Guns in American homes.. where do you keep them?

Question

My understanding is that most homes in the US have a firearm of sorts in them. I am just interested in where they are kept in your home. Do you keep them under lock & key, in a safe, a cupboard or under your pillow cowboy style? Do you keep them somewhere that's easily accessible for protection or locked away for when you go hunting or target practice or perhaps both? Curious as to the storage & use of them in your house

I'm in no way making any kind of statement about keeping guns, kids or no kids.. do what you like, it's your right, your home your family etc.
I'm just interested in why, where & how they r kept.

Answer 1

Most under locked up in a fire proof gun vault.
One hand gun to protect against intruders in nightstand by bed.
Live in the country. Have big cats, coyotes, an occasional bear, an occasional wolf as well as poisonous snakes. Carry handgun with me when any distance from the house for protection against said above.
If they start getting too close normally a warning shot scares them off especially the cats.
Coyodogs (cross between coyotes and dogs) and wild dogs are the most troublesome. They have no fear of man and kill anything just to be killing. They will attack a man given the chance.

Answer 2

I have a 4 yr old, so I don't have any, my brother used to hunt, he lived w/ us, he kept them in a locked steel gun cabinet in the basement, all guns (rifles) where trigger locked, unloaded (a gun is ALWAYS LOADED), and the bolt actions removed and stored somewhere else. My friend was a cop, he has 4 yr old triplets but, still has his service weapon, he keeps it at the local police sta. in their gun locker. We don't all have fire arms, most avg. Americans don't. We do have the right to bear arms, it is in our Constitution, we will never give up that right, it was put there by our founding fathers to protect our country from being taken over by a dictatorship in OUR Government, the common people would be able to revolt against it, It's kind of like a "FREEDOM" thing, it is more of the fact that we protect this right, than actually carry guns around on our hips, America also remembers Nazi Germany, and other dictatorships that took over governments,whats the first thing they did ? TOOK ALL THE GUNS AWAY FROM THE PEOPLE, so that they could NOT revolt, Those early American colonist's were pretty smart cookies, even way back then !

Answer 3

Why do people ask questions they've already concluded? The obvious answer; they're stupid People carry guns for many reasons, home protection being one of them. If you think that they are paranoid why don't you look up some stats on burgluries or homicides in the US. I don't own a gun and I live in a violent city, I have 4 pretty daughters and a 10 yr old son, I ask you this. Would I be paranoid for wanting to protect them?

Answer 4

I'm a police officer and all my guns are locked in a gun safe when I'm not going to work. I have two boys (5 & 3) and I (almost daily) tell them they are never to touch Dad's guns unless Dad is around and gives permission. I let them handle my gun (unloaded of course), explain exactly how it works, and what it can do to people and property.

I believe you must explain these things to kids and allow them to see and touch guns. If it is a big secret, they will be more curious, and may go looking for them. When I was a kid, my Dad never said anything to me about his guns.....I went into his drawer one day and took out his .22 revolver. I loaded it and ****** it !! Of course, nothing happened, but something could have.

I know what I'm teaching my kids is sinking in, cause they found a toy gun in our yard left by a nieghbor & they came running in the house to get me.....they said,"We didn't touch it like you said, Dad, cause we don't know if it's real or not".

They also practice proper trigger safety (technique called "indexing") when they play with their toy guns.....Ha.

I do, of course, still believe they need to be locked up if you have kids or not.......you never know when you'll have guests over that have children with them.

Answer 5

I keep my rifles in a tall gun safe, and my pistols in a small stack-on safe. All my ammunition is locked in a large lock box in my closet(which has turned into more of a shooting locker than for clothes). I do however keep a holstered Walther PPK nailed to the back of my headboard in case of emergency.

Answer 6

I keep a loaded gun by each exterior door. I keep a loaded pistol on the night stand on each side of the bed.
My firearms are for hunting, pleasure and protection.

Answer 7

Having no kids I keep a loaded shotgun in the corner next to the bed. Guns are not bad to have around kids...people need to get a clue. I grew up with them and was taught very strictly that I wasn't to mess with them and I never did. It's all about educating our children and teaching them respect. GUNS DO NOT KILL PEOPLE! PEOPLE KILL PEOPLE!!!

Answer 8

My father has guns. He keeps them in the closet in his bedroom an the top shelf. He used to keep one in the glove box in his car, but I think he quit doing that.

Answer 9

I have no kids so one in my night stand no lock and loaded the rest are locked up

Answer 10

Don't live in a country that needs one in your home (not yet anyway..)...but I couldn't think of anything worse having guns in my home with children around