Josie,
Let me sum up the 'securing your weapon safely' topic with this thought.
If a gun owner in a family home can't immediately get to his/her weapon in a very timely fashion, the very same children that you admirably worry about playing with guns and hurting themselves or others, are now at a greater risk of being harmed....or worse. The husband or wife can be as fast as 'Speedy Gonzales' at retrieving their handgun, but the very fact that they feel a need to immediately arm themselves means that the threat is imminent or that you're quite possibly only seconds away from needing to respond in order to save you and yours. Bad people always have the element of surprise on their side......always.
A gun secured so well that the gun owner can't immediately access it is a recipe for disaster. The next obvious step past really, really, really securing a weapon as you are obviously passionate about, is not a far cry from not owning a weapon at all and then needing to choose another line of defense.
There is no right or wrong answer in regards to how to be 100% assured that a child or whomever can't or won't gain access to your firearm, unless it is so securely locked up in a vault or safe with a single key and/or code which is only then possessed by the gun owner.
If so, what use is there in purchasing a firearm specifically for the protection of you and your family if you can't access it when you most need it......?
Please excuse me for awhile Josie because suddenly I feel both a great need to make a phone call to my adult daughter as you have just reminded me that I was evidently wrong some years back and definitely owe her an apology and that I also need to refill my Zoloft prescription........ASAP...........

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Good talk Josie....
