That's easy keep your pistol loaded and in a Gunvault, preferably bolted to a wall or fixed book shelf. Children cannot get into it.
Amazon.com: Gunvault GV1000D-DLX Mini Vault Deluxe Gun Safe: Home Improvement

 

Have you thought about carrying a handgun on your person (concealed so your kids don't have worries/questions) at times when you're awake and downstairs? Then it can be put away upstairs with you at night.

 

Really, the safest place, I think, to keep her gun safe from her children but still easily accessible is on her person.

It sucks that it has come to this...

 

My house sounds similar to yours.

I have a couple of safes like this:

One is above my "edc" drawer. I come in to the house, off-load most of my pockets and take off my ccw. It stays in the CompTac IWB holster loaded +1 and I slide it into the safe and lock it up.

My ccw now is a Glock 19 so that is always on the first floor.

Everything else is in my "hobby closet" which is an extra walk-in closet in the master bedroom that I have "upgraded."

Keep you sidearms on you or locked and you will not have to worry about a little one getting to it. I can punch in the three buttons and have my sidearm in my hand in like 2 seconds.

There are times when I just get a feeling - then I actually wear my ccw around the house. The CompTac holster is really comfortable so I don't really mind.

 

Hand gun on your person or in one of the gunvaults down stairs.

Safest and best options for kiddos

 

Carry the handgun on your person or else using some creativity you can modify some places to accomodate a shotgun where the average person will never find it. Keep in mind the average attack when it starts takes about 2 seconds so if it takes time to access your weapon your in a spot of trouble.

 

when u say average attack do u mean from time a person confronts u to when finished? if so, u wouldnt really have time to access your weapon if its not on your person, right?

 

Guns are supposed to be comforting not comfortable. After some time of everyday carry you wont even hardly no its there and it will become uncomfortable when its not. JMO

 

If you got a small weapon such as a 32 caliber tomcat. They have holsters that you can attach to your belt in a zippered case that are a little bigger than a cell phone. Very comfortable and hardly noticeable.

 

I have guns up and down at my house that adults would have trouble finding. I say he should carry the gun in a shoulder holster with a shirt covering it. reason: the OP is so worried about were to keep it that on his body is the best solution.

 

Well I would consider just carrying the gun on me. And that's exactly what several lady friends have done over the years.
One got to the point where she was off balance without her little 9mm.

 

Here's my situation:

• 2 story house with bedrooms on 2nd floor
• Guns currently stored in a locked safe on 2nd floor

I have two young kids--way too young to be taught about basic gun safety except "Don't touch it!" As a result, I leave my weapons unloaded.

Recent weirdos ringing my doorbell lately has made me think I need to keep a weapon downstairs. It's where I spend most of my time, and it's (obviously) where the entrances to the house are.

The reason I don't have one downstairs now is because I'm always worried that either the kids will get into it, or someone will break in while we're sleeping, find the weapon, and then use it on us as we slumber. (Or, similarly, break in while we're not at home, find it, and then use it on us as soon as we walk in the door.)

My biggest biggest concern though is the kids. Although I prefer a handgun, I was wondering if a shotgun would be better downstairs. The kids are much too young to be able to handle it. The problem, of course, is that even if I leave it unloaded, a "bad guy" might have shells on them (whereas they are much less likely to be carrying around bullets for a .40).

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Carry when your home! Check out the video on You Tube by John Lovell (Warrior Poet Society) and Iraqveteran8888 recently did on just this topic!

 

Been 9 years hopefully she's figured it out,🤔😂

 

Something like this somewhere or maybe a smaller one that looks like a piece of art or family pics on the wall

 

How about also doing a doorbell camera system like ring? That would help indicate how concerned you need to be with who has been ringing your doorbell.

 

You are right to be cautious. Wierdos doing anonymous doorbell rings is a burglart technique to see if anyone is home. Next time snap a facial on your phone. Tell them that you have a collection for the cops after a break-in. It messes up thier plans because chances are good that they are already in the system.

As far as guns go, I had exactly your issues too. Young kids, wieght issues, placement issues. An additional wrinkle was that my wife was a widow, they were orphans, I was a srepdad and theier Dad had been murdered by a lady due to get out of prison in a few years......ugh.

Heres what I did. Carried a Taurus featherlight in my front pocket around the house. I bought a used armoir with crown molding around the top and put it downstairs. I had an AK with a loaded mag in it but NOT one chambered. I'm tall so I could reach it. No one else could without a deployed folding chair, stored behind it between the wall and cabinet.

Put 911 on speed dial on the land line, taught the kids to always lock doors, always retreat upstairs, always call 911 and say HELP HOME INVASION" IN A KID VOICE, never ever go downstairs until the police come and get them. I took them to the range so they could see and hear my guns fire to scare them and make *no touch ever very real to them.

I have a pistol safe on my wifes side of the bed with her birthdate as the code. She has fired that pistol many times. Its always loaded in that safe. I went to the station and told the duty sergeant what I had done and our address.

Cops are often parents, always territorial and they chat togethor alot. I knew that word would get around. We also have thin blue line decals on our vehicles, which are in the driveway.

Layers and layers. Criminals know cops very well too. Those decals are a no tresspassing sign to criminals. Cops notice details, they figure out allies very quickly.

Those kids are adults now and parents. They have familiar safeguards in place too. Hang in there! You are pretty far along all on your own! Very impressive.

 

Keep an AR type gun and just keep the firing pin in your bedside table or something. Pop it in the gun and snap the barrel on, takes me about 3 seconds but the gun absolutely cannot fire without it.

 

This worked well for our similar situation:

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My wife picked out the colors to match her living room décor. You can get it in lockable or non-lockable. It works great, and it doesn't scream "gun in here" (although someone who knows what they are looking at would likely know right away). Out where we live at the end of a dead end road, someone coming to the door either knows us, is lost, is selling something, or has nefarious intent. This box hangs right by the front door in case it's the last one. It easily holds a full sized handgun and an extra mag.

 

Oops, the one in the link doesn't lock. My bad.

However, you can find dozens of other similar products that do lock with a quick google search or by getting on Amazon.

 

Easiest solution is a locking small metal handgun safe. Many are programmable with buttons for your fingers and have a key backup. It’s probable that if you have unsecured guns, sooner or later your kids will mess with them. I did. The kids might mess with them at the level of responsibility they know - like not loading them or pointing them at anyone - but they will probably get them out. So you should secure them all, especially one that’s loaded for self defense.

There’s a site called the Cornered Cat that’s specific to women and firearms. A holster or method of carry that works for men might not work for you. Worth looking through at least.

Cornered Cat | If you have to fight, fight like a cornered cat.

 

Oh God! Oh God! whiny crap. Loaded chambered 870 12 ga 00 buck.


Become a wolf.

 

A .380 mouse gun in your pocket beats a cannon in the closet everytime.

 

You probably can't comfortably carry. Maybe some can get used to this. But just lounging at home? And playing with the kids? Roughousing, tickling, crawling around for dropped crud rolling under the couch; the kids will be bumping into it all the time. Where are you really when you're downstairs most of the time? Yeah, you're wandering about, having dinner, going to the bathroom, but maybe most of the time in your chair watching the tube or using a laptop? Maybe there's a side table there. Maybe you can mount an unobtrusive fast access gun safe there. Kids would know about it; they find/see everything. But they're told this is one of the big no no's to even touch. Stop that's barrier one. It's locked. That's barrier two. You don't keep a round chambered. That's three. So this is fairly fast access. Not as good as being on you, but way better than being upstairs.

Another option, (mine), is a custom built piece of furniture with a mag lock with a secret compartment that also has the combo safe in it. The magnet can be disguised. My kid has no idea this thing is there. Yes, it takes me 4 - 6 seconds to access. But what are the chances you need something faster than that in your home? I'd rather take my chances losing a few seconds on a 1 in 10 million thing vs. the risks that come with a poorly secured weapon in a home with kids. (Those odds of an accident are way higher.)

Anyway, that's my solution, right or wrong.

 

You probably can't comfortably carry. Maybe some can get used to this. But just lounging at home? And playing with the kids? Roughousing, tickling, crawling around for dropped crud rolling under the couch; the kids will be bumping into it all the time.

I don't have any kids of my own, but I was a favored "roughouser" with both friends and families kids.

Dogpiles, swinging them by their ankles, sword fights etc.

Pistol in my pocket in a pocket holster was never a problem, or even potentially a problem. (I'd take off my IWB Prior to)