Need advice: Should I give the gun safe combo to my teenage son?

[kazman]

I have a son in high school who's been to the range many times and trained on proper gun safety. He's well balanced, good student, sports etc but of course has his grumpy days. My shooting friend who also takes my son to the range says I should have my son know the combination to the gun safe for emergency reasons, or when I'm out of town, or just in case. We live in a pretty safe neighborhood btw, and guns are never kept loaded in the safe but loaded magazines in there.

I'm hesitant to do this. Any advice? Anyone have a similar situation? I could give the combo to my wife (not gun trained) so she could give to him in an emergency as an alternative.
Thanks.

[Greg-Dawg]

We don't know your son.

If you love your son with all your heart, then you should trust him.

[Lateralus]

I would.

If in your judgment he is responsible enough to have access to firearms, let him be able to get to them if he needs to.

It all comes down to your judgment.

[M198]

If he is in the 15 range, and is responsible, I'd say go for it. No guns were ever locked up when I was a kid after about 15. If you guys are out for a night, he might need a weapon to protect himself.

[BamBam-31]

Impossible to say w/o knowing your son better. Only you can say, really.

If you only want him to have access to something for HD and not your entire safe, you could just buy one of those quick access pistol vaults and give him the combo to that. Or hide a shotgun in a soft case under the bed and lock the receiver. Then give him the key/combo to that.

[tlillard23]

I had access to all of my dad's guns my entire life. He made sure I knew the rules and followed them. But then again, all of my friends had the same access to guns so it wasn't a big deal (in rural america)

I still get nervous when I rapid fire, afraid he's gonna jump out of the bushes and kick my ase for screwing around....

[lawaia]

Since you had to ask the question, I think you have answered yourself. If you doubt it would be a good idea, there must be a reason why. Just my .02. Trust your gut.

You could think about getting a small pistol safe for him, and leave him one handgun on those occasions that he is home alone.

Edit: Sorry to parrot BamBam. Didn't read that post before I posted my own.

[lawaia]

We don't know your son.

If you love your son with all your heart, then you should trust him.

Maybe if he really loves him, he should not allow the access. Love does not = trust. Depends on the situation.

[paul0660]

Since you had to ask the question, I think you have answered yourself.

I agree.

[MiguelS]

Ditto on Lawaia's post.

[Super Spy]

It sounds like you've done a good job teaching him to shoot and be responsible. If your asking here you must have some concerns, so probably keep things the way they are a while longer. When he graduates....from college...then tell him. If the wife doesn't shoot, she shouldn't have access to the guns....if someone made her open the safe they could be used against her.

[BamBam-31]

Also, if your son brings friends over, that might also be a consideration.

"Dude, I heard your Dad has guns!"

[Beelzy]

NO!

Kids are kids for a reason....because they have lapses in judgement.

As others mentioned, if you have to ask, you have the answer.

(my sons don't, FWIW)

[thebullet]

I think it depends on his level of maturity.My dad told me the combo to his safe when i was 17 but my older brother by 2 years did not get the combo untill he was 23-24. And if the SHTF my dad always had his 357 out and hidden ware i knew its location. What do you think? Can he be trusted with the responsibility?

[taloft]

Only you can judge his maturity level. That being said, I don't see the need to give him combo to the safe at this time. Give him a chance to earn that privilege.

If he is 15 I say buy him his own shotgun with some way for him to lock it up. Then have a serious talk about responsibility and the defensive use of a firearm. Talk about the stupidity of letting others, even friends, know about it. Explain to him that if he breaks your trust regarding this, not only will he lose the shotgun but, the next time he touches a firearm will be when he is old enough to buy his own. This will give him the opportunity to show you he isn't going to do something really stupid when you're not around. If he does drop the ball, at least your collection is still locked away.

After all, he'll be old enough to drive soon. He's going to have access to the dangerous toys sooner or later. It might as well be on your terms.