Panic at the gun locker in the night

A

Arcticfox

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Jul 31, 2006
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Well, I had quite the wake-up call this morning (pardon the pun.) My security alarm went off at 5:00 AM. It has NEVER had a false trip. I jumped up and went for the gun-vault under my bed, and could not get it to open (the battery was low). I spent about a minute pushing buttons, and gave up. So, I ran to my backup (the locker) and in the dim light, and half asleep, I could not remember, or work the code. The thought going through my mind was, "I am screwed." It took a good minute to get it open. There is a lesson here, and I am trying to fully understand the best fix for it. Understand that I have been using these vaults for over a decade, so they are not new to me.

What I learned is, that when it's go-time, you need something in your hand RIGHT NOW! Not fumbling with buttons, codes, dials, or the like. I was comforted to know that what I grabbed didn't need to be racked, or unsafetied (two more things to fiddle with under duress).

Anyone have a methodology for being fully ready in the night?
 
I trust this was indeed a false trip?

It seems to me that you covered it:
Arcticfox said:
What I learned is, that when it's go-time, you need something in your hand RIGHT NOW! Not fumbling with buttons, codes, dials, or the like. I was comforted to know that what I grabbed didn't need to be racked, or unsafetied (two more things to fiddle with under duress).
Click to expand...
 
Most of my guns are locked in safe's. But there is a handgun in the night stand by my bed. My kids are grown and out of the house. It is just my wife and I so I I don't have to worry about kids getting their hands on one. But even when the kids were home there was a gun close by and inaccessible.
 
jmr40 said:
Most of my guns are locked in safe's. But there is a handgun in the night stand by my bed. My kids are grown and out of the house. It is just my wife and I so I I don't have to worry about kids getting their hands on one. But even when the kids were home there was a gun close by and inaccessible.
Click to expand...
I don't have kids in the house. I keep them locked in-case there is a break in. No one can touch them. But in this instance, neither could I, when it mattered.
 
Arcticfox said:
I don't have kids in the house. I keep them locked in-case there is a break in. No one can touch them. But in this instance, neither could I, when it mattered.
Click to expand...
Not much of a break-in risk to have one in the night stand. I understand not wanting the bad guys to be running around with one of your guns. I guess you need to weigh that possibility against your home defense needs. I live in a low crime area, no kids in the house, so keeping one in the night stand works for me.
 
Arcticfox,

Hahahahahaha ... most (if not all) of us have gone thru something like that. Over the years I have done it more than once, especially after moving to a new place. Welcome to the Club. :)

Arcticfox said:
Anyone have a methodology for being fully ready in the night?
Click to expand...

I live alone in what my sister sometimes refers to as The Fortress. Big house in the woods in a rural location.

My carry pistol is on my beside table. If I awake to the alarm system triggering I sit up and spend a "stay-calm&-focussed" 20-30 seconds studying the annunciator panel as I retrieve & turn-on my bedside Peltors and get my brain in gear.

As I study the panel I leave the sirens&screamers on and the lights flashing as that serves to drive away all but serious threats.

The annunciator panel will tell me if anyone is moving in the house (multiple PIR detectors). With the multiple camera system that I installed awhile back, I have the option of observing many key areas inside and outside my home ... but I have not yet worked that into my SOP.

If I ever experience one of these situations and detect someone(s) moving around, my plan is to call 911 (staying online with them), hunker down, gun in-hand, in my open bedroom doorway at the end of the unlit hallway oriented toward the well-lit house core and wait for the troops to arrive.

And, no ... I will not clear the house if there is any indication that I am not alone in here.
 
Related. Back when my life was simpler. My response to an unexpected visitor while I was sleeping ...

Alternatives to AR-15 for Home Defense

If you carry concealed, it makes the most sense to focus on the handgun and stick with it for home defense as well. You can concentrate all your training (instructor-lead), and practice, all your familiarity, all your resources (time, ammo, accessories like holsters, sites, magazines, etc.) on...
www.thehighroad.org

:)
 
Keep your carry gun in there, so you access it at least twice a day, if you don’t carry, keep your keys, wallet or something else you have with you during the day, that will force you to become accustomed to accessing your firearm.

If you can’t have it in hand in the dark, the method of storage is no good and a minute might as well be an hour, once someone is already in your house. I have systems in place that let me know when someone is on our property, before they can even reach the house, for added time to get ready.
 
GBExpat said:
Arcticfox,

Hahahahahaha ... most (if not all) of us have gone thru something like that. Over the years I have done it more than once, especially after moving to a new place. Welcome to the Club. :)



I live alone in what my sister sometimes refers to as The Fortress. Big house in the woods in a rural location.

My carry pistol is on my beside table. If I awake to the alarm system triggering I sit up and spend a "stay-calm&-focussed" 20-30 seconds studying the annunciator panel as I retrieve & turn-on my bedside Peltors and get my brain in gear.

As I study the panel I leave the sirens&screamers on and the lights flashing as that serves to drive away all but serious threats.

The annunciator panel will tell me if anyone is moving in the house (multiple PIR detectors). With the multiple camera system that I installed awhile back, I have the option of observing many key areas inside and outside my home ... but I have not yet worked that into my SOP.

If I ever experience one of these situations and detect someone(s) moving around, my plan is to call 911 (staying online with them), hunker down, gun in-hand, in my open bedroom doorway at the end of the unlit hallway oriented toward the well-lit house core and wait for the troops to arrive.

And, no ... I will not clear the house if there is any indication that I am not alone in here.
Click to expand...
Sounds like you have a good apparatus to indicate who is where in your house. That is helpful.
 
Preparedness fail. You had a major brain fart.

The proper solution was to just grab your shower gun.

You do have a shower gun, don't you?

SHOWERGUN_2.jpg
 
Simplest solution Ive found to that is just keep the gun I carry in its holster, in my pants (fireman style) ready to go, right next to the bed. Everything I need is in them (light, reload, knife, etc), and I can have them on faster than you can get up and open a safe.

We also have a couple of handgun safes in parts of the house that are away from things as back ups. They get their batteries changed once a year when I change out the batteries in the red dots on a couple of rifles I normally use. They also all have a piece of tape on the door with the last date they were changed. They dont get used much either, just randomly checked here and there throughout the year, so the batteries really have no load on them and are basically fresh.

You were lucky and had a proving drill and found some weak points. Address them and move on.

Just a thought here, but layering your alarms so no one gets even close to the house, let alone, through the door, and if possible, having a large, furry, and aggressive to the uninvited roving security team inside, will give you some time to wake up, get some coffee, and wander down and see what all the ruckus is about, should someone actually get through the door. Coffee clears out the cobwebs nicely and makes the safes easier to open too. 😁
 
I was going to give some advice, but I don't have kids, and my wife works with kids with complex ADHD and autism, and some of them have some unbelievable impulse control problems. I don't know that anyone can provide some real advice without knowing your life situation.

But I know about batteries. Some batteries (the dogs' control collars) I replace once per month, and some I do on my birthday (sights on optics.) Maybe you should pick an appropriate duration and just set a timer in your phone so you don't forget. Maybe replace the batteries every 3 months? Test it weekly just to make sure it still works?
 
holl said:
I also have young kids in the house. At night the trigger lock is removed from my 870 and it's moved next to the bed. First thing in the morning the lock goes back on and it's moved to a more hidden location.
Click to expand...

I had an over 5ft tall chest of drawers in the corner of our room with just enough room for me to reach between it and the wall, by the time I had a child that could get to it, they already knew how to run it.
 
My plan is I have a Glock with a mounted light within about 2 feet from where I sleep, round chambered and ready to TCB. There are several other Glocks secreted through the house in the same condition in such a way that no matter what point of entry a perp may use or attempt to use to enter, there will be a gun available.
 
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