Do you have guns in your house? [Archive] - Baby Bargains & Baby 411 Community

gatorsmom

10-26-2010, 05:19 PM

I know a lot of people with hunting rifles. I know only a few with pistols or other guns that aren't used for hunting.

My father, brother, grandfather, pretty much everyone in my family and all their friends hunt. So, they all had guns in their houses. Guns don't scare me, but I know how dangerous they can be in the hands of someone who doesn't respect them. One of the first things I ask when the kids are invited to a playdate at a new house is if they have guns and how they are stored. They must ALL be unloaded and in a locked gun safe. No exceptions or no playdate.

My husband and I don't hunt, though, so we don't have guns in our house.

elliput

10-26-2010, 05:21 PM

Two rifles. No handguns. I don't think we even have ammo anymore.

kerridean

10-26-2010, 05:22 PM

We are a military family. Almost everyone I know has guns in their home.

swissair81

10-26-2010, 05:24 PM

No. My husband does have a gun though. It's in Switzerland. Apparently all Swiss males have to go through 3 months of military training. They keep their uniforms & weapons at home. So I guess if I lived there, I would have one at home.

Binkandabee

10-26-2010, 05:26 PM

We're in Oklahoma...of course we have guns in the house. I believe that most people around here DO have guns in their house. DH even has his concealed carry permit and I'm considering getting mine...just haven't got around to it.

Melaine

10-26-2010, 05:30 PM

No. But we may at some point. We would have a gun safe if so.

bluestarfish18

10-26-2010, 05:31 PM

We are a military family. Almost everyone I know has guns in their home.

Same here. We have a shotgun, which I never plan to use. But there is a strong safety in knowing that if someone were to break into our home, the sound alone of me cocking the large weapon is enough to scare away intruders.

I used to always be very anti-guns in my home, especially with children, but lately I've turned a corner. I was taught to shoot by a good girlfriend, who used to be an undercover drug cop. I felt is was easier to learn from her, than to deal with some cocky guy trying to show off his skills.

Of course at home, the gun is never loaded. Shells are on the other side of the room, in another closet. And the gun itself is locked away in the safe.

YouAreTheFocus

10-26-2010, 05:46 PM

Are they really common? I had no idea.

No one in my extended family owns guns and my friends do not own them either (as far as I know).

:yeahthat:

I'm always surprised when I see a gun ownership related post. They're not common in my world.

BillK

10-26-2010, 05:48 PM

I have a Sig/Sauer P225 9mm pistol with no ammo or clips with it. The clips are in a totally different location and the ammo is in my dad's gun safe at his house.

I will be moving it to my dad's house into his gigantic gun safe that's built into a wall and hidden behind closet doors now that the boys are bigger. All my various shotguns and rifles are already stored there.

AnnieW625

10-26-2010, 05:54 PM

My DH is a hunter, and likes target practice. He does way more target practice than he does hunting.

We have the following, much of it was inherited from DH's relatives:
5 handguns (DH got one as a 16th birthday gift, and bought the other 4), and 8 rifles (five of them were inherited, three DH bought). Oh and a beebie gun.

I have shot a few of the handguns, and one of the .22 rifles. I grew up with guns too, my dad likes duck hunting so he always had a shot gun in the house (garage, unassembled).

DH keeps the ammo in the garage, and it's in the old Eddie Bauer diaper bag, and the free Similac bag they gave us from the hospital with DD1.

As long as they are stored properly and not loaded in the house I have no problem with them.

AnnieW625

10-26-2010, 05:55 PM

citymama

10-26-2010, 05:58 PM

Nope. We have a water pistol bath toy, no locks - does that count?

ladysoapmaker

10-26-2010, 06:05 PM

So I put other because in addition to the 1 gun in the house we also have a dozen swords and several bows (both long bows and crossbows) and a Trebuchet in the garage.

and I've plans to rebuild the trebuchet to have wheels and be slightly smaller and also to build a ballista. I just need to get the throwing arm. That's going to cost the most.

Jen

infocrazy

10-26-2010, 06:06 PM

yes, DH hunts.

SnuggleBuggles

10-26-2010, 06:10 PM

No, never have and never will. I rarely use the word never anymore either but this is one of thise issues for me.

Beth

Jacksmommy2b

10-26-2010, 06:12 PM

WolfpackMom

10-26-2010, 06:13 PM

No we dont and I dont forsee us having them ever. I don't have a problem with people that do though so long as they are locked up and stored safely etc.

brittone2

10-26-2010, 06:15 PM

No.

However, we live in an area of the country where there are a lot of hunters. One of the jobs I had in college was working in the HR dept of a company about an hour from where I currently live. That company actually offered "deer days" to employees. It was a holiday during deer season...had to be used between X date and Y date. Non hunting employees were allowed to take the "deer day" as well. But yeah, if they are offering a "deer day" (and this was a rather large company...thousands of employees) to employees, you can guess how many of them hunted.

In my school district growing up kids routinely took off the first day of deer season to hunt with their parents.

MamaKath

10-26-2010, 06:20 PM

Interesting. I wonder how many of the yes folks have them for either hunting or because of work (military/law enforcement). I know when we lived in NJ I didn't think I knew people who owned guns, however have since learned otherwise. Where we live now, most people hunt or have a family member who hunts and many are military. Firearms are not nearly as taboo because of it. I often have first graders who hunt with their parents even, though back in Northern NJ that would have been unheard of and incredibly frowned upon!

kijip

10-26-2010, 06:37 PM

No, we do not. It is not common here and I don't see a personal need or benefit. If we were hunters or I had married someone who used a gun for work or recreation, than I would be ok with it but I would need to learn to use it and handle it properly. I do have friends in law enforcement and one collector friend and one hunter friend but otherwise I don't know anyone who is a gun owner in my area.

We found a lot of loaded, unsecured guns in my FILs home at his death. It was uncomfortable not knowing what we were going to find. thankfully my dad was familiar and dealt with them for us. I wished at the time we had some education on it but we opted to get rid of them all and never had the need to revisit the issue.

scriptkitten

10-26-2010, 06:47 PM

Yes, but I grew up in the country and learned about guns very young.

They are my father's guns and he was a marksman. They are in my safe behind lock, key, combination lock and unloaded.

The reality is that I have them for sentimental value because in an emergency it would take me 15 minutes to find the keys, uncover the safe, fidget with all the locks, get to the bottom of the safe… etc, etc.

I don't think gun ownership is compatible with city life, in general.

elliput

10-26-2010, 06:53 PM

So I put other because in addition to the 1 gun in the house we also have a dozen swords...

Oh, yeah. The bladed weapons. We also have a bunch of those. Several swords, a spear, hunting knives, daggers, bayonets. They are all safely stored away from inquisitive eyes and hands.

niccig

10-26-2010, 06:53 PM

We don't. I did as a child. My Dad had 2 rifles, he was in the army and we lived in a rural area. He would go roo hunting with friends. When I was about 15 he taught my sisters and I how to use the rifle. It's the only time I've used one. If we did have gun in the house, I would want to know how to handle it properly. My Dad is now a member of a gun club and competes. Maybe one day he'll teach DS how to handle a gun properly.

wellyes

10-26-2010, 07:39 PM

In my school district growing up kids routinely took off the first day of deer season to hunt with their parents.

Me too, but boys only. And in the very poor region where I grew up, a man's hunting rifles were usually his most valuable non-marital asset (in other words, not a house or car). Both times I lost a grandfather there were family squabbles over who got the guns.

Living where I do now, I don't know anyone who openly talks about having a rifle or gun.

edurnemk

10-26-2010, 07:48 PM

Are they really common? I had no idea.

No one in my extended family owns guns and my friends do not own them either (as far as I know). They are also banned in Chicago so I don't think many people I know keep guns in their homes.

I think it depends on the area, when I moved from Chicago to TX I found the "no guns inside" signs in all the store windows really strange.

I voted "No", I'm very anti-gun.

MelissaTC

10-26-2010, 07:52 PM

No and since my husband has no interest in them or getting into law enforcement, I doubt we ever will. I am not a fan. No one in my social circle or extended family (other than those in law enforcement) have any either. My husband is in the Knights of Columbus and we do have a sword mounted on the wall as part of his fourth degree regalia. It is a blunt blade but I am guessing it will need a new home sooner rather than later in terms of storage.

dcmom2b3

10-26-2010, 08:00 PM

I don't now, but my dad was a hunter, so I grew up in a house with guns (rifles, shotguns, one handgun) had my own BB guns, and was a good marks(wo)man by the time I was 12. Still am, though rusty.

I turned down my dad's proffered housewarming gift of a "ladylike" shotgun (yes, we're country), and I won't get one now because it would be pointless. I could have a gun and shells each locked down in separate locations, but even then, it's not really feasible as an emergency self-defense plan for us (layout of the house, location of her room vs mine, risk that she'd catch cross-fire).

I do look forward to teaching DD to shoot, though. When she's older.

LMPC

10-26-2010, 08:00 PM

We don't, but I grew up with my dad keeping his hunting rifles in his closet. I don't think he even had any ammo in the house (they were more family heirlooms...he never hunted). I can't recall a time when my brother or I even touched them....despite them being in a corner in the closet. It was just something we knew we shouldn't do. I grew up around guns (hunting rifles) with my extended family...so it never was a big deal to see one out and about. We have friends (mostly in law enforcement) who have guns in their house. But as DD gets older, I won't feel weird asking about guns in other people's houses. Just something I think is important to know.

scrooks

10-26-2010, 08:15 PM

My DH hunts so yes but we also have a gun safe.

Growing up my dad didn't have guns so it's still a little weird for me.

JoyNChrist

10-26-2010, 09:15 PM

Yes, quite a few.

DH hunts, so he has several rifles and shotguns (I'm honestly not sure how many...he buys/sells/trades them somewhat frequently). I have the rifle my dad bought me when I was younger to hunt with. And we both have Glock handguns (mine was an 18th birthday gift from my police officer mother).

They're all unloaded, in a locked gun safe, with the ammunition stored in a separate safe.

I honestly don't know anyone IRL who doesn't own at least one gun. But I'm sure that's geographic - we live in the deep South, in a big hunting area.

I like that I know how to shoot, even though I never do it anymore (I used to love target practice and skeet shooting). I expect our kids will all grow up to hunt (it's a tradition to buy their lifetime hunting license for their first birthday). I have no problem with guns if they're treated properly.

newg

10-26-2010, 09:35 PM

DH hunts with a shot gun and a bow. We have a friend with a hand gun and a few friends who are police officers. My dad is a hunter, as well as my uncle and one of DH's. We have briefly talked about getting a hand gun for safety............but I'm still on the fence about that........and I would only be ok with it if DH and I both took the appropriate classes.
The gun and bow are both locked. The gun up in our closet, unloaded with safety lock on (key hidden within case).....amo in another box, also locked. The bow is either down in the basement locked, or out in the garage locked (depending on if DH is in the middle of hunting)

bubbaray

10-26-2010, 09:45 PM

We don't own guns. I know how to shoot handguns and am a good shot, though. DH has never held a gun AFAIK and he is very opposed to gun ownership.

kozachka

10-27-2010, 12:35 AM

Right now no. DH had a gun that is currently in storage but not the bullets. I am not opposed to gun ownership but given our current circumstances (we rent) would not want to have one and worry about securing it.

I know how to shoot a gun and used to be quite good at target shooting with a rifle. Where I grew up we had military training once a week the last two years of high school and I was on the school team for military game since I could shoot 45 out 50 at target practice.

kijip

10-27-2010, 01:30 AM

I think it depends on the area

Definitely a state/regional thing, but also an urban/rural thing. Gun ownership is higher in rural areas, splitting more starkly than any other demographic (gender, race, region of the country).

However by state, rates never go higher than about 55% (and that is only in about 10 states). Most states are around 30%. So the idea that it is universal even in a high rate state is not accurate, however it really splits heavily by size of town/city.

LexyLou

10-27-2010, 01:54 AM

No, never. Ever.

One of my best friend's husband is so into guns. He has a giant safe filled with them in his garage. Thank god he's got them in a safe but it gives me the chills.

arivecchi

10-27-2010, 08:22 AM

Where can one find gun ownership rate information by state/region?

Corie

10-27-2010, 08:25 AM

Yes, my DH has a couple of shotguns. He is an avid hunter.

The gun is in a gun safe in our basement. Ammo is hidden away
in a closet on another floor of the house.

pinkmomagain

10-27-2010, 08:37 AM

:yeahthat:

I'm always surprised when I see a gun ownership related post. They're not common in my world.

Same here.

GonnaBeNana

10-27-2010, 03:14 PM

Currently 4 of them. No handguns. One .22 rifle is mine that my father gave me. I learned to use it as a kid. Another .22 is my husband's. It also belonged to his father. The other 2 are shotguns. I bought him one for target shooting (clay pidgeons). The other is a Turkish Huglu (sp?) that he purchased while TDY in Turkey. The workmanship is beautiful and that's why he wanted it. It's been fired only a few times. All our guns are in my DH's closet, with gun locks. Our kid's have always known they're there and have never even touched them. They've all learned about gun safety. We have serveral relatives who hunt, bow hunt, trap, etc. to eat. We live in ND. Almost everyone here hunts and has guns.

Beth

septmama2b

10-27-2010, 03:28 PM

None here, never ever. Not very common among my friends and family.

GoBlue

10-27-2010, 03:30 PM

We don't have any, and my DD will never be allowed to play in the home of anyone who does. I don't care how "locked and unloaded" they are. I've seen too much tragedy related to gun violence (I work in a pediatric ICU). When DD is older and goes on play-dates, I will ask in advance, and be prepared to skip out on visits to homes with guns.

elektra

10-27-2010, 03:39 PM

Not here. I never really realized how into guns people were, until I started bringing it up in conversations somewhat recently. I have been really surprised at finding out some of the people I know who have guns.

Beckylove

10-27-2010, 03:49 PM

DH owns a gun, but keeps it at his parents house, because I am not comfortable with it in our home.

I think next time I am at the in-laws, I am going to do some inquiring about where they are located and what precautions they are taking.

mommylamb

10-27-2010, 03:50 PM

Where can one find gun ownership rate information by state/region?

I bet the Brady Campaign might have this.

ETA: Brady had this linked on their site: http://www.schs.state.nc.us/SCHS/brfss/2001/us/firearm3.html

tny915

10-27-2010, 04:15 PM

DH has one due to his work. It's locked in a safe when he brings it home.

arivecchi

10-27-2010, 04:18 PM

I bet the Brady Campaign might have this.

ETA: Brady had this linked on their site: http://www.schs.state.nc.us/SCHS/brfss/2001/us/firearm3.html Thank you mommylamb! You :jammin:!

Raidra

10-27-2010, 09:41 PM

I bet the Brady Campaign might have this.

ETA: Brady had this linked on their site: http://www.schs.state.nc.us/SCHS/brfss/2001/us/firearm3.html

Very interesting, thanks for sharing! I'm pleased to see that MA's percentage of gun-owners is quite low.

We have no guns in the house and never will. My husband doesn't have a problem with the kids playing in houses with safely secured guns, but I just don't feel comfortable with it.

C99

10-27-2010, 10:25 PM

The only people I know who own guns are police officers.

elephantmeg

10-28-2010, 12:14 AM

No but DH does have his old BB gun or something. I'm firmly against having guns in the house

klwa

10-28-2010, 06:42 AM

DH does competition shooting, so we have a black powder rifle & pistol in the house.

AngelaS

10-28-2010, 08:29 AM

Yes.

One of our friends is a cop. He always has a gun on his person. Always.

caleymama

10-28-2010, 08:38 AM

DH has one due to his work. It's locked in a safe when he brings it home.

:yeahthat: (but he doesn't bring it home very often)

DH also hunts and has a couple of shotguns and a muzzleloader. All are in a different safe from his work firearm. The ammunition and supplies are all stored in a separate, third location. All except DH's work firearm are stored in our basement, which is not accessible from inside the house. He also hunts with a traditional bow and arrows (both that he made himself!), so no fancy compound bows.

I didn't grow up around guns - in fact I only knew one family where the dad hunted (that I knew of anyway). I was initially quite uncomfortable with the idea of being a gun owning family, but I am comfortable with the precautions we've taken (both physical like where/how they are stored and the conversations we've had with DDs about them) and frankly am more worried about a multitude of other household objects harming DDs (or other people) then our firearms. Things like our kitchen knives, the wood burning insert in our fireplace, my parents' in-ground pool, a pot of hot water or coffee, the axe DH uses to split firewood, the lawnmower, our cars... To me, the way we use them they are a tool just like any number of others that we have around the house. DH doesn't hunt simply for sport - it's a means of providing local, healthy meat for our family.

ETA: I have no issues with those who own guns for sport purposes or other purposes - didn't mean to make it sound like that. I was just explaining my feelings about DH's guns and how they fit into our household. I also understand if the parents of future playmates of DDs are not comfortable sending them here. That is very much their prerogative and we will play at their house or a different location.