Loaded on the nightstand?

[BearBio]

The Hillside Strangler operated in Los Angeles also.

One hot summer night in Hollywood in the 1970s, when I normally slept soundly through the night, I was awakened feeling an evil presense, looked out my window and saw a man about 6 feet away, peering through the screen of the open window at me and my wife, both naked lying on top of the sheets. I shouted something and he ran away. I think he was eyeing my wife as his next victim. He was later convicted of some of the Hillside Stranglings. Several of his victims were taken from within a single mile of my house.

The next day, I bought my first shotgun, loaded it with 00 ammo, and mounted it in a gun rack attached to the head of the bed.

And the Skid Row Slasher, and others. Ken Bianchi (one of the two doing the Strangler killings) worked in in the title insurance industry, as did I. I met him once at an interoffice/industry party. He worked in the same position I did but for a different company==my ex-sister-in-law worked for him as a relief secretary. My impression, based on one introduction, was he was a wimp.

I walked through the area where the Slasher was doing his crimes just before and just after he did them; A couple of times before the police found them (For those familiar with L.A., I took the RTD in from Long Beach to the main Greyhound station off of 7th and walked up to the Hall of Records on Temple.) My co-workers joked that it was me because of my attitude on Skid Row winos such as Burlap Bertha who slept in the doorway at the Mexican Tourist Bureau. Yes, there are guys with trench coats and dozens of wristwatches on, AND guys with trench coats and NO WATCHES on.

If I remember right, their victims were targets of opportunity, mostly hookers and run-aways (like Peter Lorre's grandaughter). I think you might be thinking of the Night Stalker, Ramirez, who did enter homes.

 

[pguy1951]

Fourkeeps, your post wasn't long! I enjoyed reading it! Makes perfect sense. I have two Italian Greyhounds that bark when the furnace kicks on! Super sensitive! I wish I had their ears! I don't startle, I just wake up. I keep my 642 right on my nightstand behind my cpap machine. In the morning, it goes back in my holster on my jeans for the next day. It is either with me, on my night stand or in my safe. As far as someone standing in my bedroom watching me sleep, like Fourkeeps says, good luck to him!!

 

[whw]

I seem too to recall a Mexican national riding the rails, and jumping off of trains in various locations to break into homes and murder people, in their bedrooms if I'm not mistaken. I think he even killed one or more people here in Ohio.

And one in Lexington, Kentucky... A particularly brutal murder.

 

[mkk41]

I don't actually have a 'night stand' or table near my bed. Got one of those big old fancy headboards with drawers and cupboard-style compartments. Where it is , I can reach my CZ-75 even with my hands under the pillows.

Some of my house rules are;
1. no smoking!
2. no kids!

The friends that do visit are my age (53) or better and kids aren't an issue.

 

[Protected One]

Only a professional thief could get into my house without rousing me, and there is no reason for such a person to do so. Thus the prospect of waking to someone standing over me is not on my radar.

There are no children or family members other than my wife and I in our house, so any uninvited person should consider the locked doors and windows their FINAL warning because I will repel any invaders in the harshest way possible.

 

[Protected One]

The Hillside Strangler operated in Los Angeles also.

One hot summer night in Hollywood in the 1970s, when I normally slept soundly through the night, I was awakened feeling an evil presense, looked out my window and saw a man about 6 feet away, peering through the screen of the open window at me and my wife, both naked lying on top of the sheets. I shouted something and he ran away. I think he was eyeing my wife as his next victim. He was later convicted of some of the Hillside Stranglings. Several of his victims were taken from within a single mile of my house.

The next day, I bought my first shotgun, loaded it with 00 ammo, and mounted it in a gun rack attached to the head of the bed.

....and close the windows when you sleep - I hope!

 

[elm_creek_smith]

My carry guns are only unloaded when I clean them or if I have to fly commercial somewhere on personal business. The house has a security system, and our 56 pound rescue black lab mix can rattle the windows. My duty belt with the S&W 686-6, baton, OC spray, and Taser hangs on the headboard, but my S&W 12-2 is in a bed rail holster, and S&W 642-2 is in a lidded box on the nightstand with a 320 lumen UtiliTech flashlight. My wife has her own gun, a S&W 681 with Crimson Trace grips, in a bed rail holster on her side. A condition 3 Ruger Ranch Rifle with Surefire weapon light and folding ATI stock is handy. My wife and I both have electronic shooting muffs on our nightstands in the event something goes bump in the night. They mute loud noises and amplify low noises. This last is very important.

On work mornings the duty belt goes on, the 12-2 goes in a cargo pocket, the 642-2 goes in another. Days off, the 686-6 is in the safe, and I carry the Airweights. Sometimes, especially when traveling by car, the 12-2 is matched with a 13-3 and the 642-2 goes in a pocket.

Sent from my QTAQZ3 using Tapatalk

 

[rwsmith]

IF you don't have kids in the house.....

In your situation I'd say nightstand and ready to go are in order, but I wouldnn't keep it in sight. Mine's in a drawer. If you have a spouse or significant other they should be made aware of it and firearm rules so as not to pick it up or point it incorrectly if it's needed to move for some reason. Better yet, teach them to use it.

 

[rwsmith]

Maybe......

Maybe it's time we considered holsters for wearing while sleeping.

 

[rwsmith]

Because of my circumstances......

I use Gun Vaults and can get to my gun much faster than I can awake from a deep sleep.

I'd rather not give an intruder with an adrenaline rush, the first access to my defense gun.

I have an older teenaged son with a lot of friends. There's always people around, coming and going and sometimes they sleep over. For me a quick open vault makes sense and yesterday I was considering buying one when I got a stupid cold and been in bed since.

 

[rwsmith]

If you have flimsy locked door to your bedroom.....

If somebody kicks in the flimsy locked door to my bed room, that is an ample warning sign that it's not a loved one and gives me license to fire everything I've got into the opening.

 

[Arik]

What's with the resurrection of all these old threads

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[rwsmith]

I'd like to say...

Home invasions aren't always done to people involved in drugs. Maybe most are, but there are plenty that are senseless except for the thrill of scaring, hurting or even killing other people. I know people that have suffered this. I also know of a kid (20's) who was so hopped up on drugs that he and another guy drove to someone's house because the guy 'thought that he stole jewelry from his sister.' The homeowner ended up dead and the kid that we know was an accessory and is now doing 30 years. His parents are fine people we went to church with for years, but the kid got into drugs. I guess what I'm saying is that there doesn't have to be a good reason to commit a home invasion and kill somebody. I don't know if the guy in the house did anything or not, but he's dead all the same. Sometimes it's just for the hell of it.

 

[old tanker]

Years ago I had a girlfriend who was a bartender. She had a key and from time to time, would let herself in after work, around 2 or 3 AM. She said, "I don't know why you keep that pistol on the nightstand. Burglars could steal the bed out from under you."

There's a lot to be said for a reliable sentry, two legs or four. Not all means of gain entry to a residence involve making enough noise to alert the occupants, so the alarm is useful.

For humane reasons there is a weapon light on the shotgun. Blinding them ensures that the last thing they see before leaving this vale of tears won't be me, naked, in the hallway.

 

[Ranger514]

Although this thread is four years old and has been discussed ad nauseum, I'll throw in my two cents. First of all, an intruder should never be able to enter your home without you being alerted in advance. If you don't have an outer layer of defense, get one. There are motion detecting outdoor light systems and audible alarms to give you an early warning of someone attempting a breakin. A good dog will also let you know if someone is trying to enter your home. Along with remote activated lights, most bad guys will likely retreat when a commotion destroys their element of surprise. It also gives you time to shake off sleep and prepare yourself to use necessary force to repel invaders who are not discouraged by lights and uproar. I keep a tactical flashlight equipped Glock 19 in my bedside table drawer. Along with the early warning system, acquiring it gives me a little time to shake the cobwebs out of my brain and get myself into a tactical mindset. The last part is have a pre-plan if you have a family and guests, to help insure their safety.

 

[Protected One]

What's with the resurrection of all these old threads

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

I don't know about "all", but relevance of the topic caused me to resurrect this one.

Why start a new thread on the same topic?

 

[Highhawk1948]

Holstered 45 on the night stand. I've had a knife under my saddle blanket or pillow since I was young. Now it's my old Randall Made Model #1.

 

[Arik]

I don't know about "all", but relevance of the topic caused me to resurrect this one.

Why start a new thread on the same topic?

That's fine. I just noticed that in the last few days a lot of old threads have been coming up

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[JK-linux]

Tough to beat a sucker punch when you are asleep. Do what you like, but I wouldn't personally be leaving my guns out on the night stand for some creeper to decide whether to use on me before I wake up. If you are that concerned, keep it under the pillow with a secured trigger area maybe or in one of those holsters that mount to the box springs. Heck, at least put it in one of those book safes that look like the King James if you really need it laying out in plain view.

 

[crazyphil]

Many moons ago a rancher friend had a problem with an old bear mauling
his cows and killed one. He asked me to eliminate the problem. I took a
friend along because he had a "bear hound" old Mabel. We staked out
the dead carcass. At the first crack of light, I saw the bear scooping up
maggots from the carcass. Opened my car door, ever so gently, and got
out with my Winchester model 70 with Weaver K4. The bear stood
upright, sniffed the air and took off. I caught up with him with a 180-Gr.
Winchester silver tip. (1 shot) Chased him over a ridge. Caught up with
him because he was paralyzed in the lower half. My one shot got him
right under his tail. One more neck shot finished him off. We gutted
him and drug him back to the car. Old Mabel was still asleep in the
back seat. So much for dogs as an early warning system.

 

[AimHigher]

Assuming you don't have an alarm system, waking up to find someone standing in the bedroom watching you would be stressful enough. It might be more so if you reached for your gun and found he got to it first. If you're going to keep a gun in the bedroom it should not be visible but easily accessible and loaded. With the problem you described (psycho breaking into homes) you need a guard dog or an alarm system as well as a gun.

We've got very good locking hardware on the doors and two dogs -- one of which will bark her head off if I so much as fart in the hallway. Unlikely that a burglar will get in undetected. In any case, once they made it to your bedroom, it's probably too late to reach fer your shootin iron. I keep mine in a sock drawer about 5 feet away from the bed. Alarm systems are cheap these days. Would be a good investment of $$. Just something that makes a racket if motion is detected within your residence -- or can warn you discretely.

 

[patrickd]

I have a bed up against a wall, I leave a gap between and hang my shoulder holster on it, that way it's accessible to me and no body else. I'm a light sleeper, I keep a KaBar under my pillow often as well. The way I see it, somebody would have to reach over me and have to struggle with the thumb strap. In that time frame I can wake up and deploy the Kabar. I personally doubt that I'd wake up from a nightmare guns a'blazeing. It's what you're comfortable with, you know how you sleep. I don't recommend leaving the gun in the open, as previously mentioned, you may wake up to find your weapon in the perps hand.

To me this sounds like the better plan. Maybe that's because I have the same setup right down to the brand of knife. Only difference is the 120lb German Shepherd the perp needs to get past first. My pistol though is an unsophisticated Ruger P89. Not a Smith, but I am positive it will go bang 100 out of 100 times. The Ruger P89 was engineered to be a military arm and is built like a friggin tank. Not a perfect carry pistol, but a superb combat weapon in close quarters.

 

[AimHigher]

Home invasions aren't always done to people involved in drugs. Maybe most are, but there are plenty that are senseless except for the thrill of scaring, hurting or even killing other people. I know people that have suffered this. I also know of a kid (20's) who was so hopped up on drugs that he and another guy drove to someone's house because the guy 'thought that he stole jewelry from his sister.' The homeowner ended up dead and the kid that we know was an accessory and is now doing 30 years. His parents are fine people we went to church with for years, but the kid got into drugs. I guess what I'm saying is that there doesn't have to be a good reason to commit a home invasion and kill somebody. I don't know if the guy in the house did anything or not, but he's dead all the same. Sometimes it's just for the hell of it.

+1 Many years ago, a Dr. (MD) friend of my former employer, had his home invaded in broad daylight. The Dr. also happened to be a reserve deputy sheriff. 3 guys burst in the front door and first accosted the Dr's wife. Dr. hears the commotion and comes out of his den and starts blasting away. In the end two bad guys dead, 3rd bad guy wounded and Dr. killed in the exchange of gunfire with the intruders. Very sad situation. So yes, it can happen to just about anyone -- but generally a rare occurrence in most neighborhoods. Dr. was well off and lived in a very upscale area.

 

[FAS1]

So there's a psycho patrolling the neighborhoods at night breaking into houses and watching people sleep till they wake up. I loaded the m&p with one in the tube and put it on my nightstand. Does this strike anyone as unsafe? Has anyone else done the same?

I keep a holstered/chambered handgun right next to my pillow, but it's also relatively secured and accessible to only me or my wife. It's always in the exact same place making it very quick, even in the dark.

 

[Muss Muggins]

Many moons ago a rancher friend had a problem with an old bear mauling
his cows and killed one. He asked me to eliminate the problem. I took a
friend along because he had a "bear hound" old Mabel. We staked out
the dead carcass. At the first crack of light, I saw the bear scooping up
maggots from the carcass. Opened my car door, ever so gently, and got
out with my Winchester model 70 with Weaver K4. The bear stood
upright, sniffed the air and took off. I caught up with him with a 180-Gr.
Winchester silver tip. (1 shot) Chased him over a ridge. Caught up with
him because he was paralyzed in the lower half. My one shot got him
right under his tail. One more neck shot finished him off. We gutted
him and drug him back to the car. Old Mabel was still asleep in the
back seat. So much for dogs as an early warning system.

Old Mabel seems pretty smart . . .

 

[KalamazooKid]

What's with the resurrection of all these old threads

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

More people maybe newer to the realization that you can and probably should be prepared to protect yourselves.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Muss Muggins]

That's fine. I just noticed that in the last few days a lot of old threads have been coming up

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

We've had some new threads about similar topics, and I think people are hitting the "similar thread" links at the bottom. Interestingly, I've noted almost identical comments from posters about four years later . . .

 

[OMCHamlin]

I don't have any guns at all, I deplore violence of any type, BUT, I guy I know very well keeps a Glock 41 loaded with 185 grain +P Remington Golden Sabers in his nightstand, a spare magazine, a surefire light, and an Ontario Bagwell Bowie on his side of the bed (and a large sleeping collie, to act as a stumbling block for any intruder, 'cause he sure as H--L wouldn't wake up...).
I believe he mentioned that his wife, a short tempered, excellent shot, only keeps an S&W M&Pc with a full sized magazine full of +P JHPs and a spare, and a Laser Devices Operative light. Both with light/laser combos and night sights. I think he also mentioned a smaller collie that is a loud, alert little dog that would serve as a trip wire, and the alarm, and the Mossberg M590A1 full of OOO Magnum, and...

As for me, I have a cordless phone with 911 on speed dial, that's really all I need...

 

[KalamazooKid]

As for me, I have a cordless phone with 911 on speed dial, that's really all I need...

That's funny. Where I live we'd have time to play a game of Monopoly with an intruder before the cops showed up.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[RoyOdhner]

...Get a DOG & ALARM if you're really concerned, OR MOVE.

+1. My guns are the last line of defense. The first line of defense in the house are our three dogs - each one is 90+ pounds of noise, and one is 90+ pounds of noise and fury. Rico is 1/2 German Shepherd and 1/2 Rot. He's big, he's loud, and he takes his home defense duties seriously. The other two are hobos, but they make a lot of noise and they look intimidating.

Get a good dog, if you can. They'll alert you before an intruder ever gets to the door or window.