In the video above we learn that keeping one in the pipe (i.e., a cartridge in the chamber) is crucial to a gunfight when you’re out and about. What if you don’t have a gun? Well, that’s a problem. And it’s not one restricted to the great outdoors. Most [non-TTAG employed] gun guys I know don’t home carry. They reckon they can get to their gat in an emergency. Good luck with that. Others stash loaded guns around the home — a bad idea given the possibility of unauthorized access. What about you? Do you home carry?

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  5. Do I home carry? Pfffft. Does a shark sleep in the ocean?

    In my case I truly have to home carry. My neighbor across the street has two German shepherds that will kill someone when they get the chance. They already charged me (and stopped 12 feet short of me when I leaned in to shoot them). Just yesterday they bit someone walking up the driveway looking for signatures on a petition. The only reason that encounter wasn’t fatal is because the victim is over 6 feet tall and the owner happened to be outside to call off the dog immediately. Thus, I anticipate that I will hear screams at any moment that will require dispatching those dogs … whether the screams are coming from my children or a mom walking her child in a stroller. This situation truly sucks.

    • Yeesh. That does suck. When I moved into my current place a few years ago, a neighbor had two aggressive dogs that went after me in my own backyard. Luckily I had a piece of an angle-iron bedframe close at hand. If I could have cornered those beasts, I would’ve beaten them to death, and they knew it. As luck would have it, the owner was out in her yard when her dogs came scooting home with their tails between their legs and me behind them with my 38-inch iron bar. I informed her (quite calmly, I might add) of what had just happened, and told her that she’d best keep her dogs at home. Fortunately, no more problems after that (also fortunately for the whole neighborhood, the woman and her two nasty beasts moved away a few months later). If I had owned a gun at the time, I would have considered carrying it after that.

      What brought home carry to the forefront for me was a string of home-invasion robberies. The perps came from Seattle, figuring they’d find easy marks in our out-of-the-way college town. They’d knock, and if someone answered, they’d act like they were asking for directions. If no one answered, they’d break in — and hold any occupants they found at gunpoint while they trashed the place. They hit a dozen places, two of them in my neighborhood. As I only answer to people I already know and my kids had been trained not to answer the door, this was worrisome.

      These days, I frequently (but not always) carry at home. My wife is usually in the room where the guns reside anyway, so if the worst happens we’re covered either way.

      • Most of the Puget Sound region is seemingly pretty safe, but I have had to draw on one occasion. Between that and the fact that I was only issued one life are reasons enough to justify home carry.

    • How aggressive are they?

      Would a cop (a regular cop with testicles, not a fraidycop or a dog-shooting sadist) think it was necessary to shoot them?

      If so, get a burner cell phone, doesn’t have to be activated to call 9-1-1, dial 9-1-1 and throw it in the yard with the dogs, wait for a cop to respond to the dead-line 9-1-1 call.

      • The dogs are off-the-charts aggressive. And that means a good law enforcement officer would absolutely shoot those dogs — and be fully justified in doing so.

        I have a friend who is a retired deputy with a lot of training credentials who watched the video of the dogs charging me. He agreed that I was 100% justified in drawing my handgun. He also agreed that I made the right call NOT pulling the trigger since they stopped 12 feet away. Finally, he also agreed with my sentiment that I would have been 1000% justified to pull the trigger if they took one more step toward me.

        Had I been a law enforcement officer with qualified immunity and a police union to defend me, I would have pulled the trigger when they charged me. They were running loose on someone else’s property, totally ignored the commands of the owner just 25 feet away, and charged to attack me.

  7. I know several people with carry licenses who seem surprised when I tell them I carry in and around my house. I live in a nice neighborhood but I won’t even open my garage door to get my paper in the morning without being armed and ready. Not paranoid but prepared.

    • How’d you get the local criminals to agree not to bother you when you’re drinking scotch?

    • I mean the following question in all seriousness.

      Do you truly feel that after a scotch or two that you are unsafe to handle a firearm?

      If so, I recommend you find a spot in the boonies where you can drink while shooting. I’m not talking about getting wasted here, but having a few drinks while shooting is a good idea for those that choose to drink and own a gun. Just one or two drinks will change your coordination and make handling a firearm not dangerous or difficult but different.

      As was pointed out to me at one point: If you choose to have a couple at the end of the day what are the chances you’re 100% sober when the door gets kicked in?

      I know purists say “alcohol and firearms don’t mix”. I say “That’s a retarded stance to take. Alcohol and firearms mix lIke Rum and Coke. Juse dont get shitfaced and have a ‘hold my drink amd watch this’ moment.”

      • No kidding! I work from home and am always carrying. I often have a beer last few hours of the workday and then will have a pour of whiskey after the kids go down. By the no guns and alcohol stance I’d only be carrying a gun half of the day! Shoot, I usually have a pour of whiskey when I’m cleaning my guns! Maybe should go with one finger of Scotch if you can’t trust yourself with two…

      • This.

        I have had a few while out and armed and just amp up my “I have a gun and am potentially legally intoxicated. Don’t do anything stupid.” I don’t get in confrontations while sober or intoxicated. Having a gun on me while having a drink or two at dinner doesn’t change anything.

        Hopefully, I never have to use my gun after having a few because I’m sure it would cause a world of trouble even if cleared.

      • You bring up a good point. My buddies and I have a strict no-alcohol policy at the range- as a group it just makes sense.

        However, if it’s good uisce beatha, I’m having a finger or two. Not braggin’ but I have a nice collection of Irish, Scotch and bourbon whisk(e)y at the house, and on a Friday and/or Saturday night I imbibe (Sláinte y’all). Not heavily, but 2-3 glasses of 2 fingers each can add up if you don’t stretch it out, which is why those 2-3 glasses typically encompass 3-4 hours.

        I’ve never felt unsafe about doing so and the wife has never batted an eye about it, and she would definitely say something if she felt uncomfortable. It’s all about knowing your limits and keeping your wits about you. If you’ve been drinking don’t partake in any “watch this” antics, and if you feel you’ve had enough to make you question things, lock the piece up.

  9. About a year ago just down the street I live on a couple of robbers kicked in someone’s door, shot their TV and robbed the resident at gunpoint. They caught one of them, last I heard they thought the other guy went back to Chicago (where we get most of our robbers around here). Used to be a pretty quiet town before the federal government decided we weren’t ‘diverse’ enough. I guess a having a major university with students and faculty from just about every country on earth didn’t count.

    Anyway, anyone who shoots my TV is going to experience something called ‘return fire’.

      • Ames, IA. About a decade ago they put ads in the Chicago papers recruiting people to bring their housing vouchers to Iowa. Guess I can’t blame them for coming over, I’ve been to south Chicago.

    • Drive by today. I was at the gas station on that corner about 3 hours earlier.

      http://amestrib.com/news/ames-and-story-county/person-detained-shooting-left-one-man-injured

      ‘A person has been detained for questioning, but no arrests made in a shooting this afternoon near the 3800 block of Tiverton Court on the city’s north side.

      According to Ames Police Cmdr. Jason Tuttle, police received a report of shots fired near the intersection of Stange and Bloomington roads around 3:30 p.m. today.

      Tuttle said one person was injured.

      The victim was shot while standing near the middle of the road, and the suspect fled eastbound in his vehicle, before getting out and fleeing northbound on foot, Tuttle said.

      The condition of the victim wasn’t immediately known.

      According to Iowa State University Police, the suspect was driving a silver Mitsubishi Galant.

      Tuttle said the suspect is described as a tall black male with dreadlocks, wearing a white shirt, and is possibly armed.’

      I like that – the guy who just shot the other guy is ‘possibly armed’.

  12. Yes. Moved into this house a year ago. I’ve had people come to door at night asking for a certain individual. Talking to a neighbor, my house had been a rental prior remodel. Suspicions were, renter sold drugs. I always answer door, gun in hand. Do yard work, one in pocket.

  15. I had a coworker who was SHOCKED that I felt the need to be armed at home. I asked I’d she only work her seatbelt occasionally, or if she sometimes removed the batteries from her smoke detector. She said “Of course not!” I also asked “If I’m sitting downstairs when my door gets kicked in, what is the best way to ask Billy Badass to wait whilst I fetch yonder gat from the upstairs?” The response? “Are you really that paranoid?” My response to her response? “No more than putting on my seatbelt or changing my smoke detector batteries.”

  16. I used to, then I quit.

    There’s at least one gun stashed in each room ready to rock, including the shower, hopeing all the alarms and noise could give me some time.

    And there’s a pajama coat with a revolver in the pocket, for when I have to answer the door.

    Taking some chances for sure, but much more comfortable. I can finally stop wearing jeans at home.

    • If I could find a way to safely and comfortably carry in my pajamas, I might never wear pants again.

      • When home at night, I manage to carry a compact pistol in a proper holster while wearing drawstring pajama pants. No sag at all.

      • With S&W bodyguard 380 I could pocket carry in sweatpants or gym shorts, now with the extra weight of the p238 I can no longer do that without my right side of pants riding low… I hate drawstrings…

      • “If I could find a way to safely and comfortably carry in my pajamas, I might never wear pants again.”

        @Ing, with a Remora holster you can tote most carry guns if your PJs have a drawstring or a good elastic waistband. You can even underwear carry.

      • Ing,

        Here is you recipe for extremely comfortable pajama carry:
        (1) Acquire an lightweight handgun (say 20 ounces or less fully loaded).
        (2) Acquire a comfortable “inside-the-waistband” holster for that handgun.
        (3) Acquire a sturdy (although not too stiff) belt.
        (4) Where the belt and holster combination outside your pajama pants.

        Without any belt loops, you can position your belt and holster as high or as low as you want. Your belt and holster will sometimes shift a little but it won’t matter. That also means that you can easily and instantly adjust your belt and/or holster to be extremely comfortable as you move around the house or change activities.

        Try it. You will be stunned how comfortable it is.

        • Aye, it’s very comfortable and convenient. Except for using an OWB field holster, that’s how I PJ carry. I have a few old, well worn Walmart rough duty belts. One I keep for myself and the others I loan out to guests who want to be armed while on the farm but didn’t or couldn’t bring a sidearm. They are worn like duty belts.

      • A leather Walmart WorkForce(?) belt, a leather holster with snap retention strap, and a small revolver means one can carry in PJs, underwear, or even completely nude. For these purposes, I use an SP101. Leave the belt loose enough to be comfortable; TV western gunslinger style. The revolver and holster can be slipped around the belt almost 360 degrees so it is comfortable when you sit down or take a nap. It works great.

        For use in public, YMMV. Will they notice your lack of attire or the fact that you’re armed…

  17. For the last 2 years I have kept my Taurus TCP in the front pocket if I have pants on. I recently pulled into my driveway after dark to find two cars full of “lost” teenaged males. (There is nothing like counting potential hostiles and realizing you don’t have enough hollowpoints to go around.) This prompted me to stop taking off the subcompact XD-9 as soon as I got inside. It now rides on the hip around the house most of the evening as well.

    • Well you may have just stopped something bad before it ever started. Good thing! I keep a flashlight with me at night and in my vehicles because mean people tend to get distracted when they can’t see so well. Pepper spray might also be a good option for few too many people to combat if you know what I mean. Not to mention a group of people that haven’t shown a weapon or hurt you yet might be dealt with by using pepper spray or an led strobe instead of you going to jail for a long time if they were a protected group.

  18. I go by the pants rule. If I’m wearing pants, there’s a gun in the pocket. If I’m in pajamas or undies, not so much.

  19. Get the right carry gun/holster and home carry is easy to forget while you’re doing it. I home carry a shield 9mm and it is easy as hell. Answer every knock on the door with a gun, because why not?

  20. I live in a very nice neighborhood, one way in one way out, 24 homes in the neighborhood, we advise each other of any suspicious activity.

    All the break-ins seem to be in the not so nice areas, daily there is a report of armed intruders.

    So, HELL YES I home carry, one day they are going to figure out those that have stuff worth stealing don’t live in the same neighborhood the intruders live in!

    • I lived in one of the toniest, most expensive towns on Cape Cod, and felt reasonably secure until my neighbor was beaten to a pulp inside his home. And no, he wasn’t involved with anything gamy.

      Then, one night a few months later, a couple of shady looking punks drove into my driveway and blocked it. I chased them away with a baseball bat, but I had my Smith & Wesson ready to go.

      Don’t count on a “nice neighborhood” to protect you. Nice means money, so that’s where the goblins go.

    • I too live in a nice neighborhood, one that is only 15 miles from the home of the guy arrested in Charlotte recently for trying to set up an ISIS sleeper cell or training camp. It doesn’t take very long to travel 15 miles unless you’re riding a horse or camel.

  23. YES!

    Sort of….

    With young ones in the home and my prime carry a revolver (SP101), sometimes I have to weigh the risks. Having a firearm within hands reach is ok when you can be in 100% control of it.
    Examples of times you are not, well.
    Ever nod off while watching tv?
    In the shower shampooing your hair?
    At night while sleeping…
    etc..
    Any parent knows these are the key times you fear your toddler could get into anything.
    I am still working on the position to take on a current issue…

    When your toddler bumps into your carry piece.
    Not sure if I am afraid if I draw attention to it and make it special, they will take interest and curiosity in it, if I don’t, how will they know?
    As of now they know its mine and not theirs and they leave well enough alone.
    When they get old enough to understand, then the hands off approach should work fine, but there’s a fuzzy grey area around 2-3 when they can use items but have no concept of their function.

    So, yea….. Sometimes..

  24. I have my AK74 upstairs and my Tavor next to the bed when I sleep. We get unwanted people in our backyard every so often. Nobody has tried to get into the house, so I haven’t had any run ins with people.

    • All my carry guns are chambered. My main carry is a P229 It’s ready to rock. Guns I don’t keep chambered are my Uberti 45LC…because you don’t carry a round under the hammer and my Arsenal AK-47. It has a full 30 round magazine stuffed in it, but I don’t keep a round chambered.

  27. No. I have 8 foot walls and gates around my property, an alarm, cameras, and more. No one gets in without me having a 5 minute head start. I am not paranoid but the previous owner was.

  28. None of that was home carry, but there was a LOT of (hands up don’t shoot, how’s he gonna get his shoes and school clothes) BLM there.

  29. I work in a GFZ that makes daily carry impractical. On those occasions when I do tool up, it stays on me as long as my clothes do.

    The architecture of my home creates two logical places to retreat: the master bedroom closet and the basement utility room. That’s where the guns are. While every situation is different, I can imagine scenarios where retreating to grab a 12 Gauge would be tactically superior to advancing with a 9mm.

  33. Nah. There’s one nearby. There’s always a ‘what-if’ out there that could kill you.

  34. I either carry or a firearm is within arms reach at all time. Depending on the material, if you roll your pajamas up real tight, you can carry them. Maybe IWB, 🙂

  35. All the time, everywhere–even at home, on my person or in arms reach–do not work outside with being armed; snakes, dogs, rabid fox, etc–from watching the news, it is not uncommon for scum to attack people in their own yards–do not intend to a victim from any threat

  36. Always. I have a G21 on my hip as I type this. I carry when I mow the lawn, BBQ, check the doors before bed at night. Always. My wife does too. Be vigilant. If someone comes to my home prepared to commit a crime against us, they will probably not walk out again.

  38. I always carry at home. Two drug dealers live in my condo cul de sac, I don’t exactly trust them or their customers. Can’t figure on the cops protecting me, they’re friends with one if the dealers. So I’m always armed.

  39. Yeah, in fact I home carry a little gun (9mm) AND have stashed loaded guns of somewhat greater oomph (.40 and .45) around the house, certainly the best of both worlds.

  40. Home stash, car carry and occasionally pocket carry. All are hot with one in the pipe, true DAO with restrike capability. Anything else is just ancient technology. Might as well not have indoor plumbing.

  41. Pants on, gun on. If pants & gun are off they are close. A man should never be forced to choose between pants or gun. I refuse to tell the story.

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