Does anyone on here sleep in bed with a pistol strapped on?

[Lastmohecken]

I didn't want to hijack the thread about answering the door with a gun in hand, but my question is does anyone actually sleep at night in bed with a handgun in a holster strapped on their body? I don't, but I know a man who does. He recently told me that. He carries a belted Glock, in a holster, plus a fixed bladed knife in it's sheath. This seems a bit over the top for me, but this man originally lived in Chicago, so, probably much higher crime rate than where he lives now in my area. He said that he could roll over and lay on it and it didn't bother him.

Anyway, it never really occurred to me before, but I guess in a worst-case scenario of a home invasion while sleeping, this method of being armed would be hard to trump. So, just wondering, does anyone on here practice this mode of bedroom readiness?

[JimT]

I am close friends with a person who slept with a pistol. They sat up in the middle of the night one time and fired it. They were asleep when they did it. Woke 'em up of course. Had a traumatized dog and sleeping partner. And a hole in the house to repair.

[Paladin]

I have one in a shoulder holster hanging on the bed. I wish I had had it when I woke up to a guy doing a mag dump into the room I was sleeping in.

[AJMD429]

.
Only once - was with a friend and for whatever reason he decided not to drive back home (50 miles or so), but stay at an acquaintance's apartment in a real ghetto area, with people coming and going all night. I was only a kid, and naive to the 'drug culture', but I'm guessing they were drug buyers or sellers. I slept with my Taurus 92 under the pillow but in my hand, with finger behind the double-action trigger. Doubt I actually 'slept' much though.

After that little adventure, I tended to make sure I was the driver, so I had control over where we wentn and when we came home.

I have friends who slept gun-in-hand like that when in the military and in bad places, too.

I have several patients who keep guns in their bathrooms as well as bedside. One keeps a Glock in a gallon zip-lock bag between two folded up towels on her bathroom sink counter. She doesn't have kids and that bathroom is only accessable via her bedroom, so it seems reasonably safe. She was assaulted once by home-invaders, and I don't think she wants that to happen again.

[Blaine]

Well, a Glock 30 within arms reach.

[jeepnik]

As far as actually strapped on. A few times but that was fifty odd years ago. I suppose if one spent a lot of time in big bear country it might make some sense. But darned that would be awfully uncomfortable.

[Scott Tschirhart]

I have in some places in Mexico and El Salvador. But that was many years ago. And I was doing things that I would do today.

It’s been a long time since I slept with a pistol.

[Malamute]

Ive slept many nights with a pistol in hand when sleeping out under the stars either in az, with a fairly high number of wanted felons passing through the general area, and in grizzly country up north. One time at a wedding in Phx I stayed at some motorcycle yahoos place, they gave me and my girl a room, but I slept with the colt 44 in hand on my chest that night. They stole another guys bike that night that stayed there, mine had a "stop-and-lock" device in the rear wheel, it was in gear when I checked it in the morning, they tried pushing it off but couldnt figure out why they couldnt get it to roll.

One reason I lost interest in 1911s was sleeping out under the stars, on several occasions I woke up to find the cocked and locked gun I had put under the pillow had moved around in the night and was cocked and unlocked and pointing at me. I never had a problem sleeping with the 4" 29 or the Colt SAA 44.

Ive slept many nights with a winchester between my knees inside the sleeping bag or blankets. Theres a way to do it without it being too uncomfortable, you adjust to it being there when you turn over. I sometimes slept in areas I didnt wish to leave any guns accessible to anyone that may discover my camp. I have to say that ARs are horrible to sleep with, even the little CAR 15 from way back, and another reason I began losing interest in them. Bulky, chunky, sharp edges and stuff sticking out. Winchesters are much nicer to sleep with.

I think it was Kit Carson that was noted for sleeping with his rifle in the blankets with him, ready for whatever, and out of the elements. Thats one part of how I started the practice, though often its just under the edge of the blankets or sleeping bag, covered up, and often with a blanket or tarp thrown over all that to keep dew and light rain off.

The little hole in the back of glock grips is a lanyard hole. I used to keep a lanyard on the g19 when camped on the mountain, I could grab it and hang it around my neck and shoulder to step out to look at the stars and water the nearby countryside when camping, I didnt need clothes or belt or whatever just the gun on the string and a light. I later got a tanker type holster for the N frame that served the same purpose.

[LeverGunner]

I've never been in a position that I needed to sleep with a gun in hand. I have laid down for a nap a few times with my holstered gun. Ain't too bad if you don't roll over on that side. I put my handgun on a peg on the wall, just out of reach of the bed, for fear that I would use it half awake when I shouldn't.

[jeepnik]

The little hole in the back of glock grips is a lanyard hole. I used to keep a lanyard on the g19 when camped on the mountain, I could grab it and hang it around my neck and shoulder to step out to look at the stars and water the nearby countryside when camping, I didnt need clothes or belt or whatever just the gun on the string and a light. I later got a tanker type holster for the N frame that served the same purpose.

Quite a few of my handguns have lanyard rings. I dropped a pistol once answering the call and didn't realize it until a bit later. A quick backtrack revealed where it had dropped. At the time I hand a S& W 1917 with it's lanyard ring. The reason finally crystalized in my mind. It wasn't ceremonial.

[marlinman93]

Way too uncomfortable to wear a handgun while sleeping. I change from one side to the other at night, and can't imagine that working. I keep my .45 under the pillow where it wont interfere with good sleep.

[Ysabel Kid]

Way too uncomfortable to wear a handgun while sleeping. I change from one side to the other at night, and can't imagine that working. I keep my .45 under the pillow where it wont interfere with good sleep.

Ditto. With my back, I toss and turn constantly and rarely ever get a decent night sleep. A gun is within reasonable reach though.

[Lastmohecken]

I never went to bed on purpose while wearing a gun, but have often slept with one under my pillow, and one on the nightstand.

[nwcatman]

Way too uncomfortable to wear a handgun while sleeping. I change from one side to the other at night, and can't imagine that working. I keep my .45 under the pillow where it wont interfere with good sleep.

Ditto. With my back, I toss and turn constantly and rarely ever get a decent night sleep. A gun is within reasonable reach though.
"with my back....................................." Exactly! a failed back surgery in 2010 has put me in that exact position every night. drives my wife crazy. oh well. she drives me crazy too after 53 years so i guess we're even.

[Steve in MO]

Been a long time since I've slept with a gun on. I've always got one close by, but we live in the country and have lights, locks and the dog.

[4t5]

Not while sleeping , but one is in the room .
My dog sleeps in the hall outside the door , any strange noise and he sounds the alarm , good dog.

[t.r.]

Back in the 1970's Detroit was a very high crime city with daily home invasions and murders. I rented a small house in a "not so nice" part of the city and slept with a double barrel shotgun in my bed. But eventually I left the city for greener pastures. TR

[GunnyMack]

With 3 Labradors on the bed I wouldn't know if I could get into bed with a holster!

[jnyork]

When I was a kid, one of my father's friends always kept a revolver under his pillow at night until eventually he got to thrashing around in his sleep and set it off. Luckily, he only got a nick in his ear, 1/2 inch further in and he would have been dead.

[oldebear1950]

I do not, but have a JUDGE in a case under the bed and a 12 guage Mossberg pump in the closet.
usually keep an Uberti EL PATRON 45 colt loaded in the den if I need it, in a holster near the couch

[Bill in Oregon]

I would much rather be dead and buried than live with that kind of fear/paranoia. But I live alone and believe in the ultimate power of a Hebrew carpenter from Nazareth named Jesus whom I am more than extremely impressed by. Just me I guess.

[piller]

I have a Chihuahua who sleeps close to me and my wife. Those 2 triangular radar dishes on her head are never truly shut down. Her bark wakes me up very quickly. I keep a 2,000 lumen flashlight nearby. I want to see what woke my dog. 2,000 lumens will make you see nothing but spots for about 30 minutes. I can get to a gun quickly, but whomever woke up my dog is going to be temporarily blind.

[AJMD429]

I would much rather be dead and buried than live with that kind of fear/paranoia. But I live alone and believe in the ultimate power of a Hebrew carpenter from Nazareth named Jesus whom I am more than extremely impressed by. Just me I guess.

That is the ultimate weapon for good, for sure.

Then there IS the old joke about the Doberman named 'Jesus', and the burglar hears a childs voice from upstairs cautioning him "You shouldn't steal things, because Jesus is watching you", and the burglar figures the kid is the only one home or only one awake, so says "Shut up, kid - go back to your room". The kid then says "Jesus heard what you said", and the burglar ignores him, and starts putting valuables in his duffel bag. Pretty soon the kid says "Jesus, the burglar didn't listen to me, so I'm going back to bed, and leaving him to you". Then the dog lunges and bites the burglar.

Probably not what the dog's namesake would do, but I always thought it might be funny (or sacreligious, depending on your views) to name a dog after Jesus.

[RIHMFIRE]

not even when i am sleeping in the woods!
unless i am in my tree stand taking a nap!

[Malamute]

I would much rather be dead and buried than live with that kind of fear/paranoia. But I live alone and believe in the ultimate power of a Hebrew carpenter from Nazareth named Jesus whom I am more than extremely impressed by. Just me I guess.

No fear here, just awareness that things can go sideways, and I know what to do about it, and am prepared to handle it. Locations and circumstances vary considerably, from being close to towns out under the stars, to under the stars in grizzly country, to being in a town in a house. Ive spent most of my so-called adult life spending a lot of time outside, with cuddly black bears, mtn lions, and range cattle around in Az, to grizzlies and moose up north. I made choices in life to live where and how I could spend as much time outside as I could and being in places where one is pretty much on their own. The last places with a sense of wildness, adventure and frontier. I wouldnt change anything in that regard.

The Tison family murder spree had happened in Az not too long before I moved there, as well as personal closeness to mans inhumanity to man. I chose to never be an easy victim, but not to avoid the things I liked doing.

[Gunstore Commando]

Sleeping with a pistol on body? Not to speak of. Maybe once in a blue moon when sleeping someplace Where The Wild Things Are.

OTOH, I almost always have, at bare minimum, some kind of neck knife on body when sleeping. (And at any other time, for that matter.) Anyone else here in the habit of sleeping with a blade strapped on?

[piller]

The Clutter family lived, and was murdered about 70 miles from where I was born and raised. There are evil people in this world.

[Streetstar]

I have a Chihuahua who sleeps close to me and my wife. Those 2 triangular radar dishes on her head are never truly shut down. Her bark wakes me up very quickly. I keep a 2,000 lumen flashlight nearby. I want to see what woke my dog. 2,000 lumens will make you see nothing but spots for about 30 minutes. I can get to a gun quickly, but whomever woke up my dog is going to be temporarily blind.

My security system is also small but noisy !

One dog barks and i think --- "F -- off shite bird !!! --- but all 3 of them going off and its time to grab the nightstand gun !