Read Link Removed and follow the links at the bottom to the rest of the articles for a good overview of safe gun storage and teaching kids about firearms.
Hiding guns is the worst thing you can do. Let your son see and hold any gun you have. Anything kept a mystery is the first thing a child will want to investigate when you are not around.
I tend to agree with this. My kids are grown now so, for the moment (no grandkids), I don't face this issue. But my own kids were always around me, and thus around weapons of all sort, when they were growing up. We kept it very "matter of fact". They saw game that was killed and they saw weapons around the house (obviously unloaded). I also let them hold any weapon they wanted to while I instructed them on basic safety. No big fuss, just routine. I also made sure they understood that a severe ass-whipping would be in order if they fooled around with any of them if I wasn't around. Never did have to administer any a-whipping. Now, on the other hand, I did worry about their friends; but this is "gun country" and most of them lived in the same environment. I'm gonna catch hell for this, I expect, but I never did utilize gun safes or locks or anything like that. Guns were tools, albeit dangerous ones like power saws, was how I approached it.
This was the way it was for me growing up. Dad had guns, me and all of my brothers knew where they were, but we never did mess with 'em. They were just part of the culture.
Having said all this, I now feel that when the grandkids come around, guns are gonna be locked up. Maybe my brothers and I, and my kids were just lucky. The old ways aren't always best, I know.
OK, I'm ready...let me have it...
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