CC Halo. I have had a problem with children and my firearms, though. But, not in way that I ever thought would have been a problem.
At the time, my oldest son was in kindergarten(He's in 6th grade, now.) I had a #4 SMLE, Early issue with a Brass buttplate, a Romanian M-44 Carbine(A copy of the Mosin-Nagant M1891) and a Yugoslavian M24( A copy of the Kar 98.) My Rem 870 I'd left at my Dad's house, as when I went hunting, It was straight from there. My rifles, however, I kept at my house. Anyway, My children knew I kept my rifles there, And when I stored them, I'd jerk the bolts out and put a(n) gun-oil soaked rag in the receiver. The bolts, I'd kept up on a top shelf.
Well, My son thought that rifles with a mag sticking out the bottom(Like the Enfield) were really neat, and since he'd play army or some kind of gun battle game on the playground, He told his friends one day that his dad had a Machine gun. I don't know if another child said something, or if a teacher or yard aid overheard them talking, but The next day a CPS (Child Protective Services) worker shows up at my house, demanding to speak with us.
I was at work at the time. So, calling on my cell phone, I had to ask my Dad to Drive 25 miles over to my house, to get my rifles out and explain to this person what was going on. He came over, explained that they were Actually antiques, and That they were not Automatic weapons in the same genre as the AK-47. However...
The mags sticking out the bottom of the #4 and the M-44 made her think that we were Columbine part 2.
My Father, who was a trial attorney in CA for 35 yrs. and had retired some time before that, told her to hold off on the S&S writ, Got back on the phone with me, explained what was going on, and we agreed for him to take my rifles to his house.
This placated the CPS worker, who still came back later and talked to me and my wife again. Since the arangement my father had made was satisfactory to her(Yes, a "her")She just rehashed what had went on the previous day, the concerns that brought her out, yadda yadda yadda.
Now, this was California about 7 yrs. ago. I did'nt spank my son for it, I did'nt reprimand him even. I just told him,"I know you think that shooting's neat, and that alotta guns are cool, Brian, But please don't ever talk about Dad's guns, even to your friends, ever again." He agreed, And I've made the same agreement with my other 2 boys, in the intervening years. I waited until I got a locking gun Cabinet, and then brought my rifles back home. But, to this day, I'm conscious that If I take off on a job, and that something like that should happen again, I'm screwed now if I don't have a lock on 'em. Now, they'll impound the guns if thiers' children in the house, and I'd face prosecution.
One further thing: I don't know if it's standard on most pistols now, But my P345 has a loaded chamber indicator which pops up over the barrel when there's one up the spout. It's got red paint on it, hard to miss.
