troy_mclure
New member
in which room?
Where do you keep your HD gun?
- Thread starter autopilotmp
- Start date
I was raised with loaded guns in the home at all times... My kids were too... Right before a very swift slap to the back of the hand they hear "MINE DON'T TOUCH... BAD" same as I got as a toddler... When unable to supervise during the preliminary training they would get locked away. I worried more about Junior playing with my tape measure and feeler gauges (he thought it was pocket knife and destroyed them) than fear him or his little cohorts in crime messing with my guns.
Brent
Brent
Stevie-Ray
New member
On the nightstand right next to me. Fairly light sleepers, both. No kids. Cats make a great early warning device.
I use those in my trucks. They're great, nice and flat, and go under seats perfectly.
armsmaster270
New member
When mine is not on my belt it's on my nightstand and vica versa. The dog will wake me before anybody even gets on the property, let alone in the house.
jpoolsmyd2
New member
Yep. Get a Gun Vault. Can be accessed in seconds. Keep the rifles locked up in a safe.
If Best Defense is so d#%@% smart, where DO they recommend you keep it.
A firearms instructor I know, of international fame, keeps his on the floor so he can roll out of bed and be behind cover.
The gun I carry goes on the night stand, within immediate reach, and a P226 is in an Uncle Mikes holster affixed to the back of a dresser drawer right next to my electronic hearing and an 870. I don't have kids in the house, so that may not work for everyone. Keeping your CCW/HD gun near you at night might be a better idea.
Some feel that, when you're up, having a gun in any direction you have to run to, in the event of a home invasion, is a wise idea. Wouldn't be good to have Bubba between you and a gun. Of course, having the gun on you solves that problem.
dabigguns357
New member
I have 2 kids in my house and i keep all but 1 in lock up.I keep one on me at all times.That way i don't have to run for the gun room.
scuba200ft
Inactive
Glock 17 with NS and TLR-2. 2 extra mags. Right next to the bed in a drawer.
Anyone with little children who dont have their gun/guns completely locked up is out of their minds.....
Anyone with little children who dont have their gun/guns completely locked up is out of their minds.....
jpoolsmyd2
New member
Yeah, even if your kids are educated and know to never touch one without your supervision, what about their friends? That's what worries me. All of ours are always always either a.)on me/my wife b.) locked up
autopilotmp
Inactive
Thank you all for your constructive criticism.
was looking at different small pistol vaults today, for between the bed and nightstand that does seem to be the most viable solution that can be used even after my little one grows enough to access a gun no matter where i put it outside of a safe.
was looking at different small pistol vaults today, for between the bed and nightstand that does seem to be the most viable solution that can be used even after my little one grows enough to access a gun no matter where i put it outside of a safe.
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OldMarksman
Staff
For what it's worth, in Post 20 I mentioned a Best Defense episode in which a woman raced an intruder to the bedroom, "won the race", and locked the door and got her gun.
I just saw a new episode in which they showed a replay of that "race," they opined that the thing to do in the case of an intrusion is to get to a saferoom. They then said that the safest way to get to the saferoom may be to be armed.
If someone had asked me a year ago what I thought of the idea of carrying a gun in my own house, I would have been highly dubious. But now that I've thought about it, I don't know any other way of avoiding getting cut off from the weapon should someone enter from certain points than having several guns in different locations, and even that entails some tactical risk.
At night? I heed the advice that it is best to have to be really awake before grabbing a gun. That rules out the nightstand, where I kept it for years, for me.
Like Hogdogs, I remember being around loaded guns a a child and when my cousins were very young when staying with an aunt or with grandparents. We knew not to touch them. I would not assume that risk today until the kids were older. I do believe the combo safes are a really good idea for times when the gun is not in the pocket.
My opinions, for your consideration.
I just saw a new episode in which they showed a replay of that "race," they opined that the thing to do in the case of an intrusion is to get to a saferoom. They then said that the safest way to get to the saferoom may be to be armed.
If someone had asked me a year ago what I thought of the idea of carrying a gun in my own house, I would have been highly dubious. But now that I've thought about it, I don't know any other way of avoiding getting cut off from the weapon should someone enter from certain points than having several guns in different locations, and even that entails some tactical risk.
At night? I heed the advice that it is best to have to be really awake before grabbing a gun. That rules out the nightstand, where I kept it for years, for me.
Like Hogdogs, I remember being around loaded guns a a child and when my cousins were very young when staying with an aunt or with grandparents. We knew not to touch them. I would not assume that risk today until the kids were older. I do believe the combo safes are a really good idea for times when the gun is not in the pocket.
My opinions, for your consideration.
KnightZero
New member
During the day, my Taurus PT140 Mil Pro is my carry gun - on my hip, as it should be. In the evenings, the carry gun goes on the floor next to my bed - which is just a mat on the ground anyway. Nighttime defense duty is taken care of by my Springfield XD-40 with a mounted Streamlight TLR-2 next to the pillow. My carry gun with charged up Nitesiters is waiting in the wings as backup. The XD goes under the pillow when I get up for the day, or into the shoulder holster if I decide to carry it for some reason.
I don't have kids, a spouse, an SO, family, friends, or visitors, so this setup works for me.
I don't have kids, a spouse, an SO, family, friends, or visitors, so this setup works for me.
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Wow I cant believe people think there kids cant climb 5 ft, please My son at 2 could climb up a 6 ft cabinet to the top.I was at a friends house when there child I think was 4 at the time climbed a wood cabinet that was top heavy and down came the cabinet and child.Thanks goodness it didn't land on top of the child.
To the OP, I don't mean to sound rude by saying this but...
It really is not that safe to advertise on here where you keep your firearms. You NEVER KNOW if some perp is on here looking through the forums for information like this so he can use it to come and and steal your guns. No, I am not paranoid because when people talk about where they keep thier "cars, plasma screens, pets, guns, etc" perps read about it and come steal them all. Not all criminals are drunk/high/stupid kids just going into some random house; some criminals actually think about the crime they commit before they do it. Whether it be cost of the gun, a saftey issue or personal privacy, everyone should exercise discretion when disclosing information like this. These forums ARE open to the public and guests.
BTW: I have shared the locations of a COUPLE of my guns on this forum, but I will not disclose the locations of all my HD guns because some of them are just worth more than the ones I mentioned...(EX: My Glock, 870, etc...those are chump change compared to my others...and yes, I have just made it known that I have more than 2 guns)
It really is not that safe to advertise on here where you keep your firearms. You NEVER KNOW if some perp is on here looking through the forums for information like this so he can use it to come and and steal your guns. No, I am not paranoid because when people talk about where they keep thier "cars, plasma screens, pets, guns, etc" perps read about it and come steal them all. Not all criminals are drunk/high/stupid kids just going into some random house; some criminals actually think about the crime they commit before they do it. Whether it be cost of the gun, a saftey issue or personal privacy, everyone should exercise discretion when disclosing information like this. These forums ARE open to the public and guests.
BTW: I have shared the locations of a COUPLE of my guns on this forum, but I will not disclose the locations of all my HD guns because some of them are just worth more than the ones I mentioned...(EX: My Glock, 870, etc...those are chump change compared to my others...and yes, I have just made it known that I have more than 2 guns)
Preach that! "Up high where the kids can't get it" is a sick joke, not congruent with reality in any way, shape, or form.
When my son David was just under 2 years old, I walked into the kitchen during naptime one afternoon to find that he had
- climbed out of his crib
- climbed over the babygate blocking his doorway
- climbed up the face of the kitchen cabinets
- climbed to the top of the fridge
- opened the "childproof latch" to the cupboard above the fridge to dig into the candy I kept there -- candy that he "didn't know" was there because we always made sure he was out of the room before we put it away.
There's no such thing as "too high" for a kid to reach, and there's no such thing as kids that don't know what you've got in the closet. There are only parents who luck out and fool themselves, and parents who do not.
Store your guns behind locks designed to keep out adult thieves, or keep the guns on your body. Don't trust your ability to hide the guns. The stakes are too high.
Oh, and teach your kids too. That goes without saying almost, but a surprising number of people believe ignorance is somehow safer than intelligent instruction and training.
pax
EricReynolds
New member
I have had a couple of different options. I did have the guns in my sock drawer at night, ready to go. Then I had kids. I have a 3 yr. old daughter and a 2 yr. old son. I kept a lock on the pistols with locks on them as a precaution before I had the thought, "Where do I keep my ammo and loaded clips?" I can't put a lock on each bullet, and I don't want the kids playing with them anymore than I want them playing with the guns. My daughter is a good girl, but the boy is a concern. He is one of us. A gun guy by birth. Runs around saying, "I shoot the bad guys!" His mom and gramma yell at him, but I'm secretly proud. Knowing he likes guns, I had to step it up a notch and get a safe. It's the best thing you can do. However, if I didn't have kids, I'd have a gun stashed away in every room.
Daugherty16
New member
+1 to Pax
People too often forget what it was like to be a kid.
For example: I am now an upstanding citizen, responsible gun owner, experienced hunter, committed father, faithful husband and trusted Director-level federal employee. Yet when i was very young, I knew the precise contents of both my parent's dressers, closets, and office, had found the "secret" entrance to the "other" attic accessed in the back of my folk's BR closet, and found and played with my dad's shotgun shells 15' off the ground in a box in the garage rafters. My parents once found me, at 6:00am, in the neighbors kitchen eating their Cheerios straight from the box, when i was 2. I can think of dozens more without trying hard. Need i go on?
Anything I did, I assume my kids have too, or will, or at least could. My carry gun is always on me, or in the master gunsafe with his cousins, or locked in the secure box in my truck depending upon circumstances. At night? biometric safe - top drawer nightstand. Secure, but quick access.
Not only is secured storage responsible, prudent, and simple, it is also the law where I live. Besides the all-consuming guilt should any child (let alone one of mine) injure or kill themself with my improperly stored gun, I would have the added pleasure of an instant divorce, being fired from a good job, hefty fines, legal fees, jail time, and a civil suit. Oh, and permanent loss of gun ownership rights in America.
Kind of a steep price to pay, if you lose that bet that your kids (or their friends) will just "know better". I can't see the upside.
People too often forget what it was like to be a kid.
For example: I am now an upstanding citizen, responsible gun owner, experienced hunter, committed father, faithful husband and trusted Director-level federal employee. Yet when i was very young, I knew the precise contents of both my parent's dressers, closets, and office, had found the "secret" entrance to the "other" attic accessed in the back of my folk's BR closet, and found and played with my dad's shotgun shells 15' off the ground in a box in the garage rafters. My parents once found me, at 6:00am, in the neighbors kitchen eating their Cheerios straight from the box, when i was 2. I can think of dozens more without trying hard. Need i go on?
Anything I did, I assume my kids have too, or will, or at least could. My carry gun is always on me, or in the master gunsafe with his cousins, or locked in the secure box in my truck depending upon circumstances. At night? biometric safe - top drawer nightstand. Secure, but quick access.
Not only is secured storage responsible, prudent, and simple, it is also the law where I live. Besides the all-consuming guilt should any child (let alone one of mine) injure or kill themself with my improperly stored gun, I would have the added pleasure of an instant divorce, being fired from a good job, hefty fines, legal fees, jail time, and a civil suit. Oh, and permanent loss of gun ownership rights in America.
Kind of a steep price to pay, if you lose that bet that your kids (or their friends) will just "know better". I can't see the upside.
Stupid, not ignorant
And never underestimate the stupid action factor. We should all be able to remember doing stupid stuff at a young age, and not knowing why we did it, even at the time.
I had a couple of pistols on a sheet on the bed the other day, giving them the regular wipe down, light cleaning, and inspection. Right in front of my very eyes, my 7yr old ran into the room, reached out, and before I could stop him, pulled the trigger on my empty glock, as it lay on the sheet. He could not even say why he did it, and while I understood this, I still spanked the living tar out of him before sending him to his room and grounding him. You bet we have covered this before, and we covered it again. He doesn’t know why he did it, and knows better. Still it happened, he did it. Never under estimate the ability of a child to astonish you through action. Good or bad. And we will go over it again, and again, and again.
Totally unrelated, we had a bg in town for a while that broke me of the "nightstand" habit. He would break in to people’s homes, in the middle of the night, and just stand there at the foot of the bed, staring at you while you slept. Huge press coverage, and the police did a lightning fast and fantastic job of capturing this guy. Should this have happened to us, and we had a loaded and ready to go gun laying on the nightstand...(I shudder to think). I keep the thing under the pillow with no round in the chamber. If I can't wake up enough to function the slide, then I don't need to shoot anyway. It is the same amount of (acceptable) time to acquire the gun and make it usable, as placing it across the room. Plus it stays in my control. This may be wrong, but it works for me. If it is wrong, I hope I never wake up to a weirdo watching us sleep. I sure as heck don't want him holding my gun.
Ditto to those carrying while awake. +1 to that idea.
And never underestimate the stupid action factor. We should all be able to remember doing stupid stuff at a young age, and not knowing why we did it, even at the time.
I had a couple of pistols on a sheet on the bed the other day, giving them the regular wipe down, light cleaning, and inspection. Right in front of my very eyes, my 7yr old ran into the room, reached out, and before I could stop him, pulled the trigger on my empty glock, as it lay on the sheet. He could not even say why he did it, and while I understood this, I still spanked the living tar out of him before sending him to his room and grounding him. You bet we have covered this before, and we covered it again. He doesn’t know why he did it, and knows better. Still it happened, he did it. Never under estimate the ability of a child to astonish you through action. Good or bad. And we will go over it again, and again, and again.
Totally unrelated, we had a bg in town for a while that broke me of the "nightstand" habit. He would break in to people’s homes, in the middle of the night, and just stand there at the foot of the bed, staring at you while you slept. Huge press coverage, and the police did a lightning fast and fantastic job of capturing this guy. Should this have happened to us, and we had a loaded and ready to go gun laying on the nightstand...(I shudder to think). I keep the thing under the pillow with no round in the chamber. If I can't wake up enough to function the slide, then I don't need to shoot anyway. It is the same amount of (acceptable) time to acquire the gun and make it usable, as placing it across the room. Plus it stays in my control. This may be wrong, but it works for me. If it is wrong, I hope I never wake up to a weirdo watching us sleep. I sure as heck don't want him holding my gun.
Ditto to those carrying while awake. +1 to that idea.