After reading this, what do you guys think? Guns in the house or no? Gun locks?

I personally think that guns in the house are O.K. as long as there's an appropriate gun lock on there and there's NO way kinds can get a hold of they, as in the key is with the owner at all times.

Still outrageous, even though no one got hurt this time.

The boy was hit in the right thigh or hip at 8:23 a.m. at a home in the 2000 block of South Drake Avenue, police News Affairs Officer Patrice Harper said.

Police said the children were in the care of a baby sitter when the incident happened in a bedroom of the house. A friend of the baby sitter and her son were also in the home. The son was taken into custody for questioning, NBC5's Kim Vatis reported.

"We have not recovered a weapon. We are still looking for that. We do have a suspect in custody who may know the whereabouts of the weapon," Capt. Roberto Zavata said.

The 3-year-old boy did not suffer life-threatening injuries in the shooting, officials said. The bullet wound was more of a graze, and the bullet did not lodge inside his body, Vatis reported.

"This guy is not supposed to have guns in the house," said Frederico Alvarado, a relative of the baby sitter.

Police went door-to-door looking for the family of the 3-year-old boy. They believe he lives in the neighborhood, Vatis reported.

The 2-year-old's mother, who was at work at the time of the incident, arrived at the home while police were investigating.

Police said the two children did not appear to be related.

"I think it's a shame that they would have guns where kids can get ahold of them. They should be put away out of the children's reach," neighbor Patricia Mundinger said.

Link

Tough call.

My opinion... children can be taught to respect firearms, but should never be trusted around them. (sorta like Reagan's adage.. trust but verify) Locking firearms is always a good idea, regardless of whether or not you have kids.

Personally, I think when/if we have kids, the guns will go the next day.

What is the gun storage law in the US?

The law here in Canada forces you to either :

1. Have the gun locked or rendered inoperable with ammunition locked out of sighted.
2. Have the gun and ammo locked in a gun safe.

And the owner is responsible of what happens to/with his guns.

I chose option #2 (200$ at costco for the safe).

Nicolas.

Chronos, it varies by state. However, most have no storage requirement. That's the beauty of the 2nd ammendment. "Keep yer damn hands off my guns!"

If you won't let your kids play in traffic, why leave guns unlocked? Point is, stuff like this is bound to happen to irresponsible people.

Lock for the gun cabinet: $10
Medical fees: $thousands
Fatal accedental gunshot: $?

Damn you're right, it's a tough call.

My children have gone out with me shooting all the time. I have taught them to respect guns, let them know that they are not toys, and that they are not to be touched when I am not around. That said though all of my guns are kept in the safe with the exception of the .45 wich is kept on top of the headboard (Think large mirrored headboard with armoirs on both sides) and out of sight. If someone tries to come into my house uninvited I don't want to have to ask them to wait while I try to find the keys to the safe.

Axle

I have guns in my house. Almost all, but one by my bedside, is locked in a safe. There is no sense in having them ALL locked away, as you might not be able to open the safe in time.

As for kids, I am mixed on that subject. I grew up with shotguns and rifles since I was eight-years old. I was taught right from wrong and that guns were not "toys". The only time I was allowed to use them was for hunting and under adult supervision.

When I was a kid, my father had a .25 caliber semi-auto behind his bed. I never once thought to touch it. You know why? If I did touch it with out him being there my ass would have been beaten with a belt! Fear enough right there. But that doesn't happen today. DYFS would be called and the guns and children would both be taken away.

Parents need to accept responsibility for their child's upbringing and teach them right from wrong.

If I ever get married and have kids I will not get rid of my weapons. No need to. I will teach them how to handle one properly.

IMHO,
Stone

I said it was a tough call regarding whether to own firearms at all (if you have kids), not whether or not to lock them up (that's a given). You shouldn't jump to conclusions so quickly, medistorm.

We're banning handguns altogether in San Francisco.
Prop H

Just another attempt to ban guns. When I grew up in rural Pennsylvania we always had guns in the house; but we were taught gun safety and never touched them! That is what a responsible gun owner does----------teach the family gun safety, part of which is not having them accessible to young children. I guess if you're removing guns from the house you might as well take all the rope, baseball bats, silverware and kitchen knives,................................

My gun is hidden with a cable lock through the barrel. The ammo is in a lock box on the top shelf in our storage room. Buying a Glock soon and before I get it I have to buy a safe (Wifes conditions). Which I have no problem with. Once I have the Glock then I'm taking my concealed carry class to learn the law and how to handle it.

Gun law in the US is a little insane compared to my home country, but I feel better that I have a gun in the house. Even tho it's not there for home protection, it can be loaded and ready within a minute.

2 locked with the ammo hidden and locked seperately. 1 unlocked in a belt holster that is wherever I am. If for some reason it needs to be locked and I don't have one on me...I take it apart, keeping one part in my pocket for safety. That way kids, idiot coworkers/friends can't mess with it and get another hole in their body.

All you guys buy guns just in case of a home invasion. ( Which is not that likely )
I'd rather not have any guns inside the home just in case, just in case my nosey kids want to see what their like. And you all know how kids are nosey, good parenting or not, everyone is curious. I made my way into my dad gun locker, knew not to touch anything, but still had to look on my own, while I was by myself.

And having the owner wear the keys to the lock on himself at all time is not alway an option, think showering, swiming, going for a run, anything. I knew a guy who taught gun safety, he was anal about it. He had 4 different place to hide his lock box, and at least 6 different place to hide the keys when he could not have them on him. Well that was not enough to keep his daughter from the gun, and she died...

For suicidal peoples, I agree that if they don't kill themselves with guns, they'll do it with something else, but at least when someone take a full bottle of pills, you get a small pocket of time to get them to the hospital or call the anti-poison center. A gun shot doesn't give that kind of chances.

have a 12ga next to my bed...no kids, but things won't change. I grew up with guns all through the house, and for the same reasons listed above, I didn't touch. I was taught gun safety very,very thoroughly.

I've been broken into once before, and one of them had a gun on them...the only thing that saved me was that I happened to be a light sleeper at that time in my life, and he didn't like the idea of sticking around to get sprinkled with pellets, although I know I caught him with a few...can't really be sure, all I saw was a$$holes and elbows.

So...

If a child sets the house on fire w/ the stove, should we ban that, too???

Geez. Stupid homeowner left his gun out where a kid could get to it. They deserve to be drug out into the street and shot. Period.

Don't blame the gun. Blame the dumbass owner.

Dobermann,

I disagree. I know a few people who have successfully protected their home from breakins by using firearms. So, your presupposition that it isn't likely and therefore not necessary doesn't hold much water with me.

It did come across a bit agressive, I just felt the need to get the point across that a combo lock would solve the problem and people who wanted guns could have guns.

Best damn quote period!!!

Mine are locked in a safe and the rife in a case. When my son gets older he will be taught as I was never to touch or go near the guns. He will also be taught safety. My profession requires guns in my house and nothing can change that. It's knowledge that saves lives.

I keep forgeting that I live in Canada and you ( most ) live in the US. A lot of people still don't lock their doors here.

If a kid plays with the stove and accidently set fire, he'll more than likely have time to get out of the house, his life is safe, stuff can be replaced. If he plays with a gun and accidently shoots a round, it ends there.
I'm all for mandatory storage laws, as strict as possible, because even though I raise my child as good as I want/can, I have no control over the dumbass kids of the dumbass neighboors. I can even tell my kids no to play with the dumbass kids, but shit still happens.

Its not about blame, its about prevention.

I grew up with guns in the house. My Dad didn't hide them from anyone, but he did lock up the ammo. We were taught to respect guns as a tool for sport and self defense and taught to respect our elders. None of my siblings ever even thought about touching Dad's guns without permission and supervision.

Like I always say, guns aren't the problem; it's the parents. Even if you don't have guns in your house, if your kids aren't disciplined and taught respect then they stand a good chance of getting their hands on a gun somewhere.

I only keep one small hand gun myself. It's kept locked in the console in the Xterra. I have no kids though, so I don't have to worry about that.

"It's about prevention." Give me a break. Lets ban all the cars, and fast food while we are at it.

I have plenty of guns in the house. They are all locked up, and only I have a key. The kids know how to use most of my guns, and they know not to touch them. I take my pistol out every night before I go to bed, and lock it back up in the morning. It is a simple routine that I have become accustomed to ooing.

I, like a few others here, grew up with guns. Got my first .22 at five, and my first shotgun at 10. I could have touched any of them at any time. I never did though unless my Dad was around, because he would have beaten my ass if he found out. When I turned 15 I was deemed responsible enough to take care of them on my own, and they went into a little gun cabinet in my room. I managed to survive an additional 15 years without killing myself or anyone else!

As for the gun ban in SF, have fun with all that. You would think that eventually you leftists would learn that only law-abiding citizens comply with gun bans. Congrats on opening up your citizenry to being prayed upon with little fear of retribution.

"I love's my gun!!"

Fags!

blame leads to prevention. That's the whole problem. Idiots blame the gun manufacturers for making something that can kill, so then the next step is to "prevent" it from happening, by banning the guns.

Personally, I don't own a gun. But it doesn't bother me if somebody else does. I don't, 'cause I've got enough expensive hobbies.

But for cripes sake, if you're dumb enough to leave your gun out where your 6 year old can shoot 'em self with it, then maybe you personally shouldn't be allowed to have a gun... But not because of the gun; because you're stupid. Stupidity should be painful.

On a somewhat brighter/skewed look at it, though... If you're dumb enough to not lock up your gun, odds are, your offspring is pretty stupid, too... So if one dies, that's 1 less stupid person in the world... May as well die when it's young, 'stead of letting it grow up stupid.