I often struggle with safe, yet effective storage places for my concealed carry weapon when I’m not carrying. For example, I don’t wear it not while showering. So where to put it? It seems a little silly for me to put it in the safe because I’m just going to be strapping it back on in a few minutes. So I usually choose to put the gun and holster it’s in on the top of the medicine cabinet in my bathroom. I have two little kids and should one of them come in, the last thing I want is them grabbing mommy’s gun . . .
But what about at night? I obviously don’t sleep with my gun on, and I have a different handgun (with flashlight, more effective for nighttime defense) in a small safe next to the bed. So where is a safe place for my carry gun? Again, with two kids (a two- and a four-year-old) ensuring they can’t get it is paramount.
At night, I prefer to leave the gun in a kitchen cabinet on the top shelf. I do this for a few reasons. I put the gun back on immediately when I get dressed in the morning. It’s a part of my standard wardrobe and keeping it in the safe is kind of a hassle to open every night and again each morning. I also am never far from this gun. Nighttime is the longest I ever go without it on me. The gun is well out of reach of children and it isn’t an obvious place to store a firearm, so I feel it’s safer from any “nighttime bandits” should one attempt to break in.
I lock up my other weapons while not in use, except my Mosin 91/30, which decorates the corner of my room. But I never leave it loaded. It definitely makes sense to put a gun in a place a child can’t reach. But my kids also know that they don’t go in my room and I have very little trouble keeping them out of my bedroom. That doesn’t mean I intend to get more reckless, it just means they know their boundaries. But like any other CCW permit holder, deciding on a place that’s safe, effective, and doesn’t make my life more difficult is a challenge, especially with the little ones around.
And that’s why I choose to not purse carry. If my purse falls off the hook, or a kid decides to go snooping, a gun in a purse is a very very bad scenario. I really don’t like parting with my concealed carry weapon. I guess I’m just so used to having it that it has become a part of my daily routine and any time spent without it feels “unsafe.” So what’s your concealed carry gun storage plan?