Keeping a gun at the ready?

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357smallbore

357smallbore

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I'm sure this has been discussed, cussed and chewed up before. When I am home in my house, I keep a handgun next to me when I watch TV, read or just relax. Bedtime I have one in my nightstand. When I am outside doing chores or just being on my porch, I am carrying on my person.
I'm not weird, just wanting to be prepared for that unexpected.
Fellow gun enthusiast out there do the same?
 
I've been bad about keeping a gun on my person. I got fat, honestly, and that made carry uncomfortable.

Having said that, I'm currently relaxing in my favorite chair, with my favorite shotgun leaning in a corner right behind me.
 
Yes, and no, as circumstances are changing. I am in the slow process of putting up cameras to observe the exterior of the Hacienda, so that coupled with my ever vigilant mini daschund pretty well covers perimeter security. I therefore have a j frame in the same room where the wife and I are, but only about half the time in my pocket. If I venture outside, yes, slip it into my pocket.

I no longer keep one in the vehicle as it’s on my person instead. I’m paranoid about vehicle thefts.

A Winchester 1300 does bed-side duty for more serious matters and bump-in-the-night stuff.
 
I have several guns ready for use (hidden but quickly accessible) in my house, garage, and barn. I don't want to wear a gun 24/7, and if something happens where I need a gun immediately, it doesn't matter where I am located in my house regarding access to a gun.
 
FL-NC said:
I have several guns ready for use (hidden but quickly accessible) in my house, garage, and barn. I don't want to wear a gun 24/7, and if something happens where I need a gun immediately, it doesn't matter where I am located in my house regarding access to a gun.
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I read where many do this, but with grand children now in the picture I can’t do such a thing. Not a criticism of your situation, just not for me right now.
 
When I arise in the morning the pants go on and then the belt holster goes on. Moments later my pistol is in the holster. There it stays all day, indoors or out, until I retire at night when the pistol goes on (not in) the nightstand. From my research it only takes a few seconds to breech the door at the start of a home invasion. There will be no time to get your gun. Even if you have a gun stashed in evert room, it will take time to retrieve and ready it. With a holstered posyol I can be ready for action in a second or two. Speed is a crucial factor in self defense. Accuracy is vey important, but if you are not fast enough you might not get the chance to be accurate. So I practice instinctive aiming on drawing from a holster. I don’t have to hit a vital organ on nerve on the first shot. I just have to hit the perp a couple times to raise his consciousness. I assure getting shot concentrates the mind on staying alive.
 
My unloaded ruger sr556 hangs in the closet in the center of our downstairs. There are several mags loaded in a wicker basket on a shelf in the closet.
My lcp is the only loaded gun in the house. It is in my direct possession at all times. We have no neighbors within ¼mile. Even when we go to the hot tub on the patio, the lcp goes too. It is rarely out of my reach.
 
This is a test someone told me about for the folks who stash guns as compared to having on them. Get some toy pellet guns. Put the guns in your various favorite spots. Have a buddy tor two with pellet guns throw open your first and back doors and go for you. Can you get to the gun from the various spots you may be. You can be sitting right next to it and have to get it from its spot if not in the open. Or you can be away from the guns in normal placement in house, like sitting at the kitchen table, in the closet, etc. Not on top of the gun. See how that works out.
 
GEM said:
This is a test someone told me about for the folks who stash guns as compared to having on them. Get some toy pellet guns. Put the guns in your various favorite spots. Have a buddy tor two with pellet guns throw open your first and back doors and go for you. Can you get to the gun from the various spots you may be. You can be sitting right next to it and have to get it from its spot if not in the open. Or you can be away from the guns in normal placement in house, like sitting at the kitchen table, in the closet, etc. Not on top of the gun. See how that works out.
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Nice idea! I should do this to my wife. :evil:

I actually do both. Double stacks stashed, and something smaller (and far more comfortable) on my person. Currently it's a G42, so 7 rounds. Hopefully that will be enough to either settle things, or give me the time and space I need to access another gun.
 
The existence of quality compact 9mms, 380s or even the J frame, LCRs that fit into a pocket is the way to go if you don't have one on your belt. Sure we have the howitzers for back up and hunkering down. I would say that 'one is quick easy' reach is not true unless you have one of those tiny houses. Try my test.
 
GEM said:
Sure we have the howitzers for back up and hunkering down.
Click to expand...

Laughed my A** off...
I recently bought the new LCP MAX for my GF, I like it a lot, So I hink i'm going to get another one to replace my LCP II I use as a backup.. The max holds 10 rounds, which is great, but the downfall is the metal pocket clip I depend on does not mount to this newer LCP. mainly because Ruger has eliminated the rear pin that used to be what was used to mount the clip. So there is that.. Still on the fence with it.
 
November/December 2020 American Handgunner had an article by Ayoob about a guy who was robbed/taken hostage. He was in the garage getting ready to leave the house to go to a pistol match. They approached him without warning and put a gun to his head. When he didn't have enough cash in the house to satisfy them, they put him in the driver's seat and made him drive them to an ATM and withdraw money there. He had 3 loaded guns stashed in the car in various places but with two bad guys watching him from the back seat, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to get to the guns without being shot. Eventually they made him drive out into the woods and told him they were going to put him in the trunk and go back to his house for his wife. At that point he realized they were almost certainly going to kill him and then go back to the house to kill his wife so he managed to get hold of one of the guns in the car without them noticing.

When they had him get out of the car to put him in the trunk, he shot one of them to death and fortunately the other one ran--he either didn't have the stomach to fight or was unarmed.

The point was, the guy was surrounded by loaded guns the whole time he was hostage but couldn't get to them. Most of the time he was in a car where virtually everything is within arms reach and it still took him a while to figure out how to get his hands on a gun. When he finally did make his play, it was likely only successful because the second bad guy didn't engage him.

If you think you're going to need a gun in a hurry, there's really no substitute for actually carrying it.
 
From my first NRA handgun course, the instructor (a retired police officer) said to have a gun on you. Do you have one in the bathroom, the basement, the laundry room, the garage - stand at the farthest part of a room, how long does it take to get to the gun and get it out of it's container - assuming you don't just leave loaded guns lying in the open? It's a long time in action time.

Yes, we also have a long arm or other handguns available IF we have time to get to them. But, boringly repetitive - the stashing of guns around the house without one on you is, is not optimal. It indicts a naivety in a list of such that surface here periodically. Recently we seen:

1. Signs with guns around the house.
2. Don't need or want an alarm because police response is too slow. Trust totally in Fido.
3. Shoot in the leg to inflict pain
4. Ignore advice about legal risks of various silly behavioral patterns that have legal consequences. It's a good shoot and show me a case!
5. Open carry
6. Having your extra magazine on the same side as your handgun in OC.
7. Stashing guns without carrying one.

There are others, that's for another day.
 
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