I keep my home defense weapons in the same condition I was trained in the military, i.e., it depends on the weapon.
Shotgun, rounds in magazine, slide forward, selector on safe. Requires two distinct operations before it's ready to fire, rack slide, place selector on fire.
AR, no round in chamber, magazine in well, bolt forward, selector on safe. There is actually a good reason for this. Since the firing pin in an AR is free floating, having a round in the chamber can lead to an accidental discharge if the weapon is hit at the right angle with sufficient force
even if the safety is on. This actually happened to a troop in my old squadron, so I have personal knowledge that this is
not a myth. (He dropped his M-16 down the ladder of the LSB on an alarm response to a missile site. It hit butt first, chambering a round without his knowledge. Later, at the LCF, he accidentally dropped it while preparing to clear it at the clearing barrel. Round went off, striking him in the outer right thigh. He was relieved of duty and discharged shortly thereafter. Can't have such clumsy people carrying firearms around nuclear weapons.
This happened in the late 80's at Warren AFB.)
Handgun, however the weapon is designed to be carried. SA autos, cocked and locked, DA or DA/SA, round in the chamber, decocked if necessary. I don't use DA/SA handguns with safeties for concealed carry or home defense. If I need a handgun, I need it NOW. DA revolvers, all cylinders loaded.
My reasoning is thus:
If I should wake with an intruder in the room, I have a S&W Model 65-3 loaded with Federal Hydra-Shock .357's in a holster attached to the frame of my bed where I can easily reach it. There's an inexpensive Brinkmann lithium flashlight in a holder next to it (great buy, $20 at wallie world.) I have immediate firepower that won't get clogged in the bed clothes like an auto might and won't be pushed out of battery at contact distances.
Leaning against the head of the bed next to that is my Mossberg 500 Persuader with a regular stock, 7 rounds of #1 buck in the tube, 6 slugs in the sidesaddle and a lithium light attached. Slide is forward on an empty chamber, selector is on safe.
My wife keeps her S&W 640 on her side of the bed in her purse, which she always places next to her before retiring.
We keep our cell phones on chargers on the night stand on either side of the bed.
The drill is, if we are awakened by the dogs barking or the sound of an intruder somewhere in the house, whichever one of us wakes first grabs a handgun and flashlight, wakes the other, and we assess. If there is time, I grab the 12 gauge, we take cover and watch the hallway outside the bedroom while she calls the local PD on a cell phone.
Generally, by this time my GS will be going nuts and trying to eat whoever happens to be inside my house without being invited. I know the guys at the local PD since I've worked with some of them before, so they know what my plan of action is. This is one of the essentials to any HD plan. Even though I'm LE, I am not about to go on a house clearing expedition with no backup. If there's only one officer on duty(it happens in small towns) I'll have him back me up while we clear the house. If we've waited this long, I'll have had time to put on my boots, vest and duty gear before he gets there.
P.S. We don't have any kids, so I don't have any need to go rescue one of my own. It will be a vastly different situation if you do have loved ones in other areas of the house, so I highly suggest you get some professional training if this is the case.
