Status of Loaded Guns in your home....

[Glenn Berryhill]

Yes, all the firearms that aren't in the safes are loaded; handguns in Condition 1, long guns in cruiser-ready.

We've had our rural home broken into twice (never went well for any of the intruders), the wife has been the victim of an assault, as has one of our children; I have had a hit put out on me by a criminal gang (and even been stalked by an ex-employee -- who was known to go armed -- whom I got fired).


There are any number of cases out there where this concept has been proven wrong. Obviously, if one has children in the household, or regular visitors, there are precautions and exceptions, but there's really no one-size-fits-all answer.

It's good to be retired, and at home almost all of the time...

But I understand that everyone has a different situation.

Dang, sounds like you may need a body guard or two. Great to hear the intruders weren't successful and you and family are OK.

 

[Mosin77]

I keep my home defense pistol unloaded on top of my dresser, with a loaded mag nearby. High enough to be seriously difficult for little hands to reach. They’d have to find a step stool in another room and bring it in. Easy to load in about a second if necessary but I feel better keeping the guns unloaded with kids in the house, even though they’re all extremely well behaved and familiar with firearms and safe handling. They see me handle guns so frequently, I doubt they have a bit of curiosity.

 

[plainsdrifter]

We live out a bit (25 miles) from town. Just the wife and I and critters. I keep a shotgun tube loaded no round in the chamber, safety on, under the bed and my EDC is always with me- and I mean everywhere. To me, what’s the point of all this training, practice, reloading yadda yadda, if I am not prepared. I have met Murphy a few times in life and he always visits when I am least prepared. I love my home and wife and critters and if someone comes to do us harm, I would never forgive myself for not being ready. Also have a j frame loaded in a spot that is a half-way point to most things in the house. If we leave the house, all firearms are placed in the safe, except of course my edc.
PS: when ANY children or teenagers or adults I don’t know very well or trust yet, come for a visit, all firearms are put in the safe except my edc. Being 55 I still remember how crafty I was as a kid finding my Dad’s guns and ammo. I was taught well by him to respect firearms, but I was still a curious kid who wanted to make things go bang and blow stuff up (nothing’s changed for me there

That in red. Murphy has visited me twice, I've had guns pulled on me by low life's and I wasn't prepared. It ain't gonna happen three times.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

We live in a rural county and deputies can be a long way away if needed.
There's a pump shotgun with shells in the tube and a Single Six in a front hall closet kept handy for coons.
A revolver by the bed and an AR in the bedroom closet with a magazine in it and spares on the dresser for the back of the house.
Various and sundry other guns are in the safe and loaded as well.

 

[35 Whelen]

No right or wrong answer. I have eight grandkids aging from 4 to 14 and they all know to never touch a firearm without me present, and they never do.

When I used to teach hunter education, I told every class, every time- "There is no such thing as an unloaded firearm." And this is true at my house.

35W

 

[Hokkmike]

No right or wrong answer. I have eight grandkids aging from 4 to 14 and they all know to never touch a firearm without me present, and they never do.

When I used to teach hunter education, I told every class, every time- "There is no such thing as an unloaded firearm." And this is true at my house.

35W

It is a good answer EXCEPT I would never trust a 4 year old not to make a mistake.

 

[bnolsen]

I keep one loaded on me at all times. I have another in a safe in a drawer next to the bed that I don't lock. Other things I might have like rifles I have the mags separate but available.

 

[Sniper66]

I've never kept a loaded gun in the house, but do keep ammo in close proximity to my guns. I can load a gun in seconds. But, recently, with lawless behavior in our community and the steadily increasing numbers of likely terrorists being invited into our country, my wife actually said she wants to have a loaded gun in the house. So, I'll have a short barreled HD shotgun under our bed for now.

 

[SSN Vet]

We all must weigh the risk vs. reward equation for our specific circumstances and priorities.

I myself have long considered the risk of having unauthorized hands having an accident with my firearms, or of engaging a perceived threat only to find it was one of my teenagers (or their friends) sneaking in/out of the house to be much higher than the risk of me not being able to access those firearms quickly enough to successfully deal with a home invader.

Hence all firearms are under lock and key, unless on my person. Those designated for self defense are stored condition 1, in a quick access lock box (Gun Vault), strategically located on each floor of the house.

 

[The Night Rider]

It is a good answer EXCEPT I would never trust a 4 year old not to make a mistake.

I wouldn't trust a 14 year old.

I can think of a list of things that my parents told me never to do and I did almost all of them

 

[bearcreek]

I wouldn't trust a 14 year old.

I can think of a list of things that my parents told me never to do and I did almost all of them

At what age would you trust a person?

 

[The Night Rider]

At what age would you trust a person?

Not to do stupid things? Never.

like it or not there's studies that indicate a human being's brain, especially the part that governs impulse, control does not fully develop till they're in their early twenties.

I wouldn't trust my kids not to have a momentary lapse or do stupid things until they were adults.

But this isn't a question of trust. The question was what's the status of firearms in your home. They're either under my direct personal control loaded or not or they're locked up loaded or not.

My house, my rules.

 

[SeanSw]

We keep one pistol in the bedroom safe and a handful of loaded pistols and revolvers on the top shelf of the safe. In this house, if a pistol is stored holstered that means it is loaded and ready to be fired, so everything on the top shelf rests in a holster but it's mostly smaller ccw pieces. I don't like unnecessary adminstrative handling of ccw pieces so they tend to remain loaded and mated with the holster. The long gun safe has a cruiser ready Mossberg 500 12ga.

My goal for the future is to have one SHTF safe on every floor of the house. My wife isn't comfortable or familar enough with the Mossberg 500 or AR15 to make them a viable 1st choice for home use. The only time my wife was compelled to hunker down and access a firearm for safety (forced entry attempt) she went to the safe and pulled out the gun she was most comfortable with, a S&W model 67, even though other considerable firepower was available.

 

[Old Hobo]

I wouldn't trust a 14 year old.

I can think of a list of things that my parents told me never to do and I did almost all of them

As well-disciplined as a 14-yr old can be, he'll be bringing his friends over. Never trust somebody else's kids -- you've no idea how they were raised. Some "very well behaved people" have broken glass between their ears and can change personality in seconds. Ever worked with psych patients?! Been there. Seen that. All's well, then BOOM! There are more psychologically marginal people out there than is generally known. If you imagine that you can tell if someone is prone to a psych breakdown, you are wrong.

Lock up the firearms that are not in current use. I'm a big advocate of gun safes. If you need fast access, such safes are on the market and readily available. If we will be away from the house and nobody here, then I lock-up all of my firearms. If you have a carry permit, clear your home before settling down for the evening. If anything has been disturbed or the other entrances compromised, leave! Call the cops if any tampering has occurred. Never forget that garage doors are often the point of entry for burglars and home invaders.

 

[InTheSwamp]

Not to do stupid things? Never.

That sums it up. Or, as Sam Norton used to say, 'Put your trust in the Lord; your ass belongs to me.'

 

[Scooter22]

Informative thread but I don't put out info like this online anymore. In this anti gun climate why would anyone. Not worth it. No I don't have a tinfoil hat. My windows are covered with it.

 

[eharri3]

Not a fan of loaded guns lying around everywhere, although I know people who do it to a certain extent. But they conceal them and use a small number carefully placed. Not in every nook and cranny of every room.

Aside from the fact that I have a kid I would not want a home invader to pick up guns I have lying around un secured and get into a shoot out with me using my own guns. Nor would I want to be holed up in my house doing the math trying to remember what I have concealed everywhere and what all a home invader might have gotten his hands on on his way up the stairs.

I'd feel dumb to be in the basement doing laundry, hear a crash upstairs, reach for a rifle and realize the druggie who just came in is doing the same thing upstairs in the living room. No perfect answers though, advantages and drawbacks to everything based on everyone's own risk assessments and cost/benefit analysis. What matters is that everybody does one.

If I really felt the need to make sure I can never swing an arm in my house without hitting a firearm I'd just always have one on my hip while at home. I sometimes come close as it often takes me a long time to make my way up to the bedroom safe to remove my EDC when I get home.

 

[mavracer]

With the exception of my CCW all the guns in my house are at a minimum behind a locked door.

 

[Rick McC.]

every handgun is loaded. Rifles not as much, other than 22 for varmit. Unless hunting season. I think it depends who is around.

I have loaded guns staged throughout my house as well.