Do you have, or have you, a gun/guns in your home?

[ElizK]

I have a small boy and I love him far too much to take such a risk with his safety. Guns are not allowed in my home and he is not allowed in homes where they are present.

Do you ask everywhere he goes if they have a gun stored in the house? I have never ever been asked this, even when I knew how the parents felt about guns.

I'm not giving you a hard time. I was very opposed to having guns when my kids were smaller (both are teens now). I insisted on a gun safe AND trigger locks.

 

[brerrabbit]

I have answered this question here many times and the results are always the same I wind up getting slammed really hard for my opinions and views. Therefore as to the question, do I have any guns? I exercise my fifth amendment rights and reply no comment.

 

[tonilea]

I have answered this question here many times and the results are always the same I wind up getting slammed really hard for my opinions and views. Therefore as to the question, do I have any guns? I exercise my fifth amendment rights and reply no comment.

You are in Texas. I thought that was an answer.

 

[Cool-Beans]

Have them and am ready to use them if need be.

The first guy who broke in got to go to jail. The next one won't be so lucky.

 

[brerrabbit]

You are in Texas. I thought that was an answer.

Very observant, the 6th generation part probably gave it away as well.

 

[freckles and boo]

While many people joke about it, shooting another person is not something to be taken lightly, and killing another human being is never without consequences. From a technical aspect, it is also very difficult to hit a moving target, add in lighting and your skill level, make sit even more complicated,unless you have a shotgun and aim is seconday.
You also don't get to say, sorry he was in my house and the cops go home. You still get arrested and released and the attorney makes a recommendation. You might run the risk of a civil lawsuit by the survivor or if no survivor, their family. You will be saying you were within your rights, they will be saying you invited them in, you bought drugs before, etc or etc. They're unarmed altar boys and you become a vigilante killing over a playstation. The other thing to consider is that all of their family and friends know where you live after you shoot someone. The other issue is access, you are downstairs with your kids and someone breaks in, are you leaving them to fend for themselves while you go unlock your gun and load it? I just think people put far more stock in how safe they are with a gun than they really are. I prefer a security system with a glass break, audible and panic alarms. My children will never accidentally hurt themselves with a security system. There are also deep psychological ramifications for killing a person, deserved or not for most of us. If you ever meet a person that says killing another human being over property is easy, that is someone you don't need to know.

Excellent post. I am always confused by those who state they have guns for security BUT those guns are properly stored with gun locks and with the ammuniton stored separately. I can't see anybody having it both ways. At least those who admit to having loaded guns in nightstands and under beds (as reckless as I feel that is) are being honest.

 

[dday2022]

Working on my 21st year in the Military, I have guns in the home. They are locked in a safe with only 2 people knowing the combination. I mostly shoot competitive pistol and rifle, plus it helps me hone my shooting skills for the military, since the unit never has enough time or money for regular marksmanship training.

When I thought my DD was old enough to understand I taught her 3 rules.

1) Never touch a gun.

2) If you see a gun, leave it alone and tell an adult.

3) If you see any other kid with a gun, leave and go tell an adult.

DW and I would quiz her on it frequently.

Now that she's older, shes going to gun safety and shooting classes at camp (BB guns), as she gets older I'm going to expand on that knowledge and teach her to shoot.

Botom line: it is the parents responsibility to teach their children about guns and gun safety, whether or not they even own a gun, no matter how they feel about guns.

 

[slo]

Yes we do!!!

My DH has a gun permit, and I used to have a gun permit.
Our guns are under lock and key, and my girls have no idea they are in the house

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

Handguns are illegal to own in the city of Chicago, so no guns in my house.

Even if I did not live here, I cannot ever foresee why I would ever need or want one.

 

[almburr]

I know many will disagree with this, but I think part of the problem with accidental shooting accidents, is people with guns not educating the kids.

People have guns, but they keep them locked up and away from the kids. Which to me just says OH LET'S SEE WHAT THIS BIG SECRET THING IS ABOUT.

I also grew up with guns. I don't think there was ever a time in my life when there wasn't a gun(rifle or shot gun) in the corner behind ever door in the house. Or when there wasn't a gun(hand gun) under the seat of the vehicle. This goes not just my parents house, but my grandparents, uncles, cousins. We were taught at a very very young age, not to mess with the guns.

So true the same here. From an early age you knew what they were and where they were but you "knew" to never touch. I thought it was cool when dad would yell to me to run in and get a box of shells out of his underwear drawer Then I went through hunter safety, aflter that he would take me out to target shoot. Today there are still pick-ups with the gun rack in the window. I have no problem with them.

 

[Timon-n-Pumbaa Fan]

I am an only child and the only thing that I want out of my father's house when he dies is his gun and knife collection. I am not a gun collector, but the thought of his wife or any of her children doing God knows what with them makes me ill. I could never forgive myself if I let any of them mishandle any of those weapons and then know that they ended up sold or flat out placed in the wrong hands. I only wish to make sure that the weapons are properly stored until I can be assured that a new owner will respect the weapon and the responsibility that goes along with it's ownership.

I will keep his .22. It has always been his favorite. Upon my death, since I have no children, I will ask that it be donated to a responsible gun club type organization.

 

[pumba]

if a family has multiple guns and they are stored correctly.....then guns have no problems....our guns are separate from the ammo and the other thing that goes into the guns.......our kids grew up around guns.....and their kids are growing up around guns....we are hunters and use them appropriately and with care and caution always.......we have gone to our classes to be able to go hunting and use guns .....I am a hunter ..

so people say that they are not safe around kids in a home then the people who own the guns are being careless.....

 

[Poohbear123]

Yes we have a gun in our house. Break into my house in the middle of the night and I'll give you a close up of it. Sorry, was that too much?

Not at all, we feel the same way here in Miami! My DH has about......40 Guns, most of them Antique and also Cannons and Swords, so yea, my House is READY for ANYTHING! We have an Alarm system, and a sticker on the front of the door that reads: "Trespasers will be shot....Survivors will be Shot again!" Needless to say, when people ring the doorbell, they read the sign and BACK UP!

 

[Rence]

I don't own guns, wouldn't want a gun in the house. But I have no problem with responsible gun ownership. I believe that when dealing with children in the house it takes a strong combination a properly securing the weapons along with education.

We hear news reports all of time of children who are killed playing with a gun, or an angry child or teen who gets a weapon and takes revenge. In everyone of those situations the adults involved believed that they had acted responsibly. No one every thinks "Hey I am an irresponsible gun owner". They may have believed that their child was trained well enough or the gun was hidden or secured well enough, but the tragic consequences show that they were wrong.

I guess I would just ask gun owners to really think through these issues and to review them over time.

NOTHING is ever hidden well enough that a child won't find it. Children are masters of hide and go seek. Also remember that as your child ages, he/she will have access to more areas of the house. The shelf that was way too high for a three year old, may now be accessible to a six year old.

A Secured Locked location is always preferable to simply "hiding". But if the key is "hidden" rather than on your person, it is no different then simply hiding the gun. And is the cabinet really secure? I have been to friends homes with the guns locked in a very nice looking cabinet with glass doors. It didn't look like it would take much effort to get into the cabinet, even for a young child. The door could easily be smashed by an angry child who wanted to get his hands on a gun to teach someone a lesson.

All children should be educated about guns. Not to touch, to tell an adult if they find one etc. No matter who well you hide and secure, your child may still find them. Also your child may come across a gun away from home, either at a friends house or on occasion you read about a child finding a loaded gun that was tossed aside.

Children are curious creatures. They want to explore, examine etc. For many children a gun can be an irresistible curiosity. Also as children age, you never know when something is going to trigger extreme anger making a child want to seek out a weapon for revenge. In case after case, folks interviewed after these cases will state that they never imagined that little Johnny or little Betty could do such a thing. No matter how well you've trained your children about guns and how much you trust them, you never know when something totally unexpected may set them off. You don't want to be the one standing there in front of the news cameras saying "I just couldn't imagine my child doing something like that". Do what you can to play it safe now, so that you won't have regrets later.

 

[rayelias]

re another thread on the CB...

I hate guns, so no, I will never own one, let alone have one in my home.

I wonder why you hate GUNS. Do you also hate knives? Baseball bats? Screwdrivers? Bleach? Plastic Bags?

These are all just tools. Guns, by themselves, and handled properly, don't kill.

However, practically anything can be used to kill, in the wrong hands.

I hate people who use guns, knives, bats, etc, etc, in order to harm an innocent individual.

Of course, if you do have guns in the home (which we have a right) you have the responsibility to keep them properly and safely stored, and everyone in the home take gun safety courses.

And, honestly, since guns are a right and so prevalent in the US, I think gun safety should be taught in the schools. Not that children should be taught how to USE them, necessarily, but teach what they are, how they work, why they're dangerous, and that they're not a toy - they're a tool.

 

[Kathi OD]

Many. Locked, separated, we know the drill. Never had an accident, nor will we ever. Both children were taught from an early age not to touch them, then were put in gun safety classes when old enough. They still don't have the keys to the safes.

The responsibility of owning guns lie with the parents and we don't take that job lightly. I do have to say that many aren't fit to have guns in their houses, but I am not willing to give up my constitutional rights due to people not being responsible.

Same here. I'd like to add that our kids (who are all now adults, living in their own homes) still don't know where the keys to the gun safes are. They could search the entire house - garage, basement, and attic and still not find them, as we do not keep them on our property.

It really is all about education and responsibility. If you don't want to take the time to be diligently responsible about gun ownership, then you're right, you shouldn't have them in your house.

 

[kerrynic78]

I wonder why you hate GUNS. Do you also hate knives? Baseball bats? Screwdrivers? Bleach? Plastic Bags?

These are all just tools. Guns, by themselves, and handled properly, don't kill.

However, practically anything can be used to kill, in the wrong hands.

I hate people who use guns, knives, bats, etc, etc, in order to harm an innocent individual.

Of course, if you do have guns in the home (which we have a right) you have the responsibility to keep them properly and safely stored, and everyone in the home take gun safety courses.

And, honestly, since guns are a right and so prevalent in the US, I think gun safety should be taught in the schools. Not that children should be taught how to USE them, necessarily, but teach what they are, how they work, why they're dangerous, and that they're not a toy - they're a tool.

 

[suzimar57]

yes, we have guns.

ammunition, too.

better knock first.....

 

[Disnydad]

I had several guns in our house for years, but I was a police officer then and they were just tools of the trade and I always had one on me. No need for one now, so no guns around now.

Like I said, they are just tools. Heck, I've seen people killed by a ball point pen.

 

[rayelias]

I wonder what the actual statistics are for "accidental" gun deaths in the US a year compared to other types of death - car accidents, for example.

Gun ownership is a right.

Driving is a privilege.

So, theoretically, if there are more deaths by cars (a privilege) vs guns (a right), wouldn't it make sense to limit use of autos? I don't hear the government limiting the # of cars you can buy, or have a waiting period before buying a car, or putting governors on cars to limit your driving speed, etc.

How many people die from smoking a year? Again, not a constitutionally protected right, but smoking is still legal. As a matter of fact, as long as you're 18, you can chain smoke non-stop and the government will do absolutely nothing to stop you.

How many people die from alcohol use a year? Not a right - still legal. As long as you're 21, you can sit in your house and drink until you pass out, wake up and start drinking again. Completely legal.

But, to purchase a gun (a Constitutional Right) in many states, there is an application process which can take up to 30 days before approval - approval for a CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT. One of the purposes of gun ownership is to protect ourselves from the very same government that insists on giving permission to buy the gun!

Can you imagine if there was a 30 day approval process to get a permit (which you have to PAY for - what about the "poor" that can't afford it?) to VOTE?!? Some politicians want to make it so easy to vote, that all you have to do is show up on the day of the election, and they'll let you vote. Yet, these same politicians want to deny (and/or severely limit) your right to own a gun.

IMHO, a vote is just as dangerous as a gun.