff, which I use to pad the inside of the box. Stick the key in the box while sleeping (or wear it around your neck or wrist), with your car key on it (that way you won't drive off and forget to lock the box).

Like I said, not Fort Knox, but it will keep the kid off it. I agree with the earlier posters--four years old is not too young to teach gun safety. If you get desperate, I'll happily send you one. PM me.
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Old April 27, 2010, 07:13 AM   #16
old bear
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Kids and handguns

One word of free advise, on child rearing and firearms of any kind. As any parent knows kids are curious and tend to get into everything. Depending on your daughter’s maturity, show her the handgun you have then explain what it is and it is not her toy, answer any questions she may have and let her handle it. If she ever asks questions about it answer them and if she shows any interest let her handle it.
This worked wonders for me, my son, and now my grandsons’. In 50 + years of living with and around firearms of different types I’ve never had a child attempt to access one of my handguns without my permission.

Last edited by old bear; April 27, 2010 at 08:29 AM. Reason: Sp.
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