My two kids are about grown now, but I've always kept my guns in a safe. The safe isn't there to keep my kids out of the guns, its there to keep neighbor kids out and hopefully slow down a burglar in conjunction w/ home security system.
If you want to gun proof your kids you've got to teach them about them early, show them what they'll do. My kids always knew that I had lots of guns (my wife and I have both concealed carried for many years). I always told the kids all of the guns in the house were loaded (most are). I always told my kids they could see the guns whenever they wanted/shoot them whenever they wanted. When they asked to see the, I went and got the guns out of the safe, unloaded them, gave them little safety talks, and let them handle them. We also made numerous trips to the range and hunting trips afield.
My son has an appreciation for a fine firearms but neither of my kids regard guns w/ any more "mystery" or "intrigue" than a hammer. I removed all of that by allowing them to satisfy their curiosity in a safe protected environment. I have never had any concern for either of my children handling firearms in an unsafe manner or behaving in an inappropriate way with firearms. My daughter never liked hunting, but my son learned to love it from an early age and hunted w/ his own rifle on his own, unsupervised from the age of 12. I wish more adults I knew handled firearms as safely as my kids.
David
