Need Help with a Social Situation

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zeebo419

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So this is my first thread at THR, so if this has been covered in another thread or is in the incorrect category please direct me. Anyway, I'm a 24 year grad student and live with my brother (an undergrad) and another roommate (also an undergrad). We are all good friends and generally get along, in fact we often go shooting together. We live in a pretty rough part of town and for that reason I have always kept my 12 ga Mossberg 500 in my closet, loaded but not chambered, safety ON. Yesterday, almost out of the blue, my roommate starts berating me about how irresponsible it is to keep a gun loaded in the house. He also has a shotgun he keeps his unloaded with a cable lock and separate from his ammo. I try to explain my point of view that since there are no children in the house (only adults with ample experience with firearms) its not unreasonable to keep my shotgun loaded. I also argue that when the BG's break in I don't want to be fooling with cable locks, and trying to locate ammo etc. Anyway, this got me wondering how others keep their firearms and maybe some advice on how to deal with my roommate. Thanks in advance for any posts!
 
This argument seems to be as old as time itself. There is no correct answer. No one answer for every person. It is a matter of personal preference. I for one feel that an unloaded gun is useless. Specifically useless for defense, as when a situation arises, it needs to be dealt with 5 minutes ago, not 5 minutes from now. I suspect your roommate sees guns in a different light. Like maybe he thinks they are "toys" and need to be "put away" when not in direct use. Where you view them more like an insurance policy, or utensil/tool.
 
Since the guns are not locked in a safe or cabinet, it doesn't really matter if there is a cable lock on it or not, a thief will still take it and use it. The only issue I would have with an unlocked gun would be this: if you have parties or lots of people over, I would want to make very sure that it was not accessible to others while they are there. Other than that, I don't see an issue. Maybe you should clarify with him what his exact issue is with it. I don't even have an issue with a shell being chambered with the safety on.
 
I don't like leaving unsecured firearms in my house when I am gone. BG breaks in looking to steal your stereo and finds a loaded shotgun. You or your roommate meander in during the process and find a BG with HIS brand new loaded 12 gauge! Yikes. Leaving a loaded, assessable weapon in the house when you are there is fine. I would suggest securing it when you leave though.
 
I have a theory...

If you find yourself in a situation where you need a gun...you're in a situation where you need a LOADED gun.

I keep at least two guns (a shotgun and a 1911) loaded and chambered in my house at all times. When I leave, the 1911 goes with me, and the Shotgun gets locked in it's case.
 
I keep at least two guns (a shotgun and a 1911) loaded and chambered in my house at all times. When I leave, the 1911 goes with me, and the Shotgun gets locked in it's case.
Click to expand...

Exactly
 
quote :
BG breaks in looking to steal your stereo and finds a loaded shotgun. You or your roommate meander in during the process and find a BG with HIS brand new loaded 12 gauge! Yikes.

Wow fast responses already! Thanks for yall's advice. I do typically lock the shotgun up in its case before i go out to work school etc., but the situation bluntly illustrated above will certainly make me more conscious about it. thanks again!
 
Try this simulation with your 'roomie'

Have him stretch out, as though in bed, his shotgun/ammo as he normally has it stored overnight.

Make a loud sound such as yelling "Breaking Glass!", etc. Walk toward roomies location. Have him find keys, get gun & ammo, remove lock, load up with snap caps DO NOT USE LIVE AMMO HERE! and chamber a SNAP CAP.
If you can reach him, and maybe smack him a couple of times BEFORE he can get his 'safely stored' shotgun (read as "disabled, only slightly more useful than an 8-iron") ready to use.....Maybe...just maybe the pilot light will flicker a bit brighter.
 
I ran that drill with wife. I "died" while hunting for key to the lock on the gun itself with box of snapcaps (Aka Ammo) conviently set nearby for the BG to collect and use on rest of house. Took 14 seconds total.

My mental to do list from wife banging on front door was:

Huh?
Breakin:
Guncase
Gunammo
Gunlock. OMG the key key...

Wife: "Bang yer dead."

Oh that red telephone next to the night table? never touched. 911 never would have had a clue.

Now I am a rack away with the handgun loaded clips with golddots and both shotties have some in the tube ready to go. Maybe 4 seconds of the 14 is all it takes, if that.

The total list on mind is three things.

Verbal challenge. Spouse goes to alamo dives in, bunkers down, arms up and calls 911 celluar
I become the hunter if there is no proper counter challenge presented.
Ensuring the hallway to the alamo is secured.

When it is all over, if I die, then the spouse will be "It" anything or anyone other than LEO through that door will get a surprise.

When the house is empty, everything is unloaded and secured. A pain I know, but a necessary one.
 
I live alone in an apartment. I carry every day. When I come home, the gun I carried that day becomes my home defense gun. The rest of my guns stay in a safe, unloaded.
 
No the problem is not solved.

If BG gains access into the space and there are two inside, one with ready to go gun and the other not so ready....

It's going to get complicated in a hurry. You need to form a team, be of one mind, one stragety. Not a divided house.
 
You can find a Stack On gun cabinet for less than $100. It's made of fairly sturdy steel and has bolt holes in the back so you can bolt it to a wall. It definitely will not stop a thief with a couple sturdy tools and 5 minutes on his hands, but it will give your roommate a little piece of mind and will keep your shotgun inaccessible to someone in a quick "smash-n-grab" or when you have guests over. But you keep a key on your keychain and it takes about 5 seconds to unlock, and pull out a loaded shotgun. Then you have your shotgun ready to go when you are at home, but lock it away right before you leave the house. It doubles as a secure place to store anything else you don't want to disappear.
 
I don't know where you live, but in my opinion, the only safe way to have a gun is to wear it. There are pros and cons of keeping a loaded gun in your house where you are not in control of it at all times, but I'd be willing to deal w/ the risks... or just get a CCW and forget it.
 
If it truly was "out of the blue" I would ask him what he was doing in my closet and why he was handling my firearms without my permission.
 
Keeping an unloaded gun for home defense is like keeping an unloaded fire extinguisher for house fires.
 
A unloaded locked away gun is not much use when you need it.

A locked gun won't keep it from being stolen. IMO, for a no kids situation, this is why a gun should be secured.

IMO, the best solution is to get a stack on cab and just unlock it when you are at home. Make sure to secure the cabinet to the inside of a closet wall preferably in the corner where it's difficult to use a prybar on it.

If that's not an option at the moment, I'd probably keep it like the OP is. Of course, this is barring the team work issue currently in the home.
 
New Room mate.:cool:

If that is too easy then tell him to MYOB ! ;)

I have to say as long as your friends or partying buds aren't playing with it, secret agent man style or whatever, and respecting your private space, it won't go off by itself. :)
 
I agree with foghorn on this one.

See how long it takes to unlock a long gun and then find your shells and get ready. Your in trouble.

I also agree with mcwjr13. What is he doing in your closet? Don't change your comfort level for someone else's. Respectfully disagree with him and start looking for a new place. Make sure he doesn't go near your Mossy again. Worse case scenario would be that a BG comes in and you go for your 500 only to find that your roomie ejected all of your shells.

Best of luck
 
Having access to a loaded firearm when you are home is perfectly reasonable. Leaving a loaded shotgun laying around when you are not home, is just irresponsible. Try to show him the difference.

As far as storing your shot gun in a case, well I would call that out of line. Anyone can break in and steal the case and walk right out with it. I would invest in a safe and bolt it down. Or at least a bolted down gun cabinet. The idea is that someone would need a friend and a handtruck to steal any of your firearms.
 
Make a loud sound such as yelling "Breaking Glass!", etc. Walk toward roomies location. Have him find keys, get gun & ammo, remove lock, load up with snap caps DO NOT USE LIVE AMMO HERE! and chamber a SNAP CAP.
Click to expand...
And don't have him point it at you either. Just have him chamber a round.

I think the best method is, if it's not illegal, to carry a handgun on you in your house.
 
I find that after reading some of the posts, that it is odd from a psych standpoint, that the person who has taken on the role of "protector" is now the one on defense in this scenario. It's also one that we as gunowners often find ourselves in, that of having to play defense to "peaceloving" antigunners attacks.
 
An unloaded gun isn't an SD tool ... it's a paperweight, and not a particularly good one.

My 870 and my Glock are stored the same way; loaded mag, but nothing in the pipe. I want to be lucid and awake enough to chamber a round before I plug an intruder. If they stick around long enough for me to do that, oh well, their bad.
 
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