Sheriff Jim Wilson asks "Where Is Your Home-Defense Gun?" He doesn't actually care about an answer, though. The article is, instead, about good places to keep a home defense weapon with a particular emphasis on responding to a home invasion. As Wilson observes:
The thing to keep in mind about home invasions is that they happen in an almighty hurry. One will almost certainly not have time to go into another room to arm him or herself. For that reason, it is imperative to keep a gun on your person or very close by. And, it is important to study the layout of your house, consider your own personal situation and determine the best way to respond to this sort of quick attack. Talk it over with family members, do some study and planning and make yourselves a harder target. You won’t regret such a proactive decision.
No surprise, he states that the best place to keep a defensive pistol is on your person as it offers rapid access while simultaneously controlling who can access the weapon. But you can't (or won't) always carry a weapon at home, so then what?
Almost as quick as having the gun on you is to have several guns strategically located throughout the house in the areas where you spend the most time. The kitchen, the TV room and your office would be good locations and, given your particular situation, you will think of others (like your workspace out in the garage or shop). Simply look at the places in your home where you spend your time, and those are the locations to have a defensive firearm.
A gun safe is far too slow to access a defensive weapon, which is probably why Democrats push gun storage laws. They don't want a homeowner killing a reliable Democrat voter.
If you do resort to storing weapons around your residence, Wilson suggests some sort of storage box or case, adding:
One that especially interests me looks like a small shelf like one that you might put a couple of photographs on, or maybe a flower arrangement, but the bottom of it pops open to expose the defensive handgun. Such a device might be just the thing to install near the front door.
My father-in-law had one of these that used a hidden locking mechanism. To me, a 4-inch thick shelf seemed obvious as a place to hide a weapon, but perhaps that is just because of my experience and reading in home defense. The problem we discovered as we were in the process of moving my father-in-law to a nursing home and selling the house was that we couldn't easily open the shelf/box because the battery that operated the locking mechanism had died. We were able to open it, but it took some time. Just something to keep in mind when you consider different models.
Although Wilson discusses keeping a firearm in the kitchen or TV room, the reality is that for most of us, when we are at home, we spend the majority of that time in the bedroom as we sleep at night; so the bedroom is definitely one place you would want to keep a defensive weapon. And since I assume that most of you are not going to be wearing a firearm to bed, you will have to consider a method of storing a firearm that also offers quick access.
I've seen (but not tried) some devices (basically a metal bracket) that slide between a mattress and a box spring to which you can attach a holster. It might not be a viable solution if you have small children as it doesn't address the issue of controlling access, but it does offer quick access to the weapon even if you are awoken in the night.
There are, of course, plenty of lock box type products on the market, and even secured "quick access" brackets for storing long arms. Lucky Gunner posted a video in 2018 reviewing some of the quick access pistol safes, and thereafter did one for quick access safes for rifles and shotguns. But even a cable lock or locked pistol or long arm case can suffice. (But will you know where is the key at 3 a.m.?)
If you are forced to resort to hiding a weapon or putting it in a place difficult for a child to access, this article from Texas Gun Club has some suggestions. This article on storing firearms and ammunition from The Provident Prepper also has some good tips on storing a weapon for home defense (as well as for longer term storage).
- More: "How to Store a Gun for Home Defense"--The Armory Life.
Good article. I agree with Sheriff Jim about having a gun on your person while in your home. I learned this lesson a few years back when some opportunistic burglars attempted to break into my house after they saw someone leaving my driveway and figuring that the house was vacant at that point. Fortunately I had my handgun on my hip and was able to respond quickly before they gained entry into my home. They may have gotten inside if I had had to go retrieve my firearm from storage. Afterwards I came to the unpleasant realization that, contrary to most peoples opinions, we are most vulnerable inside the home when our guard is completely down and we feel "safe." Thinking further about it I realized that I needed to have an easily accessible and combat-ready firearm on both floors...in case I was in the basement and someone entered upstairs. As Sheriff Jim says, it happens quick, and there will never be ample time to react.
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