My dream was a wake up call

[DLCTEX]

I rarely remember a dream. It's been years since I was able to remember one. Sometimes I feel that I dreamed, but just can't bring it to mind. Sunday morning I was awakened by a dream that my wife and I were awakened by someone being in the house. We assumed it was our son from college who had said he may be home on the weekend. (This was a real fact in the dream). I dressed and went into the living room to find someone I didn't know standing there. He acted very calm, so I asked who he was and he was very coy and said you don't know who I am? Then another man came from the bathroom and appeared to have just showered. He was a very rough looking character and I knew these guys were up to no good. I realized my 1911 was locked in my truck in a locked briefcase and all other guns were locked in safes in the garage. (All this was true) I awakened at this point and remembered, after some thought, that I have a 25 auto in the bedroom, but hadn't seen it in so long it didn't come to mind readily. The realness of the dream really caused me to examine my readiness for trouble. Now the 1911 comes in the house with me at the end of the day and the briefcase is unlocked and by my bed. I am considering a lock box with fast access for the bedroom to keep my 38 in. A silly dream, or a wake up call? I'm taking no chances. Are you ready?

[Cherokee]

Never hurts to be prepared, whatever the dream was. Give some thought as to what you would do and tell your wife so she will be prepared too, and not get in the way or slow you down.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Unfortunately, your dream has too often been played out in reality. The boldness of these bottom feeders in our society is getting more common than rare. Good idea for the 1911.Robert

[Trey45]

Your subconcious was trying to tell you something, good thing you listened.

[Wayne Smith]

My carry Colt Agent is beside the bed every night. Got a couple other guns stashed around the house. No grandchildren yet. My son has his swords in his room. My wife says she feels sorry for the guy who breaks in!

[1Shirt]

The Boy Scout motto says it all!
1Shirt!

[Tazman1602]

Rare chance of that happening at my house. First they have to get by the dogs............the dogs I feed peanut butter crackers to every night.

I sleep with a loaded .44 Special in the headboard of the bed and two .45's with the clips ready to drive home if needed. Wife has her .38 in her side of the bed loaded and ready to go.

No grandkids.

Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean someone's not out to get me.

Two years ago my 25 year old daughter was sleeping over on the couch. She woke me up after I heard the dogs and said she'd seen two guys in stocking caps looking in the front window -- and I'm WAY out in the country.

I had time so I grabbed my el cheapo Norinco side by side 12 gauge and was shoving buckshot in it when I came around the corner and those two looking in the window saw me level the shotgun and took off.

I let the dogs out and gave them the simple command, very loudly "Sic Balls" as I was walking out.

They later broke into my mom's house down the road but little brother came upstair with a 12 gauge long tom side by side.

I bet it took them a month to get the brown stains out of their underwear and we've never had any problems before nor after..........

..............but you never do really know.

As a sidenote, the police showed up 45 minutes later and they did catch the two about three miles away, but 45 minutes is enough time to get my whole family dead...............

Art

[OutHuntn84]

Have a good Friend who carries all the time, even at home. One day he has a dream that someone broke in while he was in the shower and he was SOL. Now he has a SS Smith 38spl in a lil plastic container on its own lil soap dish, just in case. Like the boy scouts say "Always be prepared".
BTW IMHO Everyone that lives in your home should no "the plan". I even bought our house with "the plan" in mind. My wife, who is not a big gun nut, but is like a momma bear when it comes to our son, Insist we go over the plan from time to time and likes to keep me on my toes with the "what ifs".

Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean someone's not out to get me.

Statistically they are out to get you and you should be paranoid!

[geargnasher]

Biggest issue I have is Mexican (presumably) illegals migrating across my property at night. Had several encounters through the years, and I keep prepared. In the past most were very peaceful young men looking for work so they could send money home to their families in Mexico. Long ago I have been known to cook breakfast and filled the water jugs for more than one small group of these men as they were passing through, but that has all changed, including the legality of assisting an illegal. Mostly seems about drug runners and such, most illegals are becoming desparate and potentially violent.

The motion sensor floods went off the other night right after a flashlight beam payed across the curtains of our bedroom, made me realize just how long it really takes to get a flashlight and my bedside gun into action. We all should spend a few deliberate minutes rehearsing the "drill", because when you need to act in the moment, you are thinking about a zillion things NOT related to getting armed and illuminated and it really slows the process down if you haven't practiced enough to make it automatic.


Gear

[Storydude]

Everyone in my house knows..If the dogs alert @ 0dark30, DO NOT GET OUT OF BED AND STAND UP. Hit the floor, because when I come around the corner, I'm spraying at 35" above it.

You ignore the 2 locked doors at every entry point, the 135Lb ANGRY dog and the verbal command to VACATE NOW, you deserve the 36 .30 cal pellets you'll catch from my 930.

She sits loaded, chambered and off safe within easy reach of my bed.

[jdgabbard]

A few years ago, when I had just came home from my last deployment overseas, the lady of the house and I were asleep in bed. I suddenly awoke to what sounded like someone fiddling with the window. Before I even realized what I heard, or that I was awake, I was already up and clearing the house with my 65 Smith. I'm guessing the thugs decided it was in their best interests to find another house, because they took off as soon as they saw the glint of steel coming around the corner.

Long story short. Handguns, while tools like rifles or pliers, are meant to be a defensive tool. They should be handy, and they should be loaded. In my bedroom there are 4 loaded and easily accessible firearms. My 38 airweight snub that I carry, my 65 smith, her 38 snub, and a Mossberg 500 with a Butler Creek Side-Folding stock. The fact is that Tom guns are a little long to use in close quarters, I known this for some time, as I've had the pleasure of using one overseas.

Fact is, I'm prepared.

[Bill*]

Everyone in my house knows..If the dogs alert @ 0dark30, DO NOT GET OUT OF BED AND STAND UP. Hit the floor, because when I come around the corner, I'm spraying at 35" above it.

You ignore the 2 locked doors at every entry point, the 135Lb ANGRY dog and the verbal command to VACATE NOW, you deserve the 36 .30 cal pellets you'll catch from my 930.

She sits loaded, chambered and off safe within easy reach of my bed.

I hope you never have a burglar, but I think it might be prudent to identify the threat before vaporizing it

[Harter66]

I am well armed ready but I think might be a little slow. I do live in a gated gaurded neighborhood about 50ft from the desert. There's 200lbs of pitbulls that sleep in the entryways. Honey has a 9. I've got a 357 or a 45. I used to be a volnteer firefighter I would hit the floor in my pants and be out of the driveway in 90sec flat. I lived in a rural neihborhood then. I had 1 of my kids come home early ,he tells me a 38 may as well be a 16"howidzer.

[grages]

I have a split plan house, front door separates the master bedroom from my daughter's room.

I have 2 of these, one in the laundry room by the garage door, the other in the linen closet by the back bedrooms.





http://www.stack-on.com/securityplus...s/pds-500.html

And one similar one by the bed

We live in a safe neighborhood but you never know. Everyday I hear about home invasions. I am prepared as best as I can.

All contain autos, loaded and ready to fire. The combo is the safety. Each has a spare clip and a box of ammo for that auto, and half a box for the other autos. My goal is to have 3 identical weapons one for each container eventually. I haven't been able to spend the money for that last part plus I'm still trying to select a weapon/caliper that both my girls can handle well.

Oh, and my wife and I practice opening the combos in the dark. When my daughter is old enough I will teach her the combos.

Am I crazy! NO, just prepared.

Shawn

[Buckshot]

...........DLCTEX, I'm with you. I'd often thought about all the firearms I had and how inaccesable they all were. Along with that I'd thought about putting a 38 revolver in my and Donna's nightstands. But then I've often told people who asked me about home protection firearms that a short barreled 12ga pump was the best.

I'd never taken my own advice. The only shotgun I have is my grandfathers LeFever 12ga Nitro Special and it has 28" barrels. Also a couple times it stuck me how stupid it would be to have 100+ rifles and 9 handguns available but to become a victim because none were to hand.

I suppose it was about a month ago Big 5 Sporting Goods had Mossberg M500, 12 guages on sale with a 28" modified barrel and a 20" cylinder bore barrel combo for $279. I bought one. It now resides (chamber empty, mag loaded with 5 trap rounds) between Donna's nightstand and dresser, which is away from the bedroom door.

Since the bedroom is at one end of the house I put the M67 Smith on a shelf in a kitchen cabinet, since it's on the other end of the house. Now I won't feel like such a moron should an occasion arise (hope it never does) where I'd need one.

..............Buckshot

[lwknight]

It is a pain to be always vigilant about SD. Having access to a gun seems to parallel leaving the cell phone and walking to the other end of the house and it decides to ring. Few people are going to live a life where you have to have a weapon on their person all the time and having guns stashed around the house can be tricky. If there are children involved then its really sticky. One thing is that you would not want an intruder to find one of your guns to use it against you. Even worse if you are not home and they get in while you are coming home to catch them being prepared for you!!

I got no answers for the above but, did want to point out that for most of us , it would be prudent to place the nightstand gun in such a manner that you would have to do something more than simply grabbing the gun. If you are startled from a deep sleep , you could be disoriented and dangerous. I keep my nightstand gun with the drawer closed so that I would have to be awake enough to actually sit up and reach to open the drawer to retrieve the gun.

I have heard stories of people sleeping with a gun under the pillow and such. Thats just insanity. What if you start acting out a dream?

No info from me. Just a few thoughts.

[nicholst55]

When I'm in the States, I sleep with a Remington M870 Magnum (with a mounted Surefire light) next to the bed. I keep it loaded, but no round chambered, and a 6-round Sidesaddle mounted to the receiver full of buckshot. My wife thinks I'm crazy, and doubtless will until the day/night I NEED the gun.

No children - they're grown and married. That greatly reduces my concerns about over penetration or accidentally shooting a family member. The Surefire will help tremendously in that regard, too.

I'm actually considering switching to a short-barreled AR-15 (SBR), because it will maneuver so much more easily than the 870 and I can have 30 rounds available. Not that I'll need 30 rounds. I'm more comfortable with the AR-15 due to carrying an M16 for 20 years and working with them every day. Let's say I'm better trained with the AR-15. I sincerely hope to never have to utilize that training, especially in my own home.

[4570guy]

Since I have young children in the house, keeping a loaded shotgun accessable is not really an option for me. The wife and I both keep pistols in our bedstand safes. These are those pushbutton safes you can buy at Academy or J&G sales for handguns that use the finger pattern combination. She's not real comfortable shooting my .45 so I bought her a Bersa .380 which she really likes. With the home invasions seemingly on the increase, we've also taken to setting our house alarm every night when we go to bed. At least that would serve to wake us up immediately. My lab would bark, but she barks at all manner of critters all night, so I doubt I'd pay attention to her.

[1874Sharps]

The things we dream are interesting, are they not? Dreams tell us the things we know deep inside, often in wild and exagerated ways, but in ways that through honest introspection can be understood. God spoke to people in dreams in the Old and New Testaments and I believe God still does. Listen to that still small voice.

[KCSO]

The rubber gun, the missing gun are signs of preformance anxiety. You sub consious is telling you you are not prepared. Put the 1911 where you can get it and go out and spend some range time! Actually this or a variation of this is a real common dream for LEO's especially when stressed. Every time I wake up clutching a gun that won't shoot or come out of the holster I know it's time to put in some serious practice.