Not really so great. My sister called me today and told me that the couple (in their 70s) that were killed in Jackson,SC (near Aiken) in their home were friends of hers, though she hadn't had contact in a while. Sandra Cochran, the former Sandra Hilton of North Charleston, SC was my sister's classmate in high school. Police believe that someone they knew, killed her and their dog, and the husband must have surprised them and they killed him too. The house was ransacked thoroughly. They had little money (she had been unwell) or possessions, just acreage and a couple of horses, totally benign people. The only thing was that she had inherited some expensive jewelry and the perps may have been after that.

Which prompted me to ask, "Sis, have YOU got a gun?" (She lives alone) I was relieved to hear her answer yes, but she says she has no bullets in it and what she described were .38 wadcutters. I was impressed that she had taken a class 30 years ago and did pretty good, but she's had no practice since then, and said she wanted to take a refresher course and realizes that things have changed a LOT in that time. She has some kind of .38 snub she says is 'heavy' and has a 'firm' trigger pull. I filled her in on a few developments and said I'd be glad to show her some things.

I've explained to everybody here that I have teenagers around the house a lot and I don't want to leave guns out. But I'm going to get one of those quick opening under-the-bed safes. And my wife and I are going to take a CC class.

Anyway, that's it. I think nowadays a person that isn't armed and prepared had better get that way, now.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Keep a weapon on you. Think your only going to get attacked when sleeping. By the time you get your gun out of a quick opening safe under a bed, game over.

At least she HAS a gun...and that's a starting point.
I have a good friend who has a .25 caliber pistol, unloaded, in a cloth drawstring bag, inside a shoebox with a box of hollow points - under his bed. He is confident that this is adequate for home protection, has no interest in ccw, and I have not been able to convince him otherwise.

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Stay protected my friends.

I've done this for the last few years. I always have something on me (or under the pillow), regardless of how small.

RW, I have two teenage boys, as well. They aren't interested in guns, so without time to properly train and discuss them, I keep all of them locked up, with the exception of what I have on me. At night, the safe door in my room stays open.

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Because of the metric system?

Out two girls are grown now with families of their own. When everyone comes over, like today, the home protection gun (M10 snub) goes into the safe and my EDC (M&P .380) goes into my pocket. The M10 is normally in my wife's closet until bedtime, when it goes onto my nightstand.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

Mr. Cochran was killed in the yard. Mrs. Cochran and their dog were killed inside the house.

I wonder what clue the police have that the Cochrans knew the perp(s). It seems an odd thing to believe without specific evidence.

A sad, sad story. A recent news blurb confirmed that New Mexico, where we live, has one of if not the highest residential burglary rates in the nation. Quite a few are home invasion type crimes. It confirmed what we already believed. We're in our 60's, no kids at home (or within 1000 miles) and always have a gun (usually 2) handy. We will not answer or open our front door without one in hand. We both carry outside of the home. Sorry to feel like this but the alternatives seem so much worse.

Besides my EDC w/either a spare mag (semi) or extra speed strip (revolver), last week I decided to keep a Mini 14 w/three spare mags in my car & leave it there (it's outta sight). I've had three retired LEOs tell me they consider their pistol a tool to fight their way back to their car for either a SG or carbine & they're continuing that habit even after retiring. I can see I'll be changing my personal training.

Hank M.