Parking a gun on the table

[joe817]

I almost forgot that I'm the OP. I don't OC at home. 95% of the time I CC. I hand carry to and from the car in my attached garage when I go to the gym.

My buddy from California arrived last night to stay with us for a week. Right before bed time, the subject came around to my CHL and he said I'd have to choose between a small gun and a big gun soon (he thought I was supposed to get my CHL this month). I removed by BUG and said "like this" and then removed the Kimber and said "or like this". We had previously gone out to dinner and he never suspected anything. All wearing cargo shorts, sandals and a t-shirt. I love CC.

-davidtx (AKA 06SRTrocks )

Wow! Great story davidtx!

[03Lightningrocks]

I almost forgot that I'm the OP. I don't OC at home. 95% of the time I CC. I hand carry to and from the car in my attached garage when I go to the gym.

My buddy from California arrived last night to stay with us for a week. Right before bed time, the subject came around to my CHL and he said I'd have to choose between a small gun and a big gun soon (he thought I was supposed to get my CHL this month). I removed by BUG and said "like this" and then removed the Kimber and said "or like this". We had previously gone out to dinner and he never suspected anything. All wearing cargo shorts, sandals and a t-shirt. I love CC.

-davidtx (AKA 06SRTrocks )

Wow! Great story davidtx!

Great example of speak softly but conceal carry a big stick.

[03Lightningrocks]

Be careful the fear you instill in your children. I would be willing to bet very few of you grew up watching your parents walk around the house with a gun strapped to their side like the Indians where coming. You send the message to young ones that danger is imminent. This does not teach them to be self assured. It leaves them with doubts about their safety. That gun on your side while in your home may make you feel better, but it is actually sending the message that you are living in fear.

Oh dear. Mine did. At least dad did. Does that mean I am deranged? It instilled in me.....envy! My how times have changed.

That may explain the lack of security you feel while in your own home.

[Dusty Harry]

My, what a thread! At the risk of being villified, I'm afraid I have to side with 03Lightningrocks on this one, understanding that there are always exceptions for those stuck in a high threat environment. But for the rest of us, hey not so much. As Mas Ayood said in LFI class, you should think of your firearm as a highly specialized device used to clear a path to safety under a unique set of circumstances. Like a fire extinguisher. Yes, I have one readily available at home (actually a several -- of both). I don't carry an extinguisher with me from one room to the next for fear of coming upon a fire. Why? The same reason you don't. And, bear in mind statistically the vast majority of us are all much more likely to die from a fire than a home invasion.

Why? Risk management 101: Probability versus impact of occurrence, and the cost and ability of taking successful mitiagating actions. No doubt the impact of an armed invader entering my home is a high imact risk. But the real probability is about the same as being set ablaze by an errant asteroid.

Next, can I reasonably expect to mitigate the event, and at what cost? The most common scenario of a single, meth-crazed idiot who starts banging on the door? I have 10 seconds to get heeled. But, in the extremely unlikely scenario where some group of armed invaders have pulled my unlucky address out of a hat for a bout of coordinated senseless mayhem, can I reasonably expect to stop them with no forewarning? If all the doors start bursting open, my first action is going to be to herd everyone into where (you guessed it) the guns are anyway. The cost of being prepared for every eventuality is more than I am willing to pay, and waaay out of balance when it comes to overall risk management.

When you get right down to pure logic and probability, putting in whole house sprinkler system would be well ahead of going armed on your person 24/7 in terms of protecting your life. Ready to trade in your Kimber to finance that? My (free) two cents worth!

[LarryH]

IMHO it all hinges on how many guns you have.

If you can stash one or more in each room, then there's not a real need to have one on your person. However, for the individual with one, or only a few, who is continually moving from room to room, keeping it on person may be the better solution.

It also depends on whether you have children in the house. We don't, so keeping our guns away from curious youngsters isn't a factor. For those with children, any gun, loaded or otherwise, that isn't on one's person needs to be secure. That implies several locked/combo'd safes.

For my part, except when I'm at work, or enroute to/from, one of my carry pistols is usually in a holster at my 3:30 or 4:00. Occasionally, it'll be on a table next to wherever I'm sitting.

[KFP]

And, bear in mind statistically the vast majority of us are all much more likely to die from a fire than a home invasion.

My research has shown the opposite to be true, to the tune of 6:1. Also important to note is that a fire has not made the decision to do you or your family harm, a criminal has. Keep in mind that is deaths only and does not take into account other physical or psychological scars (nor does it take into account burns, etc.)

With regard to the specific topic - having a gun accessible is a good thing, the more accessible the better, as a fast response is better than a slow one. We each get to make our own decisions and reap the consequences.

[MojoTexas]

I think ultimately it's up to the individual to decide what is an acceptable level of risk. I don't feel that I'm paranoid by carrying in the house...I consider it prudent. I used to be in Boy Scouts as a kid, and I took the "Be Prepared" motto very seriously. I keep blankets, a survival kit, and a first aid kit in my vehicle, in case I need them. I have been trained in first aid and CPR, in case I can help someone who needs it. I see having my CHL as just an extension of that preparedness. I even went so far as to sign up with CHLPP in case I ever use my CHL and find myself needing an attorney. Do I go too far? Perhaps, perhaps not, but I'd rather have something and not need it than need it and not have it.

I draw the line at hanging a rifle in my shower, or sleeping with a pistol on my body.

MojoTexas

[cougartex]

I think ultimately it's up to the individual to decide what is an acceptable level of risk. I don't feel that I'm paranoid by carrying in the house...I consider it prudent. I used to be in Boy Scouts as a kid, and I took the "Be Prepared" motto very seriously. I keep blankets, a survival kit, and a first aid kit in my vehicle, in case I need them. I have been trained in first aid and CPR, in case I can help someone who needs it. I see having my CHL as just an extension of that preparedness. I even went so far as to sign up with CHLPP in case I ever use my CHL and find myself needing an attorney. Do I go too far? Perhaps, perhaps not, but I'd rather have something and not need it than need it and not have it.

I draw the line at hanging a rifle in my shower, or sleeping with a pistol on my body.

MojoTexas

[srothstein]

Dusty Harry and 03LighteningRocks,

I have to say that I disagree with your basic premise. The sight of the gun around the house does not cause the children to think you are living in fear anymore than the sight of a toolbox kept around the house would cause your children to live in fear of things breaking. Your attitude while carrying or not might convince your children of this, especially younger children, but it is the attitude and not the inanimate object that does it.

The first time I ever held a real firearm, I was 8 years old. My dad gave me a .38 revolver to hold and asked if I knew how to use it. I told him you just point and pull the trigger. He started by showing me how to check it for being loaded and corrected me to say I should squeeze the trigger. Then he said he wanted me to know in case I ever needed it. I always knew there were guns in the house (in first grade I had asked him about letting me take one to school for show and tell - he declined) but never was afraid of them.

My kids have seen me carrying weapons in the house, and every where we went from before they could walk. They have seen me grab a gun to check on noises outside or to go answer a call about a neighbor arguing. None of them have ever had a problem being afraid of the real world, even when I deliberately tried to make them fear it a little (getting teenagers to stay home at night by showing them real police reports on fatality accidents). My attitude of being confident that I could handle it (obviously, since I either went out to check the sound or was out at night handling the wrecks) overrode any possible fear it might have put into them.

At least, this has been my experience. People who show their fears teach their kids to be afraid. People who show their confidence teach their kids to be confident. Both can cause problems in their own way, but I would rather worry about my kids being not cautious enough than being afraid of the dark as adults..

[03Lightningrocks]

Here is what I see as the real world difference.

"Why does Daddy wear a gun around the house?"
"Daddy is a police man. He just got off from work."

"why does Joeys daddy wear a gun around the house?"
"Because Joeys daddy is pretty sure someone is going to kick in the door and murder everyone in the family."

I never said the SIGHT of a gun around the house was a problem. What I said is walking around with a gun in your hand or on your side as if there is imminent danger will impart this fear on your children. I stand by this statement. Simply seeing guns around the house is not going to be a problem. Seeing daddy with his crap wired tight all the time will make a child an absolute nut case.

One more thing I am real darned proud of. Me and my children don't have to have a gun to feel safe in the dark. We also don't depend on a gun to feel confident in ourselves. Maybe it is because I can kill a man using my left thumb only.

[joe817]

Note: off topic comment:

This thread is THE reason I decided that this forum should be my "forum home". And of this thread, and how it evolved, exemplifies why it enjoys such success.

It started as a legitimate question and a serious one by davidtx. Answers were given. Some were given in earnest and some were given in sarcasm. Responses in kind were given to the sarcasm, and here we go again. Another flaming and/or escalation of emotions.

And then responses in earnest were given.

Whether you feel it justified or not, the desire to make your responses heard has been kept civil. The tone of the thread quieted, as you can see. We have transitioned into beneficial discourse. Whether this discourse is resolved or not is irrelevant.

It is a testament to this forum that we are able to keep this discourse civil. And for which I am evermore thankful.

off soapbox

[joe817]

*Sigh* Maybe I spoke to soon.

[joe817]

Jody's daddy carried a gun, because he, the little one and the ranch foreman would get up at 3am and would be on horseback by 4, to ride the fence and check the cattle in the dead of winter. Coyotes were a major threat to the heard, and we lost between 4-7 calves per winter due to late calving. And the predators were hungry and knew newborn calves were easy prey.

Dad knew that the coyotes wouldn't attack me or my horse, but they sure would a newborn. And that was money out of our pocket that we could not chance. We were barely scraping by as it was. So dad was required to carry a gun to protect our investment. Dad and Pete carried a gun....not me. I was to young.

It was a matter of economics, not because of fun or enjoyment.

[03Lightningrocks]

[srothstein]

Nah, Joe, you did not speak too soon. But while we are having a serious discussion, most of us are adult enough to throw a little humor in too. And most of us recognize which parts are joking and which are serious.

See, I know he is joking about using his left thumb only. He is right-handed. I might have believed him if he had said his right thumb, but we don't call it weak handed shooting for no reason.

And on the serious side, it looks like 03LighteningRocks and I are actually agreeing, but putting it differently. It is not the carrying of the gun that would make the child nervous, but the actions (wired up, or acting as if there is imminent danger at all times) might. Walking around with confidence, whether armed or not, just teaches the child to be confident.

The only real question seems to be a difference of opinion on how we act when we are carrying in the home. Some outside visitors might see this as being jumpy and nervous while others might see it as being comfortable and confident. And no one can tell how the kids will see it unless they ask and it is explained to them. And then the explanation can make a big difference, as per his example.

That example could also be changed to:

"Why does Daddy wear a gun around the house?"
"Daddy is a police man. He just got off from work."

"Why does Joey's daddy wear a gun around the house?"
"Because Joey's daddy is likes to have a gun in case he needs it to protect his family in case Daddy can't get there in time."

Now the kid would learn a completely different lesson, based solely on who explains the behavior he is seeing.