Your children and loaded weapons

[Casual_Shooter]

My kids are 9 and 7. Neither have access to the guns, but know we have them. My daughter has an interest in them just because of natural curiosity, my son (7) loves his nerf guns, but neither of them is anywhere near where I would trust them with access to one.

I have plans on taking them to a range one day, but need to get a .22 for them to shoot.

As a side note, I have told my daughter she is never to tell her friends we have guns. One day she had a friend over and told me "Sally" wants to see your guns.

When questioned, she said she told "sally" that we had guns. I don't see her telling any of her friends that we have guns ending well so hopefully that does not continue.

[spetsnaz]

no access, but they are knowledgeable/trained in firearms safety rules and can see anything whenever im there. keep guns unloaded when they around

[john67elco]

Guns and kids are funky. SbSo trainer told me about an off duty cop and son in a bank. While it was getting robbed the little boy tugged on dads shirt saying lOudly dady do something you got a gun. Luckily the gun was only taken from him.

[Bugguts]

Our 14yr old has access to our guns when we are home or away. He has taken his Hunters Safety Course, and has his own Mossberg 510. I don't worry about him having access to them because he understands gun safety and when his friends are over, the guns are in the safe and he doesn't know where the key is although he would never try to show off by doing the "look what I have" thing. He also shoots with us every time we go shooting. Anything from my 9's, Bill's .40's, the .22 rifles and the 12g and 20g shotguns. He understands that both of us have CCW and he knows where we carry so on the odd chance that we cannot get to our gun, he can and he could use it. Then again, he is very mature for 14. My nephew is just a year younger and I would not trust that kid with a rubber band gun! So it just depends on the kids.

[the86d]

My son now stays home for about 1.5 hours after school saving me >$300 in child care a month(+gas to pick him up), and I don't get much child support compared to his flights to see the absent parent out of state...

Locked room with a standard lock (not typical screwdriver-unlockable) on the door, and keys are in hiding place that is off limits and unknown to him, and cameras to verify (viewable from anywhere with an Internet connection including real-time from all of my android devices, and work computer).

If there were someone trying to break into the home, he would call me via his cell, I'd (dependent on time and entry: have him hit the panic code on the alarm,) disclose the key location, open the room door, lock himself in said room, unlock the California Approved Locking Device , drop the mag in-pocketing the extras, rack and be ready. He goes with me to the range almost every time I go (1x/month minimum) and has shoots about everything we have, pretty well.

This is my plan... in-theory.

So he does not have access, but can very quickly...

[RileyBean]

I handled a suicide once where a 13 year old girl used her Dad's .357 from the top of the closet.

I would be concerned that even a safe shooting teen can have an "emotional" day.

I'm in the no category.

[liberty47]

I handled a suicide once where a 13 year old girl used her Dad's .357 from the top of the closet.

I would be concerned that even a safe shooting teen can have an "emotional" day.

I'm in the no category.

Exactly, teens are very emotional....sad story

[Bugguts]

My son now stays home for about 1.5 hours after school saving me >$300 in child care a month(+gas to pick him up), and I don't get much child support compared to his flights to see the absent parent out of state...

Locked room with a standard lock (not typical screwdriver-unlockable) on the door, and keys are in hiding place that is off limits and unknown to him, and cameras to verify (viewable from anywhere with an Internet connection including real-time from all of my android devices, and work computer).

If there were someone trying to break into the home, he would call me via his cell, I'd (dependent on time and entry: have him hit the panic code on the alarm,) disclose the key location, open the room door, lock himself in said room, unlock the California Approved Locking Device , drop the mag in-pocketing the extras, rack and be ready. He goes with me to the range almost every time I go (1x/month minimum) and has shoots about everything we have, pretty well.

This is my plan... in-theory.

So he does not have access, but can very quickly...

This is all dependent on whether your child has the time to call you and suppose you can't /don't answer your phone(in a meeting, in the bathroom etc) and then have all the time to go through all the steps. I don't see this as being feasible unless the criminals are completely inept and don't know what they are doing.

[Subotai]

I had my own shotgun at 13. Kept it in the closet with ammo. All my friends had them to. No biggie. But I could see how some kids might harm themselves, etc. cause they are emotional. My kids are 13-16 1/2. I haven't given them access but they all own 10/22's and can hit bullseyes at 100 yards at will. They've all shot pistols and centerfire rifles including AK's. I'm going to teach my oldest to shoot a shotgun, how to load and unload, etc. That'll be in the next couple of months. He can handle it since he's pushing 6 foot and 200 lbs. I expect I'll give him access to the shotgun around 17, unless crime pushes me to do it sooner. I also have to think about the other kids. They're not as mature as he is. So, I'm still mulling things over. I'd say, think about it a long time, then decide.

[LAKings22]

That's a very hard decision to make. My daughter is only 19 months so I haven't really put any real thought into giving her unsupervised access to any firearms when she is in her teens. However she will know how to use a gun by that time. With teen girls it's kind of hard, a boy breaks their heart and for the next week their suicidal. Like it was said in the previous post teens can get very emotional.

[RileyBean]

I had my own shotgun at 13. Kept it in the closet with ammo. All my friends had them to. No biggie. But I could see how some kids might harm themselves, etc. cause they are emotional. My kids are 13-16 1/2. I haven't given them access but they all own 10/22's and can hit bullseyes at 100 yards at will. They've all shot pistols and centerfire rifles including AK's. I'm going to teach my oldest to shoot a shotgun, how to load and unload, etc. That'll be in the next couple of months. He can handle it since he's pushing 6 foot and 200 lbs. I expect I'll give him access to the shotgun around 17, unless crime pushes me to do it sooner. I also have to think about the other kids. They're not as mature as he is. So, I'm still mulling things over. I'd say, think about it a long time, then decide.

Yep - It's a tough decision knowing "when" is the right time/age for each kid to have full access - and for me, my girls seem more emotional between 13-17 than than boys.

No right or wrong, and even a "right" choice now can go wrong in the future, whichever way you go (i.e. they seem mature but then hurt themselves or someone else, or they can't defend themselves if need be).

Definitely a tough call.

[the86d]

This is all dependent on whether your child has the time to call you and suppose you can't /don't answer your phone(in a meeting, in the bathroom etc) and then have all the time to go through all the steps. I don't see this as being feasible unless the criminals are completely inept and don't know what they are doing.

I can, and do answer calls in the bathroom, after screening of course, it just takes longer for me to zip-up after I hit end on the call). I RARELY have meetings, and it is even more rare to have one post 12PM as I work for a privately owned company, and I am not the biggest wig in the place, so the chances of either, is extremely minimal for those to happen AND a break-in, all within 1.5 hour window are almost non-existent.

The emotional issue is why he does not have "something" in his room, but does have some Airsoft, (maybe a crossbow, and a semi-auto pellet pistol for Christmas,) and a 1000FPS pellet gun at his disposal.

[USMC 82-86]

Education is key. Having a understanding that it is ALWAYS ok to defend yourself is all I will say.

[alfred1222]

Exactly, teens are very emotional....sad story

I was a teenager until a month ago, and my dad gave me my first gun when I was 15. I had an AR in the closet and a shotgun under my bed every single night. I also had the combo to the safe, and the ammo locker. Not once, in all of those years, did I ever have an "emotional" day where using my weapon in and or in sadness was an option. I agree with what people posted, it depends on the kid. I was raised with it, taught how to use it, and learned to respect my guns. But there are members of my family, who are my age or a bit younger, who I would let look at my guns

[Anti-Hero]

I handled a suicide once where a 13 year old girl used her Dad's .357 from the top of the closet.

I would be concerned that even a safe shooting teen can have an "emotional" day.

I'm in the no category.

Exactly! Teens are weird, I've got a 15 yr old who is NO WAY emotionally mature or responsible enough to have access to firearms.