Gun in the shower paranoid?

[stevensc]

If you were robbed, or worse, wouldn't it be awfull to think:
"Damn! I went to all the trouble of getting a CCW permit and keeping it up to date, practiced at the range, had a safe full of guns, and when I really needed one it wasn't there!"
Having said that I very seldom carry but have been trying to get used to it and into the habit of having one on me or near by whenever possible. I always have one in the console of my vehicle and in the nightstand.
Steve

[JohnKSa]

stevensc,

I have long found it ironic that people go to great lengths and expense to carry in public where it's difficult, fraught with legal complications and practical considerations and yet often don't even think about (or are even against) carrying where they can almost always legally carry and do it for free--on their own property and in their own homes.

[stratus]

Originally Posted by blackmind

And, who says that the invader is already in the bathroom? That's one possibility. Others include hearing breaking glass in another room, hearing a door being pounded on, hearing a dog responding to a stranger...

I agree. I don't have a decent place IN the actual shower to reach for my weapon, but I do have one of those towel racks in the shower, so it's feasible to be able to hang a holster from it. (I could drape a towel over the holster, even though my bathroom gun is a USP and relatively insensitive to excess moisture in the air).

Meanwhile, I still keep the gun NEXT to the shower. I have a relatively small apartment, and there are only three ways that an intruder could readily gain access. The front door (a metal door which is double-bolted when I am home and would require multiple kicks), the sliding glass door on the patio (tempered glass, would raise a racket) and the bedroom window (probably still loud enough to hear over the shower if broken). So, I guess I'd have time to react. I wouldn't want to put myself in a situation where the intruder had the opportunity to get into the bathroom without my knowing it, cause there's a gun right there for the taking.

Actually... I'm gonna go mess with a way to keep the gun hanging from the towel rack. A fanny pack fastened around the towel rack should do nicely... I dunno why I didn't think of that before, though.

So what are you waiting for, call me paranoid!

[model 25]

In the camps of Iraq all the troops carry a weapon with them at all times. I was driving on the east side of the camp when the mortars came in. The first round hit behind my truck dead center in the road.

Second round hit 50 meters further into the camp and the third hit about 100 meters into the camp. All three were 80 mm in size. The last round that hit was a 120 mm. It came down through the male showers roof and out a wall and never exploded, they forgot to arm the fuze.

The guys inside the shower were real happy Not their time to go. Sorry, just had to tell my shower exspearience

25

[Russ538]

I can certainly see having a gun in the bathroom. If someone were to break in to your house, the bathroom is probably the worst place to be unarmed. No exits, not even a place to hide.

If you had a gun available to you in the bathroom and heard someone break into your house, or possibly attempting to break the bathroom door down, wouldn't take long to chamber a round and prepare to fire.

I wouldn't exactly have the thing hanging around my neck while in the shower, but I wouldn't call it paranoid to have a gun somewhere in the bathroom while showering, especially if no one else was home.

[John 242]

Originally Posted by JohnKSa

......Don't let reasonable precautions turn into obsessions. Because not everything is under your control, and trying to make it so will make you crazy.
But most of all (and this is what this thread was supposed to be about) be aware of what goes on in the world and of its possible impact on your life. Because until you realize the possibilities, it's impossible to determine what a "reasonable precaution" really is.

+1
I could rant for an hour, but I think you nailed it.

[stratus]

Originally Posted by JohnKSa

......Don't let reasonable precautions turn into obsessions. Because not everything is under your control, and trying to make it so will make you crazy.

John, I think you have a good point, but I would stipulate that if you can reasonably devise a system of getting your gun into the shower with you while keeping it dry, then it would qualify as a reasonable precaution. Keeping a gun in or near the shower is no more or less paranoid than keeping a gun by your bedside. The only reason that you're more likely to have a home invasion when you sleep as opposed to shower, is due to the disparity of the amount of time typically spent during each activity. You probably spend much more of your time sleeping than you do showering. But this certainly doesn't preclude the possibility of someone gaining entry to your home while you are showering, and so I don't see the rationale for considering it unreasonable to have a gun within reach while practicing hygiene. Would you elect not to wear your seat belt just because it was 3 AM, few (if any) cars on the road, and you were not traveling on a major highway?

It boils down to this: One should either be in the practice of keeping a gun handy, or not. Be consistent, one way or the other. Anything else is liable to confuse you when you encounter a BG in your home. One does not need to obsess over something in order to practice it and allow it to become second nature.

[John 242]

Startus;
I agree with what you are saying.
I don't carry into the shower, but I do carry 99% of the time around the home.
I live in a fairly peaceful community, but as JohnKSa alluded to, I have come to realize that I may need my firearm without warning. This is a personal decision on my part. I choose to remain armed as often as possible.
I want my pistol to be on my person, rather than on a shelf or hidden in a drawer. Thats how I choose to live my life, and I feel my quality of life is neither degraded nor inconvenienced. I choose to have a pistol on my person, despite the fact that I realize that the possibilities of using that weapon are statistically slim. If I need it, it's on me. If not, then so be it.
I am giving up nothing, and I do not live in a paronoia clouded fear.
I acknowledge the odds, plan for the worst, and hope for the best.
Take care,
John

[JohnKSa]

stratus,

I wasn't really advocating carrying a gun in the shower--and I agree with you that keeping a firearm handy all the time is a lot more reasonable than trying to decide when the situation warrants one.

[springmom]

...Wouldn't having your gun in the shower be bad for the gun? Hot water, soap, steam, getting on/in the gun?

Mine is on the counter when I'm in the bath or shower, but IN THE SHOWER? Seems to me you're taking a risk damaging the gun, but maybe I'm missing something.

Springmom who would like her gun to stay dry and functional

[stratus]

Springmom:

Very valid concern. I was working on a method of devising a system to keep the gun dry. I have a detachable towel rack in my shower. I keep two plastic grocery bags (double-bagged) hanging from this rack, with a towel in the bag to support the gun and absorb excess particles of moisture in the air (which, I've observed, doesn't get in there anyway, the water from the shower head entirely misses it.) It doesn't get much steamier in that part of the shower than it does in the rest of the bathroom. FWIW, my bathroom gun is the USP (and suited for harsh conditions), not the 1911. Also, I remove the gun as soon as I am done showering, and the showers I take are neither hot enough nor long enough to really cause an abundance of steam. Some steam, yes. But I definitely keep it away from soap, water, and do my best to protect it against concentrated amounts of water in the air, etc.

John and John: In actuality, my name is also John, and the three of us are in total agreement.

[RochPersDef]

That's why I own a Glock and have a Fobus holster mounted to the shower door.
Actually, just kidding. Do whatever you feel you need to do, just try to look at it from another person's point of view. Could you articulate what you are doing and have it make sense? Remember, there is a fine line between cautious and paranoid.

[Jack Malloy]

Boys, its like the old timers used to say.
"It's better to HAVE IT and not need it than to need it and not HAVE it."

I keep a peice on a shelf next to the shower between some towels. The towels keep the moisture from getting to the gun. Becuase i am a worrier, I usually keep my Glock there, but have been known to leave a revolver there. the revolver has a carbon steel hammer and trigger and so far they have not rusted.
Glocks are fairly impervious to rust.
In the past, I have seen more corrossion problems in other parts of the house due to cold weather in the winter.
If you use a blue gun, just do what I do, then wait for the steam and such to evaporate and move your gun to a drier area.....

<<<<""Wouldn't having your gun in the shower be bad for the gun? Hot water, soap, steam, getting on/in the gun?

Mine is on the counter when I'm in the bath or shower, but IN THE SHOWER? Seems to me you're taking a risk damaging the gun, but maybe I'm missing something.

?"""<<<<

[gddyup]

I have it with me in the bathroom regardless of what I'm doing. I have it in a position where I can get at it within 2 seconds if needed. I don't have it inside the shower with me, but close enough to get at if needed in under those 2 seconds. Hopefully, my German Shephard will give me enough time to get at it and be ready if the SEHTF...

[ozzy1038]

To each their own. Paranoia keeps you safe.

[progunner1957]

I don't think that is paranoid. When I take a shower, I do not have a gun actually in the shower, byt it is on the bathroom sink counter, which is 37" from the shower stall door.

Who says "your turn" won't come when you are in the shower? It is better to be prepared than sorry you weren't - and possibly dead as a result.

[ozzy1038]

LOL. I meant for anyone calling it paranoid or accusing people of paranoia, that paranoia keeps you on your toes thereby keeping you safe. Although I guess it can make some people do some crazy things. A few dictators come to mind.

Are you sure 37" is close enough? Maybe you should put it in a ziploc and hang it from the shower head. NOW THATS PARANOID!! LOL

[czc3513]

I can hardly believe that this thread is still going.
Its even worded funny.
In the shower or in the bathroom?

[Russ538]

Well, it was technically dead for a week, before you brought it back again.

[springmom]

This whole thread was very much on my mind the other day when I got "surprised" in the shower (stall, not part of the bathtub). Thankfully it was the hubster home before I expected. The doors were locked, and while the alarm was not armed, it chimes whenever a window opens or a door opens, and that usually is enough to tell me someone has entered. Dogs were inside and on duty.

And I knew he was there when he walked into the bathroom. Not before. The noise of water running drowns out everything short of an alarm system, apparently. I don't know if the dogs barked, never heard the chime, and apparently didn't even here his usual call of "hello". Had he been a bad guy, I'd have been sunk.

So the moral of the story is: take a bath instead.

Springmom

[PythonGuy]

In the interest of good taste the following should NOT be asked of springmom:

1) In the shower, where do you holster your gun?

2) Was your husband armed, or was he just happy to see you?

3) Did he join you?

Serious question, how come your bathroom door wasn't locked?????

PS: I have some relatives in Spring, we visited them a couple of years ago, nice place, although we went in June and it was HOT.

[PythonGuy]

While I think everyone should do what they need to to feel safe, I honestly thought stratus was kidding with his "hidden gun" trick. To each their own but it begs the question, where do you keep your gun when you are making love? You are even more vulnerable at that moment then when taking a shower, so where does the line get drawn for those that carry at all times? Or when you get to the "being armed all the time" stage, is it not even an issue?

[IZinterrogator]

where do you keep your gun when you are making love?

Same place I keep it when I sleep. I have a headboard with bookshelves built into it and I keep it there. It has caused some suprise when the headboard was shaking so badly that the gun and spare magazines came flying off the shelf onto the bed during the act (well, it didn't suprise me, at least ).

[USP45usp]

where do you keep your gun when you are making love?

it looks like we're getting into the TMI arena here

Wayne

*as in, I don't think I really need to know that much information

[PythonGuy]

Just being a little lighthearted in making a point USP45usp, as in when is enough too much?