Should I Carry My Gun In My House?
Whenever I tell someone that I carry a gun while in my house it's usually followed by strange looks and accompanied by a statement that resembles one of these: “What, are you afraid to be in your own home or something?” Or, “man, it must really suck to be so afraid of the world that you need to carry a gun in your home.” Or, “dude is your neighborhood that dangerous that you need to carry a weapon on you even in your own home?”
We'll get to the answers to those arguments in a moment, but first, should you carry a gun in your house?
Well, yes it's a good idea to be armed even in your home, and the reason why is because you just never know if someone will break into your home while you're there. It doesn't matter what type of area you live in, crime can happen anywhere. Most people live within driving distance to some medium sized city that can be a hub of sorts for one of the major cities in our country.
Criminals can and often do travel to suburban and rural areas looking for fresh meat.
If that fresh meat is your house it's better to be able to defend your castle than not. (That link, by the way, goes to our course about home defense that's highly recommended.)
I obviously believe that it's in your best interest to carry your gun at home, or I wouldn't be doing it myself. I would never recommend you do or buy something that I wouldn't be willing to do or buy myself.
Let's start to tackle some concerns people have when they learn I carry at home —
Do I carry my gun in my house (or ever) because I'm afraid?
To be honest, no. I don't carry a gun at home because I'm afraid, though if I were to be completely honest with you that's how it all started.
About 10 years ago an incident occurred in my old neighborhood where we rented a house. We shared a wall with some people who seemed nice, but were actually housing a snitch for a very prominent and well-known national gang.
Once the gang found out this dude snitched on them and brought the police and FBI raid at their HQ, things changed. Our quiet little neighborhood went from peaceful to groups of leftover gang members banging on their door with shovels.
Shovels. Like, the kind you dig a grave with. They were beating on his door, sometimes waking us in the middle of the night. One night, we woke up only to look out the window to see one of these upstanding citizens smashing their car with these shovels.
The police came and told us to not hang out in the front yard anymore because they were concerned about a drive by shooting. The FBI parked a car at the end of the road with cameras positioned in it to point down the street so they could see any bad guys coming and leaving.
I'm not gonna lie, and am being totally honest with you here. I was scared. I wasn't scared for me, but for my loved ones.
I had a brand new family. I had a three year old daughter, a one year old daughter, and a wife who needed me to protect them. My wife, who had been anti-gun up until this point, quickly changed her mind (isn't it funny how that happens?)
The only gun I owned was my single shot 12 gauge given to me for a birthday present when I was a kid that was kept in pieces in a storage bin because she didn't want it in the house.
Once we realized what was happening, I went and bought my first handgun, got my PA carry license, and the rest is history.
So, originally, I bought a gun and carried it around my house because I was afraid. I was afraid that the bad guys would kick down the wrong door, since our two houses were technically in the same building and our front doors were just feet apart.
I was afraid. I was fearful that I wouldn't be able to protect my family — so I went out and bought an XD9 that I still have but haven't shot in years. But, carrying a gun, anywhere, while you're afraid isn't a good idea.
In fact, I think to carry a gun while afraid can be dangerous. Fear is a very strong emotion that can really jack your senses up and cause you to be stupid. So, if you start a defensive scenario and you're already fearful of something, you'll lose control of your fine motor skills faster than you would if you were starting with a calm, cool head.
Never carry out of fear, always carry out of confidence.
What about my neighborhood, though? It must be dangerous if I feel the need to carry a gun even in my own home. Right?
Wrong.
Seriously, my current NC neighborhood is very safe. Our crime rate consists of speeding tickets and red light runs. In fact, my neighborhood is unincorporated and only patrolled by the Sheriff and an occasional statey that may be running through.
Most of us also carry guns which helps tremendously because everyone of us is kept polite. But, we are only an hour away from Asheville with a population around 100,000 people (and less than 3 hours from Charlotte with over 1 million), and I'd be a lunatic to think that crime wouldn't travel. So, I carry a gun at home.
And, my old Pennsyltucky neighborhood was also pretty safe. Sure, there were a lot of meth houses, but that was pretty much it. The town was less than 10,000 people and we lived on a cul-de-sac.
The gang traveled from a medium-sized city that was nearby.
And that's really the key. Crime can travel. And because bad guys can travel and sometimes look for a new place to rob, I carry a gun at home and always recommend you do, as well.
It doesn't matter where you live. Crime can be anywhere.
The next step for you is to seriously figure out how to go about home defense, and that's where the above linked course comes into play. Here's the link again for you to check out.
Do you carry a gun in your own house? Let us know in the comments below.
I carry all the time. You don’t drive in your house, but odds are your keys are in your pocket? There are such things as crash and rob burglaries, home invasions if you will. Old folks are usual targets, but students have electronics and such. Our student population is very close to some of the seedier parts of town.
For starters, my handgun is the first thing I grab when I walk in the house, and the last thing I put away when I leave. Several years ago we had a number of armed robberies at park and rides as well as a residence. A couple of people were injured and required hospitalization. Once a description of the 4 perpetrators and their car was released I went home and told my wife and kids what to look out for. Two days later, as I walked in the house from work, I could my kids were shaken. My 17 year old daughter said that a car with 4 occupants, all fitting the descriptions, followed her home from school and stopped in front of the house. Luckily her older brothers were home and stood at the ready until I arrived. A call to the police was less than reassuring so that’s when the decision was made to always be armed in my home.
Yes, I carry a 9mm XD9 Mod2, in an AlienGear IWB holster… at all times. Only exception is showering or sleeping – and at those two times, the pistol is always within reach.
I’ve had an Oklahoma carry permit for nearly 15 years, and I do not go anywhere without being armed. Even my doctor knows of my pro-2nd Amendment stand, and she has no problem with me carrying in her clinic.
I am learning about ccw but dont yet. A while ago I awoke at 7am to find an intruder standing at the foot of my bed. I chased him out of the apartment, at the end of which he angrily proclaimed “I’m just cutting thru!” Bottom line i believe is he wanted to get into his brother’s apt, the next set of windows down the line. The whole thing could have turned out much worse.
I carry about 1/2 the time inside the house. The rest of the time, there’s a sidearm within arms reach. I’ve slept holsterd and armed many times. The reasoning behind this is preparation, training, safety, and familiarity. Now, many will shake their heads and mutter about safety. Thank you for your concern, but freedom is a grand thing, so don’t worry about my choices. I encourage at home carry as a deterrent. If more armed citizens did, there’d be less invasive crime.
FIRST rule of (gun fighting/self defense/home protection) HAVE A GUN; second rule; have it loaded; third ruse know how to shoot it. You’ll look pretty stupid (not to mention maybe DEAD) to be standing there the remote in your hand when the front door gets kicked in.
100% of home invasions happen inside the home. Always carry.
Always carry around the house and when I am out working in the yard. I want to be prepared for the unexpected even thought we live in a safe neighborhood with mostly retired folks.
After years of reading The Armed Citizen in the American Rifleman I noticed more often than not, someone breaks into a house and the victim has to “go retrieve a firearm” from somewhere else. So I carry or have a pistol everywhere I go even around the house. Just learning from other people’s experiences.
I carry 100% of time, yes even at home. Not out of fear but of being prepared. My father was a police commissioner and the things that are going on are not always public knowledge. Better to be ready. Training is a must. When was the last time you shot your carry?
YES, I carry wear, sleep with it
I live in a safe gated community.
Although I own guns (many of them), I usually have not carried in my home. However, with the current climate (COVID-19) and the panic that is surrounding it in this country, it makes sense. IF this thing continues, it will not be long till people start trying to invade homes to find toilet paper and other goods that may be useful for their families or to trade. So, yes, I carry in my home and everywhere now. It’s the only smart thing to do if I want to be always ready to protect my family.
If I have my pants on then I’m carrying my pistol.
I started carrying in the home when I got my first handgun; pre-CHL. Just so I could get comfortable carrying condition one for when the time comes of carrying concealed. Then it just became a part of my life naturally. Since I’ve had my CHL, I carry always. My carry weapon goes on to hidden magnet at bedtime. To be replaced bedside by a G45 with mounted light.
100% of home invasions happen in the home
I ALWAYS carry at home. At the gas station, the parking garage, etc., you can run away. At home, you can’t run away. And even if you could, your family would be left to the whims of criminals. I carry more at home than anywhere else. The consequences of a home invasion can be FAR worse than, say a mugging or car jacking. Being an avid advocate of carrying, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if my family was victimized by a home invasion because I couldn’t get to a gun in time.