Do you leave them just loaded or one in the pipe?

The wife and I strongly disagree about this especially since both of my pistols have no safety.

Just a simple poll

Ready to fire.

Kids or no kids?

If you have kids, I wouldn't leave one in the pipe.

If you don't have kids, you could put one in the pipe and be ok. Saves you the two seconds to load one in case a bad guy comes to get you. I suppose it could be the difference between life or death, though I highly doubt it.

Personally, I wouldn't even keep the gun loaded.

Full Clip right next to the gun. Grab clip, load clip, cock, fire. In 99% of all break-in's, you'd have plenty of opportunity and time to load and fire your weapon.

in the pipe, wife knows this so no touchy.

I keep them loaded.

Depending on the gun and one in the chamber if it has a slide-lock. If there aren't any safeties, might not be a bad idea to have extra precautions taken so they don't discharge.

I'm not saying don't put one in the chamber, because you can avoid accidentally discharging it fairly simply with some care, but if that's the compromise, go for it, just know if you ever need it to chamber one before you pick your target.

Loaded and chambered, no kids. Once we have kids that will change.

Edit to add: they get put out of sight and reach any time there are kids in the house (which is rare), bedroom door stays shut, and the kids are not left unattended.

[This message has been edited by tmanAg08 (edited 12/23/2008 11:23a).]

Loaded in the house and no kids. I am currently working on getting my CHL.

I heard that it's a pretty good idea to keep it chambered and sleep with your finger on the trigger. Of course you don't want to shoot yourself in your sleep, so keep it pointed at someone else, or a door or window.

when I'm am by myself they are loaded. When kids are in the house they are unloaded and locked away.

what's a safety?

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what's a safety?

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Not pulling the trigger unless you mean to

Unloaded in the gun safe out in the garage.

All of my personal defense firearms are fully loaded with a round chambered. If the necessity arises, I just want to grip it and rip it.

The last thing you want to hear when you expect a "BANG" is a "CLICK."

loaded and chambered...but I have no kids, and if I did, that would change to unchambered

I would say don't jack one in the chamber, but keep the magazine in. The US of A is not a warzone, I don't think you need to be that ready if you have no safety on the weapon.

At my parents, shotguns are loaded and kept in the corner of the back porch. None of the kids know they are there. Handguns are kept loaded, but in lock boxes under the master bedroom, kitchen sink and living room. Only 4 people know the combos. I teach my kiddo gun safety, but I wouldn't keep them out and loaded.

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Not pulling the trigger unless you mean to

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exactly

now can I get a homeowners discount for agreeing with you?????

You're just asking for trouble to keep one in the chamber.

I used to keep a revolver loaded and hid in my closet. When my oldest son was about 4, he came walking down the hall of the house carrying it to me just looking down at it, as if he had found a new toy. I immediately started bawling and telling him it was not a toy, etc...

All guns now are locked up in the gun safe, some have cartridges in the clip, but none come into my house with one in the pipe.

However, I don't live in a crime rampant area. My closest neighbor is about a mile away. If a stranger comes around the dogs know to "sick balls", and would give us plenty of warning time to get a gun out. Although it has never happened.

If one of my children, or anyone's child shot themselves in my home with a gun that I left loaded, I would probably go ahead and put the next bullet right behind my own ear. That would be tough to live with.

Loaded in nightstand, not chambered.

all the guns in our house growing up were all ready to fire and about 4 pistols and 2 rifles were not locked up.....pop made sure we knew this and we handled guns at a young age to gain respect for them.

I've taught my 4 and 7 year olds responsible gun safety since they were damn near new borns. Each one of them knows exactly which drawer in the bed-side table we keep our pistol in and how to use it. They also know not to touch it. We keep it loaded and chambered with no safety.

All my guns have full mags but non in the chamber. Once I get my handgun it will be ready from rock and roll by the bed though.

smae thing for my bro and i ducks.....we all knew the revolvers had no safety so we were especially wary around them....and we knew exactly where every gun was so all the curiosity of finding a gun was taken away.

[This message has been edited by HatTrickHero411 (edited 12/23/2008 11:44a).]

One in the chamber and a full mag to back it up. Don't have kids so it would probably change. An unloaded gun is just an expensive paperweight.

i've got a semi-auto with no "safety" (springfield XD) and keep it chambered ALWAYS with 3 glaser safety slugs first, then 3 hollow points. Another clip right next to it with the same arrangement of 6 rounds. it's 16 round capacity, but i'm anal about not wearing out the spring in the mag. (fify protected).

edit to add: only 6 rounds b/c i figure if i need more, i'm already screwed anyways.

[This message has been edited by DwightSchrute (edited 12/23/2008 11:47a).]

Loaded, chambered, safety on.

Teaching your children "gun safety" by hiding guns from them doesn't work. This is my prefered approach to gun safety.

what is a glaser safety slug? is that a real bullet?

ready to fire at all times...

I have a 6 yo old in the house, I have loaded and chambered piston in a quick access safe by the bed. I have a 20g loaded but not chambered elsewhere.

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exactly

now can I get a homeowners discount for agreeing with you?????

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I tried getting the "I agree with the agent" discount a while back but they told me it would only result in a 15% surcharge instead.

oh, and for the record folks, i don't really have any kids.

loaded, unchambered.

Anyone who thinks 4 year olds and 7 year olds can be taught and ALWAYS respect gun safety are asking for trouble. Would you let them go to all their friends houses with loaded and accessable weapons to kids that young? I suspect that is why we hear of more kids being shot with their parents guns than those parents shooting the bad guys.