"A gun you can’t reach in an emergency is useless. When I read that book (Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, TOR) as a high school kid, it struck me that since I had long possessed guns in my bedroom including a loaded Colt .45 automatic, I would have had a lot more options than Clutter’s son did when the homicidal intruders entered his bedroom…and, knowing my dad, in Herb Clutter’s situation my old man’s regularly-carried Colt Cobra .38 revolver would have probably gone into action long before things got even that far.
In a lifetime among cops since, I’ve noted that investigators who piece together the aftermaths of home invasion murders tend to keep their guns on all the time after that, even when off duty in their own house, and keep them by the bed when they go to sleep.
They have learned from the helplessly-murdered dead"
-Massad Ayoob
Discussion
I don't really have anything to say about the quote. It pretty much stands for itself. The more worthwhile discussion is to the larger issue of deployment of defensive weapons at home.
If you think getting to the bedroom/ basement, turning the combo on the big ole gun safe left to 12 right to 6 and left again to 3, pulling out and loading a gun is going to work you are kidding yourself. For defensive purposes you might as well not own guns if you can't get to one very quickly. If somebody boots the door you need a gun right now, like almost immediately.
There are two basic options here. Carry a piece or have a bunch of them all over the place. There are some considerations which may affect your choice. The biggest consideration without a doubt is the occupants and regular visitors to your home. I won't tell you how to live your life. However if there are residents like young children (the age could be debated, some folks think a 4 year old having access to a gun is safe and others think it is closer to 25) or adults without the mental capacity to be responsible with firearms then having them lying around all over the place is stupid. Note that I didn't say everybody who is in your home needs to be an expert with guns or even know how to use them. Just that they have the mental capacity to be safe around them. Example, My 28 year old defacto sister in law hates guns and to the best of my knowledge has never touched one. She comes to visit. Her default reaction would be to leave a gun alone if she found it. She would either reach past it to grab something from the cabinet or whatever or ask one of us "could you grab the X from the cabinet with the handgun in it?" Even without the head knowledge she has the adult decision making to leave guns alone.
We could debate putting a gun outside of the physical reach of a kid, like on a high shelf or something. I know folks who have done it without incident. My buddy found out there was a 1911 in the cabinet above the kitchen stove when he was 13, it had been there his whole life. YMMV but personally I do not feel at all comfortable with this plan. Kids get into all sorts of stuff and tend to do it when they are in the dangerously curious accidentally shoot somebody age range.
Anyway to me when it comes to residents or very frequent visitors this is a GO/NO GO thing. Moving a few things around when your sister who has a pair of toddlers comes over for Christmas is easy but if there are regularly little kids or adults with diminished capacity due to mental health issues or drug use having unsecured guns all over the place is a NO GO.
If there are only adults in the home having guns all over the place is an option. Obviously this will only work if you have multiple viable guns to place around your residence. If you have just one gun it would end up in a nightstand all the way in the bedroom which is a bad option. In Alabama I had a pistol and a shotgun by my seat in the living room, a pistol and a shotgun by the bed, and a handgun in the other rooms. At the furthest point I might have been 4 paces from a loaded gun and that was from an awkward point in the hallway. This plan was sufficient to me and looking back I can't find fault in it. They were not locked up (which could be debated) but were concealed. With the exception of the steriotypical bedside none of them were in places you would look for a gun. As an option you could get a few of those convenient little quick opening hide a piece type safe's. Put one in the bedroom, one in the living room, etc. Slightly slower but it would be secure.
The other option is to just carry a handgun with you, physically attached to your person until you go to sleep at night. This is really probably the best option as a lethal option is on your person at all times. It covers everything. Working out in the garage, fiddling around on the deck or in the yard, etc. Just continuing to wear whatever setup you use out of the house is a very valid option if you will actually do it.
Regardless of your choice to carry or stash guns having a long gun quickly accessible is a good idea also. You probably won't carry one around the house all the time so it would need to be stashed, maybe in some sort of quick to open safe. Maybe something like this. Long guns are far more lethal than pistols. If memory serves me correctly the boring old 30-30 crushes the venerable .44 mag in terms of energy. Also probably more importantly most people shoot them a lot better. Folks shoot at each other at CQB ranges with pistols and miss all the time. The longer sight radius and multiple points of contact of a long gun make them much easier to shoot well.
Personally I will not do that, it is a fine idea but not something I will actually do. After getting off work and changing out of my stupid greyish monkey suit and boots I almost immediately change into comfortable clothes that are not carry friendly. Some sort of alternate carry method like a shoulder holster or one of the belt and pouch type holsters like the smart carry or the belly band would be options worth looking at. When we get back to the states my plan is a loose combination of both. Having weapons readily accessible but secured in a couple key places and one on me. Maybe it is a little belt and suspenders but nothing succeeds quite like excess.
In a lifetime among cops since, I’ve noted that investigators who piece together the aftermaths of home invasion murders tend to keep their guns on all the time after that, even when off duty in their own house, and keep them by the bed when they go to sleep.
They have learned from the helplessly-murdered dead"
-Massad Ayoob
Discussion
I don't really have anything to say about the quote. It pretty much stands for itself. The more worthwhile discussion is to the larger issue of deployment of defensive weapons at home.
If you think getting to the bedroom/ basement, turning the combo on the big ole gun safe left to 12 right to 6 and left again to 3, pulling out and loading a gun is going to work you are kidding yourself. For defensive purposes you might as well not own guns if you can't get to one very quickly. If somebody boots the door you need a gun right now, like almost immediately.
There are two basic options here. Carry a piece or have a bunch of them all over the place. There are some considerations which may affect your choice. The biggest consideration without a doubt is the occupants and regular visitors to your home. I won't tell you how to live your life. However if there are residents like young children (the age could be debated, some folks think a 4 year old having access to a gun is safe and others think it is closer to 25) or adults without the mental capacity to be responsible with firearms then having them lying around all over the place is stupid. Note that I didn't say everybody who is in your home needs to be an expert with guns or even know how to use them. Just that they have the mental capacity to be safe around them. Example, My 28 year old defacto sister in law hates guns and to the best of my knowledge has never touched one. She comes to visit. Her default reaction would be to leave a gun alone if she found it. She would either reach past it to grab something from the cabinet or whatever or ask one of us "could you grab the X from the cabinet with the handgun in it?" Even without the head knowledge she has the adult decision making to leave guns alone.
We could debate putting a gun outside of the physical reach of a kid, like on a high shelf or something. I know folks who have done it without incident. My buddy found out there was a 1911 in the cabinet above the kitchen stove when he was 13, it had been there his whole life. YMMV but personally I do not feel at all comfortable with this plan. Kids get into all sorts of stuff and tend to do it when they are in the dangerously curious accidentally shoot somebody age range.
Anyway to me when it comes to residents or very frequent visitors this is a GO/NO GO thing. Moving a few things around when your sister who has a pair of toddlers comes over for Christmas is easy but if there are regularly little kids or adults with diminished capacity due to mental health issues or drug use having unsecured guns all over the place is a NO GO.
If there are only adults in the home having guns all over the place is an option. Obviously this will only work if you have multiple viable guns to place around your residence. If you have just one gun it would end up in a nightstand all the way in the bedroom which is a bad option. In Alabama I had a pistol and a shotgun by my seat in the living room, a pistol and a shotgun by the bed, and a handgun in the other rooms. At the furthest point I might have been 4 paces from a loaded gun and that was from an awkward point in the hallway. This plan was sufficient to me and looking back I can't find fault in it. They were not locked up (which could be debated) but were concealed. With the exception of the steriotypical bedside none of them were in places you would look for a gun. As an option you could get a few of those convenient little quick opening hide a piece type safe's. Put one in the bedroom, one in the living room, etc. Slightly slower but it would be secure.
The other option is to just carry a handgun with you, physically attached to your person until you go to sleep at night. This is really probably the best option as a lethal option is on your person at all times. It covers everything. Working out in the garage, fiddling around on the deck or in the yard, etc. Just continuing to wear whatever setup you use out of the house is a very valid option if you will actually do it.
Regardless of your choice to carry or stash guns having a long gun quickly accessible is a good idea also. You probably won't carry one around the house all the time so it would need to be stashed, maybe in some sort of quick to open safe. Maybe something like this. Long guns are far more lethal than pistols. If memory serves me correctly the boring old 30-30 crushes the venerable .44 mag in terms of energy. Also probably more importantly most people shoot them a lot better. Folks shoot at each other at CQB ranges with pistols and miss all the time. The longer sight radius and multiple points of contact of a long gun make them much easier to shoot well.
Personally I will not do that, it is a fine idea but not something I will actually do. After getting off work and changing out of my stupid greyish monkey suit and boots I almost immediately change into comfortable clothes that are not carry friendly. Some sort of alternate carry method like a shoulder holster or one of the belt and pouch type holsters like the smart carry or the belly band would be options worth looking at. When we get back to the states my plan is a loose combination of both. Having weapons readily accessible but secured in a couple key places and one on me. Maybe it is a little belt and suspenders but nothing succeeds quite like excess.
Posts
7 comments:
I do not recommend you having any firearm within arms reach of you while you are sleeping. It need to be close enough that you can obtain it quickly. The reason for this is if you are suddenly awaken and someone is standing over your bed than you may grab the gun and shoot them. All great if its a burgular, but not if its your 4 year old wanting a glass of water. The fact is it takes about 10 seconds after you wake to clear the fog. During this time you will have no depth preception. That 4 year old will look 6 foot and be a black figure only. So keep it close enough that you can get to it but that it requires you to get up out of bed to obtain it, also have a good flashlight with it (85 lumens or better). If you live alone and no one is ever there than by all mean feel free to put it under your pllow or night stand. TOR I have not forgotten about you just alot going on lately.
3rdman, People can wake up or react differently. I have slept in enough nasty places while carrying a gun to know it is not an issue for me.
However as you mentioned kids are always an issue. I am not so concerned about night time but more that during the course of ordinary events one day I would forget to lock it up before leaving, etc.
My opinion on guns when you have little kids is that they need to be in your possession/ control or secured. One of those little punch code/ fingerprint type mini safe's right by the bed is probably the answer for sleeping if you have small kids.
I like lights both handheld and weapon mounted. Also night sights are good.
When I go hunting I keep my .357 revolver in the sleeping bag with me.
I cut a 6" x 6" hole in my wall right beside my bed. I placed my loaded revolver inside the wall and placed the piece of wallboard back in place and used joint compound to glue it in place and smooth out the wall. Sanded and painted you can't tell it's there. I know where it is even in the dark and it would be a simple task to kick or punch out the patch and have access to the gun. No one else knows or needs to know where the gun is.
Where I live in Spain, my shotguns must, by law, be kept unloaded in a safe. I have a heavy metal front door and bars on every window, which is very common here. If someone tries to break in, I have , oh, about an hour to get my shotgun out and load it. I feel pretty safe. The way thing are going here right now, I might get a chance to test that theory sooner than I'd previously thought.
@ 9:09, I remember that scene from the Terminator TV show where she smashed the wall and pulled out a pump shotgun. It does have intriquing possibilities.
So do you whack out the wall every time you go shooting or hunting? That seems like it might get to be a hassle if you use a gun often.
@ Paul, In a place with strict laws that are enforced you pretty much have to toe the line. Not doing so could risk losing the priviledge (thankfully a right in most of the US) to own weapons.
I am not sure if it is lack of cheap and abundant wood or some sort of cultural memory but Europeans build significantly more secure homes than are common in most of America and Canana.
Getting through a setup like yours quickly would require a fair amount of planning and some equipment. Certainly more than just kicking the door in.
I hope things go OK for you. If you are interested in doing a guest post or something drop me a line at theotherryan@yahoo.com.
No the gun is in the wall and untouched for a couple of years. maybe I should take a look at it.
When I lived in Germany I mentioned to my landlady that all the houses had concrete floors and masonary walls which was kind of cold in the winter. She said that after the war the new building standards required more concrete and less wood because so many home had been lost to the fires following bombing.
@9:24, That makes sense.
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