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

[freckles and boo]

Actually using your information, it would be a positive thing to let the potential thieves know there aren't any guns in your home. None to steal.

That is sort of like a gas station having a "NO CASH ON PREMISES" sign. Unless there was a rash of gun thefts in my area I don't know why I would need such a sign. I could list a lot of other things, too.

No guns, valuable jewelry, trendy electronics, drugs, exotic pets, priceless art, or cash on premises. Pick another house, Bozo.

 

[In a hurry]

That is sort of like a gas station having a "NO CASH ON PREMISES" sign. Unless there was a rash of gun thefts in my area I don't know why I would need such a sign. I could list a lot of other things, too.

No guns, valuable jewelry, trendy electronics, drugs, exotic pets, priceless art, or cash on premises. Pick another house, Bozo.

I think it would be great! I wonder if it would work? I was think about the no narcotics sign on my dad's ofc. door!

 

[Dee & Greg]

DH and I both completed a 6 hour gun training and safety course a few years ago. Learned when you can and CANNOT use deadly force. I believe if you are going to have a gun, you need to know all the rules and laws associated with them, and also know you are actually willing to use them in self defense. No use having them around if you aren't serious about using them for your safety.
That being said... we do not have children. Or access to young children except on rare occassions. Then we lock the guns in a safe. I would never
run the risk of a child having access over my "right" to have a gun. To me, it is a huge responsiblity, and one to take seriously.

 

[sha_lyn]

I can't find the post right now, but someone basically asked how can you use a properly stored firearm for self defense

http://www.gunvault.biz/

there are other similar safes. A friend has one that mounts on the back of her headboard and has molded in finger wells to make it easier to find the number keys.
There are even some with biometric scanners, but considering I can't get the one on my laptop to work, I wouldn't trust that I could easily access a gun with one.

Right now we only have one handgun and it is too powerful IMHO for home protection. It is in a locked case, unloaded and stored on a high shelve.
The plan is to do as my friend has .38 with the special bullets (ETA- the glaser safety slug)that will not penetrate drywall, in a bed mounted combination safe.

 

[ChrizJen]

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.

Unfortunately, I'm at work, and haven't had time to read through past this post. But I wanted to comment on an observation about this particular post and ones like it. You mention all of these other things that people use to kill or hurt other people. But the important thing to remember is that all of the other "weapons" you listed have other primary purposes. None of them are made "specifically" to kill. Guns are made specifically for that purpose. There are no 2 ways around that. So I think it's perfectly legitimate for someone to hate guns and not hate any of the other things you mentioned.

Just for the record, I am not against guns. I am not entirely for gun control. I think more needs to be done to keep guns from getting into the wrong hands, but I think that responsible, trained people should have every right to own and use a gun.

 

[mikehn]

I am drooling just thinking what my gun collection will be worth under an Obama administration.

 

[In a hurry]

I am drooling just thinking what my gun collection will be worth under an Obama administration.

 

[DznyLvr2005]

My DH is a cop, so yes at times he brings his gun home. I hate it in the house!

 

[Pigeon]

Dont forget toilets, you can drown in an inch of water

Oh Pigeon, if your cousin had had some type of training about guns, we dont touch one etc, he may have went and told an adult. Never assume that if you dont talk about something it wont happen.

The child who shot my 5 year old cousin had completed a series of NRA classes. So much for that theory.

I do talk with my kids about what to do should they encounter guns.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

I have a lot of guns in the house. My dad, myself and my two sisters all shoot rifles competitively. There aren't really gun safes and the guns are not locked up, they are mostly kept in the den where nobody really hangs out or goes without a purpose.

When we were little my dad told us about gun safety and showed us how powerful guns were and what they did. As we were not stupid kids, and generally obeyed our parents we knew not to pull out said guns and pretend to shoot Little Timmy down the street with it.

Thats what confuses me about the 'kids finding guns and shooting people' issue. Did the parents not tell the kids about the dangers of the gun? When I was little I wouldn't imagine disobeying my parents, especially when we had such a serious talk about it.

 

[honeymom]

My grandfather was a cop. He used to have a gun in the house. He always kept the bullets separate from the gun and the gun unloaded. Plus, the gun was kept on a high up shelf underneath clothing.

One day, when my dad was grown up, there was a family gathering at my grandfather's. My dad's cousin had brought his family including a little boy of 8 or 9.

The kids were off playing. The little boy comes into speak to the adults with the gun in his hand. He proudly says "I found a gun."

My grandfather says to the boy's dad, "Don't worry, the gun's not loaded."

The little boy proudly declares, "yes, it is. I found the bullets."

Luckily, they were able to get the gun away from the boy safely, without it going off.

So the answer to your question is "no, I will never keep a gun in my house." I think that as long as their are kids in the house especially, you can never be too careful.

 

[mickeyboat]

We have guns in our home. They are kept under lock and key at all times while they are in our house. We use them for sport, not protection. We will teach our children to handle them properly if they wish to use them for sport. I think it is better to teach them what to do should they encounter a gun than it is to keep guns away from them altogether because I will not always be able to prevent them from seeing or finding a gun.

Denae

 

[NikiM20]

The child who shot my 5 year old cousin had completed a series of NRA classes. So much for that theory.

I do talk with my kids about what to do should they encounter guns.

I said your cousin, not that child. had your cousin known what to do...

 

[Pigeon]

I said your cousin, not that child. had your cousin known what to do...

Right. I do like putting the onus of not getting shot on a 5 year old playing in his own home. Is that responsible gun owner logic?

 

[freckles and boo]

Thats what confuses me about the 'kids finding guns and shooting people' issue. Did the parents not tell the kids about the dangers of the gun? When I was little I wouldn't imagine disobeying my parents, especially when we had such a serious talk about it.

Of course most kids know guns are dangerous. They know drugs are dangerous. They know sex can be dangerous. They know they should look both ways before crossing the street. They "know" a lot of things. But they are children. Children have immature judgment and they often don't perceive danger the same way adults do. Many don't recognize the finality of death. The also get the message from society that guns are cool or that those with guns have power. That is a compelling message. Even if every child in America learned gun safety there would still be tragedies because kids do stupid crap sometimes. (Adults do, too. )

 

[tonilea]

Right. I do like putting the onus of not getting shot on a 5 year old playing in his own home. Is that responsible gun owner logic?

I don't think that is what she is suggesting at all. Only that if we teach all children gun safety, then we provide them with more protection.

 

[Pigeon]

Pigeon is now on my ignore list....I prefer to avoid people that prefer to avoid me.

Ohhh, cut me to the quick.

 

[In a hurry]

Ohhh, cut me to the quick.

Want me to quote you so she can see it?

I think that it is terrible that kids get hurt due to carelessness or intent. But just as I drive knowing the dangers, fly, swim, take meds and have them in my house, I/We choose to have the guns. Many were inherited and are treasures, but we keep them to use (target and hunting) and we believe in keeping them safely locked up.

 

[Pigeon]

Want me to quote you so she can see it?

I think you just did.

 

[storzo]

I do discuss attitudes about guns with people before I allow my kids in their homes. Is it 100% perfect? Perhaps not. But knowing the people very well first is usually a pretty good indication of whether or not they have guns, and I have screened out several. Sadly, there is no way to avoid them entirely in our society, but I certainly am not going out of my way to put my kids in situations that I find unsafe. The people I tend to hang out with, and who are parents of my kids' friends, are as opposed to guns as I am or even moreso.

I don't let my kids go to houses with swimming pools unless I'm confident that they will be supervised every minute they are in the pool. I have a few friends who I know that I can trust on this issue. As for knives, etc., these things have a legitimate purpose beyond killing. There is no comparison. I wouldn't let my kids go to houses where the parents had pipe bombs "safely" stored, either.

The child who shot my cousin had been through the NRA "safety" classes. I guess it didn't take. I feel particularly badly for him, because, while he wasn't the one to die, his life had been pretty much ruined.

Originally you wouldn't be friendly with someone who owned a gun now knowing them pretty well gives an indication. Isn't that kind of a contradiction. I personally don't get to know people well that I don't consider friends. Am I misunderstanding something?

Also, you could get to know my DH and I very well and enter our house and you would not know we owned guns or that they are in the house. We don't advertise it and they're not sitting on the coffee table.

I'm sorry for the loss in your family but children do need to be educated in gun safety. A gun cannot kill someone or something on its own. I grew up with guns in the house and knew they were not toys. When I was about 6-7 a neighbor boy brought a gun outside (not in someone's house), I knew to immediately leave the area and notify an adult. Turned out to be a bb gun but still a girl was shot with it. Boy thought it was a toy, girl didn't know to leave. ALL children should be taught gun safety whether there is a gun in their own home or not.