I lived in the city for some time after living in the country as a kid. I moved back to the country after my brother was murdered, I just couldn’t see living in a place that was supposedly safer with a large police force. I’m not knocking the police mind you, the extreme manhunt they performed to catch the scum that shot my brother was exemplary. I don’t know if they looked so hard because he was a soldier on leave, and I don’t care if that was their reason. They did a great job. I can’t thank them enough.
My questions are:
Do you live in the Country or City?
Did you move to either because you thought it was safer for you and your family?
In either place do you carry at home or stash firearms in strategic places(where you sit, areas of the house you are in the most)?
I’m just wondering what everybody else does when it comes to home defense. I don’t have any small children so having stash spots is what works best for me ( I have a stainless .38 in my bathroom drawer, hey you are never more compromised!) Plus I have visitors(family) who might be alarmed and think I was crazy for carrying at home. I also like to keep a bolt action .22 mag by the door that I let my dogs out to go to the restroom. I learned this lesson after my american pittbull got sprayed by a skunk while killing it and my english mastiff got into it with the biggest groundhog I had ever seen(they are well fed around here?). She killed it but took some bites and scratches(glad she is up on her shots!) and 2 stiches. Maybe some better options are out there, I’m just trying to see if any exists.
I carry always. I keep a rifle in the master bedroom available when I’m home. I carry a handgun on me or occasionally set it nearby out of reach. I have another handgun in a quick safe in the bedroom.
I’m married and have a 7 and 3 year old.
I live in a city of roughly 400,000 now, but was born in LA then lived on the outskirts of Pittsburgh most of my life in both city and rural areas. Two years in Boston as well.
Had I decided to keep firearms put up in different locations, chances are I wouldn’t be typing this. I walked out the front door to smoke and walked right into what was an attempted home invasion. The gun on me is what stopped it.
Live in a rather an urban area and keep weapons on me and around the house where kids can’t reach. Even have a couple Bersa pistols staged around. Home invasions and robberies happen all the time here. Two officers that live on my block keep their patrol cars parked on the side of the street or in the drive-way - doesn’t make a difference.
If there was a place in the country for the same amount of cash, would have bought it for sure.
I currently live in a city with a population of a little less than one million and I hate it. I usually am carrying at home or have a pistol within easy reach. I desperately want to move out into the country somewhere, not necessarily because I think it’s safer, but just because I hate being right up against so many other people.
I live 15 mins outside of Phoenix so in the country somewhat. I didnt move here for safety I was able to find land at a good price and built my own home. It is close to work as well. I dont carry a gun on me at all times but always have one around the house. I probably should start to carry it more.
I moved to the country 20 years ago so I could shoot and ride on my property whenever I want. Loaded rifle and pistol in the house and shotgun in the barn, you never know.
We live in a small town of about 15k an hour from a major metropolitan area. We moved here for my wife’s career. I carry in the house most of the time, but also have long guns and handguns stashed as well. I also had our deadbolts on all exterior doors upgraded, had door reinforcers installed, along with stronger strikeplates with stronger screws on the door frames and longer heavier hinge screws, to reduce susceptibility to kicking. Installed storm doors on the two exterior doors lacking them. We installed motion sensor lighting around the rear and side of the house and have timer-controlled lighting along the front. We routinely keep the doors locked, and we pay attention to whether our windows are locked. We’re careful about opening the door to strangers (we talk through the locked stormdoor).
I think money and time spent on deterring a would-be intruder, or on making his entry more challenging (requiring him to make more noise, create a higher visual signature, and take more time, thus increasing likelihood of being detected) is just as important a component of home security as firearms.
The town I live in is pretty small at 18000, but the metropolitan area has 2.5 million people (Miami-Dade County) and bad guys have cars. The FBI VS bank robber shootout that killed agents Grogan and Dove occured 1/4 mile from my home.
When I am awake, and clothed, I am carrying, and I have guns stashed also. We don’t have kids and my wife knows her way around firearms so that is not a concern. My wife opened a little used, but accesible, drawer in the kitchen and said “hey, did you know there’s a revolver in here”? I said “yes, I put it there”.
There is a gun on the shelf behind me in my office and a shotgun in the bedroom in addition to the gun on my person.
My dogs are my best warning device and they are barking right now, but I can tell the neighbors just got home across the street. I know their barks well and right now they are not on full alert.
If I ever move to the country, I will still employ the practice of being armed and having stash guns. Thinking about teaching my dogs to shoot.
I’ve lived in a small town, in a big city, and traveled extensively through both and everything in between. I’ve drawn a gun in self defense in a major league baseball stadium parking lot and outside a rural gas station. evil knows no bounds…
really sorry about your brother. That’s just terrible. I hope the sonofabitch got a stiff sentence (not that is any kind of justice for taking your brother).
I figure that the likely hood of me having to draw my pistol is so unlikely but if I never have to I won’t get to choose when and where and so, if I’m capable, I carry. I live in a relatively big city (around 3 million in a 25 mile radius)
I live in the country…resort/vacation area of central Minnesota, closest town is about 500 people. I’ve had a handgun permit for 30 years. I rarely carry, don’t keep a bedside gun (I keep them locked up).
I live in a nicer suburb of a large city (the city being where I am LE), though the city has swallowed up the entire municipality where I reside.
I almost always carry inside the house. I do have other firearms stashed in small, quick access safes, but these are primarily for my wife when I am not home.
While I would consider the area we live very safe, there is no place that is immune from violent crime. I work in a very rough, inner city area, and it does not take me long to commute to and from work. While the relative safety of my area was definitely a selling point, the quality of the schools was also a big deciding factor as well.
There are some trendy, newly popular areas to live that my wife has mentioned, but I refuse, as they are a bit too close to “Indian country” for my comfort.
Live in a small town (40k). Have worthless dogs. One is always asleep, the other is stone deaf. Crime has found it’s way to my nice-ish neighborhood more than once. My “carry gun of the day” is always on me or on a central counter top when I’m home. A.357 lives on top of the fridge. A G19 lives in the top of my wife’s closet. A Rem870 is locked to the rear floor of my truck. Everything else stays in the safe since Obama/Feinstein have now made them worth about $10,000,000.
I live in the country, and choose to carry my gun on me at all times rather than leaving them stashed(2 kids ages 6 and 3 roaming freely throughout the house).
I currently live in a city because I’m at a university here in Nebraska, but I used to live out in the country in western Nebraska. I carry when I can here, but campus is off limits as is my work. When I’m home my G19 is always on me or in reaching distance and my Benelli Nova tactical is next to my bed at night, along with a streamlight polytac HP.
Live in the burbs, close to work and ammenities. Wish we lived a bit further out but it is what it is. Gun safe upstairs in our room. Quick safe on my nightstand and on my wifes. Stashed stuff on the main floor where we spend most of our time (away from curious kids reaches). Motion lights, a dog that barks at his own farts, and vigilant neighbors certainly don’t hurt. Better to be safe than sorry.
I live in the city (Houston) but also have ranch property out in the country. Plan on retiring out there when I turn 60.
Have guns stashed in both houses…sort of hidden but in plain sight. Easy to get at in a hurry and in places in the house where I might get “caught” and not near my usual carry guns.
The guns stashed are a mix. A S&W Model 10 38, police trade G22, Winny 1200 shotgun, old ratty looking SIG P220 and a Marlin Model 60.