Gun placement while sleeping

J

JohnH1963

Moderator
Where is the best place to put my pistol while sleeping?

Now it may seem like a simple question, but I think its best to keep the pistol over an arms length away and in an enclosed space so you have to deliberately reach for it. Thoughts?
 
On the nightstand with an empty chamber? If you can think to rack the slide, you can think straight enough to tell whats going on...
Unless maybe you have PTSD... :(

Im curious as to what the professionals think...
 
I keep mine in the nightstand drawer, upright, with the drawer slightly open,
cocked and locked. It's a short 1911-style gun, and there are no
children in my house, so I consider that to be safe.

I am a big fan of the 1911 .45 auto. There was a period of time in my life
that I slept with a Colt 1911A-1, cocked and locked, in my hand.
The multiple safeties made that feasible, although I wouldn't recommend
that for everybody.

Walter
 
On the nightstand.
In a holster that covers the trigger guard. I use an Uncle Mikes nylon with the snap strap
 
I was thinking of a low probability, high risk scenario. What if you had a bad dream, there was some kind of event in the house like a branch brushing up against the outside wall and half-asleep you reach for the pistol? You grab the pistol and maybe set it off?

There are many things that can happen when sleeping. I just think a little distance and in an enclosed latched case (i.e. cigar case) would be a good safety measure to prevent any accidents.

This would be an interesting training scenario that would probably be best fit for say contractors going off to Iraq. Get everyone sleeping armed with paint guns, start sounding airhorns and setting off firecrackers at 3am and see how everyone gets into a defensive position. I bet you would be seeing paint all over the ceiling, floors and all over everyone;)

Its a good question how one deals with going from sleeping to a fighting position. The army deals with it by waking up super early in the morning before the sun comes up. Thats not my answer unfortunately to home defense;)
 
I have kids (9 and 5) so it's locked in a electronic safe in the bedroom closet. In my house, having it locked away is safer than having it next to my bed.
 
From JohnH1963:
I was thinking of a low probability, high risk scenario. What if you had a bad dream, there was some kind of event in the house like a branch brushing up against the outside wall and half-asleep you reach for the pistol? You grab the pistol and maybe set it off?

There are many things that can happen when sleeping. I just think a little distance and in an enclosed latched case (i.e. cigar case) would be a good safety measure to prevent any accidents.
Click to expand...

Excellent point. I saw something on Personal Defense Television in which the speaker strongly recommended that the gun be kept away from the bed so the person has to get up and wake up before grabbing it. I follow that advice.

It's not just a matter of dreams. There's the issue of positive identification of just who that is moving around in the house.
 
I probably should have mentioned before that mine stays under the nightstand in its box with chamber empty

Sometimes I leave it on the nightstand, but usually its in its HK factory box
Im a light sleeper, so I usually go from sleep to awake pretty quick... but you never know...
 
I have two kids in the house too. I agree with OldMarksmen & JohnH1963 completely.

The Mossberg 500 under the bed with 2 in the tube, action closed on a empty. Side saddle full though. can top up the magazine in the dark.

There is a 9mm Cougar in its box, locked in the top shelf of the wardrobe, with one mag loaded with 10 rounds.

A .38 Colt is in the lounge, again in a top shelf cabinet, loaded and locked.

Finally, the Makarov loaded in my locked briefcase in the study!!!

If I get up at night to get to either weapon, need to be awake and in full control of my senses (hopefully)!!!
 
Even when kids were in the house, Cocked and locked in a holster under the pillow.


I don't understand this "too groggy to think stuff." The cat jumps on the bed I am wide awake. I know its the cat, but I am still wide awake.

There has never been a single instance in the twenty some years of sleeping this way that I have ever had the gun out and in my hand when I did not have a clear idea that something was amiss.

I have never pointed my gun at my kids, or the dog or the wife up checking on laundry (she often does loads over night to save power costs) I have drawn the gun when the car alarm went off, or when the paper boy missed the front door and broke the sidelight, But I have only pointed it twice, once at a drunk banging on the wrong door, and another when someone thought it was funny to try a prank at 3 am. Both times, I was wide awake, aware of my surroundings, and up and moving before the "pointing" took place. Once I figured out what was going on, the gun was put away before the "target" even knew it was almost a goner.

I started sleeping with a gun under my pillow some 25 or so years ago after waking up and having some junkie standing in my room. He had a knife, and a bag of our stuff he was stealing, and I had nothing to speak of. I just got real lucky and decided it was never happening again.
 
My Scattergun Technologies 12GA loaded with 2 3/4" #1 Buck rests in a 4" space between my highboy dresser and the bedroom wall. The shotgun is cocked with the chamber empty so that I have to get out of bed, retrieve the shotgun, depress the disconnector, rack the slide and engage the BG.

I live alone (well except for a cat) and between the double-keyed deadbolts, window dowells, alarm system, physical layout of a three-story townhouse, the noisy aforementioned cat and the fact I am a light sleeper, I am not worried about waking to find a BG in my bedroom.

Chrisp0410
 
At home/away

Hotel, chamber filled, all ready to go, glock 19 in Glock holster, under pillow.

Same at, home same gun, bedside table. no holster, on pad.

Surefire light.
 
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