Can you reasonably get to your HD gun in an HD situation?

Skribs

Skribs

Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2010
Messages
6,101
Location
Texas
When I first got into guns, I had what I considered (and still do) to be a typical arrangement for home defense. I had a handgun in a handgun safe near the bed, and a long gun in the bedroom closet. If something goes bump in the night, I grab the handgun. I then decide if it's something suspicious to investigate (which I did a few times, false alarms), or if it's definitely dangerous, and I should grab the long gun and bunker down.

But then I realized something. My condo was relatively horseshoe-shaped. From the front door, you could go left to the living room and bedroom. Or go right to the office, dining room, and kitchen. If I was in one of the rooms to the right and someone broke in, I'm cut off from the guns in the bedroom. My solution was to hide one under the desk in the office. (I lived alone, no kids, so I wasn't worried about anyone finding it).

I'm looking at a similar situation in my next house. If I'm asleep in my bedroom, with the typical arrangement of nightstand gun and a long gun in the closet safe, then I've got my defense plan. If I'm anywhere else in the house and someone breaks in from the front, I'm cut off. If I'm upstairs and someone breaks in, I'm cut off.

My options, as far as I can figure, are:
  1. Accept the risk of a home invasion happening when I'm not asleep
  2. Carry while I'm at home
  3. Stash guns in such a way that I can get to a gun no matter what part of the house I'm in
I'm leaning towards #3. Is your home setup based on likely scenarios of potential cutoff routes?
 
I solve this problem by always having a minimum level of armament in my pants pocket. This leaves just the time in bed, in the shower, or bathroom during the night as times where I am unarmed. This can be easily supplemented at any time. The dog and I just took the kitchen compost out to our bear-proof composting cage. Instead of holstering up with a full-power sidearm, I just grabbed the M1 Carbine out of the closet and slung it for the 100 yard round trip in the late dusk semi-darkness. The pocket gun was the BUG.
 
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Carrying at home means you can holster (and conceal) your gun very quickly. Having a gun in hand makes you a target in lots of situations. Even in my own house (or shop, garage, barn, etc) I like the option of holstering instead of trying to stuff a full size “house gun” into my shorts.
 
If someone is able to breach my house so quickly that I don't have time to retrieve a weapon then I view that as a gross failure of planning on my part. Harden the doors and windows. If that's not possible then it's too vulnerable for me and I don't want to live there.

Also, people expect that they will be notified of an intruder by a loud crashing of a door being broken in. This isn't always so. It's possible to get in very quietly with just a little skill and although many criminals are dumb, many are quite crafty in certain areas.
 
Yeah, my home is hardened to the extent that when the alarms are set, I get a fairly loud announcement when any door or window is opened. Plus, I have two well-trained GSDs and a psycho Lab-Rottweiler mix that let me know if someone (or any critter even as small as a squirrel) is walking up my 200-foot driveway to the house or is over the fence in the backyard. Then I have #3, firearms staged throughout the house (always a chore when the grandkid is coming for a visit but they're all well above toddler level anyway); finally, unless I'm in the shower or getting in bed, there's a gun on my hip

Quite probably many here might think me paranoid but after many years in law enforcement and a stint in corrections as well, having already been stalked a few times and threatened on multiple occasions, and after a break-in attempt at the abode that resulted in two tweakers going back to prison, I figure I'm just gonna err on the side of caution.

And I live out in the woods on a dead-end road in a semi-rural area. I rather pity those that reside in urban/metro areas.
 
shafter said:
Also, people expect that they will be notified of an intruder by a loud crashing of a door being broken in. This isn't always so. It's possible to get in very quietly with just a little skill and although many criminals are dumb, many are quite crafty in certain areas.
Click to expand...

Absolutely true. Unwelcome intrusions does not necessarily happen through the front door. People easily forget to close and lock their rear doors, or backyard sliding doors. And most of the time when relieving and airing out the bathroom windows from fog and moisture.
 
I have three doors that open into my house, and some big windows. There are too many possible combinations of my location, off-body gun location, and potential entry routes to analyze all the possible combinations.

So, I prefer to have my carry gun on me when at home. Carrying at home means that my gun is always stored safely, and on-body carry is the quickest way to bring a gun to bear in an emergency.

The Philster enigma holster is a good match for carry in the more comfortable clothing that we like to wear at home: https://www.phlsterholsters.com/phlster-enigma/
 
shafter said:
If someone is able to breach my house so quickly that I don't have time to retrieve a weapon then I view that as a gross failure of planning on my part. Harden the doors and windows.
Click to expand...
Bingo. The first step in a layered defense is preventing BGs from getting in, or at least making it difficult, time-consuming, and noisy enough that they might give up and go look for a different house; if not you have time to prepare yourself.
 
RikSors said:
In my home, deterrence is key. Cameras, well lighted, and having a dog gets me a peaceful sleep.
Resorting to weapons is the final straw. Once intruder is inside, there is no duty to retreat.
Click to expand...

Yep and I don't walk around with a weapon in the house but I do have them loaded and placed in strategic locations. Outside the house is a whole different deal.
 
2. Carry at home.

And my philosophy is try to carry a handgun you would prefer to defend yourself with whether at home or elsewhere.
Which may not necessarily be the most convenient to carry but more advantageous if it comes to use.
Example using common pistols, Ruger LCP and Glock 19; the LCP is more convenient to carry, the Glock 19 is advantageous in every other way.
It doesn't matter if someone is kicking in my door or threatening my life on a "quick trip to the store" the Glock 19 is what I'd want in hand, not the LCP.
Try to carry accordingly.
Naivety disclaimer: I know many are not going to make the effort to carry a "decent" handgun everywhere; so, though I realize my advice is mostly futile, I'm posting it nonetheless.
 
Several years ago, I thought through my situation here in our old farm house. We(especially mrs)were fairly vulnerable downstairs, as all my guns are upstairs locked away. If someone broke in quickly, we would be caught unarmed.
I remodeled our under stairway closet and added a flush mount, between the studs wall safe and solid wood core door with a decent locking door latch. In that closet is my HD rifle and two loaded 357s. Flashlight, ammo, cash and passports in the safe. It would be a bit of a stretch to call it a safe room....but that is how we use it. It is also the designated storm shelter.
 
I have pistols stashed within reach in my home office and next to my reading chair. No resident kids. Locked up when the grandkids come or when expecting non-gun visitors. I have a nightstand gun, my EDC Glock 19 and a Mossberg 590 next to the bed.

I agree that hardening the house is an excellent idea. Time buys options.
 
I have motion-activated solar-powered lights around my home, with cameras covering the approaches.
The yard is fully fenced, with the remote door bell by the gate.
The p.a. system loudspeaker runs off of a solar battery as well.
-And that's all that I'm saying about my home defenses... .
 
Skribs said:
... I lived alone, no kids, ...
Click to expand...

Skribs said:
... Carry while I'm at home ...
Click to expand...

I live alone and have for almost 15 years. I have my alarm system setup with 2 annunciator panels, 1/ea in a central main-floor location and on my bedside "table". I have enough Zones (mostly PIR) setup that when the alarm system triggers I can watch the on the closest annunciator panel to determine if there is anyone actually moving around in here. Goes well with the inside & out WiFi cameras that I added last year. :)

Doors and windows are always secured.

The alarm system triggering also activates the dozen exterior floods and several key, core, interior lighting units.

When I go to bed, my carry piece goes from holster to the bedside "table".

Works for me. Best of luck sorting out your situation. ;)
 
#3 is the best choice. If you have a gun you can't get to, then you don't have a gun. I have several at the ready in different places, so that I will never have a threat between me and some type of gun.
 
Yes.

But, I also have various layers, like video cameras, the dog, and the like, to lessen the element of surprise.

I have certain freedom for being in a child-free stand-alone house, too.
So, a condo does offer complications.

It might be worth investing in a gun lockbox at one or both of the extremes of travel within your condo. That would halve your travel distance.

They also make doorbell cameras now, that use the existing peephole in the door, as you may not be able to make willy-nilly modifications to the "shared" portions of the condo.
 
@Skribs you just need to decide what works for you.

I follow your option 3. Live in a no crime area. Live by myself, my grandchildren are old enough and trained, no little kids in the house.

Using your option 3 i stash DA revolvers. Doesnt take any thought on how they work. Doesnt matter whether its a Smith, a Colt, a Ruger, or a Taurus. Bedside i have 2 revolvers (NY reload, solves the limited capacity).

This was inspired by my wife. Not really a shooter but trained and very willing to defend herself. She didn't like semiautomatics as the brass popped out and she had to watch out for slide bite. I attempted to show her how to use a speedloader. She said she doesn't need that. I asked why. She responded with, "I'll just go to the next gun".
.
.
 
RikSors said:
Absolutely true. Unwelcome intrusions does not necessarily happen through the front door. People easily forget to close and lock their rear doors, or backyard sliding doors. And most of the time when relieving and airing out the bathroom windows from fog and moisture.
Click to expand...
Also, always check all your doors and windows after you have any repair or service people in the house. Sometimes unscrupulous ones will unlock a back window or a seemingly unused door so their "friends" can get in at a later time.
 
Home carry. Simple.

And I think because it's possible to have larger more powerful guns strategically stored throughout the home, a small pistol can be used to get to a more appropriate firearm. It's one of the few scenarios where the phrase "a handgun is used to fight your way to a long gun" can actually apply to an average person.
 
If I’m awake and something happens then I reach for my right front pocket. If I’m asleep I reach on top of the chest of drawers. My almost 3 yr old can’t get up there just yet, but she already is learning not to touch a gun by use of toy guns. She knows that if it gets touched she gets her hand swatted.
 
Skribs said:
When I first got into guns, I had what I considered (and still do) to be a typical arrangement for home defense. I had a handgun in a handgun safe near the bed, and a long gun in the bedroom closet. If something goes bump in the night, I grab the handgun. I then decide if it's something suspicious to investigate (which I did a few times, false alarms), or if it's definitely dangerous, and I should grab the long gun and bunker down.

But then I realized something. My condo was relatively horseshoe-shaped. From the front door, you could go left to the living room and bedroom. Or go right to the office, dining room, and kitchen. If I was in one of the rooms to the right and someone broke in, I'm cut off from the guns in the bedroom. My solution was to hide one under the desk in the office. (I lived alone, no kids, so I wasn't worried about anyone finding it).

I'm looking at a similar situation in my next house. If I'm asleep in my bedroom, with the typical arrangement of nightstand gun and a long gun in the closet safe, then I've got my defense plan. If I'm anywhere else in the house and someone breaks in from the front, I'm cut off. If I'm upstairs and someone breaks in, I'm cut off.

My options, as far as I can figure, are:
  1. Accept the risk of a home invasion happening when I'm not asleep
  2. Carry while I'm at home
  3. Stash guns in such a way that I can get to a gun no matter what part of the house I'm in
I'm leaning towards #3. Is your home setup based on likely scenarios of potential cutoff routes?
Click to expand...

Who else lives with you? If someone under 21 lives with you I wouldn't use the stash approach. If you live alone the stash approach would have MUCH less liability.

These Alien Gear "hook and loop" holsters do an excellent job of securing firearms. I have had my XDS .45acp stashed in my truck with one of these holsters and it hasn't moved a hair in many years. The retention on these are adjustable so you can make them easy enough to pull your gun out but with enough resistance to keep it in place.
https://aliengearholsters.com/shapeshift-hook-and-loop-holster-with-velcro-5155.html.html

The Alien Gear carry holsters are too bulky for my liking but these hook and loop holsters are terrific. They use a VERY strong hook and loop (Velcro) fastener that won't fail on you... like I said, several years in my truck and hasn't moved a hair.
 
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