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Why I always carry, even at home

7K views 93 replies 45 participants last post by  CavemanBob 
#1 ·
Here's just another example of why I choose to carry even when I'm home. These incidents can suddenly come at you out of the blue, even in rural areas:

 
#8 ·
We live in a nice area with very low crime rates. We are on the edge of city with city to one side and farms and Christmas tree farms to the other side. It would be easy to think nothing will ever happen here.

My wife was listening to her police scanner. The state police were chasing a vehicle on the freeway with three armed occupants. They vehicle took the exit near us and city police joined the chase. The car crashed about three blocks from us and the occupants ran three different directions. Fortunately, they were all captured without harm.

Black bear have been spotted in our area. A cougar killed a goat less than a mile from us on a farm. I carry from the time I get dressed until it goes on the nightstand when I go to bed.
 
#9 ·
A number of years ago, back when we lived in suburban metro Denver, we had some bank robbers being pursued by LE dump their car across the street from our house. The perps took off running and LE lost track of them. The next thing we knew, reverse 911s went out, SWAT came rolling in and was performing house-house search for the perps. I'm not sure of the eventual outcome but stuff does happen, sometimes really close to home.

Several weeks ago, our neighbor lost 3 goats in their barn to two mountain lions. The owner heard the commotion in the night and went out and terminated one of the lions, not realizing there was a second. After killing the one lion, he went in and called Wildlife which dispatched an officer. It was then that the owner realized that there were only 2 dead goats in the barn, one was still missing. The wildlife officer tracked down the second lion which had dragged a goat carcass to some nearby boulders and he terminated that lion on the spot.
 
#21 ·
Some years ago, when we lived in the once-Golden-State, there was a sheriff's helo hovering over our (once nice and safe) neighborhood cautioning everyone to go indoors and lock all doors and windows. A bad guy was eluding LE by jumping fences and crossing back yards.

As this statistically safe neighborhood declined through the years, we had numerous thefts of power garden equipment from our side yard, and my car was broken into twice. Adding to these alarming events, DW was in a Nordstroms when a high speed chase concluded INSIDE the same store at the same time.

The point is that you just never know.

We now live in an especially low crime area in a low crime state. I typically arm-up w my concealed piece at home. It offers an extra measure of piece of mind when answering the door or working in the garage w the door open to the street.

You just never know.

.
 
#13 ·
#15 · (Edited)
I've seen a lot of folks who look like her. Meth does an amazing job of making a human look like they've been stuffed in a casket after someone forgot to embalm them and buried for a year or two.

At the moment, I'm carrying a G22 with a G31 barrel, 2 spare mags, 125 gr HST's in the gun and one spare, and the other spare mag with 2100 fps Underwood .357 Sig, plus a G48 with 15+1 of 124 gr HST weak side AIWB. 46 rounds of .357, 16 rounds of 9mm.

No problems. Just in case.
 
#24 ·
Any time, any place. Always carry, never tell. Had an incident a few years ago in the little town I used to live in. Heard commotion next door, 2300; meth head neighbors boy friend was breaking down the door to get to her. Wife called PoPo while I kept him covered. He ran to the back yard when the cops arrived a few minutes later; was really surprised when I lit him up for the officers. He never knew I was there.
 
#30 · (Edited)
Not on me but I have a few 1911s stationed around the house within close reach. A few years ago while watching TV I heard a car go by at an extreme rate of fuel consumption followed by three Deputies with lights and sirens. The road I live on Ts with US 13 with a big pond across the street, he managed to make the turn and headed north on Hwy 13 the turned onto O’Berry road until he ran off the road and had a violent encounter with a tree. Being unconscious when the Deputies are he was arrested without incident.
 
#37 ·
I carry at home. Have been since I started carrying.

A gun won't do much good if it isn't there when you need it. (It may be an old cliche, but old cliches are usually true.)
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. True, if you don't mind a handful of bird poo.
 
#38 ·
I suppose everyone should do a risk analysis and make their own decisions.

I don’t carry in the home. It’s my one area to decompress and unwind.
I have firearms handy around the house, and may put a j frame in the pocket or a 1911 in the waistband when out and about on the property, but I turn it off when I am at home inside.
 
#41 ·
I think the easy solution is to simply have decent doors/locks at your entry points to the home and keep them locked. I dont need to carry a gun (on me) if I construct a fairly secure condition to begin with. I can always walk to a desk drawer and retrieve a handgun if need be. If a person is carrying a gun around due to the fact that their level of security sucks, it really isnt the way to go in my estimation.
 
#42 ·
Everyone's situation is different. I have 2 known certifiably scary crazy military convicts who know weapons and effective tactics, with death threats against me. If they attack it will be fast, surprising, and hard. I also have a family member at home recovering from suicide attempts. Guns are prepositioned around the house, but in safes. Doors are kept locked, but with kids coming and going I can't guarantee it 100% of the time. Therefore I'm carrying whenever I'm awake. Not a big deal, and not uncomfortable.
 
#53 ·
As for me, yes, from the time I put on my pants until I get into bed. I'm not paranoid. I'm just prepared. It's pretty relaxing out here, very peaceful. We're about 5 minutes from the interstate, however, and our driveway looks a bit like one of those old 1 1/2 lane roads. It's sort of like a pasture access road, but its asphalt paved (at least what you can see from the road). I could possibly see someone trying to come up here in an attempt to hide, though, since we've had people come up here normally only to realize that it's not a road. The yard is fenced (good) and we have lots of large windows (good for us, we can see out, bad for us, someone coming up the drive can see in, under the right conditions. so, my motto is never say never.
 
#57 ·
I guess I think of home defense prep like this: if you know your doors and windows are secured, then probably worst case scenario you have 20 seconds to get to a weapon. (I'm pulling that out of my butt, but it seems reasonable.) In my home, I know things are secured at all times. If on the other hand you can't be sure of how secure your house is (e.g, have kids or have a "better half" that doesn't have safe home securement practices), then you have no choice but to carry IMHO cause you might have 5 seconds in the worse case scenario.

If you can extend a warning barrier around your home - e.g, motion sensors - so that you know they are there before they know you know... then add that warning time to the 20 seconds or the 5 seconds mentioned above.

So, take the estimate of time (as you see it) for whatever worst case scenario you want to defend from, and from that deduce whether your means of weapons location and storage will work or if carry is needed. And oh yeah, be sure to throw in a factor to take in to account that things go wrong at the very worst time....

To be honest, I don't feel a single locked weapon located in one room is enough "insurance" in most situations.

Of course, one could live a long life and not have a weapon at all. But if we want the extra insurance, it has to match the threat.

I have a very secure house, don't normally carry at home, use motion sensors and 2 pairs of extra sensitive doggy ears to extend the warning time... I could make 20 seconds - probably even 10 seconds to have weapon in hand - easily 24/7 even under worst case scenario.
 
#59 ·
I don't necessarily "carry" in the home. It depends on what I'm doing. I always have firearms nearby, however. One thing you have to consider is the odds of something like this happening. You have a better chance of getting killed in a car accident driving today or just walking out of your home, so I wouldn't necessarily strap a gun on myself at all times in my home because these things occasionally happen. Then again, if it does happen, you might be better prepared than me having to go 20-30 feet to reach a firearm. Still, the odds are against it.
 
#61 ·
I don't carry while I'm in the house. But the 642 goes in my pocket before I walk out the door. No one besides the Terminator would get into our house quickly or quietly.

We each have to assess our preparations and act accordingly.
 
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