I live in a gated community for adults 55 or over. I have lived here eight years and as far as I know there have been no crimes at this location. The two outside doors are solid with two locks with each having a HD storm door with a lock. My car is in a carport just outside my front door.

The area around us is a low crime area but it is not to far to some areas that I don't go in. I have a Sig P320 Compact on the lower shelf of a lamp table next to my chair. The gun has no safety,which bothers me. I kept the magazine in a one of those fake books that is empty and my grandson says that won't get it and a couple of weeks ago he refreshed the ammo with Critical Defense and put one in the pipe and then topped the magazine off

I love the gun except the safety bit and with it empty I enjoyed messing with it because it fits my hand and I can see the sights. With the gun loaded and a trigger pull away from firing, I removed the shell in the pipe. I was just not comfortable with the situation. I know that they shouldn't but some one could pick it up and put a hole through the wall into the next apartment. I can now remove the magazine, check to make sure the action is clear and dry fire it all that I want. When I am through I put the mag back in My poor old wall clock and the front door are my targets and they have probably been shot a thousand times.

I know that some will think that I should have left it ready like my grandson put it but I can jack the action fast. The Nurse that comes twice a week even ask to see it. She and her husband both shoot and she would have not touched it without permission but maybe some one would have. I would rather be safe. What do you think?

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Mighty 90's,Trying 4 a 100!

If you have no problems racking the slide, I see no reason not to leave it in the position that you feel comfortable with. Your gun. Your rules.

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The best I can with what I got

Just a few thoughts…

- I would never have a gun in plain sight when others are in the house, regardless of whether it’s fully loaded or not. My wife would be the single exception. If you want to have a gun on a table next to your chair, conceal it on your person or secure it before allowing others into the home.

- Dry firing is good training practice, but I follow strict safety precautions as recommended by the NRA. I have a designated dry fire area in the house and NEVER allow live ammunition in that area.

I had a friend who was dry firing an Arisaka rifle in the family home while watching TV. His father was in the room with him. He had recently obtained some stripper clips, so he loaded them up in between dry firing and tried some in the rifle. I’m sure you know where this is going…

I wasn’t there, but I heard this story multiple times from family members and know it actually happened. He was watching Planet of the Apes, pointed the rifle at the screen and called his shot: “The ape on the left”. He destroyed the television and scared the heck out of everyone in the house. Luckily, no one was injured. The bullet passed through the TV, through the wall between the living room and the kitchen and ended up inside a metal cabinet. It destroyed some of the kitchenware that was inside. His sister was doing dishes at the time, just a few feet away from the cabinet. This happened back in the 70’s when a 26” color TV cost $500 plus!

Familiarity breeds contempt and bad things can happen with one brief lapse of focus. Establishing strict safety protocols and adhering to them religiously can greatly reduce the chances of an unintended tragedy.

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"I also cook."

As others have said you should keep the gun in whatever condition you are comfortable with. Also dry fire is good training but have you or your grandson fired the gun to make sure all the dry firing has not damaged anything and the gun still functions properly?
I would not keep the gun in plain view around anyone that is not an immediate family member. While in Detectives I investigated instances of home health care workers stealing and my grandfathers two .22 rifles were taken by care workers.

Don't leave us hanging here. Did he hit the ape on the left or not?

Dry firing is an invaluable exercise and will never hurt that particular firearm. However, dry firing must be done correctly, to not develop lackluster, counter-productive habits, and to ensure safety. It is invaluable, bur must done with caution. Never have ammo anywhere near while doing it. Otherwise, a dead TV may be the least of your worries.

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Paul (rest his soul) swore he center punched the ape, right in the head. He was only about 10’ away with a rifle, had served in Vietnam as an armorer and was a good shot, so I had no reason to doubt him.

The actor portraying the ape went on with his career. Paul went to the dog house and the TV went to the landfill. Paul’s dad Fred went through the roof.

The story you just heard is true. The names were not changed to protect the innocent.

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"I also cook."

"I was just not comfortable with the situation. I know that they shouldn't but some one could pick it up and put a hole through the wall into the next apartment"

A safety won't prevent that from happening. You can't control people.

However, if you like, and want, a safety, go for it.

Think of this pistol as you would a double action S&W revolver ...
You will load all 6 chambers and there is no safety ... some pistols inner actions are built to mimick the DA revolver action ... no safety but safe to carry with a round in every chamber .
Bottom line is ... If you prefer to keep a round out of the chamber , practice racking a round with your eyes closed or in the dark ...
when something bad starts happening ...it happens fast and it's human nature to keep your eyes on the threat ... tunnel vision will even set in ...
so you must be able to get the gun ready , under stress and while not looking at it .
I don't care for all that song and dance when the bad guys arrive ... I'm old school ... a 1911 45 acp AMT Hardballer , cocked and locked on the nightstand works for me ... loaded and and safe .
You need to be comfortable with your handgun , fast and sure in handling it ... and not worried about "The Gun" being unsafe .
Gary

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Certified Cajun
NRA Member

An empty chamber and exposed storage location wouldn't be my preference, but that's just me.

Do you bring your pistol when you answer a knock at the door, or go outside? If so, do you chamber a round? If you chamber, then eject later, are you checking for bullet setback?



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Slava Ukraini!

You absolutely should do what makes you comfortable. You absolutely should not do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. A huge part of carrying, or having a gun handy in the first place is to make you feel more comfortable with your surroundings. If the way that you are doing it upsets you, you have defeated a big part of the original purpose.

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NRA Life Member

a Sig p320 fire control unit (FCU) with a manual safety can be acquired and switching out the grip module for one with a slot for the safety is easy if you wish... and I would prefer a "hiding spot" for it.. even just a 3 ring binder to keep it out of sight..

Please forgive the lack of tact, but....keeping a gun by your chair (assuming that's it's ususal storage place) is just plain stupid. What do you expect will happen if you're in another part of the house when you realize you need it? Plus, you're arming any intruder who gets to it first. Someone once timed simulated smash and grab entries and put the time between entry (you have windows, they don't need to use doors) and an intruder being in the living area as under 3 seconds. Can you hotfoot it from any place you're likely to be, get the gun and magazine and rack a round in less? That's one of the great advantages to a handgun, you can wear it about so it's at hand should you need it.

Now about your area. Criminals look for areas where there's good pickings, the victims won't fight much and preferably where the LE response time is liesurely. Sounds kinda like your location.

If you want to dryfire, find a regular time and place-preferrably where the target will stop any bullet that creeps in (that's not your interior walls or door)-and there's no ammunition at all. Once you're done, go do something not gun related.

If you want a safety, look at the post immediately above. However, part of one of the rules of firearm safety is NEVER TRUST A SAFETY! The real safety is between your ears AND where your trigger digit is.

I would be hesitant about care workers knowing I had firearms in the house.
Some of them are required to enter that information in your file, and could be used against you. It could interfere with your ability to get benefits.
If not now, probably in the near future.

Go down to your favorite gun store and tell them you want to trade it for a model with the safety. I am a big fan of the P320 and I have two, both without safeties. It's something I think about myself from time to time. The non-safety models can be modified by a third party but it voids the warranty. The FCU can be swapped but the easiest path is probably a trade-in for a complete pistol.

Loaded guns in my house are on me or in a locked safe. At night on a table next to me, moved and secured when I get up. Only my wife is in the house but, what if………? It

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Two Handguns every day

Only you know how fast you can put your gun into action if needed. Gun here, magazine there, is it loaded or not... Just too many things to ponder when the need is immediate. Your 320 does have a safety but not a manual safety. It will not fire unless you pull the trigger. You can just trade your gun for the same model with a manual safety if that is a real problem. It is not a good idea to have your gun in plain view, and not a good idea to share your gun informaton with visitors. When a visitor knows you have a gun, invariably they will want to see it and play with it... Treat a gun on a need to know basis and out of sight - out of mind is the key.

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S&W factory revolver armorer

With so many quality firearms on the market, I would send the marginal P320 downriver and replace it with something worthwhile like a Beretta 92.

If I had workers accessing the house, they wouldn't know there was a firearm present, much less where it was.

My thinking about the readiness state of a firearm is that it should be immediately ready to use when/if the need arises. Criminal attacks, by design, are surprise attacks and afford the victim no time to prepare.

Security cameras mounted outdoors with a monitor or two inside can give you a heads up about who's at the door or anyone approaching the house.

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Just Say No - To Social Media

Firearm technology is evolving, manual safeties are no longer all important as they once were. In a stressful situation, unless you have manipulated the safety until it becomes second nature, a safety can be a time-consuming impediment.
Time.
Self-defense situations develop rapidly, there is no time to dig out the magazine, insert it correctly, oops do it again, rack the slide and disengage the safety.
Talk to your grandson about the realities of self-defense.
Leaving a gun out for others to see is similar to leaving expensive jewelry or even cash laying out. Why would you deliberately tempt people??? Move the gun out of plain sight. Don't bring it up in conversation, if asked about it say it isn't here (or there) anymore. Don't talk about it past that point. It's not their business and not to your advantage to do so.

chambering a round
unchambering a round
mag in
mag out

the above are all unnecessary steps and hands on action which increases the odds of an accident. IMO
I prescribe with......
no safety
mag in and a round chambered
gun stays in the holster even if Im not wearing it
when it comes out , it is to be fired , hopefully at my local range.

You live in a gated community where there has been no crime the whole 8 years you lived there. You could get by with a 9 iron!

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

I would highly recommend a pistol lock box. Load the gun and put it in there. It’s safe and mobile.

Many years ago during my commercial locksmith career, I got several calls to a 55+ gated community. They have ten foot fences. An automated gate controlled by armed guards and a roving patrol.

Over a three month period I went there 6 times. Every customer was the victim of burglary. The residents and local law enforcement were stumped.

A few weeks later I got called there again. The customer told me that the perps had been caught in the act.

Three youths between the ages of 14-17 committed all of the burglaries. They were the grand children of another resident. The grand parents thought it odd that the grand children kept asking them who the snowbirds were.

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

One, I should definitely not be posting at four in the morning.
Two, I did not explain the location of the referred gun correctly. It is easily within my reach but out of sight of others.
Three, there is the safety bunch and the non-safety bunch and there will never be an agreement on that subject.
Four, my apartment has four areas and there is a easily reachable loaded gun in all four besides in my car.
Five, my chair is my dry fire area and the only ammo is in the magazine and it is out of reach without expending some thought and effort when dry firing.
Six, the only reason the nurse knew about the gun was that she saw my American Rifleman magazine and said she and her husband were interested in guns and I showed her that one.
Seven, my Dad started my gun safety education when I was five years old. That was a little over ninety two years ago. I got my first gun at eight and at ten I was allowed to hunt my myself. So far I have killed or wounded no one and shot no inanimate objects besides targets.
Eight, I can get the safety off fast enough that you wouldn't want to try me and being blunt reminds one of braying.

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Mighty 90's,Trying 4 a 100!

Jimmy's Rule on CCW: "If it is not on your person, its too far away if you need it"

Revolvers have been around longer than your 92 years. lol It is ready for use in a instant when loaded. For home/apartment a K-Frame size with 3 or 4” barrel is convenient to hide in a drawer and is easy to shoot. The .38 snubby is more of a experts gun. The 32 Magnum and 22 Magnum deserve a hard look.

My Taurus holds 8 rounds of 22 Magnum and with short barrel ammunition performs well in tests. Consider home invaders often operate in group of 2 or 3 eight rounds is as many as some semi-autos.

p.s. Here is a chance to teach your Grandson that revolvers are not a museum fossil.

An empty chamber is a forfeit in a gunfight.
At go time, the situation prompting you to seek that gun is dire and urgent. You may already be seriously wounded and down to the use of one hand. You may be of failing strength.
Study and understand how your gun works to a level that you can believe in it. If you cannot come to terms with it, get a gun that you do understand well enough to have faith in.

Most of the firearms we own are because we enjoy them for some reason or another.
This one is a little different. You need to be able to bet everything on it

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it just needs more voltage

Whoa now!!!!! Marginal?
I say trade the 320 for a gun with a manual safety. Like a 365 or 365XL. Even a Hellcat…….. but not because it’s only marginal.

I think you would like my car....Maybe, a '51 Ford.
Untitled by Travis Brown, on Flickr

As far as your gun in your home,
That is your business.
What type of gun you have? Again, your business.
Where and how you keep said gun? Again, your business.
If you have no gun at all.... Your business. It's your home.
Who you tell about your gun in your home....Your business because.... it's your guest.

It you wanted to have a gun next to the chair, one next to the toilet, one next to the phone, one between the milk and cheese in the fridge, and three four hanging from the ceiling, making a very interesting mobile, that's your business.

It's your home.
You and your home need to be respected.

You like to dry fire...
A revolver with snap caps and a speed loader can be real fun.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with you keeping your magazine in that book.
It's your home.

We could get all tacticool but the chances of the "surprise attack" by invading thugs in your home are very, very slim.
In an emergency, there needs to be time for clarity. Loading the magazine may give you that clarity.
The person screaming beating on the door at 2AM may be there because the place is on fire...a much more likely scenario....

Which is the most important part of a successful home invasion.

How do you practice finding the gun, then the magazine, then loading the magazine into the gun and then chambering a round while under stress of a attack?

Or drunk or high on drugs or trying to get the homeowner to open the door for easy invasion.

Just a thought...

You could get a retention holster like a Safari or a Blackhawk.

They would keep the trigger covered and you have to manipulate the release lever to remove the pistol from the secure holster.

This would provide a layer of safety if the pistol is kept in easy reach for you. If a kid were to pick it up, they would have to figure out how to get to the trigger.

,

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Death? Smile back...

I thought this was going to be about the gated community.
We live in a very crime-free subdivision.
One day, during the Covid lock-downs, I woke up and found a pair of jeans and a pair of boots on the ground, just outside the back door.
Cops came and got the boots and jeans.
That's all I know.
Anything can happen anywhere, I recon.

For dry firing semiautos I use snapcaps and designated magazines. Nickel of stainless for blued guns, blued magazines for stainless/nickele guns.

iThe magazine is in the gun, I just have to rack the slide/

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Mighty 90's,Trying 4 a 100!

You might consider getting a DA/SA semi-auto with exposed hammer such as the SIG P239 or Beretta 92FS. The heavier double action trigger pull along with the hammer being visually down should increase your confidence when handling it.

I just happen to own both guns. The SIG has nine rounds with one in the chamber and the Beretta 16 - 21 rounds with one in the chamber. I carried the P239 before switching to the 92FS.

Glad nobody got hurt and thanks for the story with a valid safety point swinging through the humor

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Is that a gun No a lifesaver

I'm in my 50's now, and have my AARP card

The old school way that was driven into my head decades ago, you can never be too careful when it comes to guns.