Transition To Carry At Home

Trunk Monkey said:

There's a forum I sometimes read called Democratic Underground. Several (literally thousands) of their members are rabidly anti Second Amendment ( As in they would support an outright ban on ALL civilian firearms ownership) and they routinely post that if you own a gun at all you live in fear.

It's interesting to me when I hear supposedly pro Second Amendment posters expressing the same sentiment (with only a difference in degree) here.

I am currently sitting on my couch in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt carrying an M&P9C in a Galco pancake holster on my belt and I barely notice it's there. It's not inconvenient and as I said earlier it's cheap insurance so why not.

I read a post by Massad Ayoob on a different forum in which he said there's this idea among gun owners that if you carry les than I do you're merely low hanging fruit for the next criminal you encounter but if you carry more than I do you're paranoid and "living in fear". and that is no where more evident than here

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Yup.

That is because almost all people are pretty much the same.

Those who are more prepared than you are afraid, living in fear, paranoid, need to move, etc.

Those who are less prepared than you are sheep/sheeple, naive, merely a mugging away from turning conservative, etc.

Only those who choose a nearly identical level of preparedness to yourself can be considered reasonable. It is a VERY delicate balance. You must carry the same type, size, capacity, and caliber/cartridge of firearm the same places and times with the same frequency. No larger pistols, no spare magazines, no kevlar, no spare pistols, no carrying places the other person doesn't, no extra training, no first aid supplies in case somebody you know gets hurt in the gunfight...I coudl go on and on but those of us who have been around know it all...it's a really interesting and ironic world out there isn't it lol

Criminals like convenience. I make it inconvenient for them. They have to climb over a 5-1/2 foot high fence to get to my house. Then they have to get over a 4-foot high fence or over a 6-foot high wall to gain access to any door or window at my house.

However, the dog will let me know someone is outside of the house long before they can get to a door or window.

Since we have no children, my wife and I keep a variety of pistols in places throughout the house, including a loaded 12-gage semi-auto within easy reach in the bedroom. Two pistols in my nightstand, and one pistol in my wife's nightstand.

In the living room, where we spend a lot of time, there is a SIG P938 on the table next to me, a SIG P290 in amongst the cookbooks, and a SIG P229 on the kitchen counter between two books.

When my wife is home, there is a G43 in her carry purse - so there is an additional pistol available.

Not everyone's circumstances are the same, so everyone doesn't need to carry at home to be secure. I really feel no need to carry while at home - so, I don't.

I'm quite sure I can reach my P938 just as fast from the table next to me as drawing from a holster.

Me said:

I read a post by Massad Ayoob on a different forum in which he said there's this idea among gun owners that if you carry les than I do you're merely low hanging fruit for the next criminal you encounter but if you carry more than I do you're paranoid and "living in fear". and that is no where more evident than here

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And the very next post

Inebriated said:

many people treat a carry gun like an accessory, or they treat carrying like a hobby that's fun and all, but are clearly not serious about defense.

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I rest my case

I have stated my reasons for carrying what I do, and how I do, till I am getting a bit sick of it!

But one thing is sure, all attacks/home invasions, etc. Documented. Show that if you have your carry pistol, on your person, whatever that pistol is... You have a much greater chance of surviving, than if this gun is not on your person!

No argument! You heard me, no argument!

Trunk Monkey said:

I rest my case

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Except I didn't call anyone a low-hanging fruit.

Unless you're prepared to argue that nobody treats CCW like a hobby more than an actual lifestyle, your "case" doesn't apply.

There are countless posts on the 'net from people who've been caught with their pants down, and suddenly decided that carrying at home makes sense. Or caught in public, and realized they had zero actual skill with their firearm. People get guns and feel good about having guns without giving actual consideration to actually using it, or being caught without it. Saying they don't take it seriously isn't a slight, it just is what it is. You wouldn't call someone serious about mountain biking if they circle their driveway once a year.

You're welcome to argue that those people don't exist, because that's all there is to my statement. There's no hidden negative meaning behind what I said. It is what it is.

I live in a "low crime" area. No home invasions in recent memory, although our local fish wrapper only reports happy news. I am in a rural area with a 300 yard driveway and the nearest neighbor is a half mile away. That said, I carry in the house, immediate yard, and adjacent property at all times. I don't understand those who say "If you feel the need to be armed, you should move." What? I own my house and 50 acres free and clear. Before retirement, I had a decent job that paid well. I'm supposed to pick up and relocate because I choose to carry a handgun any time I'm wearing pants? I don't think so. Moving is not an option for me and many others. It's a stock recommendation for the uninformed or those with a narrow view of the circumstance of others. The odds I will need a firearm in my home, on my property, or in my community are extremely low, but not nonexistent. So I carry a firearm. I have a 50 yard range on my place, so it's convenient to run some drills on a regular basis.

Must be nice, go outside, and where ever you walk, you can stamp your foot... THIS IS ALL MY LAND!

I can do that in our wee Town House, but not quite 50 acres!

Enjoy your retirement, we enjoy every day of ours.

I put my gun on when I get up. I take it off when I go to bed.

Of course, I've seen people who shuck socks, shoes, pocket contents, and watch each time they enter their home, and put it all back on when they go out. Seems stupid to me, but it's they way they like to do things.

But if you're taking the gun off because it's uncomfortable, maybe your real problem is your holster.

TRX said:

I put my gun on when I get up. I take it off when I go to bed.

Of course, I've seen people who shuck socks, shoes, pocket contents, and watch each time they enter their home, and put it all back on when they go out. Seems stupid to me, but it's they way they like to do things.

But if you're taking the gun off because it's uncomfortable, maybe your real problem is your holster.

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For reasonably sized pistols there just isn't a holster that is as comfortable for lounging around the home as no gun at all. Gym shorts or sweatpants or whatever while sitting/lying on the couch or doing whatever beats pants with a belt and a service pistol, no matter how comfortable the holster.

Now, you may be more than willing to deal with that, and maybe for you and what you do at home and maybe how small of a pistol you carry, the added discomfort is minimal...so you keep it on.

That may just be the way you do things.

edmo01 said:

In the summer months I generally transition to shorts when I get home and slip my S&W 642 into a front pocket.

At only one pound, it is much lighter than any of my daily carry handguns and is light enough to forget it is there.

Edmo

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This, but my reload is another handy gun.

I'm always surprised by the amount of "If I felt threatened in my home I'd move" comments and the like. I'm way out in the sticks and don't feel threatened at all. In fact, I don't feel threatened in town or anywhere else for that matter. But I carry in town and I carry at home to protect and defend. Not being ready would be downright silly.

TRUNK MONKEY - "There's a forum I sometimes read called Democratic Underground. Several (literally thousands) of their members are rabidly anti Second Amendment ( As in they would support an outright ban on ALL civilian firearms ownership) and they routinely post that if you own a gun at all you live in fear. ..."

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If you post there at D.U., you might ask all those gun grabbing bliss ninnies if they'd mind a gang of gun confiscating cops ransacking their homes and apartments in order to find the illegal contraband called "guns."

Their answers might be interesting.

L.W.

I take mine out and put it in the drawer of my computer desk where I spend quite a bit of time. I have 3 others in different parts of the house should I need them. I am an empty nester, so no worries about youngsters getting a hold of things by mistake. (and when kids DO visit, I pick them all up and put them in the safe until they leave)

I do not take off my LC9s in a Stealthgear IWB holster until I go to bed. LC then resides in a Remora holster on the bedside table. That SG holster is so comfortable there is no reason to take it off.


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Home - it's where everything that I care about most resides

My house is where everything that I care about most resides...my wife, children, and my things (the products of the labor of my life). If I were to choose only one place to EVER be allowed to carry, it would be at home. I don't understand the mentality of taking it off at home and saying "it won't happen to me". It is the one place that I am at the most, and that my family is at the most (in my presence where I actually can defend them).

My carry piece is put on every day. It is always there, right where I know it is. I won't be caught without it if possible.

I've got 2 AR15's and a 12ga hidden around the house. I have driveway alarms, dog and clear fields of fire for about 300m around my home. No, I do not carry inside the house.

House is way out in the hills, long driveway, heavily wooded, gun stays on when I get home. I have two pole barns that I walk out to frequently. J-frame in pocket all the time, others available. My dogs are always around and are very observant No reason to be afraid, just prepared!

I put on when I get up and like others I take off when going to bed. I don't even notice I am carrying anymore. Been doing so many years . Just like getting dressed. Good holster good belt why take it off..

If you really need a gun you will need it now . No going to another room to get from safe or drawer. Do you really think the home invasion going to wait for you to get your pistol.


Sheriff Even if I shoot some one still likely 20 mins away. . Maybe 1 deputy on patrol per shift. . Court house has most on duty in court rooms and entrance.

Same gun same position. One of the reasons I love pocket carrying the Sig 938. Even if I change into shorts it just goes into them. At night it sits beside me on the night stand (and a couple of AR's and a shotgun nearby).

That is one of those "your mileage may vary" things lol

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Yep, years of carrying a 1911 or Glock 21 (still carry both in the winters sometimes) makes a 26 feel like its not even there. It really isn't that much bigger than my old "pocket" gun (Ruger LCR).

I used to be OK with the gun upstairs in the bedside safe, but now I've got a newborn around and can't imagine abandoning him and the wife to sprint upstairs to grab my gun. I'm looking into a small safe to put next to my armchair so I can have it close but locked up in case I decide to wear pants without pockets or drawstrings.

Granted, we live in a safe, rural neighborhood and the two dogs are one heck of a (loud) deterrent. But, rural WI is prime Meth land, and you just never know. Maybe I read too much news and watch too much true crime TV.

YMMV.

Granted, we live in a safe, rural neighborhood and the two dogs are one heck of a (loud) deterrent. But, rural WI is prime Meth land, and you just never know. Maybe I read too much news and watch too much true crime TV.

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That is also my wife's problem. I show her the stats that violent crime, including homicide, has been cut in half since 1980. She nods yes. Then she watches another Criminal Minds episode and goes paranoid again!

Read these stats and turn off the TV.

The odds are good that if something happens at home, it will probably happen quickly and unexpectedly, when you're doing something away from wherever a firearm is handy. I tend to carry at home more than anywhere else. I'm certainly not patrolling the house on guard duty, or on high alert. But if ever a need arises, I've got my P238 with me. It's small and light and easy to carry without being intrusive or obvious.

i don't carry in the house and don't plan to start. There are five S&W model 10 series revolvers located at strategic places in this house. My Sig 210 is on the stand near the front door.

That is also my wife's problem. I show her the stats that violent crime, including homicide, has been cut in half since 1980. She nods yes. Then she watches another Criminal Minds episode and goes paranoid again!

Read these stats and turn off the TV.

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I did mention True Crime type TV shows, though we do watch the completely unrealistic crime shows as well, mostly to laugh at the absurdity of it all.

As for the stats, you could make the exact same argument against CCW at all. Odds are overwhelming that I will never need to use my CCW anywhere, ever.

I still carry, always been a "I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it" kind of person.

My Sig 210 is on the stand near the front door.

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If I had a Sig 210, it would be packed in cotton wool, in a climate controlled closet!

As it is, no change when I come home, a Glock 19 ain't so heavy!