Night Stand: Concealed or Open?

[PTT]

I've kept a pistol on the nightstand for years but keep unchambered to prevent small children from hurting themselves, and the gun is never there if I am not next to it.

I've found that I'm a pretty sound sleeper and easily surprised by family members coming in the room, so a thief in the night could easily come and disarm me if he didn't kick anything.

I don't want to discuss safes, I've thought about it and have decided to not go that route. Access would be too slow and I've taken other measures to prevent child injury.

What other strategies do some of you all use for the nightstand pistol?

 

[msparks]

Sound sleeper=get a dog or two. Even something like a yorkie will wake you in the middle of the night.

You could also buy some bells from the craft store and lay them on the floor in various places. Chances are the robber would accidentally kick them and wake you.

I keep mine with a magazine inserted but nothing in the chamber. I know I'm compromising my safety but I want to be at least a little awake before I shoot someone. Racking the slide takes conscience effort.

 

[scaatylobo]

Open and LOADED on nightstand with 2 flashlights at hand,oh and reloads.

I am a light sleeper and have already responded armed to 'noises' and other incidents.

The 'other' stuff was when I lived in a populated area,bars let out and "stuff" happened in my yard.

btw = NO CHILDREN in house just wife and I.

And in case you wondered,I carry that gun 99% of the time and if there are visitors = its not in sight.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

A friend kept his revolver by the nightstand open, literally with the loaded cylinder open and a handkerchief loosely tied through the frame. First, to discourage casual gunplay as in someone picking it up "what's this" and pulling the trigger "gee I didnt know it was loaded". Second, was if there was a break in downstairs, he would be fully awake (remove the 'kerchief, close the cylinder) before armed response.

 

[FAS1]

My thoughts are if you feel you need to keep a gun hidden or with an empty chamber then you should take a good look at a better way to secure your gun and have quick access to it as well. I know you said you weren't considering a handgun safe, but in fact there are some that will give you decent security and faster access than you think. Certainly faster than removing your gun from a hiding place and chambering a round. Since you are a heavy sleeper and you said you have kept your gun on the nightstand, what are the odds of the BG grabbing it before you do? I am a heavy sleeper as well and rely on my wife to let me know if she hears anything. I can't even roll over in bed without her hearing me. As mentioned, a dog could be a part of your home security.

 

[USAF_Vet]

Two handguns in a case next to the bed. Mag inserted, chamber empty, safety off.

It takes me only a few seconds to retrieve and chamber a round from a dead sleep.

 

[M2 Carbine]

I've found that I'm a pretty sound sleeper and easily surprised by family members coming in the room, so a thief in the night could easily come and disarm me if he didn't kick anything.

I would look into some type of early warning system/alarm to wake you before a threat got to your bedroom. Better yet a system to wake you before they get in the house.

Maybe something as simple as locking the bedroom door.



Personally I keep my loaded HD guns on the nightstand or next to it (laser/light equipped AR).

 

[smalls]

For now it's loaded, holstered, and lays on my nightstand. When my daughter gets to walking, it'll be in a biometric safe mounted to the nightstand.

 

[fehhkk]

No children, wife and I... Sig P226 with loaded mag, nothing in the chamber. Stays inside nightstand drawer.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

I would conceal it in a drawer or something. If someone is walking up on you while you're still asleep, at least it won't be obvious. (If someone is able to do that, you have bigger issues, but that is another topic.) Another reason is if you're a heavy sleeper and wake up groggy, or a somnambulist (sleepwalker). You need to be fully awake when handling firearms.

 

[Mike1234567]

I'm not trying to be difficult but... I would never keep a loaded firearm of any sort, with a round chambered or not and, for that matter, loaded or not, within reach of any child. I know you don't want a safe but that would be my solution... one with a fingerpint lock for speedy access.

 

[Owen Sparks]

You could lock your bedroom door. Nobody will get through it without waking you.

 

[ForumSurfer]

I'm a light sleeper and when something wakes me up, I'm wide awake.

I keep a loaded glock 19 on the night table with a mounted weapon light and a flashlight beside it. Full mag and chambered along with a spare mag. I also have kids. If they have a sleep over, I move it to the drawer. It is my carry weapon, so it is only there when I'm in bed.

 

[Smoovbiscuit]

I had a "gunvault" 2 gun safe that I used to keep two loaded handguns in. It worked great for a few months, then I went to open it to go shooting and the cord that opens the safe broke.. It would have been covered by warranty but a safe that fails that easily is not for me. Im just thankful it didn't fail on me when I needed it right away..

I have no kids to worry about, my handgun is always within arms reach of me. Before I got to sleep each night I check the bullets and put it on my nightstand, clips full and one in the chamber. I always sleep with my doors locked, I think its silly not to. No way someone could break in without waking me up.

 

[metalart]

I keep it in a small drawer in the nightstand. I sleep heavy and flop around too much to keep it out in the open on the nightstand where an errant arm might knock it off.

 

[LiquidTension]

I take my duty/carry gun off when I get home and put it on the nightstand. No kids in my house so I don't feel the need to lock them up. The dog will wake me up if anyone tries to get in.

 

[hardknocks!]

Hmmm

Keep more than one ready to go and i really like the plastic covered magnets you can attach in various locations to securely hold guns in place that no one can see.
No Children in the house and if there is the guns get locked up, exept the one i am wearing.
i can not think of a better way to have them so accessible and hidden also you can have guns in different locations within reach in seconds where ever you are within your humble abode.
regards

 

[msparks]

PS I have a gun vault in one of the draws on the night stand. That has my daughter Model 60 pro in it, for in case I'm not home.

If I'm not home I put my night stand gun (glock 17 with a light) in the safe. She then has access to something she is comfortable with.

I guess she could keep it in her room if she wanted, but our bedroom is better for defense then hers.

 

[chuck pullen]

Glock 21 or 17 with attached light. Full magazine but empty chamber. I have 3 dogs as alarms and I want to be fully awake before using a gun.

 

[mortablunt]

I keep mine hidden behind a semi-opened closet door. We have a pretty loud alarm system, although I tend to sleep like a log. Still, I tend to be up at all sorts of ungodly hours, so it is sort of offset. I used to lock my bedroom door, but the family's insistence on me keeping it unlocked in case of a fire has led to me keeping the door wide open while I'm asleep. It's a heavy door and not well oiled, so if someone tries to surreptitiously shut it, the noise could wake me up. In addition to this, I have practiced rapid waking and aiming drills so that I have programmed an initial response into my muscle memory. Thanks to this, I can go from dead asleep to firing on target in about three seconds. We have no dog, but some exceptionally loud and affectionate cats.

 

[orionengnr]

Out in the open. Night sights make it easy to find in the dark.

No kids, multiple redundant "mobile alarm systems" (dogs).

 

[armsmaster270]

Sig 226 357sig On the nightstand loaded round chambered Streamlight next to it and CT Laser grips on it. Plus one very territorial & vocal dog.

 

[MedWheeler]

My PF-9 goes from the nightstand to my belt when I get up (unless I'm going to work, in which it goes in the safe and my P-32 goes in my pocket.) At night, it returns to the stand, well after my daughter has gone to bed, secured in her own room. I sleep separately from both her and my wife the majority of the time due to vastly-different work/sleep schedules.
I do also keep two service revolvers in holsters in a high cabinet which is above the nightstand. Both are .357 Magnums, but are loaded with Winchester STHP .38 ammunition. Sometimes, one of them will do bedside duty. When that happens, both Kel-Tecs are stowed in the safe.

 

[RightCoastBiased]

I have a shelf, or cubby, that I keep my work sidearm on. I generally carry my LC9 that stays in my holster, attached to my shorts/pants right next to my bed. Both always have a round chambered.

The girlfriend has a sigma 9 she keeps in her nightstand drawer.

 

[k-frame]

Anyone have experience with a bedside holster? I'm thinking of the kind that has a plate which slides between the boxspring and the mattress, with the holster (yours or one that comes with) attached. In my case the holster would be largely hidden by the nightstand/dresser.