[Sdirector]

Originally Posted by alinev

What is the purpose of a hand gun. The only potential target is another human. A good alarm system or a well trained dog should in a decent neighborhood should eliminate any threat.

I would ask for the moderators consideration with this post, as I am going to answer a question, and discuss correct storage for foster parents.

A hand gun's purpose, in this instance, is to be used as a defensive instrument if you or someone in your family is attacked. It is one layer of defense in a system that should also include an alarm system or well trained dog. It is a backup in case those systems fail. A well trained dog can be dispatched with a gun, and an alarm really won't stop someone bent on doing you harm, it will, perhaps, make them quicker. What is the response time for an alarm? Responsible people, like the OP seems to be, do not go looking for a chance to use their weapon, it is a last resort, in addition to other measures. In fact, the alarm system and well trained dog would hopefully provide enough warning and delay to allow a person the extra few seconds needed to retrieve a gun from a safe storage system. Ideally, they will scare of an intruder, and make it unnecessary to use the final layer of defense.

As foster parents, in seeing what many of these children go through, we should be able to see that not all "humans" are good and nice people, and some are deranged by various mental illnesses, or drugs. Those are the people who are not likely to be deterred only by alarm systems or dogs.

Everyone must follow the rules that are set up for foster children and guns. Many of the storage safes out there that I have talked about (some of which may cost quite a sum of money) provide the safety that everyone needs, and satisfy those rules, in my opinion.

One other thought... You could meet the requirements for gun and ammunition locked separately by purchasing two hand safes, one for the gun, and a small one for the ammunition. Use a semi-automatic, and keep one (or two) loaded magazines in the other hand safe. Practice (with an empty magazine, or really do it right by getting some dummy ammunition and loading the magazine) inserting the magazine, and cycling the slide, in the dark or blindfolded. You can train your finger to find the point of the bullet, and then know which way to insert the magazine. It sounds like a lot of work in training, but anyone who is going to use a handgun for home defense has the responsibility to know how to use it correctly, including firing at least 100 rounds per month at a target range.

Two good quality hand safes would only add a few seconds to your response time, would comply with the rules, and would still allow you to protect your family safely. It is kind of like wearing a belt and suspenders.