UPDATE (after conceal carrying all week at home):
Thanks y’all for the tips and comments!
I tried a few different combinations of jeans, belts and shirts and everything seemed ok. I didn’t tell anyone in the house and nobody noticed so I guess that’s a good thing! Only downside is that when I’m home the kids usually like to jump and climb on me. I had to limit it to primarily my weak side and had to quickly turn a few times as kids like to run head first into me.
Anyone with young kids around that can give some advice/experience on what you do?
I think everyone can give/use some great advice about kids and carrying, so I made this its own topic. ~Dawn
One more thought on this… for us, carrying is 100% normal and we treat it like its. Because we’re not anxious about it, and we treat and talk about it as normal, it doesn’t get a lot of attention from the kids. Its just part of their normal world too.
By the time CC got to IL my kids were to old (big) to carry around anymore. The few times that I have carried kids while armed I noticed they like to rest their feet on the concealed gun’s grip. This creates a big printing issue and tests the gun belt. My solution was to just put them up on my shoulders which gets their feet out of the area where the gun is at.
So this happened today - I was carrying/hugging my 3 year old and as put her back down she turned and the back of her head slid over my strong side hip where I concealed carry. Although it’s a kydex IWB with my jeans and untucked polo shirt over it, it was definitely hard enough for her to express in tears how much it hurt. Poor kiddo, but nothing that a gummy bear couldn’t resolve immediately!
When I have to carry a kid I try to do it on my weak side specifically because of this. However, after watching some of the training videos in the https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/dashboard/videos section (“Exposed: The Right & WRONG Ways to Defend Yourself From an Unexpected Violent Attack…”), I saw that even when carrying groceries or bags, it’s best to leave your dominant hand free in the event you need to draw.
I cannot imagine the adrenaline that would be running through me if I were holding my child in this situation, but nonetheless, it’s something that I have to be prepared for since this is the reason why I choose to carry.
Any real-life experiences someone can share about having to draw when their young kids were with them?
This is a great topic and one that just came up for us at home. A lot of our LE friends will disarm as they enter our house. It’s habitual. They clear their weapons, place them where small hands can’t reach, and we carry on. I’ve never asked them to do so, it’s just their practice to keep weapons and ammo separated when kids are around.
But conversely, what’s the point of having a firearm for home defense if you have to run to a kitchen cabinet and load it? By then, an intruder could be up the stairs and hiding behind the kids.
FWIW, I carry at home or have one nearby. I think everyone needs to figure out what’s best for them, but it’s an interesting question.
we should definitely shed light on guns with kids. Teach them the basic fire arm rules, let the, under guidance see and work with the gun. Teach them it is a tool for self defense. It’s sole purpose is to protect.
I’ve heard of fathers who said if their kid ever said they wanted to see the gun, they’d get it out for them (instead of the kid sneaking around looking for it). Kids are curious about guns. Educating can take away the mystery. It’s also an opportunity to teach about safety, responsibility and discipline.
All that I can say is enjoy them while you can. I raised my 2 sons and for 5 years I spent everything that I made on dirt bikes and I do not regret one day of it. both live within 20 miles and I have not seen the oldest in years or the grands. The other I might see once or twice a year including Christmas.
My opinion is to devote some time to age-appropriate training for children rather than using secrecy to avoid an undesirable incident. As an example, I remember my father’s work area in our 2-car garage when I was young. In an attempt to keep me away from potentially dangerous tools he told me there was a grounhog living in the cabinets. Never found the groundhog, but learned what was stored in every one of those cabinets!
Good point, @Scoutbob. I taught my kids throughout the years that there was a firearm in the house and that it was for defense of the household. Then, when they were old enough I took them to the range and showed how te firearm worked. Now, older yet, we go, with my wife, to the range together to spend time shooting.
I have 6 kids (14yrs to 18mo). I carry all the time and they (even directly after I started carrying) noticed but don’t think much of it. They know it’s there and they play like normal.
Almost 1 year after my initial post I can say that position didn’t matter much to me, but it became almost a reflex reaction to turn towards my weak side when playing with the kids. As for the climbing I try to put them on my weak side too, but it can be difficult when there’s more than 1! If they get around to that side, I do not let them step on it.
They know it’s there and we make sure they are educated and understand safety. I can say from experience that the climbing will continue, but it’s such a fun age!
It seems to me if no one noticed and the kids remained safe without knocking it loose then you got it figured out. Idk if you carry chambered/un chambered but that would be good to keep in mind if you usually carry w/ a round chambered in public, maybe good habit to un chamber around the house.
I am not touching whether or not to carry with a round in the chamber. It’s a dumb argument. BUT I will point out that the vast majority of ND’s occur during changes in weapon readiness conditions (commonly stated “loading and unloading”). So the base line = the less often we change weapons readiness conditions, the safer we are. (then come a few exceptions, which are typically situationally driven to mitigate specific risks like transferring possession of a firearm) Bottom line: one of my favorite firearms instructors is fond of saying, “Put the pistol in your holster and DON’T TOUCH IT unless you need to shoot it.”
If you think about it, this would reasonably stimulate a discussion about whether or not it is better for some people to carry without a round in the chamber, based on their unique lifestyle and typical activities.
I am in a state of flux on this topic. With a very active and often impulsive 5 year old in the house, safety is always on my mind.
We have had the talk and he has passed the couple of tests I have safely designed for him. But I still rarely carry at home. He likes to roughhouse from time to time and I don’t want to risk the incredibly slight chance that the gun comes free and he instinctively reaches to pick it up before I realize it. I also don’t think a gun with a round in the chamber is a good idea when participating in active contact sports for this same reason. I live in a very low crime rural community making the chance of needing the firearm very low. So it is a risk reward thing for me. I do keep a loaded gun staged in a quick access locked container on each floor of our home so they are always only seconds away and I have strategized and practiced getting to them quickly and what I would do if I can’t.
When he gets older and less impulsive I will likely reassess.
I like your plan. I’ve said it a few times here (and gotten smacked down a few times here) that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution at home. Some folks get real bent out of shape when your plan looks different than theirs, but no one here is going to be there if your children get their hands on your firearm, nor if your home is broken into by someone with ill intent. Your house, your kids, your firearm, your responsibility, so it’s your plan.
