Gun in house with a 2.5 year old

[birdman]

Fear of human error, I see.... and the excruciating doubt of not being able to verify if such an error has or has not taken place.

Ok Fitz, considering scenarios such as the above, the only solution I can offer is to ALWAYS retain either the pistol on your person, or the pistol's firing pin in your pocket(when the pistol must be left in the house). That way when that moment of terrible "what if.." doubt comes you can reassure yourself that the pistol is under control, either by patting it on your hip, or retrieving the firing pin from your pocket and holding it in your hand.

So next time you need to leave the pistol in the safe, take the firing pin with you, as a small silent witness that the pistol has been made "safe".

Removing the firing pin from a striker fired pistol (let alone an XD) is a major PITA.  If you were going to use the "render disabled" approach, I would use a cable or trigger lock...or if part removal is your choice, remove the barrel.

[Fitz]

I think barrel removal, along with a combination lockbox instead of key, is the ticket.

Thanks for the input, all

[seeker_two]

I think barrel removal, along with a combination lockbox instead of key, is the ticket.

Thanks for the input, all

That's a bit extreme....esp. if you need it in a hurry.....locked safe anchored to something should be just find...

[birdman]

That's a bit extreme....esp. if you need it in a hurry.....locked safe anchored to something should be just find...

I think what he means is to keep it assembled in the safe when he is home, and disassembled (taking the barrel with him) when he isn't (and isn't carrying...ah, fitz, the only guy I know who can conceal a full-frame XD IWB and not have it show readily)  That way, he has the functioning weapon when he needs it, but is absolutely sure his kid can't harm herself with it when he isn't home.

[Fitz]

Yes. If I leave and can't carry, barrel goes with me

[AJ Dual]

Yes. If I leave and can't carry, barrel goes with me

Not the worst strategy in the world if it's a kid proof/curious proof box, but not something sledgehammer and prybar resistant. Denies any crook a functional firearm that he can use or sell.

[gunsmith]

my dad always left loaded guns around for me to find, I think he was trying to get rid of me because I certainly played with them. One time my friend tried to get me to shoot out the window! ( we were on a huge hill, top floor of an apt ) I somehow knew better with zero training.

I carry everywhere, one of the few luxuries I have due to rural isolation/awesome carry regs in NV. I get separation anxiety ... mr ranch owner where I live had the same problem as you though, and for awhile made me keep it unloaded while I was indoors-even though its in a retention holster and on my hip .

( the safest place for it to be)

I tried to tell him that the loading/unloading was more dangerous but he was pretty obsessive-I'm glad to see that it seems to happen to other parents of kids that age, his kid has down syndrome to boot, she takes huge delight in grabbing for cups of coffee and tea left in her reach.

[Ryan in Maine]

What about a safe you can mount high on the wall or even the ceiling? If the safe requires you to stand on something to get to it, then kiddo surely won't be able to reach it.

Maybe you could hide the safe in the architecture of your home. Urban camo. Kiddo wouldn't even know you had it there.

I hate the sound of a firearm that can't be readily used if needed.

Double-edged sword. 

[Fitz]

It really is!

And it's frustrating as all hell.

The more i make the situation safe for my kid, the less able I am to use it in time of need.


Sucks

[Jamisjockey]

Okay so not to hijack your thread too much....
I was keeping a shotgun under the bed.  Full tube but not one in the chamber.
Wife dug into me about kids getting at it and figuring out how to operate it.
Fine fine.  Into the safe.
I'd like ideas on how to keep it close, safe and reasonably ready.

[Harold Tuttle]

they make a wall mount "safe" that will fit between the studs of a closet wall

for a handgun, the 89 dollar lockbox mounted in the night stand is fine to keep the kid safe

http://www.maximumsecurity.com/safes/pc/Pistol-Drawer-Safe-Stack-On-7p234.htm

[vaskidmark]

Okay so not to hijack your thread too much....
I was keeping a shotgun under the bed.  Full tube but not one in the chamber.
Wife dug into me about kids getting at it and figuring out how to operate it.
Fine fine.  Into the safe.
I'd like ideas on how to keep it close, safe and reasonably ready.

There is a solution.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxL84oNYafo = video review

http://www.mossberg.com/cgi-bin/commerce.exe?preadd=action&key=95092 = the product itself

We've discussed this before.  I'm not surprised you yahoos do not recall it.

stay safe.

[MillCreek]

It really is!

And it's frustrating as all hell.

The more i make the situation safe for my kid, the less able I am to use it in time of need.


Sucks

Each situation is different.  As a risk manager, I am trained to look at situations, assess the risk and come up with a solution.  For me, a middle-aged white bread family living in a white bread upscale suburb, the risk of needing immediate access to a loaded firearm from home invasion or the like was less than the risk of a possible tragedy involving a child (my own or visitors) accessing an unsecured loaded firearm.  Both are pretty small on the probability scale, but I opted for secure storage to reduce the risk of the second scenario even further.  It is a trade-off that I lived with successfully for a few decades now. 

[roo_ster]

Okay so not to hijack your thread too much....
I was keeping a shotgun under the bed.  Full tube but not one in the chamber.
Wife dug into me about kids getting at it and figuring out how to operate it.
Fine fine.  Into the safe.
I'd like ideas on how to keep it close, safe and reasonably ready.

Not a fan of key-only safes/locks, so I would run with this puppy rather than the Mossberg deal:
http://www.shotlock.com/Details.asp



Added later:
Cool, they have a gallery of shotguns that have successfully fit in the ShotLock: pumps, semis, & doubles for the most part.  Also, they have a video examining it, installing it, and using it.

[Jamisjockey]

I vaguely remember a thread on it, but not enough to drag it up from the search engines.

I'm going to take a hard look at the shotlock. 

[Marnoot]

I have the Shotlock roo_ster linked, with my 870 Express in the bedroom closet. I've been happy with it. Full magazine w/ empty chamber, as the hanger holds the shotgun by its open chamber. Hidden from a quick look by clothes in front of it. Very secure. A thief would pretty well destroy the gun before they got it out.

The only problem I've ever had is remembering to turn the knob the right way after entering the combo. One way unlocks it, the other resets it so you have to enter the combo again. I should probably practice more with it to get the muscle memory ingrained well.