Somewhat related story. I used to work with this girl, her boyfriend got her pregnant and was then not happy that she was going to have the baby, so one night he came into her apt while she was sleeping and tried to beat her up with an iron (you know, the kind that flattens clothes). She wasn't a big girl, probably 5'7" or maybe a little more and thin, but she ended up putting him in the hospital and had the baby.

Under the right circumstances things can work out alright, but still, if I was in a situation, I'd want the odds to weigh heavily in my favor.

Even so, I don't have a gun. I'm not against, or afraid of them. I just don't feel like I need one. I guess that it's fortunate that I live in a neighborhood where I often see kids bikes laying in front yards when I take my dog for a walk. It's a pretty safe place.

I do not read gun studies in my spare time. I did not know we had to back every opinion up with data? ;) The above is just my opinion. I may have pulled it out of a dark place in your eyes, but I like to think of probabilities.

I like my guns locked up - this way it is highly unlikely I will stare down the barrel of my own gun the wrong way. If someone in the family goes postal, I prefer them not to use my guns. If they find another method or weapon, I would feel a lot better about it.

I feel perfectly safe with locked guns at my house. I would feel very unsafe with loaded guns spread throughout the house. Especially when coming home. Again, this is my opinion. Everyone should keep the guns the way they like them at their house. This thread asked where you keep your piece - let's not drag this into the political OT. I do not read threads on that side.

Cheers,

George

Just a couple of points to ponder:

I'm not so paranoid that I MUST have a firearm available within seconds, and figure no one could enter my house without giving me ample time to grab one.

One of my best friends took a shotgun blast to the face when he was 16 many years ago (he should not be here). He doesn't talk about it, but a few months ago, he was showing me the gun (along with his new safe), and I asked him what happened. "Just a couple of kids fooling around...:("

Many years ago, a co-worker had to come into work for a few hours on a Sunday evening. When she went home, she discovered her 14 year old had taken his life with a shotgun, and she found him. I played volleyball with her (and her son), and NO one had any idea...simply tragic.

I don't have kids, but my neighbor's boys (5 & 3) are sometimes in my house alone (go in to use the bathroom, etc.).

When my "spidey senses" go off, or I'm in certain scenarios (like out in the woods, desolate boat ramps, etc), or see dogs "packing" in my neighborhood, I make one readily available, but not all the time.

I'm like Higgins' boys...I've had guns since I was 9, but most kids aren't exposed to them and kid's are VERY curious creatures, watch too much fantasy TV and video games, etc. and have NO clue.

BE CAREFUL!!!

as everyjuan knows times is tough and probably will be for awhile. and just like the depression crime goes up. example this am news a guy dressed as a chick robs the M&I bank just north of me on scottsdale road. this is happening more and more. here in arizona home invasions are up, vehicle theft always rank high here due to border being close etc. my suggestion to everyjuan who can.........get your CCW permit and buy a safe......or two. safe stores always have trade ins of various sizes, big and small. cheap insurance.

since i live alone with my younger son sometimes spending time here, whenever i go out to garage at night to work on something, i always pack a pistol. whenever i go on a "add a part" gun spree or "clean various guns spree: and have a weapon apart in garage i always pack another pistol and no ammo for the gun i am werking on. makes simple sense not to allow anyone even the slightest chance to use it against me or someone else.

very common crime here is the old run into the garage or defeat the garage door entry and grab whatever they can crime. or people leaving garage doors open at night.

at night all my doors and windows are locked. have security door front and rear.

as far as my safes........well im the only juan that goes in and out of them period. everyjuan of my guns in either safe ARE ALL LOADED or mags right next to them. i do not leave rounds in the pipe ever. no guns are loaded in my house EVER! ie. one in pipe. ALL MY WEAPONS HAVE YELLOW NRA BOLT OPEN SAFETY INDICATOR FLAGS ON THEM to indicate a clear chamber. and in a crisis situation these can be removed in a heartbeat and the weapon brought to battery if need be.

when im out in the garage i always lock the laundry room door when werking on weapons that way nojuan can dry gulch me. i take it dead serious and take all precautions to avoid any problemos. most people set themselves up for problems by being careless. some incidents are unavoidable. but for the most part inattention to surroundings is what gets people into a crisis situation.

the smartest thing any of you can do is train family members proper firearms handling. ie. show the newbees the differences btwn a wheel gun, a semi, a shotgun, a bolt action and get them familiar with how they werk. train all of them to consider every gun ALWAYS LOADED and how to DISABLE weapon when weapon is handed to them. ie. CLEAR WEAPON!

on any semi ALWAYS REMOVE MAG/CLIP then RACK ACTION BACK AND LOOK IN CHAMBER! this is where bolt open safety flags come in handy. no dorking around. YOU KNOW CHAMBER IS CLEAR WITH FLAG INSERTED!

a little time spent now can mean lots of safety down the road. most accidents (AD's) are because someone is not familiar with weapon and how to clear it.

My appologies, George. That first statement just strikes a raw nerve with me. You presented it as a fact, not your opinion, so my first thought was "here we go again..." Like I said, I just see these kinds of statements coming from the anti-gun side of the argument all too frequently. Sorry I jumped on you about it.

You are absolutely right in that we should all do whatever makes us comfortable. Some of us find it unthinkable to have a loaded, readily accessable gun in the house. Some of us find it unthinkable not to have one. And everything in between. Without pushing this even more towards the political, as long as we are all free to make these choices for ourselves and our families, everything is good. There are, however, folks that would dearly love to make these choices for us. They often lead in with precisely the kind of statement you made, so I tend to be a bit sensitive to such. Maybe too sensitive.

At some point in the near future I would like to get a gun to take to the range and shoot just for the sheer fun of it. Maybe I am just lucky, but at no point in my life have I ever been in a situation where I have wished that I had a gun on me or have ever thought that I needed to have a gun in arm's reach while I slept for the night. Or maybe I am just naive.

It's like a fire extinguisher. You hope you never need it and most people never will. But if you ever find yourself in a situation where you do need one, you'll be AWFULLY glad you had one.

YES YES YES!

This is the bit the non-gun folk don't understand.

Even if you don't NEED a gun it's fun to take a gun to a range and shoot holes in paper.

Nobody NEEDS a television either.

Oops, off original topic. As you were.

I use a Gun Vault in the bedroom that contains a Glock 17 with a light on it. Only my wife and I can get to the gun. Access is very quick and possible in the dark due to the design of the Gun Vault key pad.
Downstairs I store my long guns and a few pistols in a large, fire resistant gun safe. Access to these guns is limited to my wife and me but is fairly slow because of the conventional key pad combination entry. I intend to get another Gun Vault downstairs and possible one for long guns that they offer.

We have three young children and often have visiting children in the house. I rest easy knowing nothing is left out and available to be discovered.
Troy