I'm guilty of it

[Bfish]

I swore I commented in this thread a few days back, but hey guess not. If I am dressed in normal clothes at home I am carrying just like any other time. But if I am in sweats, basketball shorts or some other comfortable home wear (even wearing it out of the house). I keep a little pocket pistol in my sweat pants or shorts pocket (most have pockets), and or, I identify with the guy talking about the remora iwb for sweat pants etc. I would say I am armed in the home at all times on my person more often than not, and if this would not hold true the pistol is on the end table or something in arms reach while I sleep or nap. Just is normal around my house.

 

[rhino]

I can't refute your experience. However, when we talk about guns being used for defense, it doesn't always involve shooting. In fact, it involves shooting a minority of the times. According to the research done by Kleck et al and later by John Lott, most defensive uses of firearms do not involve discharging the firearm. I'm not playing semantic games here, either. The original message compared "used" for defense vs. accidental shootings.

Granted, not all of those are in homes, but a significant number of them have to be. Those guys estimated that guns were used for defense 1 -2 million times per year. In that same time frame, the FBI estimated that number to be 800K to 1.2 million. That's huge and while most were probably not inside a home, enough were to easily outstrip accidental shootings.

Second, you can only count the defensive uses that are actually reported. How many do you think go unreported in Marion County when shots are not fired? How about in the whole country?

Third, I believe that a significant number of accidental shootings are not really accidents. I certainly have no conclusive evidence, but I know examples that were not accidents. One example was a suicide in my hometown back in the early 1970s. It was ruled an accident, but it was not.

From my own experiences, I'd say that its not false. The real numbers depend on what we're comparing and a lot of those wouldn't be stopped by securing guns in a safe when not in use. There are absolutely more accidental shootings than home defense shootings each year in Marion Co, though, no matter how you count them. The majority of these are self inflicted and done while jacking around with the gun. Apparently there's a segment of Glock owners who feel the need to point their gun at their feet or hands while pulling the trigger to break it down for cleaning. Keeping them in a safe doesn't affect those numbers, though. (Before anyone asks, I suspect people shoot themselves with Glocks more often just because there are more Glocks out there, but the needing to pull the trigger to clean it certainly doesn't help.)

As far as accidentally shooting someone that didn't need shooting (spouse, sibling, child) vs home invaders...I still have to give the edge to accidents, at least in Marion Co, but the numbers become a lot closer. We had at 2 children shoot themselves with found guns in 2013, one fatally. We had at least 2 children shoot another child with a found gun in 2013. We had a guy shoot his wife who came home early from vacation. Etc. etc. How many home invaders were shot in Marion Co last year? Far fewer than accidental or bad shoots.

That doesn't mean all guns must be kept in a safe, I certainly don't, but it does show how many careless, drunk, distracted, and/or inattentive gun owners we have.

 

[Cemetery-man]

It is much more likely that my 2 year old would discover my hidden guns than a masked man flying through my back door. Unless the gun is on you, I agree that it needs to be in a safe if you have children in the house.

100% +++++++++++++++

 

[Motorhead302]

i usually don't keep a gun on my person, but have a loaded 12 gauge and my glock on my night stand in the bedroom. the doors are always locked so at least someone has to make noise, and the dog barks at the slightest provocation.

this reminds me, however, of an appalling occurrence. my wife was recently at a friend's house, and stepped outside momentarily, and when she came back in, reflexively locked the door. another friend arrived shortly thereafter, and had to knock instead of barging in. when the wife apologized because it was a reflex, the friend who lived there said "but you live in the country, why lock your doors?".
not 4 miles from our house in 2011 three young men broke into a home, tied up an 81 year old woman, and eventually shot her to prevent being identified.
how in the hell can people be so naive? sometimes it boggles my mind how blissfully ignorant people truly are.


scratch that, it always boggles my mind.

 

[7.62asprin]

We've been having lots of crazy stuff going on here in Evansville. Lots of break ins, shootings, and robberies so I carry everywhere in the house. Everywhere.

GF: Where are you going?

Me: Bathroom

GF: With your gun?

Me: I need a poop gun.

GF: You need a poop gun?

Me: Yes, I need a poop gun.

GF: YOU DO NOT NEED A POOP GUN!

Me: Yes I do *360 spin and moonwalk to bathroom*

 

[lovemachine]

You know you're tactical if your poop comes out in the shape of a firearm.

 

[88E30M50]

I always have something with me. I'm the type of person that gets up, gets dressed and puts the gun in the holster and it stays there all day. Then, late at night, the gun comes out of the holster and into the safe with the nightstand gun coming out of the safe and the lights go off for bed. If I change clothes after work, whatever I put on still has a belt and holster and whatever I'm carrying gets carried then as well. Even when I get out of bed to go for aspirin or something, I take a gun with me.

I don't know if I'm paranoid, uptight or just consistent. Maybe there's a bit of OCD in there somewhere too, but I'm happy and comfortable to carry every waking moment outside of the shower.

 

[Archbishop]

My gun stays with me until I go to bed, then it's by my night stand. Next day it's back on me. When I take a shower it's in the bathroom with me.

 

[Archbishop]

I don't understand this lounge around in comfy clothes thing. Even on my day off I get up and get dressed. Casual as I go is blue jeans and collared shirt of some sort.

 

[9mmfan]

They only time I dress 'casual' at home is if my weekends are free. After waking up and shower, sweats go on. I use a shoulder holster for those times. Works out good.

 

[Archbishop]

..

 

[Archbishop]

No T-shirts, pullovers, etc.?

T-shirts are always worn under collared shirt. Only time collared shirt comes of is if it's really hot outside. Pull over? Wouldn't fit over my head. (Really.)

 

[Archbishop]

Pants always have a belt.