Sleeping Safe

[nfl1990]

How many of you sleep with a knife/pistol under the pillow, and what if so, and when you started, (age, or an event that convinced you it was nessasary)

[dpesec]

I have my protection in the bookcase build in to the headboard.:D

[tc300mag1]

Nothing The gun is on bedside table

[orionengnr]

so I could say a rubber, "just in case":neener:

sorry, couldn't resist...:rolleyes: you did say, "safe"

[f4t9r]

Nothing under the pillow
just move around to much no telling where gun might end up

[SpookyPistolero]

Autoloader under my pillow since I was ten. 1911 at the moment.

[JamisJockey]

You forgot 12ga Winchester 1300 22" Barell, rifle sights, slugs and buck.

[orangeninja]

Just a Sig 228 in a night stand next to a Glock 30 for companionship.;)

[Mannlicher]

sleeping with 'something' under the pillow is hardly prudent. Tucked between the mattress and box springs maybe, but not under the pillow. Way too many chances of an AD ( or AC: accidental cutting :) ).

[RyanM]

My head is usually under the pillow if I'm sleeping on my back. That's the real weapon, though. Everything else is just a tool.

If sleeping on my side, my arm is under the pillow. So keeping something else under there isn't a very good idea.

[Sam]

Pistiol is too lumpy these days so it sits on the headboard.
When I was real young like 3, I slept with a SA Colt under my pillow to shoot stray boogermen but I outgrew it.

Sam

[Alex45ACP]

2 pistols on the nightstand, 1 shotgun under the bed. And an AK clone in the closet, just in case things get really hairy ;)

[Hardtarget]

I don't keep a weapon under my pillow...but next to me is a wife that can hear the cat burp in the middle of the night. The .45 and the 12 ga. are both close...good to go.
Mark.

[HighVelocity]

Nothing The gun is on bedside table

Ditto. I toss and turn too much and anything under my pillow would end up on the floor anyway.

[clt46910]

I have slept with a gun under my pillow for over thirty five years. Started when I was about 22. Back then I slept with it in my hand under my pillow. Now it is just under the pillow and if I wake up I will check to make sure it is still there. Old habits die hard. Mostly has been a revolver all these years, either a .38 or .357

Reason...quess some people just did not like me very much. Maybe I had a poor sense of humor. Started after someone shot up my house one night. Before that it was in the drawer of the nightstand. After that in my hand under the pillow.

[TallPine]

I keep a bed under my pillow

;)

[silverlance]

holding a gun before. bad times.

whats interesting is that i woke up with my trigger finger in exactly the right position above the guard. i guess a little part of my brain devoted itself to being safe. heh.

[LadySmith]

I sleep with a .357 revolver under the pillow. It started when I first left home some decades ago & learned that parts of the world are not really nice places. Never had an AD. Like Silverlance, I can fall asleep & wake up with a straight finger outside the guard. If I hadn't developed this habit, I'd be dead. For me, it would be imprudent to be without a ready means of effective defense at a time of extreme vulnerability.

[R.H. Lee]

If I lived where I thought I needed a weapon under my pillow because the threat of violent attack was so imminent, I'd move. Or at least think about better perimeter defenses. Sumpthin'.

[beerslurpy]

An autoloading rifle.

[ZenMasterJG]

Yep, shotgun next to the bed. 00 Buck.

[Biker]

Nothing under the pillow, but plenty within reach.
Biker

[foghornl]

Nothing under the pillow, but several things close by. Reason: used to keep the .44Mag Super Blackhawk under the pillow. One morning, after a particularly 'restless' night, I moved the pillow to make the bed, and there was my Super Blackhawk...COCKED


:what: :eek: :what: :eek: :what: :eek:

[hso]

Terribly bad idea when there are so many better places/ways to secure a weapon at the ready.

[Lee Lapin]

Nothing under the pillow, no need to take the risks as far as I can see. My carry pistol and a flashlight are on the floor under the bed on my side and an 870 is behind the bedroom door. My wife has the nightstand on her side, her carry pistol and a flashlight are there. And there's a hundred pounds plus of Brazilian mastiff snoring at the foot of the bed and a hyper Brittany spaniel in the living room. The whole place is fenced and gated, the fences are electric and the gates are locked.

No need for anything under the pillow...

lpl (sleeping soundly in very rural NC)

[Doc2005]

Always something close-at-hand! Under pressure there is no assurance that (1) I would remember the safe's combination, or 2) that I would have time to get to the safe.

Doc2005

[Nick_90]

For over two years, I slept with my S&W 686 under my pillow but having thought it over (and read certain threads on THR about the dangers of doing this), I now keep it on my bedside table. I also have a Mossberg 590 under the bed if things really go wrong and a Beretta CX 90 leaning behind the curtains...

[benEzra]

Dude, we have a waterbed. There's no freakin' way a blade is going under my pillow...or else my wife and I might find ourselves treading water in our sleep...

Do have a quick-access lockbox on the headboard, though... (9mm usually lives there at night).

[Too Many Choices!?]

I usually just sleep with my Glock in a Fobus holster(15+1), and and my 10 1/2" AR-15pistol(PDW 28+1soft points), both along the side of me in bed, pointing away from me, and towards the door...I toss and turn, but have yet to wake up with either weapon on the floor:)...Hanging on the wall, positioned on a tactical nail, is my M4 with tactical light and red-dot(28+1 of fmj), against the back wall in a corner is the WASR 10(2-30 rounders close), as my fall back weapon...

I went to walk outside at night to take a smoke break, and I saw a shadow(either large dog, medium javelina/boar, or a puma!!), and it stopped looked at me for a second, then growled and ran off into the woods...I ran inside and got my M4(since pigs is nuisances I coulda shot it), but it was gone. The next day my M4 and AR pistol got a Scorpion LED light for just such occurences..

I posted the story of the idiot teens that tried following me home just because I wouldn't buy them cigarettes :cuss:. I got flipped off and cussed at, but had my Glock 23 in .40 and was aware not to escelate the situation, if I had not been armed I might have kicked that guys ass though... After the occurence of being followed home, I made soft point ammo the choice pick for my PDW..

Before I was old enough to carry, me and some friends got,'Jumped", at the annual Fair , for wearing the rong colors:rolleyes:, in the wrong part of town...I got my car's window broken with a beer bottle and some of my friends got beat up, if I had had a firearm at the time their would have been a lot of deceased or bleeding scum bags that night...30-4, odds is a fight you never forget, and will alway be prepared for in the future....TMC

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Nothing under the pillow(visions of getting shot in the head coming up here)---now if I reach my arm over---there's a 870P ----full mag--hammer down on an empty chamber---just sittin there---patiently waiting.

[Nitram68]

night stand and under the bed... auto, knife, flashlight, extinguisher, evac-u8 and a baseball bat.

[Meta4]

I keep my carry weapon (XD .40 4") on the night stand next to my bed. I toss and turn like crazy, so I'd have to search for my weapon every time if I left it under my pillow.

-James

[LaVere]

http://lavere.net/Gallery/albums/album02Guns/DSC_0908_resize.sized.jpg

The Head Board

[torpid]

I have no sissy pillow, I use the gun instead, as the Man Upstairs intended.

(You'll know me by the backward serial number on my forehead.)

;)

[depicts]

Only a few times I kept the gun under the pillow. Once in a skivvy house in Vietnam where I spent the night in an off limits town, maybe another time or two sleeping on a sandbag on guard duty or on the ground.

Now at home I keep a Browning Hi Power right next to my bed with my glasses, teeth and hearing aids...and the backup .357.

[Sistema1927]

I voted "nothing", but that is because my semi-auto spends the night on the bedside nightstand.

[NHBB]

642 or G30 within ergonomic reach right under the bed, as well as a semi auto saiga 12g a bit deeper if I really need it...

[TamThompson]

Nothing under the pillow--I move around too much.
Glock 30 on nightstand, AR-15 under my side of the bed, 12-gauge under husband's side.

[Didorian]

:evil:
OK, Now THIS is a post I can get into... LMAO Now keep in mind, for this my GF and I sleep on a futon matress on the floor.
I do sleep with a knife under my pillow. A Cold Steel SRK. About three inches to the right of that is my Springfield XD-40(The semiauto) Under the XD is my Ontario, Spec Ops Bowie. And just to the right of that is my cheap, but sharp wakizashi. And than leaning against the wall above me is my nice kitana(Read as, the three foot razor blade:D ) Then on the shelf beside it, along with my radio are my Airforce survival knife and my Ka-Bar. I just like to have them near me. And I started sleeping with a knife under my pillow at about the 11th grade...... can't remember why though:scrutiny: Probably because, like I said, I just like having them around:evil:
My GF on the other side has her pocket knife and HER Ka-Bar beside her.... She started sleeping with a blade nearby shortly after she began dating me:rolleyes:

Oh yea.... I forgot to mention that I've been sleeping with my pocket knife in the waist band of my sleeping shorts since I was in highschool.:o

[PrimalScream]

I dont keep it under my pillow but it is very close at hand, 1911, revolver and knife...paranoid? Prehaps, but it keeps me warm at night...okay maybe not the olny thing that keeps me warm, but...

[Ryder]

I've been keeping a pistol under the pillow for 30+ years since I was old enough to legally own one. I suppose it would come in handy if I ever needed it in a hurry but I don't expect to have to defend myself that way. I see it as more of a handy way to prevent unauthorized access while I am sleeping. Somebody would probably have to wake me up to get the gun. The majority of my firearms are locked up to prevent unauthorized access but I won't lock up ALL my guns at one time.

[1911 guy]

Haven't slept with anything under the pillow for a few years. My wife broke me of that. For a long time after I got out of the service, though, I kept a 1911 under the pillow. Full mag, empty pipe.

[losangeles]

Nothing. I used to have something nearby, in a nightstand. But that's when I lived in a city next to Compton and South Central LA. Now, I've been living in a city with zero homicides each year and near-zero crime annually. I live here, work here, my family mostly does its activities in this environment, so there's hardly need for any precautions.

[Nematocyst]

I'm with 70%+ others: nothing "under" the pillow for all the reasons stated above.

But just arms length away on the table is a Kahr K9, oriented in a position such that my left hand will find the handle in an ergonomic hold from a deep sleep on my right side, where most of my sleeping occurs. I fondle that metal dog several times per night just to make sure I have muscle memory of where it is.

Mr. Dog is soon to be joined by an 870P with #1 buck.

Why an arms length away? That's the position I'd shoot it at an intruder anyway (light sleeper, will hear the bedroom door open; live alone, so no one coming in is supposed to be here), so why bother trying to reach under the pillow to find the gun then extend arm holding it. Just reach out, grab it, and ... I'm ready to shoot if I need to.

[Podster]

This thread brings to mind a guy we used to know who lived by the Colt SAA, slept with it under his pillow. He apparently had a terrific dream ~ woke up to the smell of gunpowder and found the 45 colt empty with a nice group in the bedroom wall. Stayed awake for the rest of the night waiting for sirens.

We're not paraniod, we have GUNS!

[Zach S]

I keep my arm under the pillow, with a knife, 2 handguns, and a scattergun within reach.

just move around to much no telling where gun might end up
+1.

[ArgentineSteel]

I have to go with the nothing under the pillow, but I keep the carry piece on the nightstand where I can find it in the dark. If you don't feel safe enough with the weapon within reach, but not in hand then get a yapping dog that will warn you of any intruders, or better yet a big quiet one with sharp teeth and listen for the screams of any intruder.

[TMM]

2 butcher knives under the pillow, 1 clipped to my pajamas.

simply because they're the only two knives that are simaler in length, shape, etc. and they're big. i don't have 2 for the purpose of 1 in each hand, but one for when i'm lying on my right side, and one for my left. knife on my pajamas as a backup, i guess.

~TMM

[Biker]

2 butcher knives under the pillow, 1 clipped to my pajamas.

simply because they're the only two knives that are simaler in length, shape, etc. and they're big. i don't have 2 for the purpose of 1 in each hand, but one for when i'm lying on my right side, and one for my left. knife on my pajamas as a backup, i guess.

~TMM
You're joking. Please tell me you're joking.
Biker

[TMM]

i should mention the one i carry on my person is a folding knife (benchmade 551), not a butcher knife. i assume that's what you meant...

[Buzztail]

looks like there is not much room nor need for anything UNDER my pillow. Close by is a 1911 (cond 1) or a speed six, and a scattergun (You can see it in the pic) I don't feel like I'll need anything else at 3 AM with less than twenty seconds to prepare. Did I mention I have some dogs?
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/ShaunsXe/DSCF0036.jpg

[silverlance]

:what:

i can't believe anybody in any frame of mind would be buck-crazy enough to sleep with a BARE KNIFE, let alone a BUTCHER KNIFE, under their pillow. do you guys, like, sleep like dracula, not moving at all with your arms crossed over your chest? how the heck anyone could talk about "proper finger indexing" and then trot off to bed down with naked sharps really boggles the mind. and for the guy who sleeps with something like five knifes and a gf who straps two....

either you are making this s*** up or you are having some really REALLY kinky you know what and I should be getting jealous.

:what:

[nfl1990]

I believe that TMM's knives have sheaths, I also know that he isn't joking.

[Didorian]

:what:

and for the guy who sleeps with something like five knifes and a gf who straps two....

either you are making this s*** up or you are having some really REALLY kinky you know what and I should be getting jealous.

:what:

:D
Be jealous, be very jealous:evil:

[Black Majik]

Nothing under the pillow, my 1911 is on the nightstand. I like to sleep on my side with my hand under the pillow, so a gun would be a horrible spot for the way I sleep. It stays on the nightstand.

[ndh87]

holding a gun before. bad times.

whats interesting is that i woke up with my trigger finger in exactly the right position above the guard. i guess a little part of my brain devoted itself to being safe. heh.


i was at a friend's house one night hanging out with some friends, one guy produces a 1911 from somewhere (my favorite pistol) i fell asleep in the recliner, gun in hand, resting on my chest ( unloaded though )

[Capteddie]

12ga. with 00 buck next to bed.

[pete f]

when i was in central and south america i never went to sleep without my pistol in my hand. ever. when i got back i did the same thing for a long time. Mom was threatening to call the cops on me when she came down to wake me up and just kicked the bed and i came up with the 1911 in my hand. took a long time to get her to stop shaking. i have moved the 1911 to the back of the nightstand in a fobus holster. i screwed it into the back of nightstand. When i travel I will usually carry the 5903 and that i do put under pillow but i do not seat the magazine. forget who i was reading who said he did that with a hi power so that four seperate operations had to be completed before the gun would fire, 1 grab gun, 2 use off hand to seat mag,( with mag disconnect, even with one up the pipe it will not go off with trigger pull till you seat the mag) 3 flip decocker/safety. 4 pull trigger. we have dogs for wake up warning and wife often drops her planner/ holster between pillows on bed.

shottie and m4gery sit on pegs over the closet door on inside. invisible an ready. my ready jacket is there too on peg with another GI 1911 in it.

in our old house, we had a really small bedroom and I had taken the dust cover off the bottom of the box spring and had my shottie siting there.

[LadySmith]

If I lived where I thought I needed a weapon under my pillow because the threat of violent attack was so imminent, I'd move.
Name a place where any woman can live free from the threat of violent attack & I'll consider moving there.

[R.H. Lee]

Name a place where any woman can live free from the threat of violent attack & I'll consider moving there.
I admit I'm somewhat insulated at home. We live on the top of a hill surrounded by acres of oaks, pines, sagebrush and poison oak, and behind a locked gate. We sleep upstairs in a two story house with a 100 lb lab on the floor next to the bed. There is a Win Defender 12 ga under the bed, loaded with buckshot in 'cruiser ready' condition. In the closet resides a Marlin 336 with 5 150 gr soft points in the tube and a buttcuff with 10 more, along with a 1911A1 and several loaded mags. There are only two of us in the house.

There is virtually no way anybody can break in, run up the stairs, and find the occupied bedroom before I wake up, retrieve the shotgun and rack the slide. That's why I don't sleep with a weapon 'under the pillow' as there is no 'imminent threat' at home, at night, while we're sleeping.

Rarely, if ever, do I walk around my town armed either. Here's where I live:
http://www.city-data.com/city/Atascadero-California.html

[nfl1990]

Oh never mind my last post, they arn't sheathed.

[TMM]

hehe...

to be honest, i don't see much of a danger. they aren't REALLY sharp (i'll be dealing with that soon). i also plan to make a quick paper-and-tape sheath, partly to protect my bed, and also to keep them in place under the pillow.

either you are making this s*** up or you are having some really REALLY kinky you know what and I should be getting jealous.
yes, be jealous... very jealous...:evil: :evil:

oh, and what's so bad about a butcher knife? it's just the same as, say, a hunting knife.

~TMM

[thunder]

I admittedly voted knife before I read the thread. I imagined 'under the pillow' meant on a nightstand beside me. As of now, while under my parent's household, no guns in my room for defense. Just working on my mom right now. She isn't anti, but doesn't see a need for it. We do have a good solid dog though, hopefuly give us enough time to rally the family up.

[nfl1990]

When I wrote the thread that is partly what I meant.

[silverlance]

doh sp

can i move there? it says that houses only cost 200k. any jobs for teachers? I'll be out of contract in 2.5 more years, just in time for the housing bubble to burst. is it a farming town? i'm absolutely serious, that town sounds like a CCW friendly place to boot.

[GregGry]

I toss and turn more in my sleep, then anyone else I know. I need my pillows to be soft yet supportive. I could possibly tuck a firearm underneath the pillow, but I know it will wind up on the floor by morning. Most of the stuff on my night stand will wind up on the floor, and its a foot from the bed :what: I have pratically pushed my g/f out of bed, while sleeping and being totaly oblivious to whats going on. :eek: Although I have a CZ97b, I keep it on my shelf, approx. 5 feet from the bed. Its out of range to be knocked over, but not as close as I would like. My project is to buy a nice shotgun, and hang it from the wall just high enough for me to not be able to bump it with something in my sleep. Even then I will probably bump it onto the floor somehow.

[Nematocyst]

Name a place where any woman can live free from the threat of violent attack & I'll consider moving there. My studio. ;)

[Byron Quick]

I move around a good bit while asleep. Taking pillows with me. I have pistols lying on both sides of the bed at the head corners of the mattress. Experience has shown that these are areas of the mattress where I don't migrate to.

I live in a low crime town. And a low crime neighborhood within that town. It's been thirty years but I've come home to a burglar.

[Kharn]

I move too much to keep a weapon in the bed with me.

I keep my 1911 in a leather-covered shoebox on the nightstand's shelf, I'll put the lid on it if company is coming over. 590A1 and M4 reside in the closet, all cruiser ready.

I figure I'm good for any zombie invasion, might have a little trouble with a moose, grizzly, rhino or elephant showing up. Should I invest in a .600 H&H double for such circumstances? The zoo might have an escape one day. :uhoh:

GregGry:
I have pratically pushed my g/f out of bed, while sleeping and being totaly oblivious to whats going on.Hey, if she's stealing the covers, ejecting her from the bed is fair turn-about. :D

Kharn

[Skoob]

I once picked up a hot(really, she was!) older woman (I was about 27... she was 37??). Anyway, when we had completed our recreation, she was 'sitting' on top of me and as a joke, pulled out a 6" .357 from under the pillow.....I just about had a heart attack.

Now, I would always check the pillows.... but of course, now I'm practically married and there are no surprises. :)

[TMM]

I once picked up a hot(really, she was!) older woman (I was about 27... she was 37??). Anyway, when we had completed our recreation, she was 'sitting' on top of me and as a joke, pulled out a 6" .357 from under the pillow.....I just about had a heart attack.


"recreation", heh

~TMM

[Tokugawa]

Now for a big time reality check. My brother woke up to a very loud BANG! He found his wife ,laying on the floor, short barrel 870 in hand, half her face blown off. To this day he has no idea what happened, whether she was walking in her sleep, or heard something and got up to look, or what. She is still alive, badly scarred, can't remember anything. So think twice, there can be a downside to having a weapon in instant readiness where it may be handled by sleepy ,groggy, frightened people.

The first thing to do if you are intent on deterring a midnight intruder from entering your bedroom is to have a solid core, 1 3/4" door with a top quality deadbolt, and door, jamb and hinge reinforcement. This buys time to wake up, get oriented and confront the threat. Do the same on the other bedrooms.

Dogs would be great, outside the door. Have a hardwired telephone inside the bedroom. Do not let the phone company put the box on the exterior of the house. The line should be buried, come in thru the foundation wall and up into the house. A switch inside the bedroom to light the hall outside it is a good idea, and a remote camera also. Don't stand in front of the door, I know a guy who got a 12ga. blast thru his door. KNOW YOUR FIELD OF FIRE< so you don't put holes in your loved ones or nieghbors.

[Bob F.]

Tak: WOW, scary!

My 100lb tactical black alarm regularly awakes me to go out simply by panting. I've also awaken to her very low growl. However, SWMBO has gotten up and gone to the kitchen without my knowing it. Reassuring to awake, crack an eye open to see those 3 little green dots on the night stand.

Stay safe, even from yourself,
Bob

[kihnspiracy]

Nothing under the pillow. But I keep my Glock 35, a spare mag and a Surefire M3 on the nightstand next to the bed. Next to that, resides my Mossberg 590 w/surefire light leaning up against the corner. No one will enter the house before I awake because Gretchen the blue healer is on guard while we sleep.

[ctdonath]

Autoloader ... if "under your pillow" includes straight down thru the matress, box spring, frame, and into the fast-open safe. (Per Tok's tragic story, my guns require higher brain functions to access and include enough delay/complexity to induce the "holy $#!^ don't do that!" brain cells to take over if appropriate.)

[CZ-100]

Nothing under the pillow, buy a gun on the table next to the bed, and my Jack Russell next to it.

[SouthpawShootr]

Only thing under my pillow is my arm. However, within reach is a Glock 19.

[Stevie-Ray]

Nothing under the pillow. Kimber UCDP on the nightstand.

[justashooter]

sometimes an ar-15 with a 30 rd mag, sometimes a 45. sometimes my girlfriends head. depends on whether she snores.

usually leave the hall light on so i get a good backlight on anybody who comes up the creaky stairs.

[Blue Line]

Lee man charged in son's death
By Brian P. Watson
bwatson@news-press.com
news-press.com November 06, 2005


Authorities said Phillip James Blasone carried his handgun with him as he moved throughout his home.

That is, until his 2-year-old son, Phillip Anthony Blasone, found it one August morning.

Lee County sheriff's deputies arrested the Fort Myers Shores man late Friday, charging him with negligent manslaughter in the death of his son.

Spokesman Larry King said Blasone, 39, of 12325 Fourth St., fell asleep on a living room couch the night of Aug. 27. At about 3 a.m., Blasone went into his bedroom, leaving his 25-caliber, semiautomatic handgun unsecured beneath the couch cushion, King said.

Early the next morning, Phillip found the gun and shot himself in the face, authorities said. He was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital and airlifted to All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, where he died two days later.

"While he's watching TV, he keeps the gun under the couch seat cushion, leaving it accessible to the child," King said.

After an investigation, detectives determined Blasone was negligent in the death of his son, and served a warrant late Friday.

He was booked into Lee County Jail, where he remains on a $50,000 bond, according to jail records.

Blasone lived with his girlfriend and three children, King said. His 7-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter heard the noise but believed it was balloons popping. According to King, the daughter had celebrated her birthday earlier that day.

Deputies said Blasone carried his gun —often in front of his children — for several years after an injury. "He kept it basically for his protection," King said.

Safety advocates have argued for stricter protections and penalties for careless securing of firearms around children.

While few similar incidents occur in Southwest Florida, King said he has seen the tragedy first-hand. "Unfortunately we have one or two incidents like this each year," he said.

Blasone has been arrested several times since 1997 for probation violations and failing to appear, according to jail records.

He is scheduled to appear before a circuit court judge on Dec. 5


What you do in your own place is your bussines but I thought I'd throw this recent article out there.

[atlctyslkr]

Carry pieces go in my Gunvault at night.