Mannlicher
New member
Funny, I have a BHP on my hip as I type this. Yes, almost always I am 'packing' at home.
Do you carry at home - Why do people feel safe at home?
- Thread starter Para Bellum
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bigbadbowtie
New member
I do not and my reason may not be very good either.
I have a 90lb G-Shephard that stays in the house most of the time. She pretty much hates everyone but my immediate family. In fact the local pizza place makes me meet them at the curb. They will not get out of the car.
I have NO doubt she would at the least slow down a BG long enough for me to get to my gun.
I have a 90lb G-Shephard that stays in the house most of the time. She pretty much hates everyone but my immediate family. In fact the local pizza place makes me meet them at the curb. They will not get out of the car.
I have NO doubt she would at the least slow down a BG long enough for me to get to my gun.
Wildalaska
Moderator
Hey thats where I keep my Seecamp....
I think
WildigotgunseverywhereAlaska ™
rellascout
Moderator
Hey Wild,
Is that a S&W 44 in your pants or are you just happy to see me?
WildkeepitrealuntilitgoeswrongAlaska
Is that a S&W 44 in your pants or are you just happy to see me?
WildkeepitrealuntilitgoeswrongAlaska
TexasSeaRay
New member
Could not possibly disagree more . . .
What visitors we do have to our place, when they bring their kids, the kids are told where they can go and where they can't. I've walked friends to the door--kids in tow--and bid them a very early good day or good night because they couldn't, or wouldn't, control their damn kids in our house.
Got an old friend of mine who was with a medium-sized city's police department. Skinny, scrawny guy--the exact type so loved by the FFL, SAS and Delta--of which he did tours with all three.
This friend of mine has guns hidden in his house to where he has ready access, but even the slickest professional burglar would be hard-pressed to find any of them inside of an hour.
And finally, I either carried or wore a gun for a living for too many years. No way I'm going to be a prisoner in my own home and keep a gun strapped to me 24/7.
I refuse to live in a state of self-induced paranoia.
I know a number of acquaintances who "pack heat" around the house. I'll also bet my airplane, boat and other toys that if someone kicked in their door, the heat-packers would freeze up and not be able to draw and fire. They'd end up getting way hurt or just plain dead.
But by God, they carry a gun.
One of the guys at our VFW told us about his brother-in-law, who is a big-talker/little-walker, getting accosted on the street down around Houston Hobby airport area. Had a gun on him, plus a backup gun, and he froze up. The two muggers beat the ---- out of him, took both of his guns along with his money and sent him to the hospital with some pretty good injuries.
I called an old contact with Houston PD, and word is HPD is p---ed because now there are two more stolen guns on their streets--but this time, courtesy of a CCW permit holder who talked big, trained big, and folded like a cheap card table when it really counted.
But by God, he carried a gun.
Preparedness, above all else, is a state of mind. My wife and I keep several firearms handy. We know exactly what we'd do if someone kicked in our door, or accosted us in the garage as we pulled in, etc.
We HAD to know that because long time ago, my LE work made both of us the target of all kinds of threats--some hollow, and others damned serious. And even then, we don't "pack heat" around the house.
Proper, prepared state of mind reinforced with "what to do if/when . . ." has served us pretty well.
It's also served all of our ex-military and ex/present law enforcement friends as well--who, by the way, don't "pack" at home but instead keep several weapons easily and quickly accessible.
Jeff
Playboypenguin
Moderator
This is going to sound very fruity...
...and even a little weird.
I feel very safe at home. Like I have said before, I almost always feel safe everywhere I go. I am just one of those people that feels bad things happen to other people and I always manage to escape unscathed. It is one of the very few positive aspects of my personality.
That being said, I do carry daily just in case. Even though I scoff at the idea of needing it I still realize the benefits of being prepared for the worst.
While I am at home I feel completely safe but my gun still is within my reach. I do not usually keep it in the holster since I usually am sitting in the floor next to the coffee table. I keep it very close to me on the coffee table. It rests (now this is the fruity part) on a very nice 8"x10" royal blue satin pillow which (now this is the weird part) is actually the resting pillow from a guinea pig coffin...from back when I used to build the occasional cremation box and pet coffin.
...and even a little weird.
I feel very safe at home. Like I have said before, I almost always feel safe everywhere I go. I am just one of those people that feels bad things happen to other people and I always manage to escape unscathed. It is one of the very few positive aspects of my personality.
That being said, I do carry daily just in case. Even though I scoff at the idea of needing it I still realize the benefits of being prepared for the worst.
While I am at home I feel completely safe but my gun still is within my reach. I do not usually keep it in the holster since I usually am sitting in the floor next to the coffee table. I keep it very close to me on the coffee table. It rests (now this is the fruity part) on a very nice 8"x10" royal blue satin pillow which (now this is the weird part) is actually the resting pillow from a guinea pig coffin...from back when I used to build the occasional cremation box and pet coffin.
And how would this change if someone broke in and they were unarmed? Is there something that would lead you to believe that home invaders don't injure or kill unarmed people? The news I've seen doesn't seem to bolster that idea.
The two do not follow, except perhaps to you and others who think like you.
There are some who think that carrying a gun makes them a prisoner, there are others who think that it makes them free. As far as I can tell it's a matter of personal preference. Fortunately there's rarely anyone forcing anyone to carry a gun if they don't want to.
And while carrying a gun may make you feel like you're in a state of "self-induced paranoia", it's a bit egotistical to assume that it affects everyone else in exactly the same way.
I don't know why it's common to assume that those who carry firearms do so out of fear.
I carry a small flashlight on my person nearly all the time, but it's not because I'm afraid of the dark.
I carry a cell phone a good bit of the time but it's not because I'm afraid of being unable to phone home.
I wear a watch, but it's not because I'm afraid not knowing what time it is or of being late.
I carry a gun, but it's not because I'm afraid of being attacked.
I have a small swiss army knife in my pocket that has tweezers in it--but it's not because I'm afraid of unwanted hair.
I try to be prepared for both the likely and the unlikely. Part of that is knowing what to do, some of that is having practiced what to do, some of that is having the right tools available when they're needed. I don't do it out of fear, it's just part of my philosophy of life. The things I carry come in handy on occasion, some many times a day, some once in awhile, some only VERY rarely, but there's NOTHING I carry that hasn't been used at least once.
I carry my flashlight at home, I wear my watch & have my swiss army knife in my pocket at home, why should a pistol be any different?
I don't usually carry at home unless I've been out and haven't had a chance to unholster yet. If I carried around the house 24/7, I am sure the wife would be looking at me strangely. Thats not to say that i don't have a firearm reasonably available around the house at any given time.
I carry at home most of the time. It seems like a responsible thing to do. The way I look at it, if my carry gun is on my person, it is safer on my waist than anywhere else in my home. So, yes, I carry at home too most of the time.
If you think about it.... it takes only seconds for a perp to bust in a door and to confront you in your own home. My dad was killed in 1967 during a robbery in our home. He heard something in the kitchen, thought it was my older brother and got up to check. It was a burglar with a hand gun... brief struggle, one gun shot and my dad was gone. My dad did not have his weapon when he was shot.
If you think about it.... it takes only seconds for a perp to bust in a door and to confront you in your own home. My dad was killed in 1967 during a robbery in our home. He heard something in the kitchen, thought it was my older brother and got up to check. It was a burglar with a hand gun... brief struggle, one gun shot and my dad was gone. My dad did not have his weapon when he was shot.
TSR,
Was going to leave this unanswered, since your post pretty much responded as predicted, and since JohnKSa did such a good job responding to it. But I think there's something to discuss here.
You know what I think would cause self-induced paranoia?
Not just getting dressed in the morning and putting your normal stuff in and around your pockets. That's not paranoia, that's just routine.
What I think would cause paranoia would be getting up in the morning and the first thing you think of before you can even get dressed, is, "Am I going to go anywhere 'dangerous' today? Should I wear my gun today or not?" By the time you've parsed that, analyzed it from all possible angles, contemplating the criminal statistics for every place you are likely to be and dwelling on the news that was on the TV last night to make your decisions, that's gonna cause serious twisted thinking. Starting your day, every day, wondering if your life will be "dangerous enough" today to justify carrying, and thinking about whether or not you are going to have to kill someone today. *shudder* No thanks!
No wonder some folks consider putting the gun on to be making themselves a "prisoner" and "paranoid." I would, too, if carrying weren't simply routine and my default setting.
To each his own!
pax
PS What I really don't understand is how it is "paranoid" to simply get dressed in the morning, but not paranoid to hide guns under the sofa cushions so that you cannot even slightly relax if friends drop by unexpectedly or if relatives have nosy children. Talk about being a "prisoner" in your own home!
Was going to leave this unanswered, since your post pretty much responded as predicted, and since JohnKSa did such a good job responding to it. But I think there's something to discuss here.
You know what I think would cause self-induced paranoia?
Not just getting dressed in the morning and putting your normal stuff in and around your pockets. That's not paranoia, that's just routine.
What I think would cause paranoia would be getting up in the morning and the first thing you think of before you can even get dressed, is, "Am I going to go anywhere 'dangerous' today? Should I wear my gun today or not?" By the time you've parsed that, analyzed it from all possible angles, contemplating the criminal statistics for every place you are likely to be and dwelling on the news that was on the TV last night to make your decisions, that's gonna cause serious twisted thinking. Starting your day, every day, wondering if your life will be "dangerous enough" today to justify carrying, and thinking about whether or not you are going to have to kill someone today. *shudder* No thanks!
No wonder some folks consider putting the gun on to be making themselves a "prisoner" and "paranoid." I would, too, if carrying weren't simply routine and my default setting.
To each his own!
pax
PS What I really don't understand is how it is "paranoid" to simply get dressed in the morning, but not paranoid to hide guns under the sofa cushions so that you cannot even slightly relax if friends drop by unexpectedly or if relatives have nosy children. Talk about being a "prisoner" in your own home!
grymster2007
New member
very fruity????... a little weird????
Other people might work real hard to make up a story like that. With you Playboy, the truth is stranger than fiction!
TexasSeaRay
New member
Pax, JohnKSa,
I guess it's a matter of perception. Pax asks "am I going somewhere dangerous today?'
For some of us, that was a big "yes" every day. That was our job.
And when you see, experience and actually deal with real danger, you learn pretty quick what the difference is between real danger and perceived danger.
Something else that has been missing from this and so many discussions like it--and that is, a gun does not make you one bit safer.
Instead, a gun simply allows you to improve your odds of surviving a hostile encounter.
Again, I carried a gun for a living for too long. It never made me feel safer. Hell, the reason we carried guns was because we WENT to where the bad people/enemy was--we didn't wait for them to come to us.
Yet, back on the ship or back at the base or back at our quarters, we didn't carry guns with us. I only knew a handful of undercover agents that carried at home--and those were either the new guys or agents who'd just received the usual threats regarding them and/or their family. That is what I'd classify as real danger.
But Joe the accountant feeling a need to strap and pack around the house? Whatever. Free country and it's definitely your right. But if you think carrying a gun makes you safe, you could not be more wrong.
It makes you prepared and helps improve your odds.
THAT is part of the mindset of preparedness, along with understanding and accepting the difference between real danger and perceived danger and responding accordingly to each.
Jeff
I guess it's a matter of perception. Pax asks "am I going somewhere dangerous today?'
For some of us, that was a big "yes" every day. That was our job.
And when you see, experience and actually deal with real danger, you learn pretty quick what the difference is between real danger and perceived danger.
Something else that has been missing from this and so many discussions like it--and that is, a gun does not make you one bit safer.
Instead, a gun simply allows you to improve your odds of surviving a hostile encounter.
Again, I carried a gun for a living for too long. It never made me feel safer. Hell, the reason we carried guns was because we WENT to where the bad people/enemy was--we didn't wait for them to come to us.
Yet, back on the ship or back at the base or back at our quarters, we didn't carry guns with us. I only knew a handful of undercover agents that carried at home--and those were either the new guys or agents who'd just received the usual threats regarding them and/or their family. That is what I'd classify as real danger.
But Joe the accountant feeling a need to strap and pack around the house? Whatever. Free country and it's definitely your right. But if you think carrying a gun makes you safe, you could not be more wrong.
It makes you prepared and helps improve your odds.
THAT is part of the mindset of preparedness, along with understanding and accepting the difference between real danger and perceived danger and responding accordingly to each.
Jeff
TexasSeaRay,
First you accused me and people like me of being "paranoid." Now you've twice repeated that you think people like me believe that carrying a gun makes us safe. And you've insinuated that I do not understand the difference between "real danger" versus "perceived danger."
Jeff, I'm not sure if you realize just how offensive you're being. I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt here, but it's difficult.
Yes, it is very true that some folks who carry firearms as private individuals do not have the right mindset for doing so. Some carry it as a magic talisman that will ward off evil just by existing, with the weird idea that as long as they are armed, nothing bad can ever happen to them. Some carry it without understanding the legal and ethical underpinnings of self-defense, and some -- sadly! -- carry simply because they really are angry at criminals and eager to exact their brand of justice.
But most of us aren't like that. Most people who carry guns habitually do so simply because we want to be prepared to cope with a criminal crisis -- both equipped (with the tools) and prepared (with the mindset) to save our own lives or at least stop the action until the professionals arrive to clean up the mess.
By continually repeating that people who arm themselves routinely & habitually are "paranoid," you've simply bought into the lie that ordinary people will never need the tools of effectual self-defense.
It's true that most ordinary people never will need to fire a gun or even display one. It's also true that those who do need a firearm or other effective defensive tool will need it very badly and very immediately.
Yes, my risk level is very low. I live in a rural area, don't have any criminal friends, don't engage in high-risk activities. My house is average for the area, neither an expensive invitation to thieves nor a slummy invitation to drug-seekers. So?
The fact that I live in a rural area means that my odds of a criminal encounter are relatively low. But my odds of a wildlife encounter are higher (saw a bear last week, 'bout a mile from the house, galumphing along the road at sunset). And if a criminal does attack, he's going to do so in the expectation that 1) the neighbors won't hear a thing, and 2) the cops' quickest possible response is a minimum of 20 minutes away -- on a good day.
So is my personal risk high enough to justify being armed? If I were carrying, as you insinuate, to "feel safe," nope. I feel plenty safe out here.
If I were carrying to lower my risk of attack, again nope. My risk of attack is low.
But if I were carrying simply to be prepared if trouble struck, well, yes. Yes it is. I don't think my risk of being attacked is particularly high, but my risk of being unable to deal with it without the tools to do so is pretty darn astronomical.
Suit yourself (you will anyway -- most folks do!). But please stop insulting everyone who has a different assessment than you do of the costs vs benefits of going armed at home.
pax
First you accused me and people like me of being "paranoid." Now you've twice repeated that you think people like me believe that carrying a gun makes us safe. And you've insinuated that I do not understand the difference between "real danger" versus "perceived danger."
Jeff, I'm not sure if you realize just how offensive you're being. I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt here, but it's difficult.
Yes, it is very true that some folks who carry firearms as private individuals do not have the right mindset for doing so. Some carry it as a magic talisman that will ward off evil just by existing, with the weird idea that as long as they are armed, nothing bad can ever happen to them. Some carry it without understanding the legal and ethical underpinnings of self-defense, and some -- sadly! -- carry simply because they really are angry at criminals and eager to exact their brand of justice.
But most of us aren't like that. Most people who carry guns habitually do so simply because we want to be prepared to cope with a criminal crisis -- both equipped (with the tools) and prepared (with the mindset) to save our own lives or at least stop the action until the professionals arrive to clean up the mess.
By continually repeating that people who arm themselves routinely & habitually are "paranoid," you've simply bought into the lie that ordinary people will never need the tools of effectual self-defense.
It's true that most ordinary people never will need to fire a gun or even display one. It's also true that those who do need a firearm or other effective defensive tool will need it very badly and very immediately.
Yes, my risk level is very low. I live in a rural area, don't have any criminal friends, don't engage in high-risk activities. My house is average for the area, neither an expensive invitation to thieves nor a slummy invitation to drug-seekers. So?
The fact that I live in a rural area means that my odds of a criminal encounter are relatively low. But my odds of a wildlife encounter are higher (saw a bear last week, 'bout a mile from the house, galumphing along the road at sunset). And if a criminal does attack, he's going to do so in the expectation that 1) the neighbors won't hear a thing, and 2) the cops' quickest possible response is a minimum of 20 minutes away -- on a good day.
So is my personal risk high enough to justify being armed? If I were carrying, as you insinuate, to "feel safe," nope. I feel plenty safe out here.
If I were carrying to lower my risk of attack, again nope. My risk of attack is low.
But if I were carrying simply to be prepared if trouble struck, well, yes. Yes it is. I don't think my risk of being attacked is particularly high, but my risk of being unable to deal with it without the tools to do so is pretty darn astronomical.
Suit yourself (you will anyway -- most folks do!). But please stop insulting everyone who has a different assessment than you do of the costs vs benefits of going armed at home.
pax
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rantingredneck
New member
I'm no criminal nor do I associate with criminals. I do not associate with those who are part of the drug culture. I've never been military or LE.
In my lifetime of 34 years, I've had a gun drawn on me once. I've drawn once and nearly drawn a second time. No shots fired in either case thankfully. I've been stabbed (upper arm, non-lifethreatening but sucked anyway). I've been the "almost" victim of 2 attempted strong arm robberies/carjackings (didn't work out so well for the "almost" perpetrators in either case). I've been bitten by a 160lb great dane.
Neither of the above incidents is something I hope to ever repeat.
My point. Trouble can find even those not looking for it. Will my carrying a gun ward off trouble? No. But it will give me one more tool in the toolkit to deal with it. Am I paranoid for choosing to keep my carry weapon on after I get home at night? No. Am I paranoid for having a 12 ga outside the safe where I can access it quickly when I'm at home? No.
Experience has taught me that you can't plan when you will be attacked.
In my lifetime of 34 years, I've had a gun drawn on me once. I've drawn once and nearly drawn a second time. No shots fired in either case thankfully. I've been stabbed (upper arm, non-lifethreatening but sucked anyway). I've been the "almost" victim of 2 attempted strong arm robberies/carjackings (didn't work out so well for the "almost" perpetrators in either case). I've been bitten by a 160lb great dane.
Neither of the above incidents is something I hope to ever repeat.
My point. Trouble can find even those not looking for it. Will my carrying a gun ward off trouble? No. But it will give me one more tool in the toolkit to deal with it. Am I paranoid for choosing to keep my carry weapon on after I get home at night? No. Am I paranoid for having a 12 ga outside the safe where I can access it quickly when I'm at home? No.
Experience has taught me that you can't plan when you will be attacked.
DonR101395
New member
I usually agree with you, but following the logic train you started with the rest of your post; you guys are going to freeze
Stevie-Ray
New member
P32 on me as always right now. During times of high anxiety, like a helicopter with searchlight circling above, it will be much less relaxed and much heavier firepower, especially now that the weather is getting warmer, entry is easier, etc. Simply put, my comfort factor does not negate carrying at least A BUG around the house. I can't improve on what Pax has said. And somebody else has stated that you can't say when you're going to be a victim. It's that way around here. Low crime, but when it happens, everybody's shocked. Shame on me if it happens in my household and the presence of a gun could have prevented it.
Playboypenguin
Moderator
What can I say...I do not like to lay my guns on hard surfaces and the pillow was just in a box in the garage going to waste.
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