Do You Know How To Keep Your Defensive Firearm Ready at Home?

[Mike H.]

Hello all, here is today's article posted on TheArmoryLife.com. It is titled "Do You Know How To Keep Your Defensive Firearm Ready at Home?" and can be found at https://www.thearmorylife.com/do-you-know-how-to-keep-your-defensive-firearm-ready-at-home/.

 

[Annihilator]

Good article Mike, thanks. Good read.

 

[somorris]

Thanks, Mike. Like other stuff in life, everything is a compromise.

 

[The Night Rider]

The article is well written, I just have a different take on it.

Almost every report I've seen of a home invasion indicates that the robber got in through an unlocked door or that the homeowner didn't identify the person before they opened the door. There was even one a few blocks from here in which the family was sitting in the living room with their front door wide open. Simply locking your doors is 99% of your best defense.

I think the smartest place for me to keep my home defense gun is on my person. I carry A Glock 26 with a 12 round magazine and a 15 round reload at home. There's no place in my home where you're going to be more than 15 feet from me so I feel that a handgun is adequate. That said if my guns aren't under my direct control they're locked up.

 

[SinisterKid76]

My XDs is never much more than arm's length away at all times when I'm home.
The rest are strategically locked up in other areas of the house.
My thinking is, if it isn't enough, it will be enough to get me to another area of the house where hopefully that one will be.

 

[youngolddude]

I have no children at home and an alert dog. Beyond this, I lock my doors and have a 6 foot fence around the back yard that is not on a corner lot. Multiple military folks live on my street sprinkled with retirees (I'm sure some are nosy). We have a garage door that hides my vehicle. Multiple loaded guns are in various locations inside and the rest are locked in a safe. I live in a gun friendly state and in a smaller community. This is about as good as I can do.

 

[Area52]

A good mention in the article were those skimpy little tin locking “safe” boxes, especially trying is manipulating the little thumb wheel combination lock at anytime. Big heavy safes are only as good as how easy they can be carried out. Heck, in just minutes they steal bolted down ATM‘s.

It’s always been my peeve that some resort to storing loose firearms (or valuables) in bedroom drawers, closet shelves, in purses, hanging on a belt loop and even under mattresses. It’s highly probable it’s the closet and dresser drawer is first place a burglar looks and where kids go snooping.

Always remember retrieve and relocate firearms from their secreted spaces when hiring contractors to do any home repairs and know that contractors may have to enter other adjacent areas.

Be creative, practice (unloaded) quick retrievals and constantly check it’s still there….
Knew a guy who kept a SHTF snub inside a golf club head cover. All fine until he forgot and took the club bag with him on a flight to Myrtle.

Oh, and how many of us still keep our keys on the table or on a hook next to the door?

 

[The Night Rider]

Heck, in just minutes they steal bolted down ATM‘s.

But they almost never get them open. True story, I walked out my front door one morning an found an ATM in our dumpster.

I have talked to a couple of people who have been burglarized and they said the burglars tore their house apart. They dumped drawers, they flipped over bookcases, they pulled the cushions off of furniture, they took paintings off the wall. Anything that could hide valuables or be a cover for a safe.

If a person has an unsecured firearm in their home a burglar will find it

 

[RCiskowski1]

With my PTSD, my situational awareness is always in “It will always go sideways “ mode. I layer my defense, Two alert dogs, 6 ft fence, doors always locked, automatic lighting, and all firearms that will not come into play are locked in my basement which is covered my an alarm system. All my children are long gone, out of the equation.

I am never, while on my property without my XDM.9mm Elite. And no one knows I have it, when I sleep, it is near by next to my tactical light. I believe that it is important to have lighting, on the weapon or held.

If the perp gets passed the lighting, locked doors, dogs, alarms, and into my bedroom without waking me up, well, I am already dead then so it will not be of any consequence.

 

[Invisibleflash]

The article is well written, I just have a different take on it.

Almost every report I've seen of a home invasion indicates that the robber got in through an unlocked door or that the homeowner didn't identify the person before they opened the door. There was even one a few blocks from here in which the family was sitting in the living room with their front door wide open. Simply locking your doors is 99% of your best defense.

I think the smartest place for me to keep my home defense gun is on my person. I carry A Glock 26 with a 12 round magazine and a 15 round reload at home. There's no place in my home where you're going to be more than 15 feet from me so I feel that a handgun is adequate. That said if my guns aren't under my direct control they're locked up.

Seldom keep a door unlocked. I'm from L.A.. Lived there 35 years before moving away in '89. I'm trained for life.

I never answer the door unless it is soemone I know.

I got guns all over, ready to go. Never more than a few feet from a gun. No lock boxes. Got no kids.