How do you make your firearm readily available?

[Stupid]

How do you make your firearm readily available when you are at home or sleep while keeping them NOT available for thieves when you go for work?

[Kevinf2349]

I leave my wife at home to take care of them!

Mainly in the safe, but I do have a dog and an house alarm too.

[03Lightningrocks]

Most are kept in a safe. One always travels with me. Two are stashed strategically around the house in case of a break in while I am home. The two that are stashed could theoretically be stolen in a break in. They are in places not likely to be the first spot a burglar would look for valuables. The intruder would have to be real quick though. I have a monitored alarm that sounds like the end of the world when it goes off and I live five minutes from work. The cops will show up pretty quick in response to a break in. When I am out of town, they all go in the safe.

[The Annoyed Man]

How do you make your firearm readily available when you are at home or sleep while keeping them NOT available for thieves when you go for work?

Well, my bedroom is on the south end of the house, and my office is on the north end... ...plus, the gun safe with all the other guns in the house is in the same room as my work desk. I don't really have to worry about it like you do.

[Dan20703]

My approach to the issue is:

1. I have a gun on my belt or in my pocket at all times when I am at home.
2. Remainder of guns are locked in a safe because I have children in the house.
3. At night I have a handgun on the night stand and a long gun, I take from the safe each night, standing next to the bed.
4. Before leaving to work all guns except the carry piece that day go back in the safe.
5. I also have a monitored alarm system and a large dog. If the alarm goes off in the middle of the night the family knows the drill.
6. I introduce myself to every LEO I see in or around my neighborhood and ask about any recent crimes and tell them they are doing a great job.

[CDH]

+1 on having one on me at all times. It gets put on the nightstand at night and picked up the next morning on my way to the first bathroom run of the day. Everything else is in a locked safe somewhere...

I have a 6 and a 3 year old running around the house. It's the only reasonable way for me and my setup...YMMV.

[CrimsonSoul]

I don't always carry on me when at the house but 100% when I'm not at home. I have 3 kids 5 and under at the house so my pistols are in an electronic safe right beside the bed day and night. At night I sleep on the side of the bed by the safe that I regularly train myself to push the correct buttons in the dark so if the situation ever arises I can have it out and ready in a matter of seconds.

[dukesean]

When I'm home I have my .45 on my nightstand next to my bed in my upstairs bedroom, with either of my daily carries readily accessible downstairs. When I'm not home I chain my guns to my dog.

Just kidding about the last one.

[boomerang]

I take my carry gun to work.

[shootthesheet]

My other guns are locked in the safe. Of my carry guns I lock the .45 in a bedroom lock box and carry a .380 around the house. If I am awake I have at least one gun on me. Once I get the money together I am going to get a small safe for my bedroom upstairs so I can have that long gun available too. When I do it will be bolted down and loaded with enough ammo that they will have to use a crane to take it. And like my big safe, they will have to knock down a large portion of a wall to get the thing out and open.

I don't stash anything because I see that as a way to supply a criminal or criminals with guns and because I have kids. Depending on the location it may take a LEO 15 or more minutes to get to the house even if the system is monitored. I remember the show "To Catch A Thief" where they cleaned the house out, to include guns and those other "stashed" items in less than 15 minutes. They pulled out drawers, turned over beds and went thru every cabinet. They were quick and found things the homeowners were amazed they found. I don't want my guns used by some slug to rob or harm some innocent person.

I have family members that never lock their guns up. Not when kids are around, some have kids too. It makes me constantly question their choice not to secure the firearms. I would never, never even suggest a law requiring guns to be locked up is necessary. However, I do think that it is the direct responsibility of a gun owner to do all they can to insure a child or criminal cannot get to their guns without super-human effort. I would hope everyone consider keeping the guns on their person or in a safe. Most criminals get their guns by theft whether they took it or bought it from someone else who took it somewhere down the line. At least, take the gun apart and stash the parts like barrels or slides in separate places where only something that size will fit. It isn't perfect but better than them getting a complete gun. That is my opinion.