Intro

[Pink_Kitty]

Hello,

I'm brand new to this forum. I found it a short while ago and read some very interesting posts.

Briefly, I'm a long-time divorced mother from New Castle, PA. Now that my son is a teenager, I think he's old enough for me to have a gun in the house. So I'm researching gun information, ownership and safety/shooting classes.

I'm wondering if anyone could give me advice on storage. I do NOT want my son to have access whatsoever to the gun or ammo. He and I already discussed this in detail, and he's a very good kid who is closely supervised (by me), but I'm an over-protective mother. (That's why I want the gun - for protection.) So any tips are welcome.

It's nice to have contact with local people. I'm looking forward to learning and sharing.

Blessings,
Kitty

[Connal]

Welcome to the board, you couldn't have found a better place for information.

Let me just touch on a few things. Guns are not safe, no matter what a persons age is. People around fire arms, can be safe though. Not trying to bust your chops, just wanted to toss in my .02 there .

I do recomend some form of training. We do have a subsection on training, and other information regarding it. It would be best for you to take a peek through there, and read up on where and when some classes are.

Even though you don't want your son having access to them, it would be good for you both to receive training together. It allows for more safety, and for a bonding experience as well.

I won't give any advice as to storage options, because that is specific to the situation, and to the firearm. However, some one else might chime in, on different options you have.

As for the locals, every month there is a shoot, second sunday of each month, at the Pitscairn Monroeville Sportsmans Club. I know, I more than likely just butchered the spelling. But, it would be a good way for you (and your son) to talk to a few people who have handled firearms responsibly for years. And, you might get to try a few out, in case you aren't sure what you want to pick up. (We also have donuts and bacon there as well).

One thing I would suggest, is to read up on as many relevant threads as possible. There are thoughts and opinions on everything from ranges, shops, techniques, calibers, and everything in between.

And once again, welcome to the board.

[blankexistance]

Welcome! Connal pretty much said it all. And I agree with him. Taking the "mystery" out of the gun by including your son with training, range time, etc, will not only make you AND him more proficient, but it will teach him to be safe around them.

As for locking it up, there are multiple things you can do, ex: safe, lockbox, locks that come with guns, etc. One way to guarantee he can't use the gun is to keep it with you at all times () OR to keep the barrel with you at all times (this is a joke, don't crucify me), haha.

Major thing for now though, is to read everything you can (like I have been doing for the past 7 months, lol) and get some training! Most importantly, have fun and stay safe!

[Wiley-X]

Education is the best safety.

About the only thing that is kid safe is a steel box welded shut and maybe not even that.

I learned to pick locks at a young age and being a curious sort, I knew every hidey-hole in the house.

[Pink_Kitty]

I want to thank all of you for the advice and the welcome. I'm planning to take a women's class this fall. I never considered taking my son with me. I'm going to contact them asking them if they offer safety classes for him as well or one we could both attend together. Thank you for that suggestion. I talked to him about it myself. But knowledge is empowering especially coming from a professional source. I think it'll give him a better understanding.

Well, thanks again and I hope everyone has a great weekend!

"Kitty"

[t1m0thy]

Hello,

I'm brand new to this forum. I found it a short while ago and read some very interesting posts.

Briefly, I'm a long-time divorced mother from New Castle, PA. Now that my son is a teenager, I think he's old enough for me to have a gun in the house. So I'm researching gun information, ownership and safety/shooting classes.

I'm wondering if anyone could give me advice on storage. I do NOT want my son to have access whatsoever to the gun or ammo. He and I already discussed this in detail, and he's a very good kid who is closely supervised (by me), but I'm an over-protective mother. (That's why I want the gun - for protection.) So any tips are welcome.

It's nice to have contact with local people. I'm looking forward to learning and sharing.

Blessings,
Kitty

Its your decision when to have a gun in the house but I would like to politely ask why you thought it was a good idea to leave yourself defenseless when he was younger? There are ways to compromise safety and self defense with small children. Read my thread about suspicious activity...when evil comes knocking I am very grateful that I have a way to defend myself and the two most precious things in the world to me sleeping upstairs.

[RocketFoot]

Teach the kid to shoot, also! If you take the curiosity out of the equation, the gun will be a lot easier to secure.

[twoeggsup]

Teach the kid to shoot, also! If you take the curiosity out of the equation, the gun will be a lot easier to secure.

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Having raised 3 boys (now young men, oldest carries and is a member here) I believe you will find that the things that are the most Verboten become the items that spark the most curiosity.

All three of my boys started shooting bows, BB guns and 22 rifles from a very young age. The senseless destrruction of paper targets is a much better activity for the Yutes of today than dropping them off at the mall for a few hours and I believe you will find that it's a great activity to foster mutual respect. Then he will also correct you when you screw up. Correcting adults and telling you how stupid you are usually becomes a favorite hobby of late teens/early 20s.

I suggest that training together if you can, would be an excellent idea. Also, creates an atmosphere where you help each other progress.

[MischaBurns]

1) Buy a safe for when you can not carry your gun(s). Use it.

2) Get your LTCF, and carry your gun with you everywhere. If it is on your hip, the kid can not get at it. Nor anyone else, for that matter.

3) Teach the kid to shoot (well, not you personally). That way, he will have good gun safety skills, a healthy respect for the weapon, and, since he already knows the gig, he will not be curious about it.

[Pink_Kitty]

Its your decision when to have a gun in the house but I would like to politely ask why you thought it was a good idea to leave yourself defenseless when he was younger? There are ways to compromise safety and self defense with small children. Read my thread about suspicious activity...when evil comes knocking I am very grateful that I have a way to defend myself and the two most precious things in the world to me sleeping upstairs.

Well, before my son was born, my husband and I had a gun for protection. After my son was born, I wanted the gun out of the house because I feared, as a toddler, he may get into it. It turns out that my husband walked out on us when my son was only four months old, and he took the gun with him. I didn't buy another gun when my son was growing up because I so fearful of him finding it and accidentally shooting himself. I mean, I am SOOOO careful about every little thing with him so the odds of that happening were slim to none. But I understand your point. Since I am so protective, why not have a gun? In the event a lunatic would enter my home, how could I readily defend my child and myself? I do have an alarm system but someone could force me to disable it before the police would arrive. I thought about all of this.

Now I'm having issue because my uncle, who is with the State Police, is discouraging me from purchasing a gun. He visited this morning for coffee which is common on weekends. I discussed it with him, and he said that he's against. He said too many people shoot the wrong person. I don't know if that makes sense to me. I told him I wouldn't shoot anyone unless our lives were in danger. How could you shoot the wrong person if someone comes into your house with a weapon of their own threatening you? How could you shoot the wrong person if you're out for a walk and someone abducts you? I don't have a bad temper. I'm not going to shoot a clerk who short-changed me or the opposing team members at my son's basketball game. It's for defense only. Does his statement make sense?

Well, thanks to everyone who responded and will respond.

"Kitty"