Sir:
In regards to the shotgun safety letter, I would like to suggest the use of a shot shell “dummy” to keep loaded in the action of the shotgun. A dummy serves both to add another level of safety, in lieu of keeping a round chambered, and also allows the weapon to be quickly cycled without having to find and push the small button or release located at the rear of the receiver on most shotguns. These can be found at most gun stores. (I bought mine from Midway USA.) Thanks for all you do. Keep up the good work, and keep on rockin' in the free world. - E.
HJL Replies: While the sound of working the action of a shotgun is indeed intimidating (especially in the movies), remember that you also give up time (one or two seconds) to the working of the action and lose some advantage. Also, some people use Automatic shotguns rather than pumps.
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Hugh,
One thing you need to keep in mind is that not all children can be taught about gun safety. I have a 14 year old boy who started having seizures at age four. Because of that, he is substantially mentally delayed. I do take him shooting, but in my case, it would be totally irresponsible to have a loaded gun just laying around.
Because of this, I chose the GunVault Biometric safe. It takes half a second to open it, and my loaded handgun is stored within, ready to go. Perhaps you can leave a loaded handgun on the nightstand. I cannot. However, I do, in my opinion, have the next best thing.
To your reader who asked about gunvaults with a code, don't even bother. Go right to the biometric version. I have had one for three years, and I open it all the time. It has worked flawlessly and is programmed to the fingerprints of everyone in my family, who is capable of holding a firearm. Sadly, there is one set of fingerprints it will never contain-- that of my youngest son. - A.
HJL Replies: I do understand that concern, but I also know that the more complicated an item is, the greater the chance of failure. I spent time with a major defense contractor in which I worked testing electronics. We found that electronics have a higher chance of failure than mechanics. So, whether you're in outter space without extra parts or in a time-sensitive situation with an intruder breaching your bedroom door or window, you can't just fix failed electronic devices. I also have a family member who has Alzheimer's. When that family member is in my home, the only working weapon accessible is on my person and under my full control. So, I do understand your concerns. However, I still stand by my statement that a locked weapon is not a working weapon and any such measures only complicate matters when they need to be simple. I want all of my attention on the threat assessment, not on remembering a combination, and not on trying to open a lock with failed electronics. There are no easy shortcuts in a security-minded lifestyle.
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Sir,
My solution for balancing safety with quick accessibility (especially at night, in the dark, for my home-defense shotgun for the past 30+ years), has been a Rossi Overland exposed-hammer, double-barreled 12-gauge with 20-inch barrels in my bedside closet. I keep it leaned up in the closet with the chambers empty with a box of birdshot and a box of number four buckshot on a high shelf above. Were an inquisitive child (and we have no resident children in the house) to manage to find the gun in the closet, he or she would also have to locate and be able to reach the ammo on the high shelf above, figure out how to break open the action, load the gun, and cock the hammers in order to pose a danger. I, on the other hand, can quickly load the gun completely by feel in the dark and, by virtue of the exposed hammers, I can tell that the gun is uncocked and in a safe condition until the moment I am ready to cock and fire it. The birdshot and buckshot boxes are different sizes so they are distinguishable by feel in the dark. I can load either or one in one barrel and one in the other, depending on the situation, and can instantly select either barrel, again by feel in the dark, by cocking the appropriate hammer. The short-barreled gun is handy and easily maneuvered in close quarters. I have loaded the gun in the dark on numerous occasions over the years, using it to dispatch a fair number of nocturnal coons and skunks. I don't think the Rossi is currently available new, which is a shame, because it is a solid, high-quality firearm. I believe that there are many, other short-barreled, exposed-hammer, double-barreled shotguns currently available. Their popularity has increased in recent years with the burgeoning interest in cowboy action shooting. I don't know, but would assume that, like the Rossi, all modern, exposed-hammer doubles are designed so that the hammer, even if accidentally bumped over a loaded chamber, cannot engage the firing pin unless the trigger is pulled. I would want to be sure that an exposed-hammer gun had such a feature before I would be comfortable using it for a home-defense gun, especially in the dark. Best regards, - D.F.
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Hi Hugh
I have experience with the ShotLock and recommend the product. It's natural to have concerns about having a firearm ready to use in a home that has little ones or in a place that could be accessible to others. The ShotLock enables an owner to have easy access to a shotgun that is loaded, save for a round in the chamber. It has a vertical punch pad consisting of five numbers and requires a sequence of four (easily programmable to a personalized sequence) to open the door that secures the shotgun. The combination buttons are well-placed, and the lock can be opened quite quickly in the dark with a little practice. The shotgun's open ejection port is captured by the ShotLock, and a solid door closes over the receiver. (There are other configurations that the ShotLock can be configured to in order to accommodate other types of shotguns.) The shotgun is securely held and any attempt to remove it by force will more than likely make the weapon unusable. As far as not having a round in the chamber, nothing says 'Stop!' quite as well as a round being chambered into a shotgun. We have two-- one on my side of the bed for a 12 gauge and another for my wife's 410, on her side of the bed. It's a convenient place for our robes to hang and no one knows what they cover. - J.T.
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THANK YOU!!!
For once someone is willing to stand up and tell the truth. If we are expected to treat all firearms as if they are loaded at all times, then LOAD them. Firearms are tools; a tool you don't have access to is a tool you can't use. Period. Teach your children, and they will be safe. Several generations of Americans are living proof. - D.F.
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Hugh,
I understand your thoughts about young children and firearms. I have seven kids and have trained each one of them from the age of four or five. They each have understood what a firearm would do and have become proficient with all our firearms. My granddaughter started shooting when she was 2 1/2 with the Chipmunk .22 rifle and Mark II that I had bought my kids. She doesn't have the concept of aiming, but she always keeps the rifle or pistol pointed down range. She knows the rules and how to load, cock, and shoot. I believe that in a few years, she will have the aiming down too.
A short story. My daughter went to a sleep over when she was about six or seven years old. The little girl that had the sleep over had gone in to get her dad's pistol, and was showing it around. My daughter, according to the little girl's mother, asked to see the pistol, dropped the magazine, and ejected the round from the chamber. She then gave it the mother, who had just come into the room to check on them, and told the mother that she didn't think they should be playing with it. The mother asked her how she knew how to unload it because she didn't even know how to do that. My daughter simply said that her daddy had taught her. She, my youngest, is now 18. On her 15th birthday she got her first pistol-- an XD45, which is what she wanted. On her 16th birthday, she got her Mossberg 500, and so on. All of my kids are well armed and very proficient.
Around my house, there are several handguns and shotguns-- all loaded and ready to go. My kids know where they are and how to use them. I was never afraid that they might take one out and show it around. They know the rules and followed them, even when they were alone in the house, at least to the best of my knowledge. Of all my friends that come over with their kids, I have only had to worry about one little boy that was into everything. I was a little rude and blunt, but they no longer come to my house.
If you start training your kids (and/or wife) early, they will be an asset when they get older and come to love the sport. - B.L.
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HJL,
I agree with your commentary. A solution the author may look into is the V-Line shotgun case. It has mechanical buttons and opens fairly quickly. - Squirrel