"After a couple shootings in the neighborhood I started to. Unfortunately my ex new this and came to my house the other day and took it
. I didn't realize until yesterday when my brother told me she was in my room on Sunday. I called the police and made a report. I then told her brother she took it, and it was waiting for me outside my back door when I went to go to work today. So, am I stupid for keeping a loaded gun in my house not locked up?"
To answer your question? Absofreakinglutely. NEVER, EVER leave a gun loaded or not unsecure. EVER. This is how that 14 year old nutter got a hold of his dad's revolver and took it to school and shot 2 kids the other week. Like all the other drug dealers around here. They get their guns from home burglaries. Secure is three things, and three things ONLY. It's how it was in my MOS in the military. ON your person, (either slung around your back, in your hands, or in your holster) in the arms room (ie your safe) or within 2' of your person, in your line of sight, and NOT on the ground, or leaning up against something so it can fall over.
If they enforced these rules in the civilian world, we'd be a lot better off. It's the rules in my house as well.
My house SOP's are, when I get up in the morning, I put my house gun in the safe, and pull out my every day carry (easier to conceal) and put it on, and walk out the door. It's on me EVERY SINGLE SECOND, until I go to sleep. If I shower, it's comin' in with me. It NEVER LEAVES my side. EVER. When it's time to hit the rack, I open the safe, place my carry gun in, remove my bedside gun, relock the safe and lights out. When I get up in the morning, I do it all over again. If I'm not horizontal in bed, my gun's on my hip, or at arm's reach within eyesight. It's completely worthless to have a gun and a CPL if you don't have it on you. If I go to a dwelling that prohibits guns, it goes in my safe in my car with an alarm.
Just my advise being a federal agent . If you have kids no, if you don't make sure it's not right next to your bed so you have to wake up to get it. I think the best defense is a shotgun not loaded but ammo close.
A shotgun for home defense? Really? You didn't get CQB in FLETC? What's ALWAYS right next to the front door? A big old window. And you're going to use a shotgun to possibly shoot inside a house with? Negative Sambo. That's askin' for trouble. Use something that has decent power up close, but falls on it's face past 50 meters. So if you miss, or overpenetrate, you reduce collateral damage the best you can. Plus a pistol is easier to wield in the often tight confines of a house. And that whole bullshit about "just rack the slide and they'll go a runnin'!" is just utter crap. Ok, so you've just scared them off. Great. Now they'll just wait until the driveway has no cars in it, and then break in AND steal your shotgun now. Too risky of a situation you're making. NEVER give away your position in a house, and NEVER EVER let them know what you're doing, or what sort of weapons you have. That's an amatuer mistake if I've ever seen one. If someone is about to try and enter your house, while you're home, it's pretty obvious they got somethin' for ya'. They can see the lights and car in the driveway/garage, so they must know you're there. And if you're sleeping, they're going to see the car. They must be coming in with a plan to deal with any occupants. Why would you scare these people away? What if they DON'T get scared away. Now they're coming for you and they know where you are. What if your house doesn't squeak when people walk thru it? So now you've just given away your position, and they're free to move about the house practically undetected, and they know where you are, and you don't know where they are. Not a good situation. You sit still and silent with your already loaded weapon and you wait till they present themselves in the fatal funnel. Unless you're trained in CQB, if you walk around huntin' for them in your house, you're going to get yourself hurt. Don't forget, they're there with a plan for your ass. That's why they didn't wait until you were gone to break in...
. Stay safe
I live in a quite pretty safe area but still have monitored alarm and a German Shepherd in house. Wife takes the defensive position, but my dog and I will hunt you in house.... No I don't want my pup hurt but that's her job if needed.
