These days, most of us are not leaving home, we are sheltering in place to help fight the spread of the Chinese Flu. As tensions grow higher for a variety of reasons do you carry physically on your body inside your four walls.
Brave New World
Back when things were normal, you would return home from your daily activities and secure your firearm load out. Most states have laws restricting unauthorized access to firearms whether loaded or not. The intention of these laws is to prevent tragic accidents, such as children accidentally shooting themselves or others. The states have taken a hard line on this subject and as the adult you are expected to do the right thing when nobody is watching. With our new landscape and the understanding of unauthorized access how do you go about ensuring a high security posture if you cannot leave firearms accessible.
Proper & Secure Storage
There are plenty of secure storage options. These options typically reside in the master bedrooms. Relegated to night time access when we are asleep in our beds they may not be convenient for our daily activities. There are other cleaver hiding places, but again the states have pretty strict rules about hiding and unauthorized access. There is always the personal choice of talking with your family and children to ensure they understand the consequences. While I strongly encourage you do this in an age appropriate manner the states don’t care. If you left a loaded firearm accessible to a child you broke the law. Granted, I doubt the law is going to be going door to door to enforce this law. It will be something to manage after the incident.
It’s Down To Two Options
In the end, you are pretty much left with two options. Improvised weapons strategically staged throughout your home. Or, you can carry on body. Truthfully, I encourage you to do both. Most of the time, the improvised weapons already are in place, you haven’t looked at them in this manner before. They are benign objects. Now is the time to consider how they may be used in a deadly force incident within your home. These can be just about anything, use your imagination. The fact you have worked through some scenarios might be all you do, but it would be nice to have a plan in place just in case.
Casual Home Carry
When it comes to carrying on body in your home it is often not your primary carry. Your primary carry is typically larger and heavier, especially in this current situation. Instead, your on body choices are smaller, lighter firearms that promote the carrying in “real” casual wear. Let’s face it, most of us are in gym attire, maybe even pajamas these days. Not the most ideal support carry system. Carrying something even 10-15 ounces can get old real quick. However, there is a lot to be said about any type of blaster you have on body to deal with an emerging threat at your door or worse, inside your home.
I doubt anyone will be citing ballistic theories or pointing to Instagram likes at that moment. Instead, you will just be glad you had an option, thought it out and even practiced for such contingency.
Good post, Jeff. My default, as a civilian, has always been to carry my firearm unless I was horizontal or wet. If I’m not wearing pants, or SWMBO says I can’t wear my firearm when sitting on her furniture, my holstered firearm is readily available. I’ve been spending my time reading, maintaining, exercising, and replenishing. Looking forward to more training at The Range.
Thank you James, stay safe out there.
Whoa, this is creeping me out, just a little. The picture above is exactly (OK, except the holster) what I’m carrying….even the wear on the Benchmade looks like mine. Seriously, good stuff, once again, Jeff. Thanks.
Haha, too funny. It is an older picture repurposed so I’m sure the wear is a bit more significant by this point. Glad you enjoy the same blaster. Stay safe.
Good article. Since I’m wearing sweat pants or PJ’s most days (rant:Why can’t sweat pants have belt loops:) I broke out my vintage shoulder holster for my vintage Chief’s Special. I carried this revolver way back when I was a plainclothes Officer and Investigator. As I live in an unfriendly gun state my carry permit only allows me to carry semi-autos as I qualified with that type of weapon (don’t get me started). As the holster holds the gun butt down I can wear it under a shirt or the fleece vest I frequently wear. No sagging drawers with this rig.
That is a great idea and nice to break out a bit of nostalgia from time to time. I do enjoy the light weight feature of these snubby revolvers. Thanks for sharing.