Wear A Gun In The Safety Of Your
Own Home? Here’s Why It’s A Good Idea.
By Massad Ayoob

A staple meme on the gun-related Internet forums seems to be, “If you carry more firepower than I do, you’re paranoid, and if you carry less than I do, you’re a pathetic sheeple.” Nowhere does this manifest itself more than in discussion threads on “home carry,” that is, wearing a handgun on your person when at home.

One poster comments he keeps a gun in his pocket or on his hip at home. Another writes, “Where do you live, Fallujah? I’d hate to be as paranoid as you!” And the argument is on. A second person will comment, “I just keep a loaded gun stashed in every room. Why carry at home?” And the next guy will say, “You’ve got a gun in every room, and you call someone else paranoid?” Well…

Balancing Responsibilities
The responsibly armed household has to balance quick accessibility of a loaded firearm in a sudden, life-threatening emergency against the obvious need to keep that weapon secure from the unauthorized hands of little kids, irresponsible adults, and the burglars themselves. If the stored or staged gun is even in a quick release safe, there’s going to be the matter of swiftly and surely unlocking the little vault, perhaps in the dark and with hands shaking from adrenaline. Some hands are simply not compatible with biometric safes. Getting across even an average size den or bedroom to the storage location takes considerably more time than the practiced movement of drawing it from a holster already strapped to the body.

I figured out a long time ago the simplest way to keep a loaded gun instantly accessible and simultaneously keep it out of unauthorized hands was to keep it loaded and holstered on my person.

I first met Jeff Cooper in the mid-1970’s at his home on the then embryonic Gunsite property, where he lived with his wife, Janelle, before building his famous house, the Sconce. I noticed his trademark Colt .45 auto never left his hip unless he sat down, at which time he set the pistol on a table beside him. A couple of years later, I was a guest in the home of Lt. Frank McGee, the legendary commander of the NYPD Firearms and Tactics Unit, and observed that his signature 3-inch barrel S&W .38 Special never left the holster on his hip. Those wise men had figured it out before I had.

We would be fools to think we’re prepared to defend against home invaders without studying what happens to victims who are not so prepared. If you haven’t done so already, read In Cold Blood, Truman Capote’s classic on the 1959 murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kan. One would think a farm family would have at least rifles or shotguns in the house, and if they did, none of the residents were able to reach one when surprised by the murderers, and they were slaughtered. Look at the savage orgy of rape, murder, and arson in Cheshire, Conn., in 2007, which only one member of the Petit family survived. I don’t know if the family even owned a gun. But ask yourself, when each of these atrocities went down, if the head of the household had been carrying a gun, whether the outcomes might have been better.

No, you don’t need to walk around the living room strapped up to run a 3-Gun match. If you’re worrying about alarming the UPS man, the cookie-selling Girl Scout, or the neighbor who came over to borrow the proverbial cup of sugar, a J-frame in a pocket holster or a subcompact 9mm strapped to the ankle or even a full-size .45 or magnum holstered discreetly beneath an untucked shirt will go unnoticed.
Even if you feel comfortable with a loaded gun quickly accessible in every room because your home is presently child-free, the day is going to come when a friend or relative shows up unexpectedly with a passel of rug rats. This will require some hurried running around to get all the hardware scooped up and secured. It seems so much easier to simply have to pull a slightly oversize shirt over a holstered pistol, or leave the gun in your pocket—this way you can be sure little fingers won’t be finding their way onto any triggers.

Paranoia? Nah. The gun on at home is, for a lot of people, simply a solid understanding of the time and space continuum and how rapidly a home invasion can go down.

https://gunsmagazine.com/handguns/home-carry/ This is a good read. He makes some good points.

I have a hundred yard driveway and a very nervous boxer.
A ninja with felt bottom boots couldn't make it 1\4 of the drive before I can lay hands on a long gun. I do not need to strap a little pistol on myself.

In so many of these home invasion scenarios, a barking dog coulda made all the difference in the world.

I don’t ware (or wear?) inside or outside at home. There’s always one in reach, but we live out where home invasion robbery is unheard of.
I’ve been giving thought to getting a holster for when I’m working outside. Not so much protection, but I often see varmints and critters that would probably be dispatched if a gun were handy.
If I could find a light canvas job with a good dirt proof cover for when I’m cutting wood or grass. I seldom go looking for them though.
7mm

I have our two Aussies for early warning. I keep a loaded pistol next to me in the den where I watch TV and another by my bedside table as well as Surefire lights. Hope that's enough

Try a Fanny Pack. It works well for me when I'm out and about on my property. I use it to carry a .22 pistol with a spare mag and folding knife.

I rarely carry at home. Do keep one handy most times.

I keep guns around too. But the one you have on you is far more available, and quicker than the one in the drawer, in the same room.

I don't carry all that often and never at home, but have one nearby regularly, but that fanny pack idea works well anyplace. If I were carrying all the time you'd see me with a fanny pack.

Due to my line of work and the fact that my 13 year old beagle is lazy....I have 1-2 located on each level of my home. The wife is proficient and the oldest daughter is learning. We don't expect to be bothered much but living in town we have had our cars broken into (car hoppers) looking for change and whatnot for drugs. I've had a tank of gas or two siphoned as well.

I carry whenever I leave the house/yard. But I have guns easily accessible to me and I keep my doors locked, so usually I don't bother to carry inside my home.

I have two labs for early detection and home alarm system. With that I have a pistol by my bedside, and AR pistol (not the best home defense) in a 5.56 as well.. when I go somewhere 95% of the time I will have my AR pistol..

No dogs currently, but I either wear a gun around the house, or have one by the side of my easy leather chair, during the day, or on my bed stand with adequate flashlight.

Massad Ayoob has been my favorite gun writer since i first started reading the mags 40 year ago. Just checked . . . he's now 71 years old.

Yep, mine too. Somewhere I still have my copy of “In the Gravest Extreme” and his column was my favorite part of “Combat Handguns” magazine.

Lately I’ve really been appreciating how easily and unobtrusively an S&W Airweight revolver w/shrouded hammer 629??) and Uncle Mike’s Boot Grip slips in and out of an Uncle Mike’s Pocket Holster and how easily it carries. Often have it in my pocket around the house and elsewhere.

I gotta spend some range time at 15 to 50 yards, I already got the point and shoot close range stuff down, but what if a situation arises where I need to engage someone further out?

For the woods, where feral hogs are a concern, a higher cap nine w/147 grain BB lead solids. I was already confronted by a big feral boar once, about 20 yards out, as it turns out I didn’t have to shoot, but the j-frame in my hand on that occasion just seemed to shrink as I held it.

I do and have carried at home and every where else for that matter.
a important part of being proficient with a fire arm is being comfortable with it. sitting, standing, bending over etc.
I have had a 1911 riding on my hip for so long that I feel funny if its not there.
I have been known to go to church with it on. should happen more often but there you are.
the biggest hurdle I had to overcome was the flames directed at me when sitting down in a leather chair or coach.
I did scratch the leather in the Jeep with the hammer spur but it buffed out before the dragon saw it.
the old saw about "you don't need a gun, until you need it" is the truest there is.
there have been 3 times in my life that if I hadn't had my piece AT HAND, I would have either died or been maimed. remember the saying we use against the anti gunners, when seconds count cops are minutes away.
ymmv

I usually carry a 2 inch model 36 in my pocket with enough holster on the front of it to protect my pocket from getting a hole rubbed by the front sight. But the trigger guard is exposed so there is no trouble getting my finger into it. If I have on enough clothes to hide it I wear my Model 66 4 inch loaded with magnums. Except while using a tractor at the farm I carry a center fire rifle when I dismount the truck. Predators can show themselves any time of day. On vacation or travelling we always have an accessible rifle in the truck unless we fly somewhere. Then it's just the model 36 and 66 S&W.

I always liked the Rossi Coach Gun with double hammers and triggers.

Ruger LCP 380 ALWAYS in my pocket. Even while wearing shorts or sweats around the house. And a high cap 9mm and a Rem 870 Tac 14 in 12 ga within easy reach at any time.

Don’t think I need Ayoob to tell me squat!

I'm not a fan of Ayoob but do wear my gun at all times I am not in bed or shower. If you wear it all the time you are not bothered by it. Outside I wear a G19 AIWB, at home the G19 is in a Kydex tech holster. Both holsters are worn on a Montana Sling Co. 1 1/2" leather belt. I also carry a G17 extra mag at all times.


mike r

Springfield XDS on my hip as I read this in my living room. 26 stories up in a very limited access Miami condo. You just never know. 😜

I don't carry a pistol in the house because I can get to one real quick but I have a pistol with me anytime I am outside even just checking my mailbox. I live in a nice residential area in town but some rent subsidized apartments have been built within walking distance of my house and now the renters walk through the neighborhood looking for something to steal. There's a burglary on my street every month or so. It would be worse but I live close to the police station and they patrol a lot in my neighborhood especially near the end of their shifts.

I carry a Glock 19 in a Galco Combat Master holster all day long. When I go to bed the glock goes in my nightstand drawer. There is a AR 15 with a loaded mag and an empty chamber in the bedroom closet.

Some yrs ago, an Arkansas firing range owner banned muslims, that technically means they might refuse Massad Ayoob. ..

But your starfish wouldn't refuse any Muslim.

When Trump visited Saudi Arabia, he openly said they are great people.

Im sure that sends our little miss.estrogen Girly into a spin ..

If I have pants on, there's a gun in or on them, unless I happen to be in the Peoples Republic of Maryland, as I am on occasion, and where I'm much more likely to need one!

Ayoob also demonstrates how to wear [or not wear?] a toupee, which some on the CF may appreciate.

you can't talk about his toupee on others forums , moderators shut it down.

and they are quick to come to his defence...eg;

"If god forbid I ever found myself in a situation where I had to defend my life or my loved ones with lethal force
I would consider mr. Massad Ayoob to be a god send and expert witness on my behalf."

LOL. .. unfortunately no God sends Ayoob around like a super hero to save people.

I knew butt [bleep] night would get you all worked up.

I've been reading Ayoob for years. I like him. He was an expert witness and advisor on a murder case about forty miles from here. It would probably be safer to carry all the time, but right now I have no gun on my person, but one is within reach and a substantial rifle is in the next room, along with one in the garage and another hanging in the implement shed.

I grew up with firearms on the kitchen table, sometimes they ended up with bread crumbs

or splash of pasta sauce on them. ..

neighbors knew it, and strangely we never had a break-in.

when I visit someones house and don't see the same , well, it feels kinda ..empty.

1) 16 years ago I was warned by the owner of a small forum not to disrespect Ayoob.
2) 15 years ago I was booted off a large forum by the owner, for making fun of Ayoob. [I wrote a parody of Ayoob's writing process, ala Hunter Thompson facing a deadline].
3) 10 years ago I had an engineering technician that read Ayoob's books. He did such good work, I kept my mouth shut.

I think I have found the Ayoob policy that works for me.

I'm 140 yards back off the road with a dog that barks at anybody that gets within 50 yards of my front door. Something is always within reach. Lately it's been my old Ruger Police Service Six,...just because I shoot revolvers better than auto loaders.

But actually, I don't worry too much about home invasions out here. No dirtbags live out here and none seem inclined to visit.

Bristol, I fully understand how you feel about the absence of dirtbags.....but, it can happen anywhere. We are in similar circumstances, and don’t carry at home. And, just like you, they are “very” close.

A few years ago a couple of “dopers” from Cody (Wyoming), saw a lady in town driving a Land Rover. It seems they took a liking to it! They followed her home, to a tiny, little town called Clark.....where they murdered her and her elderly parents for the Land Rover. They managed to have their Land Rover for most of the evening!

Obviously, she didn’t have anything within reach, such as yourself. Perhaps she didn’t think the “dirtbags” would follow her home! memtb

Massad Ayboob wouldn't know if Christ was crucified or died of the schits.

If you feel the need to carry, carry.

I told this on here before .Last summer ,at 10:30 at night ,guy high on drugs tried to kick in my metal front door .It cracked the wood frame,thru the latch, he did not get in. Grabbed shotgun told him to leave and told wife to call 911 ,cops got there5 to 10 minuits later ,way to late if he got thru that, door ,for i would have had no other choice ,but to defend myself ,i was watching tv minding my own bussness ,when he started kicking in my door ,,live in a pretty good subdivision ,20 year old lived with mom down the street and decided to get high and flip out .After that i carry a gun in the house ,before that if i had a gun on in house ,wife thought i was crazy ,now she does not

I keep a 44 in my nightstand and use to keep a 12 ga shotgun in our bedroom closet, I sold the shotgun and now keep an AR in a spot where I can easily retrieve it. Anyone stupid enough to try and break into our house will be leaving in a bag.

I live in a very safe neighborhood and don't feel the need to carry a loaded gun or have one around. I have very smart inquisitive grand kids, for one thing.

OTOH, I used to manage a plant in a very bad neighborhood. Bad guys would break into our parking lot, bust open cars, and steal radios. We caught several of them. Some didn't fear handguns and would just run away but point a 12 gauge at them, and they'd often do what you wanted. If they ran away, you could shout "Shoot to kill" and fire the shotgun up in the air (pellets not lethal when they come down). That would get around the hood.

You know that phrase about big city cops that goes "only minutes away when seconds count?" One time I held a kid at gunpoint for one hour and 21 minutes AFTER the cops were called. Another time a kid walked in the front door and held up the receptionist. My father came out of his office and handed the guy 1-1/4 ounce of #6 shot at 1200 fps. The cops stopped by later and gave us some 00 buckshot. Never had to actually shoot any others.

Whenever we got one, the word got around the hood and we were safe for a long time. Without the right to keep and bear arms, our plant could not have survived. All that happened years ago and we're lucky we didn't get harmed by any perps.

Eventually we moved the plant to the suburbs. I kept a S&W Model 19 in my desk in case anyone went "postal."

S&W M60 in my pants pocket.
Paul B.

I'm not gonna fault anyone who thinks they need to carry

I have a revolver hidden near the entrance of each door of my house and one in the night stand. The only time they aren't readily accessible is when family comes to visit - I put them back in the safe until they leave.

If only have 1 gun that I'd want to carry - thats my LCP as someone mentioned earlier. I think I'm going to get the 9mm just because I want one.

Herb Clutter lived in a virtually crime-free part of Kansas the day that Richard Hickock and Perry Smith slaughtered him with his entire family. The book Truman Capote wrote about it, In Cold Blood, is mandatory reading for anyone who wants to understand the criminal mind. It certainly motivated me to start carrying a pistol on my person at home at all times as soon as I could do so, and I still follow the practice. I put my pistol on when I get dressed in the morning, and take it off when I go to bed at night. In my home or on the road, it doesn't matter. Evil can and does show up without warning anywhere.

Oh, and as for dogs... I have several cases in my files where the intending murderer(s) killed the dog(s) as the first phase of the attack. Almost any dog can be lured closer with a tasty bit of raw meat, then shot in the head with a .22 or other quiet weapon. If your dog(s) are your first line of warning/defense, what's your second line?

My second line is a .357 double tap center of mass to anyone who enters my home uninvited. If the situation progresses beyond that,..it's a very short trip to retrieve the FN FAL in the closet.

,...but this is rural central Kentucky,...not the outback of desolate Kansas. The entire area is an armed camp.

A home invasion out here is just a creative way to commit suicide. Hence,...you very, very rarely hear of one.

"Oh, and as for dogs... I have several cases in my files where the intending murderer(s) killed the dog(s) as the first phase of the attack."

I used to work with a very pretty single lady that was always hitting on me. The problem was that she a radical union member, a Democrat and didn't believe that citizens had the right to own a firearm for any reason. I told I had a lot of firearms and would use one if someone broke into my home. She asked why wouldn't I just call 911 and I told I would after I shot the intruder. She said she didn't need a firearm because her dog would protect her. I asked if her dog had a gun and she said of course not. I told her that if somebody broke into her house they'd just shoot her dog first thing. She couldn't imagine that ever happening..

So does anyone here have a "shower gun"?

We have shower dogs.

This is a picture of my wife in the shower. The little one is waiting for her to come out, the big one is hoping to get in.

Probobly not all that much for protection.....

Used to carry at all times. That was BC. Now with young children in the house, I choose the bat method. The dog gives the wife additional piece of mind when I travel for work.

These threads always amaze that there are so many people that can predict the future.

One of the most profound statements I have heard in > 50 years of studying self defense:

"Think more about the consequences of failure than the odds of occurrence"

Don't worry you have the rest of your life to act in an emergency


mike r

You stopped carrying because you had kids?

LOL.

Please explain that logic.

Do you carry when you're not at home?

Sometimes.

I didn’t stop carrying totally. I stopped carrying inside the house. When I get home I will park it in the safe until I leave again. We are talking first grade and preschool. They know guns are for hunting and self defense but they don’t need to see me strapped while I make tacos for dinner or play LEGOs with them...

Roger that.

We always had loaded guns in our house when I was a kid. Everyone knew where they were.

I've done the same with my kids. Never had any issues.