why so paranoid? bad neighborhood? previous break-ins?

No, fool. Why do you think I felt for my wife being next to me?

Not particularly. I've had a gun for 10 years and have been startled awake before. It was probably the sound of something breaking.

But this is a border state and home invasions are on the rise.



Edited: Changed the name calling to be less offensive.

Douchy or not, I think it's a very valid question and risk.

What if the sound had been closer to the bedroom (more urgent) and the firearm instantly available, loaded and cocked?

Yeah, because it never occurred to me I should try to identify the person before I shoot them.

Lol, they don't understand what you wrote Screeling. It's to be expected of people unfamiliar with firearms.

Drill Screeling, you know they're perishable skills.

I had a very similar experience Sunday morning about 2:30am. I fell asleep on the couch with the door open, and woke up to (what I would swear was) the sound of someone walking up my front porch. My hand went to my holster and my eyes went to my shepherd; as I was sitting up, I realized the dog was looking at me - not the door. Adrenaline dump followed by a wash of relief.

My firearm, because I don't have children, is always loaded but unchambered, no more than 3 feet from my bedside. I have a fiancee and tenant that live in the same building, but none of those things increases the risk of shooting them on accident.

I know what you're getting at, DFK, but this kind of statement is a pet peeve of mine in gun-related discussions (see the other thread, for instance). Of course it increases the risk of shooting them on accident. Just because the increased risk can be managed and mitigated through training, doesn't mean there is no increase in risk to begin with. It's like driving - if I'm well-trained and careful, I might be just as safe at 120mph as an untrained, careless driver at 60mph, but guess what, I'd be even safer if I went slower.

False analogy, and false statement.

2:30am or 2:30pm, I still think, "Where the hell do you guys live?" Seriously, if the neighborhood is that bad, just move.

If your gun was unloaded, disassembled, and locked in a safe in the basement, you would obviously be less likely to accidentally shoot the wrong person than you would be if it was sitting, loaded, on your nightstand. Why? Because the effects of the post-sleep grogginess and sudden adrenaline rush would be gone by the time you got the gun, and because you'd have a very long time to confirm your target before the gun even enters the situation. It's just common sense, dude.

Uh huh. I'm quite familiar with firearms and a very good shot, thank you very much.

Seriously tho, where the hell do you guys live that when hearing someone walking up to your front porch (presumably the way to the front door) makes you immediately jump for your gun?!?!

Ah, I missed the AM part. I thought he was taking a nap. Ok, that makes more sense.

Read what he wrote folks.

2:30am or 2:30pm, I still think, "Where the hell do you guys live?" Seriously, if the neighborhood is that bad, just move.

Saying "You increase the risk of accident by readying a gun for instant use" is like saing "you increase the risk of a car wreck by driving at rush hour." Of course you do, but by not readying it for use, you increase the risk of not being able to get it if you need it just like not driving at rush hour carries the risk of not getting to work on time.

There's also the fact that just claiming it "increases the risk" is meaningless. How much additional risk does it create?