Home defense guns.

[Hornett]

OK, what is the accepted condition to keep a home defense handgun.
For example, the one you keep in a night stand.
If I am carrying, it is cocked and locked, but for a gun in a drawer I am not sure what is the standard.
Right now I keep a loaded magazine in the same box or drawer with the handgun.
This involves loading the mag and racking the slide to be ready.
But, I don't have the gun right there on me and don't know (for sure) who will be in that drawer or have access to it.
I have kids in the house, so that is a concern also.
Some have posted keeping handguns in some pretty ingenious places (toilet tank). Do you keep the mag in?
Does anyone keep their home defense guns in a locked box?
Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Samurai]

You want to balance safety against accessability.

If you have children, you might not want to keep a loaded gun around. (And, it depends on the specific children. Are they curious by nature? Have they been taught safety?)

If you live alone, and children never come over, you can go more toward the "accessible" side, cocked and locked.

My fiance lives in a college town (major problems with home invasion are drug-money seekers), and she keeps hers by the bed, with a full mag, but unchambered. Her apartment is small enough that she won't "give away her position" by racking the slide (they'll know instantly upon entering where she is; there are only two rooms!), and the noise might just scare away an intruder without leading to a big shootout.

I keep mine in a top dresser drawer beside the bed, cocked and locked.

It's a judgment call, and it's a personal decision. You have to do what's right for you.

[mikejonestkd]

All kids are curious, sooner or later they will get into the drawer where you keep it. You don't want that to happen.

Get a quick opening lock box and keep it in there. You can get to it in seconds even in the middle of the night.

[gmoney]

It really depends on your situation, My wife and I do not have children so I keep my XD 45 next to my bed , magazine in, but not chambered, with the XML light on the rail of the gun ready to go. I also keep my Ruger PC-9 carbine rifle next to my bed, it also is equipped with a light, and 10 or 30 round mag fully loaded close by. I believe in this world we live in today you can never be too careful or unprepared.
It is a lot different deal if you have kids living in the house with you. Then you must use very good judgement................!!!

[David Armstrong]

If I am carrying, it is cocked and locked, but for a gun in a drawer I am not sure what is the standard.
There is no standard. Different needs, different situations, different solutions. That applies to CCW, nightstand, and almost any other situation.

[pax]

With kids in the house, our choice was to invest in a secure lock for our bedroom door and to always lock that door when we retired for the night.

When the kids were smaller, we had multiple 'baby monitors' in our room, with corresponding units in each of the kids' bedrooms, so the closed master bedroom door wasn't a big issue. (By the way, it's also safer in case of a house fire to have all bedroom doors closed at night.)

At night, my carry gun goes into a fanny pack where I also store a flashlight and my charging cell phone. The whole pack is placed inside a locking (not locked) case near my side of the bed.

If I need to leave the room during the night, I either pull the fanny pack on over my robe, or lock the case before I unlock the bedroom door.

pax

[Mannlicher]

hornett. This has been hashed out about a million times. Use the search function to find the threads. Please spare us another iteration of this tired old question.
thanks :D

[Daniel BOON]

my Rottweiler is a very important part of my home protection; he is very nosey, and will inspect any noise, no matter how slight.
I'm sure he'll take on any intruder, at least long enough for me to pick up one of my handguns; right now, he is getting his beauty rest, with one eye open .

[JoePesci]

i would say a v-line, will keep kids out, easy access, keep it cocked and locked in there, as fast or faster than loading a mag and racking slide, and safer imo

[skeeter1]

I keep one here, next to my bed.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=261437

All of the rest are locked up in the safe. I don't have any kids, so I probably have nothing to worry about.

[banditt007]

also something to think about, i remember reading a forum member (on here or other wise i forget) that woke up cause he heard a noise. reached for his gun and racked the slide (mag loaded and in already) went to inspect the noise it was nothing. so he just put it back in the drawer as is cause he was tired. went to put it back in the condition it stays in the next morning, and noticed that the slide either didnt fully return to completely chamber the next round, or some sort of problem like that. basically he didnt rack it hard enough and fumbled a bit. very easy to happen when you just wake up.

As another stated its all about what you feel is the right thing if there are only responsible adults and no children i would keep it ready to go (chambered and saftey on or off, whatever you prefer)

IF there are kids perhaps keep it ready to rock n roll yet put it in one of those lock boxes that you just hit a combo of buttons and it pops open. make them large well spaced buttons ect

[Dwight55]

As previously mentioned by others, each situation is different, . . . so is the level at which people "come to".

If it is something that will wake me up, . . . IT WAKES ME UP!!!! I am alert, . . . ready to go, . . . investigating the sound to see if there is more to it than just another bump in the night.

Presently, . . . either a P89 or a Bersa Thunder .380 are on the nightstand, . . . both use a double action for the first shot, . . . it requires a whole lot more effort than flicking off the 1911 safety.

It is my last level of insurance for the bg, . . . AND, . . . AND, . . . should some errant child come in and pick it up (I try my best to put it away when I get up, . . . bring it out when I get ready for bed), . . . it may provide enough resistance on the DA trigger pull that it won't get discharged.

At any rate, . . . that is the rationale that works for me, . . . as there are no children normally in the house, . . . they have to be imported.

May God bless,
Dwight

[CU74]

Just the wife and me at home now. 1911A1 in Condition I.

[FS2K]

my Rottweiler is a very important part of my home protection; he is very nosey, and will inspect any noise, no matter how slight.
I'm sure he'll take on any intruder, at least long enough for me to pick up one of my handguns; right now, he is getting his beauty rest, with one eye open .

God Bless the Rottweiler.

[Tomas]

We keep both handguns locked and loaded, and put them away every morning.

Shotgun stays out.

No kids left, and three very protective Akitas...well, two very protective Akitas and one Akita that is still kind of a dumb 90lb puppy. But, soon...

Tom

[jfrey123]

You might think about a small electronic safe.

http://www.safetysafeguards.com/site/402168/product/33018

This one is out of stock, but makes an example of what I mean. Set the passcode to 1-1-1-1-1 and it takes less than a second to get the pistol out in an emergency, but keeps it safe from the kids.

[trooper3385]

I keep mine in my nightstand drawer or in my duty belt by my bed. We don't have any kids either, so theres not much of a concern there either. The 85 lb doberman that sleeps next to my bed is better than any HD weapon anyway.

[Hornett]

Thanks for all the replies.
I have looked for safes like the one Jfrey123 showed and that one is the best price I have found.
Too bad it is out of stock.
I think a small safe like the one shown is the best answer for me, personally.
The Rotweiller doesn't sound half bad either.
My 1/2 Lab, 1/2 German Shepherd would probably show the BG where the valuables were.:p

edit--> Cheaper Than Dirt has a lot of different electronic safes at good prices.

[garryc]

I'm going to get a Bio-metric gun safe, wall mounted. I'll put in my combat commander and my GP-100. No fumbling and no way to figure out the combo.

[revjen45]

No kids. Steyr S9 and Mak next to the bed, Mossy Persuader (one 3" mag #000 in the chamber, 7 * 2 3/4" #00 in the mag. Cond.1.

[L_Killkenny]

I'm lucky that I live in on an acerage. Crime is not a big concern. Still, a neighbor was broken into on a Sunday morning, when they were home (10 or 15 years ago) and another neighbor interupted a burglery in progress at their house a couple weeks ago. I have young children at home and never leave a loaded gun in the house. I do on occasion set a gun on the nightstand at bedtime. The mag is out and the hammer is down on an empty chamber. Even if the kids got a hold of the gun, they currently can not work the slide. It also keeps me from doing something stupid when half asleep. On the chance I do need it, it's close at hand and better than having it locked up in the safe. It gets put up in the morning.

LK

[Pistolman1974]

My night stand gun is a glock 19 with a round in the chamber, but i don't have any kids and when the house is empty it gets locked in a safe.

[WhyteP38]

I have kids in the house, and I used to use a mechanical handgun safe (no electric versions for me, in case the battery or power fails) that I opened at night and locked in the morning. Now I use a full-size mechanical gun safe near the bed, just far enough away so I can open the safe door at night, and close and lock it in the morning. The "ambience" wouldn't make a good picture for a Martha Stewart magazine, but it works for me.

My go-to guns are ready to go - no muss no fuss, because the last thing I want to do is fumble around in an emergency - and I can choose between pistol, rifle, or shottie.

I put the key to the safe on my car keys, and I leave the key in the lock at night when the door is open. Makes it hard for me to forget to lock the safe in the morning if I can't drive my car.

Bedroom door is locked at night and when the wife and I aren't around. An 85-pound German Shepherd is head of security when I'm asleep or not around.

[BouncerDan]

I personally have my weapon ready to fire when I go to bed. It is siting on top of my night stand ready to go. I also have children (little sister and her friends) around the house. But the way I look at it is that I would rather have the weapon right there and ready just in case. And the simple fact is that in the middle of the night who is going to be messing with it besides you.

However if for whatever reason you don't carry it that way of course you should make the weapon safe and place the ammo and weapon in two different places. Personally if I am not carrying for whatever reason (I.E. Going to the court house or going to pick the little sis up from school) I place all weapons in my safe.

But if I am carrying at night I simply take the weapon out of the holster and put it on my bed side table. Than when I wake up (usually after everyone else is gone) I take a shower and put it right back on.

However on Saturday when everyone is still here I put the gun in the safe while I take a shower. And than re-holster after getting dressed.

[Lazy D]

Just one thing to consider. I don't have kids at home now so I keep a loaded Glock w/ M3 ready to go. But, it is not close to the bed side. I often caution people about having it too accessible just for the fact that most folks once waken from a deep sleep will take some time to gather their senses. I put mine in a location across the room that will allow me a few seconds to gather myself and account for the wife before I go to look for that bump in the night. We've all heard of someone accidentally shooting a loved one. IMHO it would be too easy to make that mistake while still half asleep, snatching that gun off the nightstand, and reacting to the noise. Nothing will ruin your life like accidently shooting a family member.

Like I started out, this is just one thing to consider.

Stay safe.

[WhyteP38]

The critical factor is your particular situation. In my situation, with the doors and windows locked, the "bump in the night" that calls for my immediate armed action will be more like a crash of a broken door or the shattering of a broken window. Unless the wife has a hidden personality disorder, she won't be the cause of either of those things.

If the bump is outside, I'll arm myself, arm the wife, and call 9-1-1. Our lives are more valuable than our things. That bump outside is not always a clumsy BG. Sometimes, that bump is to lure you into unlocking the house so the BGs can get in. I'll stay locked inside and let the police handle what goes on outside my home.

[Lazy D]

my immediate armed action will be more like a crash of a broken door or the shattering of a broken window

If you think bad guys need to kick your door or break out a window to get in your house....think again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwTVBWCijEQ

This stuff is getting out and they are practicing this.
Any fellow LEOs should educate yourself and your other officers about this.
Keep it in mind when you do ped checks and pat downs. A simple key that looks like this should be considered burgler tools. But thats another topic. Maybe I'll start that thread.

[WhyteP38]

If you think bad guys need to kick your door or break out a window to get in your house....think again.Yep, except ... the bump key still won't unfasten my chain lock, deactivate my door-stop alarm, or (most importantly) deactivate my 85-pound security guard. ;) So maybe there won't be broken doors or windows, but there will be something happening before anyone gets inside.

Even without a bump key, most locks can be picked, even the tubular key types, so I prefer to supplement my locks.

[Lazy D]

With that "Fort Knox" security you could have your gun field stripped and still get it in to action before the bad guy made it up your driveway.:rolleyes:

[WhyteP38]

With that "Fort Knox" security you could have your gun field stripped and still get it in to action before the bad guy made it up your driveway.I've been accused of being a "gold brick," so I guess "Fort Knox" is appropriate.:D

Actually, the door-stop alarm is used only if I'm out of town. The chain lock is sufficient for all other times and takes minimal effort. As for the dog, she's a salaried employee who is on-call 24-7.

I know folks who have a pistol stored in every room, which I find a tad excessive.

[JDSnead]

When I posted a few days ago about "lock bumping," I mentioned that I used Door Clubs on both our exterior doors. After the deadbolt and knob lock, if someone tries to get past the clubs, I'm waiting with my P14-45 Limited.

I got them because I don't think most door chains are strong enough, and they were invented by a guy here in my town. (Disclaimer: I have NO interest or investment in this company or product. I don't even remember the guy's name now :confused: ). You can look at them here:

http://www.securityworld.com/ShopSite/door_club.html

Anyone else use these, or have any experience with them? The package that they are a part of (reinforced hinges and striker plate, then the club), seems to me to be the most I can do to protect us. I think they are just one important part of home defense.
JS

[pdkflyguy]

Right now the gun is in a bedframe holster that's screwed into the back of the nightstand. Unless you knew where it was, you'd never see it walking around the room, but it's very easy to access. I sleep on my right side, on the left side of the bed, and the gun as 12 inches from my right hand. The mag is loaded, and there is a round in the chamber. However, only the wife and the dogs live with me right now. Since we are preparing to have children, I am re-evaluating my options.

In Florida, it's a felony to leave a loaded handgun (Loaded means mag full and nearby, not just a round in the chamber) within "easy reach" of a minor. In my interpretation of this, that means my current configuration could be grounds for a felony conviction, not to mention very uinsafe for a little one. I plan on teaching my kids about gun safety as soon as they're old enough to listen, but ALL kids are curious, and I couldn't live with myself if there was an accident. I am looking at the easy-open fingerprint recognition safes. They are not cheap, but they seem to be the fastest to open, and require the least amount of thinking to get into. Plus, there's no possibility that a child could accidentally punch in the right combination. After the baby is born, that will be the end of the unlocked gun. That day it will go loaded and chambered into the safe, and I'll figure out some way to mount the safe that's inconspicuous, and available.

[Rugged]

rofl, i love it how everyone uses pistols for home defense. Your in your own home. Use some firepower.

I have an 8 shot winchester defender under my bed with 8 in the tube, NON in the chamber, A white light with a pressure switch, and that's that.

If the dog starts barking or glass starts breaking, I reach under the bed, chamber a little bird shot, and go investigate.

Yes, my first shell is bird shot. If you make me shoot the second it's 00 ; )

I would never go creep around in the dark with a pistol if I thought I had an intruder.

[buckster]

Put a Mav 88 with 5 round glove above the closet opening on the inside. Along with my .45.

[Boogyman]

Side by side 12 ga coach gun. Won`t go to the crapper without it.

[WhyteP38]

Right now the gun is in a bedframe holster that's screwed into the back of the nightstand. Unless you knew where it was, you'd never see it walking around the room, but it's very easy to access. I sleep on my right side, on the left side of the bed, and the gun as 12 inches from my right hand. The mag is loaded, and there is a round in the chamber. However, only the wife and the dogs live with me right now. Since we are preparing to have children, I am re-evaluating my options.My wife has 7 kids and 9 grandkids. Kids are like ants, and I don't mean that comparison in a disparaging way. What I mean is that a) ants are little, so they can easily get into things, especially things you don't want them to get into, and b) ants don't see, think, or do things the way you would.

Teaching gun safety is great, and IMHO mandatory, but it's a thin safety net. Without kids around, my AR would be next to the bed. With kids around, the AR is in the open safe during the night - where I can reach it in one step - and locked in the closed safe during the day.

[Lurper]

roflmao at the people who advocate a shotgun as the best home defense gun (this will start a big one I'm sure). A shotgun is less than satisfactory unless the only thing you do is hole up in your safe room and wait. If you ever have to clear your house, a long gun is a liability. Overpenetration concerns aside (yes they are an issue with a shotty), the barrel precedes you into every room and around every corner. Unless you hold it at high port or low ready, then it is too slow to employ. Also, at close range you really only have a large frangible bullet. It's not like hollywood where you have a 18" pattern at 6 feet, so you don't have to aim. Also, most interior walls have 3/4" of drywall (2 x 3/8") which will not stop a shot gun. So, not only do you have to worry about 1 projectile overpenetrating, you have multiple worries.
With proper TRAINING that means TRAINING for those who don't understand, for a civilian a handgun is the best choice for home defense.

When you think someone is in your home, the best course of action is to hole up in a "safe room" (if you don't have one, you should) and call the police. You can never assume that 1. there is just one person in your home 2. that they are not armed 3. that they are not competent with a weapon 4. that they only intend to take your belongings 5. that it is safe to assume anything.

In the instances where you may have to rescue guests, children, or others, a long gun is not an ideal choice.

[Mossy00]

Keep in mind lurper that in 99% of all break ins what you SHOULD be doing is holding up in a safe room. So most of the time a shotgun is going to be your best line of defense. If you have to walk around your house, then you might have a point, but that should never happen unless you're separated from family.

[Rugged]

overpenetration with handgun bullets is more of a concern. THere's a reason the first round is birdshot. It WON'T overpenetrate. Plus i've been shooting 22 years, I know this isn't hollywood and my pattern only expands about 2" every 50 yards.

What I'm looking for is the quick shock of the shotgun round. The little pebbles ripping every artery in your chest as they lodge in.

To be straight, we were talking about home DEFENSE guns. Noone is getting in my house without breaking glass and setting off the alarm, or waking up the dog. I'm NEVER room clearing. I'm dialing 911 on my house phone, then my cell phone, and rounding up my kids.

Pistols are better for retention. They're just WEAK in power compared to a rifle or a shotgun.

[Lazy D]

Home protection guns ultimately are personal preference. This is an argument that will never be settled. What's good for me my not work for the next guy. But there are some hard facts that can not be disputed.

1. It is easier to maneuver in close quarters with a handgun. Long guns are.....well...longer:rolleyes: and just by the nature of the beast harder to maneuver.

2. A shotgun w/ bird shot will have less wall penetration than 99% of handgun rounds. The smaller the shot the faster it looses energy and the quicker it will spread.

3. An ounce of lead is an ounce of lead. Birdshot is just as lethal as buckshot at close range.

Don't just take my word and don't believe what anyone else rights, go out and do it for yourself. As a full time LE firearms instructor I am lucky enough to have the time and resources to go out, build walls (exterior type and interior type) and shoot holes in them. Recover the rounds when possible examine what they do, how they react to different types of barriers. You don't have to have a job like be to do it. Anyone can build 2 X 4 walls with sheetrock or siding with insulation, and go to the range and shoot them.

Stay safe and fight to win.

[allenomics]

I can't imagine having a gun and ammo easily accessible to children in my home. Secure your weapon. As a journalist I covered several stories that involved children accidently killing/injuring themselves, siblings or friends.

[pax]

The best home defense gun isn't a shotgun or a rifle or a handgun.

The best home defense gun is the gun you can get to in a hurry, given your circumstances.

In my case, I never was able to figure out how to adequately secure a long gun in a manner that was instantly accessible to me, no matter what room of the house I was in, and still wasn't accessible to the children even if I wasn't in the room.

But a handgun, a handgun I could wear on my hip. It would be wherever I was, it would be there when I needed it, and the kids could never get into it without my knowledge.

pax

[JollyRoger]

My home defense gun is a baseball bat. I have small kids, and the gun goes in the safe immediately upon getting home, comes back out when I go to work. Two dogs and security doors provide a good deal of security as well. In a decent neighborhood, the likelihood of a burglary of an occupied dwelling is very low. As for the "bump key" (which is really just a rake pick), the crime statistics show that burglars just don't use them. In over 90% of home burglaries, the burglar kicks or otherwise forces the door. Next up is forcing or breaking a window, but that is not so popular because you get injured by broken glass. Most burglaries also involve entry during daylight hours, when people are at work. Most of the home invasions or forced-entry violent situations you hear about on the news are domestics or criminal-on-criminal, though the news doesn't say so.

On the other hand, the likelihood of a curious kid getting an unsecured weapon, or the likelihood of a mistaken-identity shooting is all too real. Ever notice how kids like to jump out and scare people, or remember sneaking in and out of the house as a teenager? I like guns, am a LEO and a range instructor, but sometimes you have to go with rational probabilities. If you need a semi-auto rifle, a shotgun and a pistol by your bedside to feel safe, you need to move.

[garryc]

A shotgun is less than satisfactory unless the only thing you do is hole up in your safe room and wait. If you ever have to clear your house, a long gun is a liability.

Completely wrong. I'll take a shotty over a pistol every time. Properly outfitted and deployed, it is much more difficult to take away than a handgun

[WhyteP38]

If you need a semi-auto rifle, a shotgun and a pistol by your bedside to feel safe, you need to move.I would not say that I "need" a semi-auto rifle, a shotgun and a pistol by my bedside to feel safe, but I like having them there. If I'm going to own them, I must put them somewhere. If I must put them somewhere, I might as well have them within reach in case of an emergency. If I'm going to have them within reach in case of an emergency, I might as well have all my options available. Storing them near my bed not only accomplishes all of those things, but it also puts the safe in my bedroom, which I can lock to add another level of security.

Baseball bats and the like may be good for some folks, but I don't want to be close enough for some BG to cut me if he has a knife. A baseball bat is a complete "no go" for the wife; she's too petite. Plus, mentally she's more likely to pull a trigger than swing a club. From what I learned in the military, most people will more readily pull a trigger than club or bayonet someone, where you must make physical contact with your opponent.

[garryc]

If you need a semi-auto rifle, a shotgun and a pistol by your bedside to feel safe, you need to move.

I don't "need" a fire extinguisher, but I have two. I don't "need" a smoke alarm, but I have several. I also don't need AAA, but I have it. Now if I got to the point I felt I "need" to take my gun into the crapper then I'd say I should move or seek counseling.