Where do you keep your handgun at night?

I keep my S&W model 60 .38 special on top of the gun cabinet that's beside my bed along with a 3 cell mag light or a 1,000,000 candle power spot light. I've been thinking about loading my old J.C. Higgins model 20 12 gauge for backup and keeping it locked in the cabinet as well. The kids can't reach the top of the cabinet. Also they are about grown and have had the fear of God put in them about even thinking about touching my guns.
 
I'm not sure you are getting answers to the question you asked, but here goes.

I have no kids at home but if I did, I would keep my pistol on/under the night stand and trust the door lock to keep them out while I was asleep.

If a legitimate intruder is in the area, my dogs will advise me of this fact. :)
 
Sig 229 mag in but not chambered, in a holster slung over the bed post, rem 870 marine mag (1st rd skeet rest 00 buck) next to the dresser, in closet 2 ft from bed and opposite corner of room from door. windows on opposite wall, no kidies just a useless pug:o
 
doc.jpg
 
I don't like leaving a gun laying on the nightstand. Who's to say you are going to wake up in time? The alarm can malfunction, if you have one, and the lazy dog may not care that night,lol.

My mattress has carry handles on the side. I simply put a holster there with my pistol in it and cover it with the sheet. Walah, concealed and easy access. :cool:
 
I have small kids and I spent a lot of time trying to find the optimal gun location over the years. I have some decent spots but I'm not totally happy with any of them. My kids are at the age where they just started learning to shoot the BB rifles that they got for Christmas. I teach them gun safety and I am strict but kids these days are not like I was growing up and I am not the hard-arse that my dad was and maybe I should be, but that's another topic for another thread. Therefore, I don't always keep a handgun near my bed. However, I do keep a 12 gauge shotgun with tube light and stock-mounted ammo carrier in the top recess of an 8-foot high shelf in my bedroom. The chamber is not loaded and only I know it is there. Neither my wife or kids can reach that high and the shelf is hidden so it is not noticeable at all.

I bought an electronic GunVault about 5 years ago and I have been hesitating to use it because I don't know if I should trust the electronics in an emergency. Every now and then, I check it and it works fine even though the batteries are five years old. So I guess it's about time I started using the GunVault and changing the batteries on schedule with the smoke detector.:o I guess I'm over reacting but better safe than sorry and the shotgun can take down any threat.

I will probably mount the GunVault in the bottom drawer of the night stand with bolts and lock nuts. Since it could be stolen by simply pulling out the drawer, I will run a cable through it and secure it to bed frame via a small hole that I can drill through the back of the night stand. I could also mount it behind the bed using wall anchors and still cable it to the bed frame and it could be out of sight.

I don't like the idea of leaving a handgun out in the open on top of a night stand. Although it is accessible, if you get surprised or sleep too soundly or if the other security systems fail, the bad guy could be in the room and have easy access to the gun. Maybe that sounds too far-fetched for some people and maybe I'm over-thinking this but that's how I reason it out.
 
12 gauge is under my bed, shells in the top drawer nightstand, and my .45 is in the top drawer of my dresser, clip is on the opposite side of the drawer. This is only for when I am home, if I go out I lock them up.
Oh and no kids at my house, and don't have any that come over.
 
hey cousin brucey,
if there's no kids, why the overkill on the safety.
if its just me, I would just keep it at defcon 1, or else leave it in the safe.

Like a wise young gentleman at the range told me once, I don't have collector
guns, if I cant shoot them, I don't need them.

see if you can find the cryptic message there, grasshopper.
 
G23 and Taurus 85 in the fingerprint safe under the bed...the Glock for me and I acquired the Taurus for my wife after an attempted break-in that made me realize that if I went for the kid's room I left my wife alone unprotected.

I've never been the type to stomach a loaded weapon in the house not locked up, it only takes one slip-up to land you in prison and with a lifetime of regret. The safe opens in under 2sec, if I don't have that much time to get to the gun I probably shouldn't be going for it.
 
Having a solid bedroom door with a deadbolt helps, as long as your kids are old enough to walk to the door and knock. It keeps kids from wandering in, it means a bad guy can't just walk in, either, and it means you actually have time to wake up and get the groggy out before you have to make the decision of using the weapon.
 
Something to consider

For those of you who don't have children, please consider (however rare) when a friend or family member VISITS WITH THEIR CHILDREN!!! I have a 2 year old, so this is not an issue for me as I have an electronic safe, Moss is stored high, etc. But I have nephews (8&7) who visit. They get into everything as all kids do. I once realize after a full day of visitors and their kids that I had left my loaded 357 in my nightstand. My heart almost fell out of my pooper as I booked it to my bedroom to prevent a tragedy.
 
I keep my sig 245 in my night stand with 2 extra clips, knife and flashlight. Got a gun digest magazine in there too in case of a drawn out stand-off. I also keep the single shot ten in the closet with a box of OObuck thats about 6 ft. further away than the pistol. If an incident was to occur lock bedroom door go into master-bath lock that door. hallway like entrance into bathroom so if BG was that ambitious they wouldn't have anywhere to go not much aiming required if it came down to that. Wife and myself have always tried to plan ahead for any possible situation.
 
A V-Line Hide-Away next to the bed holds both of my Glocks. A V-Line rifle case on the wall next to the door holds the long gun and is set for the same combination as the Hide-Away.
 
357 revolver in pushbutton "feel" safe on wife's side of bed, my 1911 in the safe on my side of the bed. Not always, but we usually have the safes open when we hit the hay.
 
Where do you keep handgun at night

No kids in house. The 2 Smith & Wesson 340s are on night stand's on either side of bed. My S&W 686 is in my range bag under my night stand. Shotguns in bedroom closet and in corner of family room.
 
I just realized Im guilty of a lot of nights. I leave my M38 in my pants pocket. My pants are either left next to the bed or in the bedroom. I have other weapons withing 10 or so feet. My issue I just thought of is if someone is looking for money they will look for a wallet, wallets are in pockets. I figure if Im not allerted then they will also find a firearm which they may use to find other valubles.
 
The best place is somewhere you can easily access it but wouldn't be visible to an intruder. The best way is to mount a holster behind your headboard or something similar.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top