My bed gun is always loaded. With that said, here is a story that you all may find interesting. I served as a machinegunner in the USMC during both Desert Storm and Somalia. While my combat time was limited, I suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen, which in part has resulted in me having an exaggerated startle response, which is occasionally a source of concern for me. One night my roommate, who had just passed the last of his entrance exams to become a fireman, came home at about 2:00 in the morning after celebrating (not drunk, just home late). I always lock my door before going to bed, and I often fall asleep with my light on as I usually read myself to sleep, and this was the case on this night. Additionally, my computer was on (he could hear the fan humming). Anyway, given this information, he assumed I was awake and wanted to share his good news with me. Predictably, he was wrong. I had been asleep for a good couple of hours! For reasons as yet unclear to me, he decided to gently rattle my dooknob to enter my room (quick note, I have known my roommate from childhood, and I would quite literally trust this man with my life, in any situation). I am a very heavy sleeper, but unusual sounds, like my doorknob being gently rattled, will wake me right up. Anyway, I heard the sound, woke up, my heart was pounding and the adrenaline was running and I grabbed my Ruger P-90, which, as mentioned earlier, is always loaded. I quietly walked to the door, and then flung it open while at about a 3/4 ready position (which puts the front sight roughly on his chest, as opposed to being pointed straight at his head). I immediatly recognized my roommate, yelled "Dude, are you trying to get yourself shot?", closed the door back up and went back to sleep after about 20 minutes of waiting for my heart rate to slow down. The moral of my story is that even in my just-awake, exaggerated startle response, adrenalin jacked state, I was able to make correct decisions with a fully locked and loaded pistol. While I make no claims as to my expertise or skill at home defense, I would say that if you are not capable of making these types of decisions upon being awakened by a strange noise, a loaded, at the ready firearm, is not the answer for you, in as much as a bed gun is concerned. I could have very easily put a round, or two, or three, or seven, through my friend had I been less prepared, and I thank God every day I didn't. He still doesn't understand exactly how close he came to being shot, but I do. If it wasn't for my dad telling me repeatedly to always know what I am shooting at (target recognition as opposed to free-fire through the door), the USMC teaching my a little bit about urban combat and how to handle weapons in that environment, and my finger being flat along the trigger guard, as opposed to directly on the trigger (another dad-taught maxim). Anyway, I don't know how germaine to the point this story is, but it seemed relevant.
Timbo
Better to bleed in training than to die in battle.
