Gun Safety at Home

[Jester]

I'm getting a pistol. I'm mainly interested in target shooting, but home defense is also a consideration.

I'm getting one of these safes. Are there any other precautions I should take when storing it? Would I also use a trigger or cable lock, or is a safe sufficient?

 

[]-[@n$0Ma☩!©]

James, consider a shotgun for home and use the pistol for concealed carry.

A large calibur bullet will exit your home and enter your neighbors home. Also, a shotgun offers you more leverage should you end up in hand-to-hand combat.

A shotgun like a Mossberg 500 has so many safety options that my biggest concern is that my wife will forget all things she has to do in order to make it fire.

 

[swede71]

As a swede i have to ask,whos the enemy you protect yourself from?From military training i know you always keep the shotgun within arms reach.To maximize safety you need to keep shotgun under pillow or on you at all times if you should end up in hand to hand combat.A sniper rifle on top floor with all family working in shifts is the best way to ensure enemies is kept away or killed before they enter the home you are defending.For close combat i would recommend martial arts to take enemy down and wait til police comes.A pistol or shotgun in a safe is NOT a good and effective home defense system.Buy yourself a good alarm system and a guard dog.To boot you end up not risking killing another human being.Dont believe the weapon industry,they just want to sell a product.Advanced protection we can see in countries like Libya where the poor people we helped have Toyota pickups with a machinegun fitted.Guaranteed to keep enemies away on the highway.Dont forget to use hearing protection,the ringing in the ears after firing a shotgun,a pistol or a machinegun can make you lose orientation.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

As a swede i have to ask,whos the enemy you protect yourself from?

My guess is CITIES, these guys have a lot of Brazilian rosewood.

 

[11top]

James, consider a shotgun for home and use the pistol for concealed carry.

Or get a Taurus Judge or a S&W Governor, and accomplish both.

 

[]-[@n$0Ma☩!©]

Or get a Taurus Judge or a S&W Governor, and accomplish both.

Good call!

 

[Rango]

I'm getting a pistol. I'm mainly interested in target shooting, but home defense is also a consideration.

I'm getting one of these safes. Are there any other precautions I should take when storing it? Would I also use a trigger or cable lock, or is a safe sufficient?

That type of safe is great - remember to securely bolt it down. Small safe in a closet with an electronic lock is also good. WHATEVER you settle on make sure you put a combat light ON IT. You must have light to ID. Some training would an excellent idea too.

 

[garrett]

The absolute number one thing is educating everyone in your household about guns. I grew up with a pair of loaded 38's in my dad's dresser drawer, and wouldn't have dared to mess with them. I learned how to properly handle and respect firearms at a young age.

The gun safe is great if installed properly, but locking then up is incompatible with home defense IMO. Really, if you fear home invasion that much, perhaps you should move somewhere safer.

 

[John Scrip]

I'm with Garrett -- Except the "moving" thing... Not that if you're in an unsafe neighborhood you shouldn't think about getting out, but no neighborhood is truly "safe" by any particular stretch. And the "safer" they are, usually the farther they are from help if you should need it.

100% of home invasions happen within the home.

I know that sounds silly... No sillier than "the point of driving a car is to put the car where there isn't going to be anything else" (and getting a license simply shows you how to do that within the law).

I have that exact safe not three feet from me right here in the studio. That said, the SR9c that's usually in it is usually at my 4 o'clock anyway and the safe if just for "storage" when I'm not wearing it.

And I'm not "afraid" - I'm "prepared" - I have a fire extinguisher also. And a first-aid kit. Don't let anyone tell you different.

And no doubt, education is key (yourself and otherwise). Eddie Eagle is your best friend when it comes to the munchkins. As far as safe storage, that particular quick vault is quite good (16.7 million possible combinations). If you want to add a lock or trigger guard to that, go for it.

 

[Daniel]

I'm with Garrett -- Except the "moving" thing... Not that if you're in an unsafe neighborhood you shouldn't think about getting out, but no neighborhood is truly "safe" by any particular stretch. And the "safer" they are, usually the farther they are from help if you should need it.

100% of home invasions happen within the home.

I know that sounds silly... No sillier than "the point of driving a car is to put the car where there isn't going to be anything else" (and getting a license simply shows you how to do that within the law).

I have that exact safe not three feet from me right here in the studio. That said, the SR9c that's usually in it is usually at my 4 o'clock anyway and the safe if just for "storage" when I'm not wearing it.

And I'm not "afraid" - I'm "prepared" - I have a fire extinguisher also. And a first-aid kit. Don't let anyone tell you different.

And no doubt, education is key (yourself and otherwise). Eddie Eagle is your best friend when it comes to the munchkins. As far as safe storage, that particular quick vault is quite good (16.7 million possible combinations). If you want to add a lock or trigger guard to that, go for it.

Amen. And the first line of home defence should be a monitored alarm system with an alarm company sticker on each window and door. The cops around here say thieves rarely hit a home with them. Like a condom though, you've got to use it for it to do you any good. Plus, you get a discount on your home-owners insurance for it.

 

[DRM_777]

And there was me thinking "Gun Safety at home" was a contradiction in terms.....



I mean seriously, is this the kind of discussion you want to be having in the light of recent atrocities at Sandyhook? It comes over as a tad insensitive to me, but then I come from Scotland and when the Dunblane Massacre happened back in 1996, the UK banned Handguns......

It's high time America stepped up and did the same.

In the UK in 2009, there were 18 gun related homicides. In US in the same year, there were 9,146. And this is still disproportionate to population stats i.e. The fact that America has a much larger population does not account for the higher number of Gun related deaths.


And for the record, I am NOT anti-gun, I see no problem with a farmer or the like owning a rifle of sorts for pest control and I have no issue with small bore weapons being used for target sports.

What I am against is this insane belief that it is a "God given right to bear arms."........because obviously Jesus trekked about with a 9mm concealed behind his robes.......right?

Ugh.

 

[CoreyT]

Guy's, please do not turn this into a anti gun hating ban all guns thread.
Gun banning does not work, as criminals do not follow the law,
Duhhhh, they be criminals, and they can get guns or other weapons no matter what kind of gun laws are in effect.

I for one fully believe in the right to carry (and I do in my state) and defend ones "castle" which is your home.

My kid's are grown and do not live with me, but I have a full size safe for all of my collection, but a Glock 21SF with a Surefire light/laser on it is within a few feet of me when sleeping.

I also grew up around guns having an older brother who was a police officer, and my dad had them for home protection.
I also go to the range regularly and stay in practice.

 

[11top]

Amen. And the first line of home defence should be a monitored alarm system with an alarm company sticker on each window and door. The cops around here say thieves rarely hit a home with them. Like a condom though, you've got to use it for it to do you any good. Plus, you get a discount on your home-owners insurance for it.

Good points, Daniel. I've had a system like this for years. I also have a camera system at my home that records activity around my home. One time investment with no monitoring fee.

 

[Bryan Gunsher]

A Mossberg 500 is great idea for home protection.
As Swede said ear protection is very important. You must keep it right next to your guns.
If have to shoot indoors and you are not wearing protection there's a great chance you will black out. Especially with a shotgun.

 

[]-[@n$0Ma☩!©]

No politics.

No religion.

 

[vchizzle]

 

[captdg]

In 1979, when I was a boy dog, I was courting a girl named Laquita McDivitt. I came to her window one night and tried to sing "Crystal Ball" while playing a beat up Sears Silvertone at her window at 1 AM. Her daddy took a dim view of this and chased me through his soybean field and shot me with his Browning Light 12 in the calf. This was in the Mississippi Delta. I never did that again.

 

[captdg]

No politics.

No religion.

Bestest four words that could be posted......Merry Christmas Hans.....

 

[]-[@n$0Ma☩!©]

Bestest four words that could be posted......Merry Christmas Hans.....

And a Merry Christmas to you as well, Dave.

 

[JMintzer]

JA large calibur bullet will exit your home and enter your neighbors home. Also, a shotgun offers you more leverage should you end up in hand-to-hand combat.

Not really. If you use a .45 or .40 hollow point, they are relatively slow moving rounds. The expansion shouldn't let them go thru buildings...

A shotgun like a Mossberg 500 has so many safety options that my biggest concern is that my wife will forget all things she has to do in order to make it fire.

Excellent choice.

The safe you suggested is an excellent choice. No need for additional trigger or cable locks....

That said, lease refrain form discussing the pro or con, or politics of ownership. It is a very personal choice, and what works in one place will not necessarily work in another...


Jamie