A Gun Under The Pillow

[IncredibleGord]

I thought about it when I got my first pistol. I tried it once. I got really nervous after 30 minutes, and then put it just out of arms reach. I like the idea of having it close, but not too close when asleep. I want to be fully awake when I touch a gun.

 

[mrdoublestak]

under the pillow couple years ago yes not now i have a two year old that like's to pay mommy and daddy night time visits now that he has a big boy bed another words he climbs in and snuggles up between mom and pop its cute but the hardware has to stay up and out of reach of little fingers my wife's pistol in her purse top shelf in closet my 1911 top of the book shelf i need that safe that you put your hand on and open i think its a mini vault that would be the way of choice

 

[ChCx2744]

Having a gun under the pillow doesn't seem very tactical, as you or it could move around. The possibility of it going off? I don't know about that, but the possibility of it not being in the same place when you need it is going to be pretty high, especially for me, because I move around when I sleep lol...I prefer to keep it within reach, such as on the nightstand or tucked between the mattress and box spring or something.

 

[Bovice]

I keep a gun under my pillow. I've never had it go anywhere, it's right where I left it every morning when I wake up. I figure that maybe an intruder would think to look there first, but I wake really easily. If you were to stick your hand under my pillow, you'd probably find yourself with your arm bent 90 degrees the wrong way in a split second.

 

[LAK]

Under the pillow is a very bad idea IMO. Unless it is holstered with some kind of thumbsnap/strap etc, and especially a striker fired pistol and no manual safety or double-action revolver, it is a trigger squeeze away from a fatal or serious mishaps.

People dream for one thing, and some wind up at one time or another with their hands under the pillow.

For a secure yet accessible bedside gun I would mount a holster at the head of the bed. There are a thousand and one ways to do this if you can use a drill, saw(s) wood, sheet metal, nuts, bolts, screws etc.

--------------------------------------

Je Suis Prest

 

[CTPhil]

I have a nylon holster with a metal belt clip that clips nicely to the angle iron of the bed frame, ready to draw. During the day, the bedspread hides it from view.

 

[Old Shooter]

A Colt Commander on the nightstand, an 870 in the bedroom corner and I sleep well at night. If for some reason I am so concerned about trouble on any given night I'd just sit in the rocking chair in the "concealed" corner of the guest bedroom with the 870 and wait it out.

 

[ForumSurfer]

No way could I ever sleep with one under the pillow. I as in me...to each their own.

Sometimes I have vivid dreams and I move dramatically.

Remotes, phone or other small objects get lost in the night if left in the bed. Heck, I've even lost the pillow in the middle of the night or woke up on the wrong end of the bed.

 

[FAS1]

I move around too much and would be uncomfortable with a gun in bed with me. Not because of an accidental discharge, but because I would be concerned if I could find it if needed. My G17 is holstered in one of my handgun boxes that is bolted to my bed frame. No kids at home anymore so I sleep with the gas strut assisted door open and the grip is right there next to my pillow. Seems a whole lot safer and I know the gun is ALWAYS in the same place and orientation. Close the door in the morning and it is locked and secured. Make the bed and you wouldn't even know it's there.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Pillow?--no
Close by?--yes

Ruger P95 with the safety engaged--just so things don't go off when they're not supposed to---have been doing that for years now.

I'm just more comfortable with that set-up than a Glock in holster.

 

[mljdeckard]

What has changed between the publishing date and the present that makes it a good idea?

 

[JohnFritz]

Taurus 66 .357 under the pillow that my wife used to use. Tossing/turning is not an issue for me.

When the bed was double occupied, I kept whatever carry gun I had in rotation that day on my nightstand with a magazine covering it. I'll re-institute that policy when the right side of the bed becomes occupied on a regular basis again.

 

[Bonesinium]

I sleep with a handgun under my pillow. I have 5 pillows, it sits under the bottom one on the side of the bed that is against a wall. It is kept in a compact holster so the trigger guard is covered. There is no way it accidentally goes off, even if it ends up in my hand in a dream about shooting, unless it somehow comes out of the holster. If I don't have it in a holster, then it stays there without a round chambered. It will take less time to chamber a round with a gun in an immediate reach than retrieving a loaded gun from somewhere else.

 

[mljdeckard]

I also think there is something to be said for making sure you are awake before you have a gun in your hand. My wife has (half) joked for years, that if someone ever does break into our house, she will have shot the guy and called the police before I even wake up. I sleep HARD. For ME, it's probably a good idea to force my brain through a couple of functions before I have a gun in my hands.

 

[wannasupra]

Bedside Weapon Rack

they make some sweet motorcycle parts too.

 

[il_10]

You call yourselves men? I sleep with a pillow under my gun!

All joking aside, no, the bedside table is close enough for me. As much as I move around, there's no way I'd be able to find a gun in my bed in a hurry. With the table, it's in the same place every time I wake up.

 

[FIVETWOSEVEN]

09:58 PM
FIVETWOSEVEN Darn slow forum!

By the way- I checked to see what was going on, because the board was slow for me too.

Here's what I found in the stats...

Most users ever online was 4,422, Today at 09:29 PM.

Growing pains, I guess. We'll be working on that.

lpl

I'm guessing its because of the SHOT 2011 board.

 

[ryanrichmond]

I keep a shortened 20ga under the mattress on top of the box spring close enough to the edge that I don't even need to lift the mattress much at all to get it out (given I would need to get out of bed to retrieve it).

And I always put my revolver on the night stand next to the alarm clock. It's not that I think I'll need both; it just so happens that that's what I do. The only issue I face is deciding which one to use but even that wouldn't be a big issue...If I wake up to someone standing in my bedroom doorway, I reach for the pistol. If I hear someone break the glass in the back room, I've got time to get the shotgun.

 

[Packman]

Interesting.

Personally, I keep my 3913 under the pillow every night. I also wake up in the exact position I went to sleep in every morning. I live by myself (well, with my dog, but he has his own bed), so I don't have to worry about anyone else messing with it at night. Chambered, Safety off, but a long, heavy double action pull. I don't have any interest in using a striker fired gun. I'd use my revolver, but the 3913 is the flattest, thinnest gun I own.

I'm intrigued by the comments of that being "the first place a burglar will look." I don't store my handgun under my pillow, I generally keep it on my belt until bedtime. When I get up, it goes back on my belt. If someone wants to look under my pillow first, they're gonna have a pretty hard time not waking me up in the process. However, I don't doubt they could probably stop you from getting to a gun sandwiched between the mattress and box spring.

I consider this to be a tactically sound location, IF you're of the variety that doesn't toss and turn/sleepwalk, and IF you're sleeping alone. I wouldn't do it with someone else in the bed.

About 5 years ago, my Grandad was sleeping in his guest room one night (Grandma's snoring got to him ) and awoke to realize that a burglar was rifling through the nightstand just 2 feet away from him. Had his pistol been in the nightstand, the burglar would have had it, not Grandad. As it was, it was in the nightstand in the master bedroom. (not very useful.) Grandad hollered, and the guy took off. Kinda scary, because he's NOT a heavy sleeper. Had the gun been under the pillow, he'd have had it in hand before the BG knew he was even awake. Luckily, Grandad's encounter ended with just a few minor losses, mainly jewelry.

I don't anticipate anyone making it into my bedroom undetected, because I'm a very light sleeper, and I have a rather territorial dog that's an even lighter sleeper. Interestingly, just last night, I was awakened at about 3am by a pounding on my door. My pistol came out from under the bed, and the dog only beat me to the door by a couple of feet. (He's one of those awesome dogs that you never hear a sound out of, so when you do, you'd best listen.)

Couldn't see a thing through the peephole (not normal), so I waited off to the side of the door. When it came again, I opened the door with the security bar still engaged, which only allows about 2 inches of travel. A rather dark complected young gentleman wished to inquire as to whether mumble mumble was home. I politely informed him he had the wrong apartment, with my pistol just out of view behind the doorjamb. He elected to leave.

 

[jbh13]

I have small kids in the house so it can't be out. Got a m&p 9 in the night stand with a coded lock box attached to the drawer. Plus my wife tells me sometime I talk in my sleep, so having a gun under the pillow would not be a good idea.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Not me.
The gun might go under the pillow when I went to bed, but there's no telling where it would be when I woke up. Hell, I've even knocked it off the nightstand before.
Under the pillow, no. It is within arms reach though.

 

[BigMustard]

I keep one on the nightstand and an 870 on the other side of the bed. I have really vivid dreams. I once had a dream where I was opening the fridge and it was stuck, so I yanked real hard and subsequently punched my girlfriend.
Plus there is usually two dogs in the bed, I bet the Chihuahua would think it's a chew toy.
So, as previously stated arms reach yes. Under the pillow, no.

 

[sniper5]

Used to a long time ago. Things have changed, there are better storage options now. Besides, my shotgun won't fit under the pillow.

 

[killchain]

Every night, my pistol is laid on my night stand in it's holster, with my cell phone on top of it. If I'm in a place where I might forget it, like a hotel room, it goes in my right boot, muzzle down and grip toward the heel. I am not ashamed to sleep with my head next to my boots. 1. My feet don't stink and 2. You learn to do that when Uncle Sam makes you sleep over. Hahaha.

 

[uspJ]

No gun under the pillow for me. I can baely keep my pillows on the bed let alone anything else to keep up with. I have my edc pistol on my dresser across from the bed, my hd pistol on the nightstand next to the bed, my 870 between my nightstand and the wall and my ak in the closet....I think I should be fine.