Firearms in your home??

I have grown up around firearms and we have them in our home. We have them stored safely and our children have taken courses on gun safety. As hard as it is to remember - the guns don't cause accidents, people do. Insist on both of you taking a gun safety course, basic handling course and a purchase a gun safe.

Wanted to add also that marksmanship is a great sport and you may find that you enjoy shooting - some of the ranges around here offer free ladies nights even! It could be something for the two of you to enjoy together. Try to have an open mind and educate yourself about what it is that frightens you. The folks working at the gun ranges are some of the most safety conscious people you could ever meet and will spend the time to make sure you know how to be safe and keep others safe.

I have never been pro or anti firearm.... But this year I became friends with a lady who was acosted in a WalMart parking lot - she now carries a gun. She carries all the time, and she and her husband have many guns. They are a pro gun household. EVERYONE in the family has been taught gun safety, so there is less risk..... I have gone shooting with her and she believes I should have a gun too. I do not yet - I'm undecided. My boyfriend has two guns, one is a hunting rifle, and the other is a handgun, which stays loaded all the time. I hope it never has to be used, but it does make me feel safer..... Why can't the guns stay unloaded, and in a locked safe??

I was raised around guns, but they make me uncomfortable in untrained hands (AHEM. my fiance. AHEM). I told Greg, my fiance, that the ONLY way a gun could come into my house was unloaded, safety on, clip taken out, and in a case. We have a nice little Smith and Wesson 9mm, and it's on top of the entertainment center in the bedroom, locked up, unloaded, and partially dis-assembled. It makes me more comfortable that way, even thoguh i've had to load it and take it outside when a man wandered into my yard acting strange. If it would help, i always suggest a gun safety course (you could BOTH take it, so you would know the ins and outs of the weapon as well, that helps a LOT) and make a rule that it does NOT come out of the case inside your home (or on your property, if you prefer) and even if it's raining sideways and ten degrees, he stops OUTSIDE, unloads it and locks it up (In my house, failure to do so leads to being locked outside for a while.)

we have several guns in my home..I own one myself ..they are not to be afraid of but yet be more afraid of the person handling them...Lock them is a safe and you will be fine. I know this is scary to you but they are passed down, get a gunsafe that has a number lock and only he knows the code.

I do not mind guns in the house. We have them, HOWEVER, they are locked in a safe where my son cannot get to them. I remember going into my dads closet as achild and playing with his shot guns so I would never let that happen with my child. Have them but lock them up!!

I think you need to sit down with your boyfriend and explain your feelings and then both of you need to find a compromise that will satisy you both. We have guns in our home, however I am deputy Sheriff so it is only natural that I keep a handgun loaded in a handgun safe underneath my side of the bed. My husband jokes that his wife is the one who sleeps with the gun under her side of the bed to friends and family.

I would highly recommend both of you taking gun safety courses, purchasing a gun safe before any of the guns come into the home, and always store the ammunition in a different location than the gun. A gun cannot be fired without ammunition and it certainly cannot be fired from within the confines of a safe.

Please don't let this come between your relationship, there are definitely things both of you can do to make this work so that he can have his Grandpa's guns and you can feel more comfortable with them in your home.

I do not mind guns in the house. We have them, HOWEVER, they are locked in a safe where my son cannot get to them. I remember going into my dads closet as achild and playing with his shot guns so I would never let that happen with my child. Have them but lock them up!!

Did your dad take you out to shoot them and teach you about proper gun safety and handling? When we hide things from our kids it only serves to increase their curiosity.

My dad taught my brother and I how to operate and safely handle a gun when we were 10 & 8. I owned my first shotgun at 12 and first handgun at 14, and kept them both in my room. I NEVER played with them (and neither did my younger brother) because we were taught how destructive they were, and how to properly handle them.

Education is always better than ignorance.

It is definitely going to be an issue if he was raised around guns and you aren't comfortable having them in the house at all. However, a really good way to dispel any fear that simply having guns around can kill you, consider taking a gun safety class at a local shooting range. Knowing how to properly handle, store, and fire a loaded firearm safely is important information for anyone to know, regardless of whether you keep them in your house. Many people have firearms in their homes and have never had any incidents. That's because they are responsible with their guns and make sure that everyone who lives in their home or visits understands gun safety.

Did your dad take you out to shoot them and teach you about proper gun safety and handling? When we hide things from our kids it only serves to increase their curiosity.

My dad taught my brother and I how to operate and safely handle a gun when we were 10 & 8. I owned my first shotgun at 12 and first handgun at 14, and kept them both in my room. I NEVER played with them (and neither did my younger brother) because we were taught how destructive they were, and how to properly handle them.

Education is always better than ignorance.

I have to second this opinion. I was never comfortable with guns before, but my husband owns a handgun and wanted to have it loaded in the house for safety. I asked my husband to teach me about gun safety (he knows a lot.. military teaches you all about that), and he showed me how to operate and handle his gun. Now that I know how to load a magazine, how to properly clear the weapon, and how to handle it (guns should be treated as if they are ALWAYS LOADED and ready to fire) I'm much more comfortable having the gun in the house. Since it's just the two of us living together, we keep it in a dresser drawer, loaded (yes, with one in the chamber), all by itself for easy access. This is for my protection, mostly, since my husband has to travel a lot for work and I frequently am at home by myself for weeks at a time. Guns in the home can be perfectly safe if you understand how to operate and store them properly. Not to mention, learning how to shoot his gun when we went to the range was even more empowering. Contrary to popular belief, guns don't go off by themselves, lol. You have to pull the trigger.

We have firearms in our home that are kept in a locked cabinet. The only one that stays loaded is the shotgun and that is simply so it is ready in the case it is needed for home protection. Gun safety and education is the biggest essential to having guns in the home and both can be taught at a very early age. My two year old daughter knows that guns cause "owies" and she should not touch them (if they are out of the cabinet to be cleaned, etc. otherwise she can't get to them so this is a non-issue for us); as she gets older and has more comprehension she will learn actual gun safety and learn how to handle them properly.

"Accidents" happen because people do not handle the guns properly and are not taught proper gun safety. With the right education and precautionary measures they are great to have for home protection and as many said before me can be fun to shoot as well!