Issues with fiancée and home defense weapon, need serious advice!

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Hello all, I am having a serious Issue. I am a gun Enthusiast. I enjoy shooting firearms. It's a part of my life style. and I appreciate all aspects of firearms, I either am or plan to be evolved in shooting for sport/competition, hunting, self defense, home defense, and survival/preparation. that said, I own a few firearms, and my "collection" will continue to grow.

My future wife also totally supports that. She enjoys shooting as well. the problem does not lie in her having apposed views on guns or gun control, or hunting or any of that. She suffers from depression and anxiety disorder. I would feel more comfortable If she carried a gun, but she refuses to carry one, and she also does not feel comfortable with them being easily accessible. The problem lies in that she does not trust herself, she has severe mood swings, and is afraid that she may hurt herself.

Now I am totally willing to make the safest environment possible for her, I wan't her to feel comfortable, and do my very best to avoid a severe tragedy, but from a home defense stand point I am concerned as well. I'f I lock all my guns away, store the ammo separate, choose less advantageous defensive weapons etc. I feel I would be giving up any advantage to a potential home invader, or setting up poor tactical situations.

I usually have a defensive shotgun right by my bed, and one in my basement because it has just one entrance/exit. It's not like I can keep a shotgun away from my wife and still have it easy to access. also, shes only 130 pounds, and not very strong. We live right outside of Detroit and go there from time to time, along with other not so great areas. If I'm not with her, I feel uncomfortable with her not armed.

Any advice? has anyone else been in a similar situation? Thanks to anyone who can make any decisions easier.
 
why is she not taking the medication her doctor prescribed for her mood stabilization? this seems like an easy enough fix.
 
Your fiancée's depression and anxiety are well above my pay grade.

If you do intend to keep guns, then lock them up.
 
she has been working with her doctor to find the right medications. Even when properly medicated, It just helps, it does not guarantee perfect results. Trying to treat psychological problems with medication is not an EXACT science so it would seem.

although, hopefully with the right dose of the right medication maybe one day will help change her feelings on trusting herself.

"Your fiancée's depression and anxiety are well above my pay grade."
Click to expand...

@buzzcook
I was kinda more asking about tactical advice. more like, in this situation, how would you handle home defense.
 
In my opinion (and I feel strongly about it), a gun is to be worn on my belt or very near me when I'm sleeping. When I go take a shower, it comes with me. When I'm out of the house, it's on my belt or it's locked in the safe.

Bottom line is that there are -ZERO- accessible guns in my home. I have a genuine concern that I'd arrive home one day to find someone in my home and holding one of -MY- firearms. So I want to avoid that.

It's a simple matter of having proper control over what it mine. There is never going to be a gun upstairs and one downstairs, because I can't be in both places.

Before I could legally carry a gun on my person, my safe opened up every morning after my shower to put my handgun in it, and opened every evening before bed to take my gun out of it.

Maybe that will help for your needs. And living in Michigan, a CPL is not at all difficult for you to get if you don't have one. If you do... get a comfortable rig and carry all the time.
 
If the concern is about home defense, then how about locking them all up, except for the one under your control, on your hip?
If you want something larger available, not in the safe, how about a trigger lock, or a really good way to hide it and secure it?
 
I live in a three-story house at the end of a quiet dead-end street. It would be simple to break in to my house. And it doesn't make much sense to stash guns all over my house just so there's one within reach if I need it. Instead, I just carry my Glock 19 all the time; the only time it's not on my body is when I'm sleeping or taking a shower. I use a belly-band most of the time when I'm inside the house, so that means the pistol is at my normal 3:30 position at my waist but I don't need a belt; I can carry no matter what I'm wearing. And this way I can also avoid unauthorized access to the gun. Carrying 24/7 this way and locking up the rest of your guns should solve your problem.

EDIT: Looks like the two guys above beat me to it, but I didn't see those posts because I'm such a slow typer ;).
 
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You can find bedside safes for shotguns or handguns that are relatively quick to access. That may be your best bet, but if she knows the code I don't know how much it would help your situation.
 
I see the train coming....

I think there's a Johnny Cash song with that lyric. :rolleyes:
I think the mods will close this topic soon due to the subject matter.

That said, Id offer this advice(which is like Lucy from Peanuts in the psychiatrist booth ;) );
Id remove all firearms, weapons, ammunition etc from your home/living area ASAP. Do not leave any guns, knives, Tasers, OC spray etc laying around.
If you want or need these items keep them in a different location(that's secure & only you have access). This may seem extreme but it sounds like this woman has a valid reason to be leery for not being around firearms or deadly weapons. Her mental health & the conditions may prevent her from obtaining a valid carry license or gun permit. If she has no desire to shoot guns, then I wouldn't force it.
I'd look at the recent example of author/US Navy SEAL, Chris Kyle. Kyle took a USMC combat veteran target shooting. The young man had PTSD & murdered Kyle and another veteran on the gun range. :eek:
It's your choice what to do, but Id advise against it. Domestic disputes & fights are common too. A former employer I had who was a US Army veteran & armed security manager got into a heated dispute with his wife. She made remarks about loading his 12ga shotgun & shooting him! :eek:
He removed all his weapons from his home after the event.
 
Sorry folks - while this is a serious situation, dealing with real mental health issues is the realm of professionals. I advise the people involved to seek such out.

Tactical advice in such a situation is really not something that we can suggest in this context.

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