I know that many firearms owners carry handguns virtually all of the time. Some even carry while in their homes, or if not actualy carrying at home, have one or more readily available inside their abodes. What I am interested in discussing is whether you have hidden, loaded and easily accesible, handguns or even long arms, wthin you living quarters.
A bunch of a firearms forum members, up on Long Island, NY, discussing a similar topic as this one, years ago, said they kept loaded handguns on shelves behind other items like a picture frame, in or on a night table, in specially made gun concealment wall hanging frames, in drawers, in closets, hidden in false books, in a holster attached to their couch, and even under the pillow each night (yikes). Some said they kept long arms at the ready in a closet, next to entrance doors, under their beds, hanging on a wall and so forth.
One fellow firearms enthusiast surprised just about every other forum member when he said he kept a loaded and easily accesible handgun, hanging in a waterproof bag from the pipe that was attached to his shower head. The bag was something like what a diver or canoer might use to assure personal propery is kept dry. He said the pistol was made of stainless steel. Plenty of the forum members derided him for that, thinking he was paranoid. I and several others thought it was not such a bad idea considering the amount of home invasions in NY at the time, and as long as their were no young children in the home.
I am left wondering, if you do likewise. If so, in what places do you keep your loaded and ready firearms at home. Of course, I imagine some folks do not keep loaded firearms in the home because they have young children, but some with kids have probably figured out, or at least believe they have figured out, safe places to keep a loaded gun at the ready, places which they think their youngsters cannot access (beware, kids often get into the seemingly most secure and or secret places).
As for me, I have a handgun either on my person or within fairly easy reach, such as on my coffee table when watching TV. I also have a shotgun loaded and ready in my bedroom and keep my every day carry pistol on a bedside table when I go to bed. There is also a bed holster holding a Charter Arms Bulldog revolver - loaded with 44 S&W Special ammo - hanging from the holster's flap that is between my mattress and the bed frame. I have a spare bedroom/storage room with another handgun in it. I do not have one in the bathroom but have been thinking about putting one in there too. No guns in my kitchen but several big sharp knives and a machete too. As for me, there are no children in my home and if have an expected, or even unexpected guest, come by with or without children in tow, I take appropriate safety precautions.
What about you folks? Do any of you have innovative places, or simply any places, where you keep a loaded gun at the ready in your home?
As I have said often before, there always has been one thing I liked about the Boy Scouts Of America, their motto: BE PREPARED!
All the best,
Glenn B
