One can only hope that you don't get a similar problem in your new location. Good luck with that.
Could we safely have firearms in the house? Probably. It's a little late in the game for it now, anyway.
Never too late. My kid who was extremely curious, never got into my firearms when told not to, and when old enough (10) was given firearms chores (ie stripping and cleaning) and training which removed all of the mystery. Nothing like having to strip, clean, and reassemble along with safety and marksmanship training to remove any temptation to mess with firearms in an unsafe manner.
We have a bid in on a home already. It is in a country village with a population 1/3 the size of my neighborhood, and crime (with the exception of occasional domestic disturbances) is virtually nonexistent. By "late in the game," I was referring to the fact that we are on our way out of this pit. Purchasing and learning to use a handgun would probably take an estimated 6 weeks, if one had a lot of time on their hands, which I do not have.