Defensive Carry banner

Uneasy event

5K views 43 replies 36 participants last post by  tabraha 
#1 ·
So it's 1 AM here in the Midwest. Wife is sitting on the couch surfing the web. 3 year old daughter sleeping on the couch. I am sitting on the floor watching TV. All blinds are down so that means o one can look inside but they can see that the light is on. We hear a somehat loud thump. I thought the wife hit the wall with her elbow or something. After several seonds she starts getting freaked out saying that someone hit/knocked on the door and started running. At first I thought she was joking as we usually play pranks on each other. When I found it was real I got in defensive mode and told her to grab the kid and go upstairs while I shut the lights and went to grab the 9mm and the Mossy 500. I always keep the firearms accesible but with some kind of lock. It turns out I couldn't find the key for the 9mm. It took me nearly 2 minutes to find them and enter the combination for the mossy lock. This is totally unacceptable! For a moment I thought they could be scoping out the place and checking if the alarm would trip but I am convinced it was some bored kid. Real thugs will not knock a door and run like a scared kitten. What did I learn?

1. We need to come up with a clear way of communicating possible emergency situations. Something that leaves no room for misunderstandings.

2. I need to keep at least one firearm in ready mode. Not sure how to achieve this while making it safe for our daughter. I may look into one of those small gun safes that you can bolt under the bed like a V-Line.

I look forward to your comments and suggestions.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
2. I need to keep at least one firearm in ready mode. Not sure how to achieve this while making it safe for our daughter.
If you keep your primary defensive sidearm on your hip, it's safe there. Of course, that'll require a given comfort level and understanding with your family members, but then you won't have such situations again.

When you're asleep, it's fine to lock them up in a way that's quickly accessible by you. But, IMO, when you're awake you need to have it ready to go.
 
#4 ·
If you keep your primary defensive sidearm on your hip, it's safe there.
+1 G19 OWB right now. Strange things go on around here often as we're on a county road just outside city limits. There are a few guys who live farther out and seem to like to cruise our area on four-wheelers at some really odd hours. The other day I caught two girls standing in the middle of the road taking pictures of the house? When they saw me come out the door, I surprised them and then they acted like they were taking pictures of each other. Never know what folks are up to when they are outside their normal neighborhood. If they are casing the place-they'll get an eyefull--if they're smart, they won't do it again.
 
#5 ·
You mentioned commo.
That is vital.
Practice your commo and your response, from different locations: take turns giving the alarm, as there is no telling which of you will be alerted to a situation first.
You are better able than I to determine which defensive tool will be kept in ready condition.
If I were to give free advice -- and like the wise man said, free advice is often worth the price you pay for it -- the Mossberg is a fine persuader, not only as it acts as a hearing aid, and can speak loudly and persuasively in your behalf, but it's also not easy for a child to operate, thus reducing the chance of a tragic accident.
You are better, far better, able than I to determine what will serve your household best for its defensive tools and their ready condition.
One last thing.
Hug your child once for me.
My little girl was killed on her second birthday, twenty years ago and more, T-boned by a drunk driver.
 
#6 ·
Couple things:

1)Throw away those Brady trigger locks!! As you see, when seconds matter, your keys are only minutes away. Your entire family could have been wiped out before you could even think of where you put those keys. As you probably found also, when the adrenaline is running, it is hard to find that tiny little hole that you need to line the key up with to get it unlocked. That's a fine motor skill. You need gross motor skills under stressed times. These locks worked flawlessly for you according to the Brady's. It slowed you down enough to become a victim, and they are applauding that.

2)If you and your wife are pulling pranks on each other all the time, maybe it's time to scale that back. It's great to have fun and all, but if it is desensitizing you to what goes thump in the night.........not good.

3)Purchase one or more of those handgun safes that have the 4 finger code on the top of it. They run $69. Leave your handgun loaded at all times (no trigger lock) and put it in there. Make sure your wife knows the combo also. I would actually suggest one for each level of your home. It needs to be kept within the routine of your day. Such as upstairs, mounted to the dresser. Downstairs near the door that you use most or wherever you pass by regularly. On your hip is always going to be the best place for that firearm though!

4)Does your wife know how to use both your firearms? If not, teach her!

5)The mossy, as the other poster pointed out...that's a pretty safe firearm, that your child is not going to be able to load and operate on her own. Keep it accessible.

6)Flashlight! If you don't have one such as a Surefire G2 or better, get one. You turned the lights off, which was good. You hit the bad guy in the eyes with a defensive light, you will temporily blind him, perhaps long enough for you to move to safety. You also need to be able to identify the criminal. You can not just randomly shoot at an unidentified target. Could be your wife playing another prank on you!

7)This is the most important suggestion: EDUCATE YOUR CHILD ABOUT FIREARMS STARTING TODAY!!!! I can't stress that enough. If your child is old enough to have come home from the hospital, that is when the education begins! You are 3 years behind the eight ball, but you can catch up pretty rapidly. Start with the Eddie Eagle rules. Satisfy her curiousity of what they are and what they do. I will take a 4 year old child who has been educated about guns over a 10 year old, who Dad has a gun, put up on the back corner of the closet shelf, but has never shown the kid the gun. That kid will satisfy their own curiousity when Mom and Dad aren't around. Educate, educate, educate the children. As the anti's always scream, "it's for the safety of the children", so as it is for the law abiding, gun owning parent.

8)Finally, please move out of the god forsaken city and state in which you live in, and come join us in another state that respects your 2nd Amendment rights!!!! Live in the land of the free!
 
#7 ·
It says you're in Chicago......are you within city limits? I was under the impression there's a handgun ban or it's very strict there. I'm curious what the law is, I know you can't carry(unless you're LEO) but not sure about your private property.
I'd agree w/the others that you carry in the house or at least get a system down where its readily accessible and you can get it even in pitch black conditions.
This sounds a little like the scenario that was laid out in the Heller case, with Roberts laughing while he said the homeowner has to grab his glasses, turn on the light, go to the shotgun's trigger lock and put in a combination to open it if someone breaks in.
 
#10 ·
Linda had some really good ideas.

If you have to have a trigger lock by law, get one with a combo instead of key lock. I'm more in favor of a gunvault type of safe. I have one under the bed with a few handguns/magazines in it. I also have a shotgun mounted with a LifeJacket LJ3 in the master walk-in closet. I drilled 4 holes in it.

Agreed, no more pranks that involve safety.

I've also heard about having a small bag next to the bed when you sleep. Basically the OP said that they use a fanny pack with all the quick essentials - flashlight, keys, cell phone. That way if you need to get into action quickly, everything is there. You can put the fanny pack on & leave your hands free to hold a gun & flashlight.
 
#11 ·
I always keep my EDC on me when I'm home. No matter what. Even if that means my P3AT in my pocket. That way I always have something something on hand.

Wht :hand10:
 
#13 ·
My best friend keeps his Glock 19 loaded without a round in the chamber, and keeps it high in a kitchen cabinet so his daughter would have to clime to reach it.

Only takes a couple seconds to chamber a round, and yet it’s (somewhat) safe should his daughter get a hold of it.

And he takes the Glock with him when he leaves the house.

When his daughter was 8 or so years old he took her to the lake house, and with a 22 rifle, taught her how to shoot, and firearm safety.

Even though his daughter is now 14 years old, he still keeps the Glock without a round in the chamber. Just to be on the safe side.
 
#14 ·
Does this remind anyone else of the Heller Supreme Court Oral Arguments:

CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: So how long does it take? If your interpretation is correct, how long does it take to remove the trigger lock and make the gun operable.
MR. DELLINGER: You -- you place a trigger lock on and it has -- the version I have, a few -- you can buy them at 17th Street Hardware -- has a code, like a three-digit code. You turn to the code and you pull it apart. That's all it takes. Even -- it took me 3 seconds.
JUSTICE SCALIA: You turn on, you turn on the lamp next to your bed so you can -- you can turn the knob at 3-22-95, and so somebody
MR. DELLINGER: Well -
CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: Is it like that? Is it a numerical code?
MR. DELLINGER: Yes, you can have one with a numerical code.
CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: So then you turn on 2 the lamp, you pick up your reading glasses

(Laughter.)
I guess it is not so funny when it's real...:blink:
 
#15 ·
I keep a pistol on me all the time when conscious--Glock with chambered cartridge. When unconscious at night, with my wife the only other person in the house, I keep it within reach. Of course, that may not be feasible if children lived with me.

I would not choose a quick-access safe because either it could fail or I might not have time to enter the access code. Any gadget that would prevent my instant access to the defensive weapon introduces additional failure modes.
 
#16 ·
I carry unless i'm in the shower or sleeping if i'm sleeping the 1911 and sig is on the nightstand right next to the 12 gauge leaning against the wall with 5 00 buck and 1 in the chamber,and 2 more 00 in the side saddle with 3 brenenke slugs in case they dive behind the love seat I will show them some love
 
#17 ·
We have a biometric safe (Don't rant about these, been using biometrics for years with excellent results) in our headboard. Practice access regularly so it is automatic. We are starting to leave it open every night for excellent access. Just close the lid in the morning. Otherwise carry around the house in a pocket holster or IWB. Wife is waiting on a belt holster for hers. She will carry around the house as well.

+1 on educating the kids. My kids joke about all the gun safety classes I have sent them to. They get some form of training every year. Boy Scouts, Hunter Safety, Range safety course. They even sat in on my concealed carry class. My son wanted to go hunting with the adults. When he was little had a toy gun that he always had to have pointed in a safe direction. Later it was a bb gun. Once it was habit to handle safely then he could carry in the field. It has worked well for us and I am confident they will know what to do if they are presented with a firearms situation here or at a friends house.
 
#18 ·
My 2 cents.......Keep the gun on you at all times in a good quality holster. Let the young'n know you have it on and let he grow up knowing it's there. Teach her not to go telling other kids about it.
Teach Teach Teach. My daughter is much older ( 19 ) and I've only carried for a couple years but I've always had a gun or two. She would never have even considered touching it because I educated her on guns early on. Now she knows every time she sees me and I'm concious she knows I have a gun on me.
A good flashlight, like a Surefire is must. It's my guns best friend.
Another thing that hasn't been mentioned. If you're not prepared ahead of time, your daughter will see you both freaking out trying to figure out how to do what you need to do in order to protect yourself. It should be planned so it goes smooth without causing undue panic to your daughter and anyone else.
Above all... GET OUT OF THERE AND MOVE TO THE USA !!!!!!!
 
#22 ·
I took someone's advise on this forum which states " Always be armed". I took this literally to the point where I found myself walking across the house with only a towel rapped around me and my Glock19 at 2:00 in a Galco holster. This to some might seem a little extreme but I was prepared none the less. When you have kids at home, carrying is the safest way to go.
 
#23 ·
I know what you actually meant by saying that you have weapons accessible but when you can't find the key..........I could do a lot of damage in the two minutes it took you to find the key. Switch to a combination. Carry one on your side.
 
#25 ·
keep a handgun on or about you all the time when at your house
thats what I do, my G30 is sitting in my fobus paddle holster on the table next to my recliner as I type this
I usually slip this paddle holster on when I'm about the house, makes it real easy, easy on/off, and it sits on the night stand in this same holster at night next to my surefire,
my mossy 500 is hung above and inside our master bedroom closet door, me or the wife can reach up, grab, and rack on in real quick, its not visible unless you stick your head in the closet and look above the door
no way my 5 yr old can get it, keep the closet closed and keep the kid out of our room, it gets locked if we have other kids/company over

my wife knows that if I tell her to take cover, that means to get the kid to our room, hunker down in the corner by her night stand with the kid and her glock and the cell phone, I will then cover the hallway with my pistol and the mossy or AK (only one hall to go down to our rooms so its easy to cover)

definitely need to 1) get some form of set communication with the wife for a critical scenario, and 2) no more playing jokes/pranks on each other concerning situations like this, and 3) keep that pistol on you when at home as your scenario indicated
 
#29 ·
I have the gun vault and it works well. I'd use that for the handgun. For the shotgun I have been trying to think of a way to keep it loaded and ready but not use trigger locks and keep it away from the kids. I have several closets with the sliding folding doors and they are all ~5ft wide. I thought about putting a couple of support hooks (the kind you can screw into rafters to hang bikes in the garage) just above the opening and keep the shotty up there. Its out of sight and out of reach, and could be very easy to get to when needed. I think I might try it, it would be great to keep it close to the door.
 
#30 ·
^^ The biometric lock is a very neat feature. I've been thinking of how to have a solid plate that can mount in the wall, with a heavy bracket that holds the shotgun, topped off with a biometric lock for quick (but secure) access. I, too, want to mount it just inside the door of the closet.
 
#31 ·
Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. We are taking a little bit of everyone's advice. My wife and I went through several scenarios and worked out what to say and do depending where the threat is coming from. She is not comfortable with the pistol (she wants to try a revolver) but can comfortably operate the shotgun. For the moment we are keeping the Mossy unlocked in the master bedroom closet top rack. It's practically invisible when you enter the closet. It is inaccesible to the kid so we are good to go. I will now look for a nice holster and a Surefire. Still thinking about the gun vault.

We have our daughter covered. She is no stranger to firearms. She has been taught the Eddie Eagle. She can effectively identify the shotgun, rifle and handgun and follow the stop, dont touch, go get an adult. At least we got something right.

Fortunately enough I live in a suburb, not in Chicago. This is getting nowhere with our rights so we will definitely be moving out of the Republic of Illinois. We are just waiting for the real estate market to improve.
 
#33 ·
It is inaccesible to the kid so we are good to go.
Man, I don't know. We kept our liquor cabinet locked and I thought I'd hidden the key in an un-findable place. I even moved the key from time to time. Now that my daughter's are adults, I've learned that they always found the key. I used to think I had a drinking problem and now find out it was just my kids and their friends depleting my "cache".:image035:

Cloudpeak
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top