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Had a scary experience this weekend. I shall put it here so others can learn. My DH and I returned home after a long day out (flag football game, lunch, haircuts, and then a birthday party). The kids sacked out downstairs in front of an approved cartoon. I went upstairs and decided to take a short nap on the bed. The firearm that had been all but unnoticable while tramping about is not comfortable to sleep on at all, so I went to put it in the safe across the room. I reached back retrieved my weapon and went to put it in the safe. My 20 month old took that moment to grab my legs and attempt to knock me over. The gun slipped and my finger went into the trigger guard......Praise God nothing happened. I have worked hard at training my finger to never ever go into the trigger guard unless on target so my first reaction was to release the gun and it fell harmlessly on the safe.

What scared the tar out of me is that had it gone off it was pointed in a fairly safe direction (the back of the safe), but if for some reason it riccocheted my husband and my todder were right behind me.

Nothing happened but some hairs standing up on the back of my neck, but being aware of your surroundings includes your small children that are unpredictable and might attempt to knock you over at any time.

As my 13mo old is now exceedingly mobile, I've taken to making sure he's not in the room when I holster / unholster. I go so far as to close the door when my wife is at home or put him in his crib when it's just me & him. That way he can't sneak up on me.

Glad yours wasn't hurt.

It was one of those moments, where you are doing something you have done 100+ times and something changes (todder attack) and danger is suddenly staring you in the face.

Heads up. Great advice TexasCajun.

My three year old has gotten curious about firearms, but has been remarkably good at listening to her parents and Eddie the Eagle. As an added measure, I've gone as far as to unchamber and keep my EDC in condition 3 when not in my holster. This adds more safety protocol (I always inspect the gun to make sure the firing pin is back to minimize a slam fire before rechambering), and I have to be more cautious of extractor marks and bullet setback, but an accident is my greatest fear. Anything I can do to reduce the risk, I'm all for it. Thanks for the reminders and for keeping the little ones safe.

My kids know I carry and are good with firearm safety. That said I am still wary when I am doing anything involving firearm manipulation in my house. I have a safe direction (just in case) and will make sure no one else is in the room. My seven year old is pretty quiet and can be standing there before you know it so I tend to make sure the room is empty and door closed as well. I am glad to hear that things worked out. Adherence to the rules pays off. Im glad you didn't grab at the gun as that is an instinctive reaction for many.

My CC remains holstered when I am arming/disarming myself. A out the only time they are I holstered is when I am switching holsters (very seldom) or they are expelling ammo.
If I were to remove the weapon from my carry holster away from the safe, it would immediately go into another holster before being moved to the safe. In others words, I do not carry a loaded weapon unholstered unless I plan on using it.

My CC remains holstered when I am arming/disarming myself.

This.

Store your carry piece in its holster.

IWB or outside, triggers don't see the light of day.

BStacks wrote:

My CC remains holstered when I am arming/disarming myself.

This.

Store your carry piece in its holster.

IWB or outside, triggers don't see the light of day.

I agree with this.

This is part of the reason why I don't carry "one in the hole" - per the other thread. I face random attacks from pre-K children.
No slight intended or offered to the OP, BTW. It's ready to fire when I'm ready to use it - that's the (conservative) gun safety that I was taught... And I know I'm in the minority on this forum.

cb1000rider wrote:This is part of the reason why I don't carry "one in the hole" - per the other thread. I face random attacks from pre-K children.
No slight intended or offered to the OP, BTW. It's ready to fire when I'm ready to use it - that's the (conservative) gun safety that I was taught... And I know I'm in the minority on this forum.

Minority or not, you are doing what you need to, to be safe...that I respect.

My brother lives in a " safe" neighborhood...

That being said, as soon as I get comfortable in his house, I disarm and go to his "safe" closet and disarm arm and secure all weapons.

There is a balance between being armed and being responsible. The line is drawn at a personal level.
When there are kiddoes running around, I don't dismiss my "right". I do what I think is right, period.

Better safe than sorry.

Following rules/procedures under any and all circumstances force compliance with "safe" handling.

In the end, that's what we all want anyhow. Be careful out there!

Jeff B.

Thanks for the suggestions y'all. At this time they don't fit in our safe with the holsters on.

mamabearCali wrote:Thanks for the suggestions y'all. At this time they don't fit in our safe with the holsters on.

Sounds like a legitimate reason for an upgrade!

While there are lower crime areas, there are no "Safe Neighborhoods". All neighborhoods are subject to crime.

I'm not trying to be sarcastic, but as soon as folks start thinking they perhaps don't need to be vigilant or keep their doors locked, because hey, they live in a "Safe Neighborhood" allows complacency to enter into the picture...

I live in the country, in a very low crime area. Even so, a nearby neighbor came home to find two criminals ransacking his home a couple of years ago. He wasn't hurt, but easily could've been as he's elderly. Thankfully, they panicked and simply ran.

jmain wrote:<SNIP>
There is a balance between being armed and being responsible. The line is drawn at a personal level.
When there are kiddoes running around, I don't dismiss my "right". I do what I think is right, period.

I agree wholeheartedly. What sometimes gets lost in these exchanges is there is no one size fits all protocol. A responsible parent/gun owner will weigh all of their peculiar factors and act accordingly. MamaBear - Thank God you and yours are all safe and it is a testament to your heart that you share it here.