Part 2 of the 10 Commandments of Gun Safety.
Source: http://www.gunsandammomag.com/safety/
2. Guns should be unloaded when not actually in use.
Keep guns unloaded. That's it. Load a firearm that you keep on you, or that you are shooting at a range. Load a firearm that you are going to use while hunting. Guns should always be unloaded* unless you are going to fire them before they are out of your sphere of influence.
I carry a pistol on me whenver I'm able, as I have a concealed carry permit. When I don't have that pistol on me, the ammunition is locked away and the pistol is loaded (I keep the ammunition in the magazine, but lock the magazines away). A kid can't 'accidently' shoot themselves if the gun is unloaded.
An easy way to remember to do this is to clean your firearms anytime that you've had it loaded (whether you shot or not). The first step in firearm cleaning is to unload and verify that your firearm is unloaded. Then, after cleaning, put the firearm away in its proper place, locking the ammunition in a seperate place.
For the safety of your firearms, don't lock your ammunition WITH your firearms. If there is a fire, most firearms can take a little heat, but if your ammo blows up, it can damage them.
Keeping firearms unloaded is very important for safety.
* The one exception that I would suggest would be for those who keep a shotgun for self defense. Unlike a revolver or pistol, which can have a speed-loader or magazine ready in a hidden place, shotguns need to be loaded manually. Keep a home-defense shotgun loaded, or at the very minimum, keep the shells VERY near your shotgun so that you're not stumbling around with locks in the middle of the night (when you're already fighting off sleep and twitching from adrenaline). If you have kids that are too young to train in the ways of gun safety, keep it somewhere high where they can't get at it. (One good idea is to use bicycle hooks attached INSIDE your closet, ABOVE your closet door.)
I would suggest that if you have children, to forgo the shotgun and get a good pistol that you can shoot (Caliber doesn't matter if it is too much for you to shoot, it might as well be a rock or a spitball shooter.) Get a small portable 'safe' that you can use on your end table. They make nice ones that respond to fingerprint ID or a keypad. keep your pistol, always loaded, inside that, replacing the ammunition every 6 months. (that way you get to the range every 6 months)
As always, check your local and state laws. If you live in gun grabbing areas like San Fran or DC, you're out of luck when it comes to almost any firearm. If a criminal comes, you'll be limited to kitchen pans and foul language. Some states won't allow you to keep a loaded firearm in your home, in which case you need to store the mag seperate from the pistol and hope that the criminal doesn't find you before you can open 2 locks. Some states don't allow for shooting in self-defense in your own home, unless you can prove that it is impossible for you and your family to have all run away (even jumping out windows).
Thankfully, I live in Oklahoma, where I am allowed to defend myself and my family.
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Ya thats right the only two safe guns ae ones that are unlaoded or not put togather
Zak
Basically. but, at that point, they are 'paperweights'
A gun is never safer than the individual. I know of people who conceal carry a 1911, cocked and locked with one in the chamber.
They are safer with that than many others with firearms that they only use at a range once a year.