[Sacamuelas]

KYO-

I know I am preaching to the choir... But some people lurking may read this and may place to much faith in these devices verses their kids minds. I will use your circumstances ONLY as an example to illustrate my point.

IMO, The #1 thing you can do to ensure safety for your 11 yr old boy is to teach him proper gun handling and safety rules. Of course, safeguard your guns however you can within reason... but if you take away the "forbidden" allure of the guns by getting them out for him and showing him the proper respect for them then he may not feel the need to "sneak" it out when you are away.

That is how I was raised. Anytime I wanted to see my dad's guns (pistols, shotguns, rifles), he got them out for me. He Cleared/checked it... handed it to me... made me clear/check it... then preached nonstop vigilance about always pointing it in a safe direction and treating it as if it was loaded. I always had access to the guns through my dad, and they weren't considered some kind of secret holy grail of adulthood to me.

Again, preaching to the choir... but worth it to comment on it I think. An 11 yr old can probably defeat most safety contraptions if he has the desire and is if given enough time. I'm not saying don't utilize safe storage techiniques, just don't forget to tackle the other side of the coin. After all, he will be going to friends houses that may not be as smart as you about their firearm storage. Better that he knows...

Hijack over...