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Bedside Gun-Where should it go?

SkyWatcherSkyWatcher Member Posts: 1,571 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited August 2002 in General Discussion
I've had my Springfield XD9 for a month, this is the first gun I've owned in five years-since the military. Last night, my wife woke me up and said that she had heard voices and footsteps in the living room. I told her to be quiet and went for my gun - but I had to pull open a stubborn wooden drawer and dig through a bunch of socks to get to it. I now realize that this is a noisy and slow way to get to my gun, not to mention kind of unsafe. I'm now convinced that I need another storage option.

What do you guys recommend? I am considering getting a GunVault MiniVault, buying a new nightstand, and bolting the safe inside the nightstand. My idea is that I would have a nightstand door that opens only toward me, and the safe would sit flush - just inside the back of the door. Is this too much? I need to do something different - I'd appreciate any input you have. Thanks in advance.

Oh yeah, the footsteps turned out to be nothing - but next time, who knows....

To whom much is given, much is expected.
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Comments

  • 13FOX13FOX Member Posts: 61 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Do you have a headboard on your bed?
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  • SkyWatcherSkyWatcher Member Posts: 1,571 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    No headboard as of right now, but we just bought a house and are getting ready to move in, and are considering buying a new bed - that might include a headboard. Do you have a suggestion using one?

    To whom much is given, much is expected.
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  • badboybobbadboybob Member Posts: 1,658 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    My night gun sits on a bedside stand where I can grab it in an instant. Of course I don't have any young 'uns to worry about. During the day it resides in a belt holster.

    PC=BS
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  • Shootist3006Shootist3006 Member Posts: 4,171
    edited November -1
    A whole lot depends on your specific situation. The idea of a gun vault in a nightstand sounds pretty good as it meets two of my key criteria for bedside gun locations.
    1st criteria that it meets is that it is where it WILL take a few seconds to get hold of. This short time (2 or 3 seconds) means that you will have enough time to actually be awake and are not reacting to a dream threat or shooting your wife on her way back from a late night glass of water!
    2nd is that it is secure, not easily seen or stolen.
    If you feel that the threat level where you live is such that a 2 second delay is not acceptable - either rearrange your house/bedroom so that you will get those few seconds - or - MOVE!
    Also, what were your plans for AFTER you had the gun and heard the noises from the living room? I hope that you have a phone in the bedroom and your plan was/is to call 911 and then to wait behind a closed door. Unless you have kids and a need to secure their living space, it is not a good idea to try and clear a house all by yourself. House clearing is one of the most difficult tasks and almost impossible to do alone. Ideal situation would be to retreat to a safe room, call for help and arm yourself - then STAY in the safe room until help arrives!!


    Quod principi placuit legis habet vigorem.Semper Fidelis
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  • TxsTxs Member Posts: 17,809 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Wherever you stash it, make sure it's easy to get to but completely out of sight.

    I've gone to take more than one person into custody and found them asleep with their weapon lying out where they can access it in a hurry. That fight's over before it even started.

    Having a firearm out in plain view anywhere in your residence is also a good way to arm a bad guy with something better than what he had to start with.
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  • 13FOX13FOX Member Posts: 61 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I keep my glock loaded in my headboard w/o a shell in the chamber. That way all I need to do is rack the slide and Im ready to rock.
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  • offerorofferor Member Posts: 8,625 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    With a drill and a couple of short nuts & bolts, I'm planning to mount a holster on the BACK of my nightstand, out of view, but in easy reach. I would think plastic would be less likely to leech the bluing than leather. Periodic oiling is advisable to discourage moisture. Pick any inexpensive holster that lends itself to convenient mounting, preferably that will hold a selection of your guns reasonably well, and that presents the gun grip toward you for a clean grab in the dark.

    I used to use an IWB holster with the hook nearest the bed, clamped onto the raised metal mattress support at my side, just under the hanging sheet & blankets. My current bed and holster do not lend themselves to that; hence the nightstand installation.

    Of course, the first place a burglar will look is in the nightstand drawer, but few will be bright enough to look for special installations in less obvious places. Besides, if they get that far, I won't be home anyway. Another advantage of this is for renters who have handimen come in occasionally when you are not at home. Snoops will not find a handgun in your nightstand drawer, nor will visiting children.

    - Life NRA Member
    "If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
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  • SkyWatcherSkyWatcher Member Posts: 1,571 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Shootist3006,
    You bring up a good point - I've never thought through what it means to grab my gun and go looking for the bad guy. And guess what, that's exactly what I did - stupid Rambo wannabe man takes over I guess. What I ended up doing was walking very quietly and sneaking around corners, gun tilted up and at the ready like in the movies, all through the house - guess that isn't too smart.

    Staying in the room and calling 911 is a good idea, but I wasn't sure if there was a actual intruder (my wife sometimes gets alarmed at sounds that are false alarms), so I don't want to call 911 everytime. Should I adopt a policy of wait and listen while I'm sitting in my bedroom with my gun at the ready and only call 911 if I'm sure of an intruder? The house we are moving into has an alarm system, but we have been debating whether to pay to have it activated (tight budget and all). Do you have any suggestions along this line - and thanks for the input so far.

    To whom much is given, much is expected.
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  • MercuryMercury Member Posts: 7,840 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Alarm systems are worth their weight in gold, but ONLY IF YOU USE THEM. They are a deterrant to people even breaking in. Outside sirens/strobe lights are a MUST, too. This lets the entire neighborhood know that something is wrong, even if they have cut the phone wires and the alarm company isn't notified.

    I live in a semi-crappy neighborhood. It isn't great, but isn't terrible, either. The house beside us has been broken into five times (in about 10 years), because the owners are STUPID. When they leave for the weekend, or vacation or whatever, they turn off ALL the lights, tv, etc.

    If you came to our house when we were away, you'd definately think it was occupied. Plus, the alarm stickers and signs let people know BEFORE they break in.

    We've had the alarm go off twice because of our dogs (when we first go them) and the entire neighborhood was like "Whoa...you have an alarm!" Word gets around.

    Activate the alarm....well worth the $.50-$1 per day it costs......

    Merc

    NO! You may not have my guns! Now go crawl back into your hole!

    ****************************************

    "Tolerating things you may not necessarily like is part of being free" - Larry Flynt
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  • E.WilliamsE.Williams Member Posts: 1,101 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    If you have a night stand Vel-Cro the holster (open top) to the back of the night stand and leave the gun in it.That way its out of sight if a perp gets in your bedroom and grabs it before you wake up because he sees the gun first sitting out and it is still at very easy and fast access.Another couple suggestions would be to Vel-Cro it under your bed,leave it sitting on a bed sring board under the bed or just leave it under a book under your bed on the side you will roll out of.I like the Vel-Cro behind the night stand myself though it has worked the best for me.I laid in bed where I sleep stuck out my arm and where it touched the back of my night stand thats where I Vel-Cro'd my holster.

    Eric S. Williams

    Edited by - E.Williams on 08/09/2002 15:17:21
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  • 4GodandCountry4GodandCountry Member Posts: 3,968
    edited November -1
    First off invest in rose bushes and place them under windows that can be accessed from the ground, that will keep crooks from coming in through windows. Invest in solid doors not the cheep panel doors and get good dead bolt locks. Get yourself a dog, I prefer a larger type dog but even a little yappy one will warn you if something is afoul. I too am a headboard man when it comes to my bedside gun. I fixed a strap to the inside top of my headboard that my paddle holster slides into. You cant see its there unless you lay on the bed with the door slid open and look up at it, plus the lights have to be on to see because the headboard is dark. I have practiced clearing my house a couple of times with my glock/lasermax combo and it is so much easier than worrying about finding the sights in the dark. Follow the little red dot.

    When Clinton left office they gave him a 21 gun salute. Its a damn shame they all missed....
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  • 4GodandCountry4GodandCountry Member Posts: 3,968
    edited November -1
    First off invest in rose bushes and place them under windows that can be accessed from the ground, that will keep crooks from coming in through windows. Invest in solid doors not the cheep panel doors and get good dead bolt locks. Get yourself a dog, I prefer a larger type dog but even a little yappy one will warn you if something is afoul. I too am a headboard man when it comes to my bedside gun. I fixed a strap to the inside top of my headboard that my paddle holster slides into. You cant see its there unless you lay on the bed with the door slid open and look up at it, plus the lights have to be on to see because the headboard is dark. I have practiced clearing my house a couple of times with my glock/lasermax combo and it is so much easier than worrying about finding the sights in the dark. Follow the little red dot.

    When Clinton left office they gave him a 21 gun salute. Its a damn shame they all missed....
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  • NighthawkNighthawk Member Posts: 12,022 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    We dont have children,so my Glock 31 .357 sig sits on my night stand right beside our bed.Then I have pistols laid up on higher concealed places near all doors.Plus I have a Pistol Grip Win Mod 1300 Speed Pump beside my Recliner in the living Room.


    Best!!

    Rugster
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  • 4wheeler4wheeler Member Posts: 3,441
    edited November -1
    rugster,I pity the poor tv if you see something you do not like on itMy kids are grown so I keep a gun right beside my bed.

    "It was like that when I got here".
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  • offerorofferor Member Posts: 8,625 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I love vel-cro right up until the glue gives out. Then the item, just when you need it, it has fallen off its perch. If you go with vel-cro, great, but I'd reinforce it with screws, bolts, eyelets or rivets anyway for a permanent and safe installation. The vel-cro actually holds better than the glue on the back, in my experience.

    Police departments estimate as much as 90% of alarms are false alarms. Some departments have considered charging people fees for generating false alarms. There's nothing wrong with an alarm system that alerts YOU in the house, or even by telephone, but beware the embarrassment if the police have to come out for nothing when you're not home, especially more than once. They're stretched thin enough as it is. It's up to you to take responsibility to do what's necessary to insure against false alarms. Make sure your routine is clear cut and the sensors aren't oversensitive to dogs, flies, trucks rumbling past the house, and other inane accidents.



    - Life NRA Member
    "If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
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  • IconoclastIconoclast Member Posts: 10,515 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have a pretty elaborate alarm system and a noisy dog, so I do have sufficient advanced warning to be awake when I reach for firepower. Typically, I sleep with a handgun in a holster attached between the headboard & mattress. Without going into technicalities of the bed, it is safe and real easy to reach. During the day, it's either on my person or elsewhere. And as Merc says, once it's known you have an alarm system, the likelihood of attempted home invasion decrease very rapidly, unless the perps are very stupid or very determined - the former admittedly far more likely than the latter.
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  • E.WilliamsE.Williams Member Posts: 1,101 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I dont know why I didnt put this in my first post but I am right with you Offeror.I attached mine to the night stand by over cutting my patch and putting 2 small holes in the patch and night stand backing and attached mine with small Toggle Bolts and quarter size washers to maintain a grip and not wear the holes out when having to pull hard to get my pistol,I didnt even exspose the glue.Then to keep my holster sturdy I took the corresponding Vel-Cro patch and had my wife sow it to the holster in place of the clip.I guess it would have been easier just to screw in some type of strap and just let my holster clip to that.Too late now...lol

    Eric S. Williams

    Edited by - E.Williams on 08/09/2002 17:37:26

    Edited by - E.Williams on 08/09/2002 17:46:13
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  • Shootist3006Shootist3006 Member Posts: 4,171
    edited November -1
    Skywatcher, there are a couple of things you could do. Alarms and/or a dog (I prefer the dog, hard to scratch an alarm behind the ears) are both good choices. Simply holding up and evaluating the situation before dialing isn't a bad idea (unless you have kids in another room - different answer then).
    With an alarm (I bet you can activate your system to sound an audible alarm without hooking it to the alarm company) or dog you can get a very good idea if you have a problem. Key to the concept are communcation and control; communicate with 911 and control your impulse to be a hero.
    BTW, remember that 911 is a long distance call so dial 1 first......
    ....................................................................
    1911

    Quod principi placuit legis habet vigorem.Semper Fidelis
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  • mudgemudge Member Posts: 4,225 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    No kids here so ours are on the nightstands beside the bed. One on each side. Both "condition one". Never cared for the "gun safe" idea. The 2 or 3 seconds it takes to retrieve the weapon could mean the difference in survival and the alternative.
    There's always a chance a perp may get in. It's getting out that he needs to be concerned with. If I discover someone coming through the bedroom door, all I need to do is reach over to see if Mrs. Mudge is in bed. If she is, woebetide whatever's coming through the door.

    Mudge the armed

    The Great Pyrenees, Lab and Sheltie are our alarm system.

    I can't come to work today. The voices said, STAY HOME AND CLEAN THE GUNS!

    Edited by - mudge on 08/09/2002 23:38:17

    Edited by - mudge on 08/09/2002 23:40:37
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  • pickenuppickenup Member Posts: 22,844 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    No offence to anyone, but a handgun is not my first choice for home defence. A pistol grip 12 ga. shotgun is my first choice. When woke up half asleep, you do not have to be a very good shot to be effective, and it does not shoot through more than one wall very well. Takes most of the worry out of shooting your neighbors. My Sig 226 with lasermax is in the holster, on a belt, (that I can clip on, or throw over my head quick) behind a shirt, just inside the closet that I would have to pass anyway to leave the room, if it was to go that far. Never had to yet and truly hope I never will.

    If I knew then, what I know now.
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  • offerorofferor Member Posts: 8,625 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    pickenup --
    That's agreed, it's just that the question was where's the best place to hide a handgun. I wouldn't have thought to start talking about my 12 gauge, but I've got one handy, with pistol grips for easy pointing in the house.

    - Life NRA Member
    "If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
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  • nunnnunn Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 36,085 ******
    edited November -1
    Somebody mentioned the Gunvault. I use a GV 1000 Mini and love it. Very secure against unauthorized tampering, but very fast access.

    SIG pistol armorer/FFL Dealer/Full time Peace Officer, Moderator of General Discussion Board on Gunbroker. Visit www.gunbroker.com, the best gun auction site on the Net! Email davidnunn@texoma.net
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  • pickenuppickenup Member Posts: 22,844 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    offeror; I do understand that I got off track with the original question. The subject of what to use, for home defense, has come up quite often. Some people want to use the biggest handgun they can find, or even a rifle. For the reasons stated as well as others, I try to inform them of the possible consequences of their choice, and then, let them make up their own minds. Not saying my choice is the right one, but for me, I feel I have the best chance of defense, while at the same time, not having to worry (to much) about collateral damage.

    If I knew then, what I know now.
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