MODERATOR EDIT:

If you want this thread to remain open, keep the discussion civil. Insults and disparaging remarks are ill advised.
Sincerely,
s&wchad
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So I live in a split level house with four floors.
Basement is a my game room with a bathroom.
Six steps up leads to ground level with a laundry room and door to garage
Six steps up lead to my living room, kitchen and family room
Six final steps to bathroom and three bedrooms

I shower and get ready in the basement. Since the boys moved out she claimed the upstairs bathroom and I gladly located my stuff for getting ready every day to the basement. No kids or many visitors these days.

I have a safe on the laundry level bolted to the concrete floor where I keep a majority of my firearms.

I have a small pistol safe in the closet that I keep my 36-10 carry gun.

I am one floor away from the big safe but I am slow to get in.
The pistol safe is on the top floor. Way too far away if something happens while in the game room.

So I made some decisions. I put a hidden holster in my downstairs bathroom. I figure with the humidity I placed my k frame 15-4 Nickel 4'' there so I have something handy. I have some nickel cased ammo too. I also have a speed strip with another 6 rounds. I lightly wipe down the guns once every two weeks with oil so not worried about rust.

I then placed the 36-10 j frame on top of a curio cabinet in our living room that has a natural indent - you'd have to be 7' tall to see the top and it is bolted to the wall so can't be tipped over. This puts a handgun on the main floor and easy to retrieve when we leave the house. I also placed an HKS speedloader there which I also carry when I go out.

I replaced the 36 in the bedroom sage with a 15-3 2" I recently purchased. I also have a speed strip and a speedloader.

I have Pachmayr grips on the 15-4 and 15-3 along with a Spring Kit upgrade so my wife is comfortable shooting them with her Lupus and Arthritis. Her hand strength is diminishing but she can now shoot both revolvers without any issue with the lighter triggers and rubber grips.

That puts a handgun within reach on the living area floors.
My wife says I'm getting paranoid in my old age but I'd rather have a way to fight back no matter where I am in the house.

So does anyone else have firearms placed in strategic locations?

Am I nuts for doing this?

I've never felt the need to store guns in different places in the house. We've lived here for over 25yrs. and the neighborhood has always been pretty safe. My EDC is always close enough.

I don't think you're nuts at all. I too would like to have options in a four level house. Carry on!

Before I'd live like that, I'd move.

Every household is different. I have children under roof so secreting guns would not work for me. An LCP in my pocket is sufficient for me.

Do what suits you best.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

I put my carry gun on as soon as I get up and take it off when I get ready to go to sleep. There’s a cruiser ready shotgun in my bedroom closet (in addition to the carry gun on the night stand). That covers the waterfront at my house. No kids in the house.

Regards, Porkie

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Least expected, you’re elected

Ditto to what Porkie said. I'm not expecting any trouble, but like the OP, I don't want to ever have to tell myself "You should have been more prepared.", if something ever did happen.

These are crazy times we're living in...........

I will continue to believe this is always a bad idea and when asked (as you did...) I will keep saying it.

As you live in NY State, there’s a chance that you aren’t blessed with a license to carry, so that might alter my own perspective a bit, but the bottom line for me is that I have a gun on my person unless I am tucked in to bed or in the shower, every day all day, without fail.

Unsecured guns in the house mean a gun that may well be used against me, especially if I happen to arrive home to a burglary in process.

And it’s a laugh riot if someone thinks they can find hiding spots that career criminals and/or curious kids and teenagers can’t find.

Carry a gun on person and leave no guns unsecured.

I don’t think you are nuts — I just think you are wrong.

I have loaded guns stashed around the house. I'm not always dressed when I'm home so putting a gun on when I put my pants on will leave me disarmed a bunch of the time. There are people that keep their guns locked up and think they are safe and that I'm paranoid when in reality their thinking may not be correct. Larry

If by “doing this” you mean telling the world through the internet where you have unsecured firearms in your home, yup, you’re nuts.

Only if someone was holding me prisoner there at gunpoint.

Harden your perimeter. Do it right and you’ll have plenty of time to get to your guns.

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

We always have the doors locked and can check if/when need to answer, same when traveling, seeing as we live in this rathole we have basically no self defense rights, but I always have a door cleaner close by if needed.

The idea of having guns stashed in different places all over the house doesn't make any sense to me. Even if they're stashed in lock boxes.

If they're locked up you had better hope that you're close enough to the lockbox and you get the combination right the very first time when somebody kicks your door in.

If they're not in lock boxes you're far more likely to lose your guns in a burglary then you are to use to defend your home. Don't think for a second that an experienced burglar doesn't know all the good hiding places in your house. I seem to remember somebody that posted here once about a burglary in their home. Whoever it was said the burglar tore the house apart. Pulled the books out of the bookshelves. Dumped every drawer in the kitchen. Looked every place there was to look. I seem to remember him saying that the burglar found everything that was stashed in the house.

It seems to me like the better solution is to keep one gun on your person at all times. Especially now that there are so many compact 9 mm handguns available.

I'm a firm believer in having a gun on my person anytime I'm dressed. If I'm at home wearing gym shorts and a t-shirt the gun is sitting on the coffee table right in front of me (holstered of course) and when I move through the house it moves through the house with me.

The funniest thing to me about this topic is that when it comes up there's always somebody who insists that carrying a gun at home means that you live in fear. Then they go on to tell us how they have multiple firearms stashed throughout their home. Do you really not see the dichotomy?

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Retired Career Security Guard

If your house can be broken into, you should not be supplying guns to the one who breaks in. If it cannot, you don't need a gun.

Keep the gun under YOUR control.

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Formerly Model520Fan

Grimjaws. You seem to be copping a bit of flack for your unsecured handguns. Regardless of whether or not I think it's right or wrong, I've read various articles by John Taffin about guns he leaves unsecured around his house, but in strategic locations. For example, he leaves a Charter Arms in the bathroom, a couple semi-autos in his study, and some others in different locations.

I will try and find the exact article on the internet and link it to the post. I'm pretty sure that the main article on his home defences was in an American Handgunner magazine from about 4-5 years ago.

American Handgunner Charter Arms' New "Auto" Cartridge Revolvers - American Handgunner

.44 Bulldogs in bathrooms.

GUNS Magazine House Gun(s) - GUNS Magazine

Best move ... attend to perimeter control, i.e., fencing, video cameras, alarms, etc. Then, attend to the windows and doors using best practices for security. Such measures may not deter someone who is determined. But these measures will buy you the time you need to follow your pre-planed steps for in-home security, ie., safe room, contacting emergency services, necessary means by which to defend yourself and your loved ones. JMHO. Sincerely. bruce.

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<><

Only difference between this and the "gun in the car" arguments is that the car has wheels and can be locked in the house, which I'm sure is still frowned upon if there's a gun in the console.

Do what makes you feel comfortable and safe, as long as it's legal where you live. The actions of others are not caused by you and are not your responsibility . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

My house is not 10,000 sq ft.

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Sure you did

The answer is "Whatever you feel comfortable with" there is no right or wrong answer. The only caviat would be that they would not be accessible to kids, grandchildren etc. Just my two cents.
Jim

"With a gun to his head" Massad Ayoob article that explains some of the extreme disadvantages to having gun stashed around your home rather than on your person.

American Handgunner With a Gun To Your Head: The Larry Goldstein Incident - American Handgunner You are surrounded by hidden, loaded handguns. Unfortunately, one of your kidnappers is holding a .357 Magnum to the base of your skull.

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Retired Career Security Guard

Just saw this thread – have got popcorn in hand and waiting to watch the excitement! Each situation is different. I am a hider; nothing nice or expensive; just small and reliable.

I find it easier to pocket carry a small pistol around instead of stashing guns around the house. My s&w 340pd basically never leaves my pocket. Hopefully, my dog gives me a heads up and enough time to get to a rifle or larger pistol. If not, I still have 5 shots of .357mag

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

I don't stash guns around the house. Worst case scenario, someone breaking in could use them against you.

I have a firearm either on my person, or near my person.

At bedtime I have one on the nightstand and one stashed in a location which my wife is to report to per our agreed upon plan in the event of a home invasion.

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642-1, M&P15 TS

Years ago when I was providing training for concealed weapons license
I heard a story from an older lady. She was in her recliner after dinner
one evening. She heard footsteps at the front walk. Then a big bang.
A large man had kicked her door open and came in to her living room.
She told me he started right toward her. She had her "little .44" right
on a table beside her. She told me she shot him. Did you hit him i asked.
Yes, in the foot. He is limping around out at the pen and has rumored to
say he is going to get even when he gets out.

That is when I started keeping guns in strategic places. I concentrated
on places I spend the most time. In the living room, next to my recliner
I have a hidden, but easy to reach, snub nosed .38 Sp. with regular
pressure hollow points. In my office, down the hall, I have another snub
nosed .38 Sp. with regular pressure hollow points, hidden in easy reach
under my desk. And a third in my bedroom in a quick accessible, but
secret, location.

BTW We also have a couple of inside dogs that bark at the drop
of a hat anywhere near the house. Good early warning system.

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In Omnia Paratus

We live in a "walk-out" ( main and lower.). I keep one bedside on main, and one on lower next to the bar. We live a retiree neighborhood, so even though a "safe" area, we could also be targets for young thugs/thieves .

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John

if living where it is considered neccessary to have a gun within close reach regardless of location inside the house = time to seriously consider a new neighborhood.

Wiping your nickel 'John' gun with oil doesn't do anything to prevent rust. I have seen many Smiths with internal rust once you take the side plate off...

I have 13 grandkids so everything but one on me is locked up. Never know when they will drop by.

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SWCA 3255 SWHF 615

4 floor house?
Exiled to the basement?
Gun on every floor?
You need to hit the reset button on your life.
If you live in the NYC run brother run

The problem is that bad things can happen to people living in nice neighborhoods, too.

A lot of different opinions about this topic. I recommend added security cameras and home alarms for early detection. Also if you keep several firearms stashed in the house put them up when little ones visit. I see nothing wrong with loaded guns in the house in fact I grew up in a home with loaded guns and I'm still alive.

I think it's better, and easier, to just keep a gun on your person. I think there is something to be said for having another firearm, maybe a long gun of some kind, in your designated safe room.

I'm not against the idea of stashing guns around the house strategically, but you also have to think about securing them. For example, if you can get a bunch of small, fast-access pistol safes with Simplex locks (V-Line comes to mind) all programmed to the same code, it could balance security with accessibility. My main concern would be when you're out of the house. Gathering up all the guns and locking them up when you leave and putting them back in place when you return could be an option, though I can see how that can be tedious, especially with your plan.

Of course, this is also assuming you've established layers of security to 1) make your house look like a hard target, 2) slow down anyone who does decide to break in, and 3) give you enough warning to secure yourselves in the safe room and call 911. Not to mention overall awareness of your environment when going home and leaving (it's not unheard of for criminals to follow people home and rob them).

And as anonymous as the Internet can be, I'm not comfortable with the idea of sharing specific details of one's home security plan on a public Internet site. I've taken my own measures and formulated (and practiced) my own security plans, but I'm not going to share them.

Just my opinion.

I read the article, and I took a few lessons from that encounter.

First, a gun on his person would've been more readily available than the guns he had stashed around the house in this particular incident.

Second, he was caught unaware in an open garage by a couple of guys, at least one of whom was armed and pointing a gun at him. I'm not entirely sure a gun on his person would've helped, unless he could move to cover while drawing.

Third, in the end, the gun he had stashed in his car likely saved his and his wife's lives.

Not nuts. We have the bedroom Glock 34 plus a Kel-Tec RDB w/ a Trijicon R34 reflex (no batteries) in case of real trouble (bear, cougar, two legged). Downstairs is the big safe and I keep one loaded 1911 there. All three of these guns are in Condition Three (magazine inserted, empty chamber) and in the case of the RDB and 1911 I leave them on FIRE because it's one less thing to deal with in a true 'split seconds count' emergency. Rack 'em and go.

During the summer my 442 is usually loaded in the safe as well, but now that summer carry is over I'll probably sock it away unloaded.

My wife takes a handgun out with her to feed the critters, just in case trouble comes up the driveway while she's out there. City folks and recent transplants to our area don't understand our methods, but they don't have to. Country folks just nod their heads knowingly.

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Psalm 27:2

It's always prudent to be prepared...

I keep my personal defense handgun on my person.

Got a rifle or two within easy reach as well.

Life out on the rural route, is different from town living.

.

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"IN GOD WE TRUST"

So where does the shotgun hide?

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No baby we aint

Lots of answers, pro and con. I'll throw in my 2¢ as well.

I've mentioned before that we are moving soon to our retirement property where nearly everything will be night & day different from where we live now. The inherent safety and security of our current place will be gone and we will be facing security challenges like never before, both in regard to the exposed location of our new place as well as the design of the house. It's necessary that we do this move, but it presents a security nightmare.

So we will do what others have done in similar predicaments. We will have a security system. We will have security lights. We will have cameras. Most importantly, we will have dogs.

Long ago, the good wife and I decided that carrying guns around 24/7/365 in the new place was never going to be practical. Neither is moving the entire contents of my current gun room into our new bedroom. Not going to happen. In fact, we still don't know where the bulk of my collection is going to go.

So the plan is to buy five of these and to deploy them appropriately around the house. In MA, you have to keep your guns "safely stored" and this approach will satisfy the law.

Does it mean I won't ever carry while at home? Hardly. I will still have my .380 pocket piece when it's practical to carry it. I'll also want something appropriate when I'm out and about on my tractor bush-hogging or otherwise, but that's a different topic for a different time.

Bottom line: I go along with the concept of deployed guns depending on one's home security needs.

But not often.

I firmly believe in having my handgun on my person under my direct control. I will call that Plan A. Having a Plan B and C is not a bad idea. To the OP I would suggest a good flashlight be near each stashed Gat, and to strongly consider a good bio-metric safe for them.

When you live in a 900 square mile County with 2 Sheriff Deputies at most on duty, when and if trouble comes you are on your own for quite a long time.

As a matter of fact with the Riots and Politically motivated violence we have currently, you could be on your own in a Metropolitan Area full of evil doers. Prepare accordingly.

"Not often" is not the same as "never."

Why do some people, not just you, automatically think someone who wants to be better prepared lives in a bad neighborhood?

My first line of defense is my dog, a very territorial, loud mean sounding barker. When the day comes and she is gone I will probably get paranoid at every sound. But now, just a nightstand gun and one other in another undisclosed location, known only to me and my 19 year old grandson who is living with me. Yes, he is well trained in shooting and safety, in an emergency he would probably be calmer than me.

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Super Snooper

Rationality. If you live in a safe place, prepping for deadly threats is a hobby, not reality.

Thanks for the comments. To clarify I do not have these firearms dispersed. Lots of information to process before I decide to go ahead

Short term I will keep my 36 on me at all times.

I live in the suburbs in a decent neighborhood but crime can happen anywhere. I did just install an alarm system and some cameras forgot to mention that.

Also it’s a split level ranch not some monster house and it’s just the two of us. Not many visitors.

Thanks again for the feedback.

I don't see what the problem is. The OP didn't write "I live at 1234 Main Street, Podunk Holler, Utah 10000" so he hasn't given up his location. I think his plan is fine.

I have lived in relatively safe neighborhoods (all neighborhoods are relatively safe, or unsafe, depending....) forever and I keep loaded guns in secret places everywhere. Always one story homes, with guns secreted in closets, drawers, etc. EVERY ROOM. I don't even think twice about it. That's normative for me and has been for many decades not counting when I had kids around, which does change everything because they can find anything.

We had this discussion before. At the time I indicated that I don't even walk around in my house without a gun and that includes a derringer in a robe pocket. Am I paranoid? Maybe. But for me I'm just comfortable doing it. I cannot be caught unarmed no matter what I am doing. If that's not your methodology I have no issue with you, it's totally YMMV.

The streets are on fire across the country these days. Unless you live way outside the city limits and never go into town, assuming the law permits this, do you travel anywhere in any city unarmed? If not, why is your home different?

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Come and take it!!

Uh... YEP! I would say so!

Time to move, while you are still live and "kickin..." a lot of good/great ideas are best left UNSAID. Get my drift?... I mean REALLY!

Some of the above is humorous to say the least. This is my favorite:

I think, BICBW, that everyone on this Forum has firearms as a hobby. They might have other hobbies, like fishing, painting, stamp collecting, weight lifting, triathlons, or pole dancing, but firearms is our hobby. When your hobby involves tools that can be used to protect yourself from harm, and when we all insist that anyone who plays with guns needs training and so forth, why would you NOT let your hobby be a part of your personal safety plan?

No other hobby except I guess knives and hatchets, and martial arts, is as effective as gun collecting for giving you the tools that you need to stay alive if the SHTF at home. If it's legal, why would you not deploy some of your "toys" as your self defense "tools"?

As for burglary, no big deal, if my dogs and alarms and locked doors don't stop them and I'm not home, whatever they get they get. If I'm home, well, SURPRISE!!!!!!!!



HE IS NOT NUTS!

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Come and take it!!

The Clutter family is unavailable for their opinion.