Carry while at home

[glocklvr]

I carry 24/7 or have a gun within arm's reach at all times when legal you never know what can happen and it's always best to be prepared

[DoubleJ]

Nearly all buglers will move on to an easier target if they can't get what they want easily or quickly.

/approves

[Ghostdiver]

Rather than make my first post into the standard "Welcome to the..." forum, I found this thread to make by debut.

Like so many have said in this thread, be aware at all times and never let your guard down. It doesn't matter where you live, how much you make, or how much it appears that you make. The story below is the one time that I did let my guard down, and it was the last.

Like most places of employment, I cannot carry while at work (although being in a chemical plant, I can see pros and cons to this reasoning). So, when I started for home around 3pm in the middle of the week, I was a little hungry. On the way home, I get to pass by almost every fast food restaurant known to man, so I stop by the favorite of the day and get my food.

Now, I am less than a minute away from home, and starving! I pull into my driveway, open the garage door and grab my food and drink. This is where the snowball starts to build. I cannot carry at work, so my Sig 229 357SIG is in the center console. I cannot carry my food and drink and gun at the same time so I think to myself, "what is more important right now, food or gun?" At this point, I hear rumbles from my stomach which makes up my mind. Sig says and I'll get it in a few.

I go into the garage and the inside door is ajar. I think to myself, wife must not have shut it. Once I enter the house, there are no cats around. Didnt really think of it at the time but that means I can eat in peace. As I enter the interior of the house, I hear what I think are voices, but I try to reason with myself saying "cats don't talk." I set the food down, listen some more as I walk into my bedroom. At this point, I know things are about to get crazy and my Sig is in the truck! At this point, I still don't know exactly how many people I am dealing with or what exactly they have. I know the motive, since my bedroom is tossed. I go to the night stand as quickly and quietly as possible to find my 38 S&W is gone. Now I know they are armed. They are still on the other side of the house, and as far as I know, they do not know I am there. I go to the closet, get my Mossberg 12g, verify there is a round in the chamber and proceed to confront the suspects.

I meet them on the back patio and to my amazement, they were unaware of my presence in the house. I know this because as we came around the corner together, I saw them and they saw the barrel of my 12g pointed at their head. Then one of the two perps squeezed his Sonic Route 44 strawberry lime-aide all over my pool table! (Should have shot him just for that). Anyway, I call 911 while holding them at gunpoint, they both are yelling "don't shoot, we have your stuff!" At this moment, they almost were shot; one of them throws out my rug with my 38 in it and the other throws out an empty holster! One gets up and bolts for the back door and runs away. The other bolts for the front door and gets outside the house just in time for the police to arrest him.

What did this teach me?
Pay attention to your surroundings, even minor things like cats are not around.
Stay calm, so no one loses their head.
Have a plan, and carry out that plan.
Keep your cell phone charged and have a good speaker phone or bluetooth so you can use your hands for other things
Always know where gun is and have it close at hand because you never know when things will happen!

Sorry for the long post, but I do believe in carrying while at home or at least having it close at hand.
Even though a mans home is his castle, castles were still defended.

Wally H

[DngrsDan]

Hi all. New here. Found your site while searching on CHL info for Texas. Live in Missouri right now, but will be moving to TX in a few months. Have CCW permit here, had one in PA, been carrying for over 20 years all together. Am a CCW instructor here.
In response to the topic - yes, I carry at home. Where I live is pretty crime free, but there are still crazies out there even here. I go by the principle I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
Here's what I've written about CCW:
http://www.ccwmissouri.com/antigun/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[bryang]

Howdy, DngrsDan, welcome to the forum and welcome to TEXAS ...in a few months.

You have definately found the best of the best when you found TexasCHLforum and Texas! We are very glad to have you on board with us. You will find the nicest people here on this forum. They are helpful and will answer any question you can thank of and we will be looking forward to you sharing your wisdom with us.

I read your article and was very impress, there are a whole lot of words of wisdom there for sure. Will be looking forward to hearing from you.

God Bless You, and God Bless Texas
-geo

[CDH]

I carry at home because it is by far the easiest way for me to keep a firearm within myreach and out of the reach of my 2 young (3 and 5) children.

How many stories have we heard about someone being accosted in their yard, or as they checked the mail up at the road...??? Too damn many.

[KD5NRH]

I cannot carry at work, so my Sig 229 357SIG is in the center console.

Consider a concealment vest from Coronado or 5.11. You can take it off when you get to work, put it on when you get back to the car, and the gun is never exposed. If you keep a flashlight and other accessories in it, you can hang it by the bed and have everything you need for a late-night problem ready to go.

[texas1234]

I didnt know what I would do in this situation until recently when I had two neighbhors homes invaded on both sides of my house. After hearing about the experience first hand, anybody that kicks my door down and rushes in will take shots at them on self defense. We live in a nice subdivsion homes from 140 to 300.

I have a beutiful wife and a beutiful daugther to protect. Once they have kicked my door down and have rushed in I will not give them time to flee.

It is just too dangerous. You got to remember, in a door kicking home invasion they are instantly in your home, its not like you have a lot of time to react or determine what their intention is.

Nope they get a 230 grain JHP .45 round launched in their direction the minute the door comes down I aint playing.

My wife couldnt sleep for months and it wasnt even our house. Granted it was both sides and terrifying for the people inside but since I have had that experience I dont doubt my course of action, I have played the scenario a 100 times in my head and have decided shots get fired if it happens to my house.

[KD5NRH]

It is just too dangerous. You got to remember, in a door kicking home invasion they are instantly in your home, its not like you have a lot of time to react or determine what their intention is.

My wife asked at one point what we would have to do after a breakin. My response was that I will handle 911, and she should call the lawyer and the pediatrician, because the baby would probably be at least temporarily deaf, and we would be suing the estate of the person who initiated the events to cause that.

[hheremtp]

We live in a nice subdivision homes from 140 to 300.

Texas, you sound surprised that something like this would happen in your neighborhood. Stop and put yourself in a criminals shoes for a moment, if you were going to rob someone who would you pick, someone who lives in a run down low income neighborhood or someone who lives in a nice upscale neighborhood. Remember, to a criminal a nice house in a nice neighborhood means nice things inside to steal.

[mr.72]

I have a similar story to Ghostrider... mildly similar, maybe I posted it before.

We were coming home from an out of town trip: myself, my wife and my two teenage daughters. We pull into the garage and immediately I notice that the door to the house is open. I tell my wife to get the gun from the glove box and stay in the car with the doors locked. As I got out of the car she confirmed that I was indeed armed and I drew my gun that had been on my hip for the entire 7 hour drive from South Padre Island.

I went into the house and quietly looked throughout the whole place. Heard a noise from upstairs and when I got to the top of the stairs I saw movement and almost shot my cat.

Needless to say there was nobody there, nothing missing. Dunno what happened to cause the door to be open. However this did remind me that the gun in the car is not enough.

Anyway, it's amazing how much your adrenaline gets pumping in a case like this.

Thing is that if some BGs managed to get my garage door open with a garage door opener, then they'd be able to close it behind them and take their time getting into the house, be able to come and go without anyone watching. I kind of think electric garage door openers are at least a security quandary... but in my case it'd be far easier to just go in the back door by breaking out the big plate of glass.

[DoubleJ]

so, you've had extensive training in clearing a house?

perhaps not the best idea, for a multiplicity of reasons.

[KD5NRH]

so, you've had extensive training in clearing a house?

Apparently not; he didn't shoot his partner in the back and plant evidence on an innocent victim. Nor did he kill a subdued child or slip with his finger on the trigger and seriously injure a compliant suspect (or like this, either). Heck, he didn't even mistake himself for a valid target.

[Liberty]

I think under those circumstances I would do the same thing. I don't particularly trust strangers. I suppose It depends on where you live, but I wouldn't want LEOs running through my house unobserved. Too many horror storys out there about LEOs stealing stuff and planting evidence. I would rather place my destiny and future in my own hands than a strangers.

[Pete92FS]

so, you've had extensive training in clearing a house?

Apparently not; he didn't shoot his partner in the back and plant evidence on an innocent victim. Nor did he kill a subdued child or slip with his finger on the trigger and seriously injure a compliant suspect (or like this, either). Heck, he didn't even mistake himself for a valid target.

And he didn't shoot the cat either.