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MrCollonNoire produces our kind of video gun rants: perceptive, funny and free of charge. While we celebrate MCN’s firearms-based infotainment, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that he’s starts this one out of the wrong foot. In fact, he shoots himself in the foot (metaphorically speaking). Home carry means carrying a gun at home. It does NOT mean having one “within arm’s reach.” A gun should either be locked in a safe or secure on your person. Period. And that’s because . . .

A home is not a sterile environment. Friends, family, acquaintances, workmen, deliverymen, cleaners, your kids’ friends, you kids’ friends’ friends—your house is under constant “invasion.” No matter how cleverly you hide a firearm or how scrupulous you think you are about maintaining vigilance on a stashed gat there is always the chance that someone is going to find it.

There’s not a lot good that can happen from there: theft, negligence, arrest, homicide, etc. It’s also true that the police may have occasion to search your house. Say, someone turned in a gun they found in your crib. If the Boys in Blue find a hidden heater in your home, that’s going to be a major issue (especially if your state has safe storage regulations).

As for the overall wisdom of [actual] home carry, I’m not sure that the prospect of a bath salt-sniffing scrote kicking in the wrong door in search of drugs is a particularly compelling argument. Humans have an almost unlimited capacity for operating under the assumption that bad things happen to other people.

The best argument: you spend more time at home than anywhere else on the planet. It contains your only truly important assets (yourself and your family). Do you really want to stake your life and the lives of your loved ones on winning a foot race to a firearm?

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100 COMMENTS

  1. A very well written article.

    People should carry at all times, even in the bathroom because the bad guy that kicks in your door does not care if your taking a dump or a shower.

    In the bath is the only way I would feel good about having a gun “at arms length”.

    At all other times I keep my main firearm in my shoulder holster and if you are willing to spend $400+ on a heater you should be willing to spend the same amount on a lifetime worthy holster that is sturdy as well as comfortable and in todays market that means leather.

    When going to sleep at night a bedside gun-rack is a good bet as well cause I am not going to sleep with a loaded gun on me, yet!

    On a last note it is worth mentioning that an unloaded gun without one “in the chamber” is as good as having one at arms length, in another room, locked in your safe, with the trigger lock firmly in place, and your clips stored in another closet, and your bullets in the bottom junk drawer in your kitchen,…..when it is REALLY needed right goddamn now!

    • I have to disagree with this….
      I have two doors to my house, front and back. I have burglar bars on all the windows. I have one pistol with arms reach, two more in with the socks to steps away. On the wall three steps away is two shotguns. All of these weapons are loaded but not chambered.
      Now before you say it “what about the children,” well I don’t have any, and will not have any. I also will not have any in my house that were invited.
      Of course there may be a day when I have some uninvited guest, i.e. Bad Guys, this may be true.
      I also neglected to mention that I have 9 dogs. When the BGs set foot in my yard I will know about it. When they attempt to kick in my door (front or back) that is secured with two deadbolts and 4 inch screws in all three hinges. I will already be talking to 911. As my two healers are chewing on the BGs legs I will have my guns loaded. If and this is a big IF they make it past Molly and Lilly I will politely show them to the door to await pick up by the PO PO.
      I don’t see a problem with not having a round chambered.

  2. Arms reach works for me most of the time. Small house, no family or kids. Locked storm doors and front/back doors at all times. During those rare (and I mean rare) times someone else is in the house then I home carry.

  3. I understand all of the arguments for home carry…but to think what my wife (and other family members) would say if I started carrying around the house. That wouldn’t fly here. I’m in CA and a neighbor would likely see me through the window and SWAT would show up. 😉 I guess I have to deal with the mad-dash to the gun (and hope I am never put in that situation). Of course if someone kicked in the door, the family would be wishing I had a 1911 on my hip. Thinking a bit more, currently I don’t feel comfortable living under that kind of heightened readiness/preparedness/fear (home carry), nor am I comfortable feeling “un-prepared”. Hmmmm.

    • @motoJB,

      too bad you live in the communist part of the country. I would never live in mexifornia unless a 2nd american revolution cleaned that place out of all the american haters that currently live there.

      I feel for your position and it reminds me of when I felt the same way when around my young son. At that time what I did was to hide a gun within 10 feet of any entry point of your home. That way no matter what you have at least one firearm “within arms reach” to defend yourself and family.

      Use a box-like shelf high up on the wall, or a hole in the wall with the box inside the hole covered by a picture.

      • I may just try your latter idea. A wall-hole covered by a picture. Of course, whenever I leave the house I need to remember to put it in the safe. (Otherwise someone can accidently/purposely kill with it and I’ll end up in prison or bled dry in a civil case).

    • So glad I live in a state where not only does one have the right to carry a loaded, concealed (or unconcealed) weapon out in public or in one’s home. And even though I don’t advertise the fact that I do carry out in public or at home, I personally don’t give a rat’s hiney what my family, friends or anyone else thinks about it. Part of being an adult and head of the household is accepting the responsibility for your family’s safety and security.

      • I hear ‘ya…but it’s hard to stay happily married by taking that ole’ “I personally don’t give a rat’s hiney…” approach. Don’t get me wrong, I’m the man of the household and my wife supports me as such – but it was hard enough to get her used to guns in the house in a locked safe! I need to keep any home carry on the serious “down-low”. When women don’t feel “safe”, there’s hell to pay. Crazy thing is, she should feel safer knowing I can protect her…but it’s backwards. She won’t accept me carrying around the house…and I don’t see that opinion ever changing.

        • but it’s hard to stay married by taking that ole’ “I personally don’t give a rat’s hiney…” approach; it’s hard to stay happy by getting married.

          fixed it for you

          “I’m the man of the household… I need to keep any home carry on the serious “down-low”. When women don’t feel “safe”, there’s hell to pay… She won’t accept me carrying around the house…and I don’t see that opinion ever changing.”

          Are you sure about that? Having a peni s doesnt by default make you the man, from your story it sounds like she wears the pants. If she gives you crap for carrying, remind her that your wedding vows included till death do us part.

        • sounds like Matt is single huh?….My wife doesn’t like my guns either, was upset that I taught my son, who is now 12 how to shoot when he was 8 (I bought him a Daisy Red Ryder) but to appease her I “concealed carry” around the house, leave the rifles and shotguns put up out of sight until something goes bump in the night…then she’s quite happy for John Wayne to show up….it’s called compromise Matt…stay single buddy….

    • Get a small gun and carry it in a pocket holster. At the very least, it could give you the time and space to get to something with more punch.

      • Noted…I just got a j-frame airlight and with the desantis clip-grip I just picket up, it fits in the waistband very nicely. I may pick up something even smaller at some point so that front pocket carry is an option. The j-frame is still to bulky/heavy to carry in the front pocket for me.

    • I am in Cali and I home carry all the time. My wife and grown kids think it’s a little weird, but there are enough news stories about home invasions for them to not think it’s really weird. Their “really weird” characterizations apply mostly to other aspects of my persona. As far as the neighbors are concerned, same deal. My acreage is surrounded by fence and locked iron gates enclosing two mastiffs and a pit that will, and have in the past, kill any other animal they encounter. If nosy people happen to see past the No Trespass sign to me working outside with a pistol on my hip and a rifle leaning on a tree it will only serve to confirm their condemnation or approval, whichever. Most folks out by me want to be left alone anyway and the cops don’t come around much, if at all. You can also carry in your place of business or any private property with the owner’s permission. I would be very comfortable if every invited guest to my home was always armed and trained. If I can’t trust them in my home with a gun I can’t trust them.

    • You might be suprised. I have always had guns in the house but when I got my CHL I just started home carrying. My wife never batted a eye or asked a question (and she has no interest in firearms).

      For me it comes down to safety. A gun in the holster is safe and always a second from being drawn. I can play with my kids and never had an issue with them grabbing the gun are it starting to fall out. If you get a good holster that and make sure it covers the trigger and you are good to go.

    • MotoJB, I totally agree with your position because it is obvious that you have given it some serious thought. After years of carry both on and off duty, I was so ready to give up “the gun” that when I retired, I sold almost every handgun I owned. That lasted about two days, and after moving to Idaho, to the mountains north of Boise, I again carry 24/7, with no issues from my new wife. But we don’t have to worry about a SWAT response here, since its impossible to get a LE response for anything but the report writing. We also live on the immediate edge of a wilderness that encompasses HUNDREDS of miles of open land, and which is home to some serious predators. So “home carry” is very appropriate where we are located. I think each person needs to consider what is inside their home (who, what, etc.), what is outside (realistic threat level), and their personal comfort zone with regards to weapons. You’ve done that, and I think your choice is good for your situation.

  4. Gun is on me or within reach 99% of the time, I live close to the border and have seen too many doors kicked in to not wear a pistol on me.

  5. Whether you are a home carryer or not, easy access (meaning NOT behind a locked safe door that requires reading glasses and a combination too complex for Einstein) in the home is essential. Just prior to reading this post, I drifted over to Drudge and took another look at the down power grid around VA, WV, MD and DC. NO power at all for millions. The 911 system down. Cell phones that are being drained with no recharge. Tell my again that a firearm cuddled in arms doesn’t feel comforting in the darkness of the South during a heatwave. We can debate if “carrying” while taking a dump in the home lav is needed in every area of the country and at all dump times (plus I sure hope you wash your hands). But, as I call it, the 30 second drill, is NOT up for debate. Bang red flag up. Clock starts ticking. And when emergencies like today in DC are happening, THEN I wouldn’t be without some form of lead dispenser.

  6. Good advice, but it works under the assumption that everyone actually is hindered by those invasive elements around the house. Someone with no spouse/kids/roommates etc can have it at arm’s reach just fine. When friends/family come over, then strap it on.

  7. This is exactly what I ask people “Do you actually watch or read the news?” if not, your the one living in a fantasy world.

  8. Do all you home-carry types also wear tactical nappies too? If you live in such a deep state of fear and paranoia that you have to always have a gun on you in your own house then you must fill your pants every time the mailman knocks at the door!

    Unless you live in a seriously dodgy area then home carry is the sign of a whackjob IMO. I really doubt that most of you middle class, middle age white Rambo wannabes live in such an area though.

    • Interesting opinion. I don’t expect a fire but I have smoke detectors and a fire extinguisher in my house. Does that constitute paranoia too?

      • @cmd

        it is all about having the right tools for job at hand, no matter what the job is, right?

        you could not pick a worse time to try to improvise then when your family’s safety is at stake so choose your tools wisely because after the fact is too late to have your gun ready to go!

      • I don’t know – do you carry the extinguisher around on your bat utility belt along with your gun, backup gun, backup backup gun, knife, snake antivenin, police scanner, first aid kit, certified diving chronometer, 50ft length of rope, MRE’s, Geiger counter, MACE and that thing for getting stones out of horse’s hooves?

        • How clever you are. Nice exaggeration of crap. But I will answer you. No, but I do keep a fire extinguisher by the entrance to the kitchen and smoke detectors throughout the house. I do have an extensive first aid kit. I do keep water, dry stores and various other supplies in case of a natural disaster.

          If you don’t believe the same as I do, that’s fine. I won’t belittle you for having a different opinion. I might have attempted to change your mind but your various posts on this thread seems to indicate your have a closed mind on the subject.

        • I was only joking with you cmd, and I wasn’t belittling you atall – a fire extinguisher is a very reasonable precaution. My point was that this is all about the assessment of risk, and reasonable precautions that can be taken to mitigate it. House fires are a relatively common occurrence, so an extinguisher seems like a good idea. Dealing with radiation in your home (ie the Geiger counter), not so much. If home invasions are also a common occurrence where you are, then carrying a firearm in the home is a good idea. No question about it.

          What I am questioning though is whether most people posting here really have a good reason to carry like that, or whether they do it for more deep seated mental problems. Whichever way you slice it this behavior is not “normal” for a US citizen.

      • Why? There is no mention of home carry in that article whatsoever. In fact it clearly states that the 14 year old was NOT home carrying and it all turned out fine.

        • Wow, really? It simply proves that home invasions happen…and that it could have turned out a lot worse if someone had kicked in the door absolutely without warning, guns blazin’. In this case, the kid was given time to arm himself but in many cases, the perp/situation doesn’t affored you the time. It’s really not that hard to understand. I guess you just prefer to argue your own biased point.

        • You have more chance of being struck by lightening than somebody coming into your home all guns blazing, so do you walk around inside a portable Faraday cage at all times too?

          Also, if you are going to post irrelevant articles in defense of your position of home carry then don’t get your panties in a twist when I point out that they are irrelevant – that’s on you. Rather than just making up what you like to think I said, how about reading what I actually said. You will notice that I never said home invasions were fiction, nor did I say there was no case where home carry was justified. Those would be examples of YOUR bias, which I guess is understandable because when you’re so into gun culture and your own self image that you feel the need to carry in your own home having somebody point out that society in general thinks you’re nuts is a hard pill to swallow.

        • Yeah you’re right – anybody with a different opinion to you, especially if their opinion is shared by 99.99% of the world’s population, is definitely a troll!

          I thought this was supposed to be the truth about guns, not the kool aid about guns!

          Consider this – if you get so upset about somebody politely questioning your behavior, then maybe that behavior isn’t as defensible as you tell yourself it is.

        • Wow dude, you keep reading waaaaay too much into what you think my position/psyche is. Guess what? You’re wrong. I could care less about you or what you think about gun owners who feel they may need to be on a hightened state of alert, even in their own homes. You don’t upset me, you mildly annoy me. Why? It’s not your positions, it’s that you come across as a anti-gun nut spewing what YOUR TRUTH is, claiming it’s shared by 99.9% of the population. It’s because you choose to argue YOUR anti-gun truths in a place where you know your points are going to fall on deaf ears. If you weren’t anti-gun, then you’d accept that there are fine, law-abiding, non-aggressive, non-angry, non-violent and in fact emotionally-stable citizens posting here who have the right (and perhaps need) for defensive home carry – without basically calling them a bunch of paranoid psycho’s. Lumping them all into this label reeks of anti-gun bias. You come across as trolling in my book. You wonder why you’re getting push back on a pro-gun focused forum?

        • “their opinion is shared by 99.99% of the world’s population”
          ——
          [Citation needed]

        • So, you think that fewer than 1 in 10,000 home carries. You have just admitted to passing off your opinion as fact, as evidenced by your “99.99%” remark. This is the Truth about guns; let’s all try to keep it factual.

        • Yeah I do think that fewer than 1 in 10,000 people home carries. I also think that the earth revolves around the sun – do you want to see a citation for that too?

          But hey, just to make it easier for you to move on and actually tackle my main point (which you seem unable or unwilling to do) rather than concentrating on this sideshow let’s just call it 99.9% – because there is no way in hell more than 1 in a 1000 home carries.

        • Moonshine7102
          +1 Using his opinions to justify his opinions. A true sign of being sick. He even told Ralph he’s not arguing. It’s only his opinion. And as long as he thinks his opinion is in line with the majority, it is somehow validated. The majority is always right you know. They were certainly right when their opinion said the sun revolved around the earth. BTW he has just astounding math skills.

        • Two questions for you KWAL:

          1. In the dictionary do the words “Opinion” and “Argument” point to each other?

          2. What ratio of people do YOU think home carry?

          And apologies to you (and Ralph, peace be upon him) for daring to point out differences in meaning between two basic English words – the last thing I wanted to do was offend anybody.

      • It wasn’t an argument Ralph, just a statement of opinion – surely a lawyer should be able to parse such a basic statement correctly?

        And I’m not trolling either, I am merely stating that if you find yourself carrying a gun in your own home with one in the chamber and the hammer back then you have a problem. The problem may be that you live in a terrible neighborhood, in which case, if possible, you should move. I have no questions about the mental state of somebody living in a Juarez slum home carrying. But when the person home carrying is a (very) rich white guy living in an upscale area, like a lawyer, say, then I have to question his mentality. If I see somebody like that then I am wary, because they are either dangerously paranoid, or a Rambo wannabe just looking for a reason to show the world how badass they are – maybe even both.

        Tell me – what is the rate of home invasions in whatever rich community you live in?

        And if you would like an actual argument against home carry, skipping over the possibility for accidental discharge etc., then consider this: if George Zimmerman were to describe in court how he carries his pistol at all times in his own house, even on the toilet, then will this aid or harm his standing with the jury?

        • The fact that in that situation, being alive after a home invasion to tell the jury that you always carry (where and when legal) is the point of home carry. You can put the blinders on all you want and say “It Can’t Happen in MY Neighborhood.” Rival drug dealers often get the wrong address/house when they are in a turf war. And if you don’t think a dealer lives in your upscale neighborhood you are far from right.

        • I put my suppressed, cocked and locked .45 on the sink when I’m on the toilet. Seems to work ok.

        • Sorry Geoff, I must have been reading about a different George Zimmerman because I don’t recall any mention of home invasion in the accounts I read.

          I am talking about the perception society has of people who home carry, the views of all those people who live in the big scary place that you can only visit when you’re armed to the teeth – you know, outside your front door. What those people think about home carry matters if you’re ever up before 12 of them explaining why you wasted somebody out in public.

          The Zimmerman case is going to be even more of a popularity contest than most trials IMO, and so my question still stands – would the jury think more or less of him if they found out he was a paranoid gun obsessive that carried while he sat on the can in his own home?

        • Any time I hear/read “And I’m not trolling either…” it always reminds me of “I support the Second Amendment BUT…”

        • It looks like one of the admins at a certain anti’s blog got board because almost everyone stopped visiting and leaving comments.

          Well try this on. If someone wants to carry at home, so what? They can evaluate the risks and benefits and their style … and choose what makes the most sense for them.

          This is no different than a friend of mine who purchased a [redacted] brand truck. I informed him that their quality was the worst of all manufacturers and there was a much higher risk of failure than other brands. He acknowledged that risk and was happy with his purchase anyway because that brand of truck appealed to him on more levels than simply its risk of failure. Does that make him crazy? Absolutely not. What would have been crazy is if I had started ranting and raving how it was stupid of him to purchase a brand of truck that was more likely to leave him stranded on the road than any other brand.

        • LOL @ uncommon sense!

          Just another poster who addresses what they want to think I said rather than what I actually said to assuage their cognitive dissonance and inability to rationally discuss their behavior (that is a sure sign of being sick BTW).

          I never said that I wanted to outlaw home carry, in fact I said that I could see reasonable reasons to do so. Your example of the friend with the truck applies EXACTLY to my own view of home carry – you as an individual are free to weigh up the risks and if you GENUINELY find it necessary to home carry then DO SO WITH MY BLESSING.

          The flip side of that coin though is also just like your friend – when the truck breaks down you can tell him you told him so, and when society starts treating you like a freak because you home carry with no real reason to do so beyond feeling empowered then I can say I told you so too.

          Maybe you will get the last laugh when you have to single handedly fight off terrorists storming your bunker, but more likely you will miss out on many personal relationships and opportunities in your life because people think you’re a gun obsessed nutcase. That’s the great thing about this country though – we are free to disagree!

        • Hmmmm stated,
          “… when society starts treating you like a freak because you home carry with no real reason to do so beyond feeling empowered …” emphasis added.

          So it’s a foregone conclusion that someone’s reason which is different from society is “no real reason” or it makes them a freak? Says you.

          At any rate that is the whole concept of LIBERTY … something that you despise. I don’t insult you because of your lifestyle choices — don’t insult me because of my lifestyle choices.

        • LOL uncommon_sense – you are lecturing me on liberty but trying to trample my right to free speech and expression at the same time! Just another do as I say, not as I do hypocrite, aren’t you?

          Why does somebody having a different opinion to you scare and outrage you so much?

        • I am 90% confident that Mr. Hmmmmm is Ms. Hmmmmm and an admin on MikeB’s blog.

          “Why does somebody having a different opinion to you scare and outrage you so much?” Right back at you.

          Hmmmmm is here to convince herself that she is superior to everyone else. Upon that conviction she is then “qualified” to decide what is best for others and of course discount what everyone else says. Of course when you are superior to everyone else at some point you cannot help yourself and you have deride other people’s choices. Hmmmmm does not grasp that it is a matter of personal dignity for an individual to choose their own lifestyle and any choice — as well as any basis for their choice — is a right choice for that individual.

          Of course Hmmmmm is baffled right now that a moron such as myself could peg her with just a few comments.

        • I have no questions about the mental state of somebody living in a Juarez slum home carrying. But when the person home carrying is a (very) rich white guy living in an upscale area, like a lawyer, say, then I have to question his mentality.

          Or maybe a doctor? The last thing I want to do is blood dance, but Dr. Petit apparently felt the way you do and paid a horrible price. Home invasions are a low probability, high impact event. If you choose to prepare yourself for them, it’s because the consequences of not preparing are worse than the cost of preparing, which in reality are minor.

        • Uncommon_sense can you even read? What is it with you just making up complete gibberish and ascribing it to me? Not 5 posts up I clearly state “if you GENUINELY find it necessary to home carry then DO SO WITH MY BLESSING” – so please, how exactly am I trying to decide what is better for you or restrict your lifestyle choices?

          I think you might be mentally ill – seriously – it’s like you’re just talking to some evil liberal gun grabbing monster you have created in your own mind, you obviously aren’t talking to me because you’re just making things up that are quite opposite to all I’ve said.

          I support gun rights, I support your right to carry in your own home if you need to, or even if you just want to – I just happen to think you have issues if you do that without any real threat in your area. I also support your right to sit on an 18 inch butt plug while you sit at home in fear of the outside too, for what it’s worth – if it doesn’t hurt anybody else then it should be legal in my opinion – but I’d still think you were a freak if you did that too.

          Also, Sherlock, sorry to break down even more of your straw men but I don’t know who MikeB is, and I’m male.

        • You’re male? Yet you ramble on incessantly and argue (seemingly just to argue) like an immature female. “Hmmmmmm”….perhaps it’s time to remove the butt plug. It’s backing everything up.

        • Sorry MotoJB – silly me for ever thinking I could have a meaningful debate about a controversial issue like this on a site called “The Truth About Guns”.

          I will return to dribbling “git ‘er done” on my keyboard from now on just to keep you happy.

        • From what I can tell, there is really no debating with you on the subject. Your continued rants no longer remotely border on “meaningful” IMO. It’s again demonstrated in the “Get r done” prejudiced, downward-looking reference you just made. Do you really know the demographic spread of the people you are talking to here? My bet is that you’d be quite surprised…starting with me. Get r done? Really?

        • Hmmmmmm,

          I won’t waste electrons quoting all of your comments judging, condemning, chastising, ridiculing, etc. other people’s reasons for home carry. That is explicitly what you are doing. That makes you a troll. You are also implicitly trying to paint firearms owners as “quacks”. That makes you a gun grabber because a person who supports someone’s rights doesn’t try to undermine those rights.

          While you claim that you are just exercising your right to express yourself, using that right to erode other rights is just as wrong as an armed citizen using their firearm to “shut you up” and erode your right to express yourself.

          So I’ll use your tactic. Anyone that has to stick their nose into other people’s lives and judge their lifestyle choices is a freak.

        • No moto, there is no debating with somebody who posts a completely irrelevant link as if it’s some kind of magic bullet and then gets all butthurt when somebody else points out that it has nothing to do with home carry whatsoever.

          Beyond that, every question I have posited to move the debate along has been studiously avoided – presumably because rationally discussing this behavior hits far too close to the bone for most of you?

          Where is the line between being sensibly prepared and nutcase anyway? Is it just one gun on you for home carry? I mean we all know that one gun is as good as none, but two is one, right? So do you have a BUG when you home carry? How about claymores? How about a bond villain piranha tank you can drop the mail man into if he rings the bell wrong?

          Getting into a car crash is also something that can happen any time (and statistically FAR more likely), but I don’t only leave the house in an APC – do you? Sometimes you can go too far with a fear.

        • Oh geebus, it wasn’t an irrelevant link – it was yet another story (that just so happened to show up in my email while posting here) that proves unexpected home invasions do happen dilbert. The story could have been a lot worse under different circumstances. It’s just one more story that can support the idea of home carry. Did you not read why I posted it? There, I said it again. Stop acting confused and quit being ridiculous. It’s not hard to undestand why I posted it. The only thing I’m afraid of are close-minded, judgmental opinions like yours…held by those in seats of power/politics. It’s people like you that help the movement to take guns away from all of us out of YOUR fear of the .1% who admittedly are overly-fearful/unstable, gun toting psycho’s. That’s the .1% in my experience though. You seem to paint many here on that same canvas and I’m not havin’ it. Your “questions” if anything are being avoided because they are laden with bias, assumptions, prejudice and insults. Those aren’t questions. Perhaps you’re now getting some of that back. Where is the line between being sensibly debateful and nutcase anyway? I’m here to tell ya’ that you crossed it a LONG time ago.

        • uncommon_sense – so from my post in which I clearly wrote “I support gun rights, I support your right to carry in your own home if you need to, or even if you just want to” your take away was that I’m a gun grabber? LOL! You have certainly earned your “Armed Intelligentsia” badge today!

          And you wonder why people think a lot of you are freaks! If you can’t even see what is plainly in front of you without twisting it 180 degrees on a message board, how can you be trusted to make the right life or death decision with a gun? Does your warped mind see an evil mussy terr’ist when the girl scouts come round selling cookies too?

        • Hmmmmm,

          It’s called inconsistent messages. You make one or two statements that you “support gun rights” and then with a multitude of comments you judge, condemn, and ridicule people’s reason for carrying as well as the people who want to carry.

          And you really let the cat out of the bag with your statement, “… how can you be trusted to make the right life or death decision with a gun?”

          Your earlier statement that “I support gun rights.” is bogus because what you really support is gun rights for an extremely narrow group of people under an extremely narrow set of circumstances that meet your constantly changing criteria. That makes you a gun control supporter.

    • I live in a middle-class, mostly white, pretty affluent area. This past Saturday morning at about 8:30 am, someone walked into my house (the front door was closed, but unlocked) and walked off with my wife’s wallet. I was out of town, but my wife was in the basement and my daughter upstairs asleep. My wife could just as easily have encountered the thief in the dining room as she was going between the first floor and basement doing laundry and paying bills. In fact, when she heard someone walking around, she called out thinking it was my daughter, which may be why the thief left with only her wallet.

      I haven’t been in the habit of carrying in the house. But between this and a couple of break-ins on the block in the last few weeks, I am doing it more. I also am installing keypad locks on the doors this week so they can’t be left unlocked. I sincerely hope this will prevent a repeat.

      I really have no desire at all to shoot someone, but when people are brazen enough to just walk in and help themselves, there’s no telling what they may do if they run into someone in the process. As the man in the video says, I wish it weren’t so, but unfortunately it is.

      • What state?

        Unlike what Mr. Hmmm want’s to believe, I too live in a nice, middle class suburb in the CA Bay Area (mostly white) and my trailer/toy-hauler was broken into 2 weeks ago. I also noticed several screens misaligned on my home windows (like they had been removed and reset/replaced) – someone was casing my house and checking windows trying to see if they could easily get in. The police believe the perp was scared away by a neighbor in the middle of their “shopping spree”, or he/she/them likely would have gotten away with some nice stuff. The point? It happens even in nice, “white”, suburb neighborhoods too. My sister’s house in Vallejo was broken into a couple months ago and she had most of her stuff stolen (computers, tv, stereo, jewelry, etc). I can only imagine what the two scumbags (seen by the neighbors while fleeing) could/would have done had my sister unknowingly been home. This Mr. Hmmm is why people like me consider home carry or having a gun close at hand. Glad to hear you don’t have to worry about these things in the eutopia you live in, but many of us deal with a different reality.

        • And if I had that would have what bearing on the validity of my opinion exactly?

          Still waiting to hear how many home invasions there are each year in the area around your mansion BTW – or is that going to be too inconvenient a fact to relate?

        • A good example of a home invasion is the case of Dr. William Pettit Jr. In 2007, he was tied up and beaten. His wife and 2 daughters (1 of them 11 yrs old) were raped and killed. Then his house was set on fire. The Dr. Barely escaped.

          Home invasions can happen any where at anytime. There are areas that have a higher risk than others but doesn’t me much really.

          Some like hmmmmmmmm may think I am paranoid but I don’t care.

        • And Hmmmmmm’s opinion is valid because ……

          Let’s make it plain and simple. Your opinion of the probability and/or risk of a sudden and violent home invasion for someone else isn’t relevant … nor is your assessment about the “sanity” of someone’s lifestyle choice to address or ignore such an event.

          Your judgmental attitude and comments reveal your contempt for liberty and other people.

  9. Any thoughts on a viable home-carry melee weapon or spray-gun? Oven cleaner is supposed to work well.

    • Raid wasp killer. Shoots pretty far and is going to sting like hell when you walk the stream into the BG’s eyes. Probably highly flamable to boot.

    • I can tell you Lightning Strip metal paint stripper burns like hell the second it gets on your skin, I cant imagine what it would do to your eyes

  10. I always home carry. I can’t imagine a sound argument against it.

    And, really, what’s so hard about carrying a little snubby?

  11. i live in california . i have a supportive wife. before we got married we talked about deal breakers. mine was i own and carry firearms, if she couldn’t get behind that then there was no marriege. as for spooking my neighbors i pocket carry a 442. not perfect but a good compromise. our local news reports 3 violent home invasions in as many days, with at least one woman getting shot. i am ex military and i never met rambo or anyone that could pass for him. as for being paranoid, hmmmm, i’ll bet that’s just the thinking the gentleman that survived the home invasion that killed his wife and two daughters used before the event. i’m old and experienced enough to know that life altering, and ending, events happen in seconds. being ready for that event is not paranoid.

  12. I have loaded guns in my office. In the open. Loaded with one in the chamber. With a wife and 2 kids.

    Now what?

    • Hoping the kids are old enough and mature enough to be safe around loaded guns…

      If they are , then go for it.

  13. I personally consider a home invasion to be a more serious attack than a street mugging. On the street you have options for mobility and escape, the ability to employ SA to avoid or prepare for trouble, and if the lead flies places to take cover. In a home invasion you will be set upon without advance warning, your family and neighbors will be in the background, and concealment will be your furniture & DVD collection. If there is any place to pack a firearm its in your home.

    Even if Im outside reading a book, my Ruger is close at hand.Bad guys in my neck of the woods don’t phone ahead before breaking and entering.

  14. I tried reading it all. I gave up after about 3/4 of it.

    Chances of home invasion or other violent attack on me is miniscule.

    My chances of a head-on collision in my care are also miniscule, statistically speaking.

    But, if any of that DOES happen, the consequences are SEVERE.

    So, I wear a seat belt. And, I carry a gun. I do not feel either is any sort of imposition. Wearing a seat belt is easy and unobtrusive. Carrying a gun is no different. It’s like wearing a watch to me.

    I live in a nice semi-rural neighborhood. I have a post-graduate education (doctorate). My life is very stable. I would be the very definition of “clean-cut.” I’m a happy guy. My IQ is… let’s just say… well above average. 😉

    I expect the chances of a home invasion is very small. But, I also know that they DO happen… even in NICE neighborhoods… like that doctor in Connecticut (Petit family).

    I don’t need a gun.
    I’ve never needed a gun.
    But, if I ever do need a gun…
    I’m going to need it RIGHT NOW.
    So, I have (and carry) a gun.

  15. Hey RF, how about a follow up article/discussion regarding not just home carry, but other factors that go into it such as type of dress, firearm selection, caliber selection, tactics & concealment, etc.? I never really thought about home carry until I started reading articles about it.

    So is the home carry idea really get into get out of bed, strap gun on, then go get that morning cup of coffee? Sounds just a little nutty to me notwithstanding the good points made in favor of home carry.

    • Why is it nutty? Is it any nuttier than getting up an brushing your teeth? Wearing clean underwear? Locking your doors at night? Putting on a seat belt?

      Do you lock your doors at night because you’re a “paranoid nut?” Or is it simply a practical safety measure?

      It’s “nutty” because you’ve been trained to think it’s nutty by the “conventional wisdom” perpetuated by popular media.

      I can confidently assure you that I am not remotely “nutty.” I’m an intelligent, educated (doctorate), family guy who is very active socially. I’m quite NORMAL. Well… in most regards! 😉

  16. FLAME DELETED

    You are, by your own definitions of law many abiding home carriers as mentally disturbed freaks, in favor of denying them their rights. Unless of course you think mentally disturbed freaks like Ralph, who you nicely describe as, “awry”, should enjoy the rights that the 2A affirms. I have seen your type of circular argument many times. One forum even had an individual that was using different IP addresses, posting under different usernames, and arguing with himself when he couldn’t get enough angry responses from readers. If you think we should be worried about what anyone thinks about us, maybe you should be concerned with the idea that most of the responses here see you as the freak and the nutcase. But that’s why you’re here isn’t it?

    This is one of the longest “hot topic” threads that I’ve seen that lacks any “FLAME DELETED” or heavy moderation. It would really ring your bell if some gun loon here responded to your condescending tone and not so veiled taunts in a threatening manner wouldn’t it? It’s just too bad that all the mentally disturbed home carriers here are able to show restraint and good judgement when their rights are verbally trampled isn’t it? Seems that you inadvertently proved yourself wrong doesn’t it?

    FLAME DELETED

    You can stay fearful on your side of the fence and I will stay happy on mine. Happy that you fear what is on the other side. At least on the nights when I’m not crying myself to sleep over another lost, meaningful interpersonal relationship. FLAME DELETED

  17. I am not trolling nor did I ask for your response. I asked for RF’s response. FLAME DELETED

    I am seeking more information on the topic and subject at hand. You took my comments out of context and responded emotionally. Bad move.

    Have a good day – sir.

    • Scuba Steve No!! Not you. I started my response with “Hmmm”. That’s where it was intended. My sincere apologies if it appeared to be directed at you. I placed it down here since so much of the thread was lost with Hmm’s useless comments. BTW you actually responded very well considering you thought my rant was aimed in your direction. Again, Sorry.

  18. Why things got worse . . .

    liberal democrats and go along to get along RINO Republicans.

    How things get better . . .

    Citizens like this keep doing the right thing. So will I. Hoping that that day never comes.

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