Do you REALLY carry your gun at all times in your own home?

[bungo]

Probably stirring up a hornet's nest here, but I promise I'm not trolling...

Firstly, to confess my biases here:
1. I'm Australian. We have much stricter firearms laws here than in the US. But also a helluva lot less criminals with guns, and a helluva lot less firearm homicides per capita than the US.
2. I've never owned a gun - never felt the need to, even after being burgled while we were at home asleep. I've also never gone hunting or to a firing range. I guess you can tell, I'm not a firearm enthusiast, but then again, I'm not trying to legislate against them either. You wanna own one, and you keep it safe, that's fine with me.
OK, with that out of the way, here is my question.

I listened to the podcast last week where Jack advocated carrying your personal firearm on you at all times in the home, except for when you go to bed, and then it's under the mattress. this makes it less likely that children will find and play with it, and makes it on-hand should you need to defend yourself - both make sense, I guess.

However, I was surprised. This just seems so alien to me. I'm interested in people's personal experiences and thoughts here.

Do you really feel safer walking around your own home with a holstered gun on you at all times? Eating dinner? Shaving? Doing the dishes? Kissing your wife? ..... Isn't this a little paranoid?

Doesn't it make you feel besieged at all times, even in the supposed sanctuary of your own house? Wouldn't upgraded security be more effective and less stressful - stop the bad guys getting into your home in the first place (which was my response after the burglary)? Aren't there times you'd prefer not to be carrying a weapon? It just seems like some gung-ho Dirty Harry fantasy.

Like I said, please let me know your experiences and thoughts, what made you feel this was the best solution for you. I just can't imagine ever wanting to constantly carry a gun in my own home. If my neighbours had been murdered in a home invasion, maybe I can understand the feeling, but other than that I just can't get my head around this as a choice you would willingly make. Are things in the USA that bad?

End rant.     Hope I haven't offended anyone, I'm just trying to understand something which seems so alien to what I and 99.9% of Australians would consider "normal".

Thanks,

Bungo

[chris]

I don't carry around the house. But I have a firearm in most every room, and my EDC is close to the front door. I have an extra latch on the front door, so it's a few extra seconds to get in, more than enough to get my hands on a firearm and two very loud hounds in the back.

[The Professor]

First off, let's take a look at some comparable statistics. . .the Australian Homicide rate is exactly the same as the US homicide rate, regardless of weapon use or not. . .1.2 per 100,000.

Second, I don't care what a criminal has in his or her hand when he/she comes to perpetrate a crime on me or my loved ones.  An axe, crowbar, knife, sword, etc., doesn't make your Australian criminal any less dangerous or malevolent than a criminal with a gun.

I generally don't carry a firearm on my hip at home, but there is always one within reach, so I don't know if this qualifies me as such.  Every now and again, when I'm going in and out (I work at home, most of the time except when I'm training).  When I am leaving the house frequently, my pistol sits on my hip or in my waist bag.  It's on my hip in class, it's on my hip when I go to Church, the store, the bank, where-ever.  If I'm going out and about and I return home, I probably won't take it off.  When I go to bed, there is a pistol in a hidden drawer on my headboard and a long-arm within reach of the side of the bed.

Do I feel beseiged?  Absolutely not.  Because if someone DOES come through the door in a home-invasion scenario. . .I can respond.

Carrying a firearm, you see, is not about being beseiged or having fear.

It's about recognizing that Life is dangerous and having the ability to respond to that danger.

If anything, I feel relieved that I have the ability to defend myself and my loved ones.

The Professor.

[LdMorgan]

Just a brief comment on the home carry issue--and a calm one at that.

I live in a rather quiet little townlet where about every third house has a tractor and every second one has a horse.

It has two churches so close together you can almost pitch a baseball from one congregation to the other.

It's almost like Mayberry, except some of the locals are pretty wealthy.

A nice little 80-old lady lived less than a mile down the road from me, until two rejects from an unsuccessful lawn-mowing service murdered her in her own home.

They are presently on Death Row because they did everything except phone in a confession from the crime scene.

All they wanted was the money she didn't have. So they beat her to death.

Almost everybody goes through life thinking "IT" will never happen to them. "IT" always happens to the people you read about in the papers or see on TV. "IT" may happen to someone you know, but that just proves once more that "IT" won't happen to you.

Most people just play the odds, and get by on luck. And it seems so reasonable to the ones that do. And it's such a big surprise to the ones that don't.

A few people learn mortality, and start making their own luck. They keep weapons handy, or carry them when they may be needed--even if that's all the time.

Criminals don't need guns to do their dirty work. Far more knives are used by bad guys far more often than guns. And brute force even more often than that.

And usually, planning is not even part of their procedure. Most crimes are a matter of opportunity and impulse.

Carrying a weapon is not a burden. It's an insurance policy.

When I'm 80, and some goon decides to make me "IT", I want to be able to spin my wheelchair in a tight circle and blow his liver out past his backbone with a very short 12-gauge shotgun.

The way I figger, it sure beats dyin' young.

[bungo]

Just to be upfront here, I'm not claiming Australia is less violent, or better, or our criminals are nicer or anything like that.

But I would state that far fewer Australian households would own a firearm (although it's certainly not illegal to proudly bear arms, it's much less a part of our national culture here). Just last week a family of 5 were bludgeoned to death in their home in Sydney http://www.smh.com.au/national/sydney-family-murders-extremely-personal-police-20090720-dprw.html But I don't think Australian families are rushing to buy guns as a result.

Apart from one policeman I knew, and an uncle in New Zealand on a farm, I've never known anyone to have a gun at their home. Like I said in my original post, it just seems a really different way of looking at the world, and I'm interested to see people's thoughts behind this "insurance".

[chris]

Like I said in my original post, it just seems a really different way of looking at the world, and I'm interested to see people's thoughts behind this "insurance".

Depending on where you live, guns are often times a part of a person's culture. I grew up hunting and fishing. I got my first 22 (i still have it) from my grandfather, one he bought new in 1939. I've never not owned guns. I collected firearms for a number of years. I had an FFl 01 (dealers license) for several years. Not owning a firearm, or 50, seems weird to me.

I carry because I spend half of every week in the Dallas area, and these people are crazy. The odds I'll be in a situation where the firearm will be useful is quite low, but it's second nature to grab my EDC bag on the way out of the house. Besides, it's full of VERY useful things I use all the time. Winer and Fall are much nicer, I can leave the bag in the car and carry in a holster with a jacket.

[Dan]

I carry in my home so I don’t need to have a gun in each room of the house. When I carry there is always one in the room that I’m in and its always in reach because it is on my hip.

I didn’t experience it myself but a friends neighbor was beaten to death in his front yard a few years ago while his wife watched phone in hand. Ask any police officer and they will tell you they cant be everywhere all the time, as far as her husband was concerned that phone didn’t do any good. The police and ambulance did show up eventually but not in time to help save this mans life. There is a saying that you may have heard or read before that says “When seconds count the police are only minutes away”. Had the murdered man made a point of carrying in his home he would have been armed when he was lured out of his home to help someone that was supposedly having car trouble. He may have stood a chance against the much younger male that attacked him. He was an older retired gentleman that was murdered in front of his wife for trying to help someone. The only motive the police could come up with was that murderer wanted his car because the car trouble that they were having was that they had crashed their stolen vehicle and needed another to get were they were going.

My personal experience was on a warm night like the one I’m having this evening. Sitting around the house with family and friends, the lights down low watching a movie when some meth addict tried crawling in through a bedroom window with a 8 inch chef’s knife. Fortunately my dad thought he heard something, looked in the other room and saw that they were trying to get the screen out of the otherwise open window. As he ran past me he said to call the police and proceeded to go outside ( which in retrospect he admits was pretty stupid of him). He moved fast enough to grab the person from behind as they were working on the window, throw them to the ground face down and pin them there before they knew what happened. Meanwhile I called the police which took a while to arrive. We didn’t know if this was the only person we had to worry about so I had the phone in one hand and a .45 in the other watching my dads back just in case. Now there are all kinds of what if scenarios that could be brought up but that is how it went down that night and while I never actually had to un-holster my sidearm I’m glad I had it just in case. And that is kind of the point of concealed carry and it’s one of the things that carry has with prepping, “it’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it”.

Frankly, and I don’t mean this as a personal attack on anyone in particular, I don’t understand how anyone in the prepper community could see the value in prepping but not have a firearm in the home and received some level of training. With the exception of those who live in locations that don’t allow it of course.

As far as the cultural difference, I have had access to firearms since I was a young child. Later I received my first .22 rifle, a Ruger 10/22, as a Christmas gift when I was 12 I received my first pistol, a Ruger MkII, as a gift for my 14th birthday. So as you might imagine I have been raised with them around the house all my life and never have any of them been misused. My mother, father, brother, sister-in-law and myself all carry concealed on a regular basis and yes that does give me some sense of security knowing that they can fend for themselves or have my back should the unlikely happen.

[union hill]

Just to be upfront here, I'm not claiming Australia is less violent, or better, or our criminals are nicer or anything like that.

But I would state that far fewer Australian households would own a firearm (although it's certainly not illegal to proudly bear arms, it's much less a part of our national culture here). Just last week a family of 5 were bludgeoned to death in their home in Sydney http://www.smh.com.au/national/sydney-family-murders-extremely-personal-police-20090720-dprw.html But I don't think Australian families are rushing to buy guns as a result.

Apart from one policeman I knew, and an uncle in New Zealand on a farm, I've never known anyone to have a gun at their home. Like I said in my original post, it just seems a really different way of looking at the world, and I'm interested to see people's thoughts behind this "insurance".

Sounds like a little bit of sour grapes to me. I imagine that it WAS a bit more of the national culture before '96. Beyond their obvious utility, rights of gun ownership in a state whose institutions are armed with guns simply puts the citizen in a different freedom category.

[Pathfinder]

Short answer - yes, I do carry at home. I have a small semi-auto in a pocket holster.

Street crime is only one kind of crime. Home invasions happen all of the time (even in Australia as you noted). Home invasions tend to be violent from the get go, and you may not have a chance to do much other than draw - if then. You may not be able to do even that until the BGs are ransacking the place or otherwise distracted - assuming you live that long. American Rifleman magazine publishes a short list of attacks, often home invasions, that are thwarted by citizens who either carry at home or are able to get to their self-defense weapon.

[vicious]

I don't always carry in the home, but I do always have a firearm within reach. It was mentioned earlier that carrying a weapon is like an insurance policy and that is how I see it. I don't get in my car and anticipate getting into an accident, but I carry more than the minimum insurance for that "just in case" scenario. I don't anticipate that my house is going to be damaged, but I carry home owners insurance. I don't go to the doctors often, but I do have health insurance. I stock food and water, grow a garden, and buy books.

Now, I don't really look at them as insurance, I have them for piece of mind. What if's happen all the time.

[Maddog]

I do now.

A couple months ago I was sitting at my home office desk overlooking the street, when I noticed the police chasing someone. This dude ran between the houses and jumped my 6' wood fence and ended up in my backyard. I jumped up and ran to the backyard, leaving my firearm sitting on my desk! It had become uncomfortable while sitting and I had placed it beside my keyboard on the desk. So here I am confronting an auto theft suspect with only an axe handle, which I picked up on my way through the garage. Luckily for me, he was more interested in running than confronting me. Long/short, I continued chasing, loudly commanding him to stop, This gave the police a bearing on where we were and allowed them to catch the guy.

I have since changed my carry position to be comfortable in any position I might be in. I found the saying "if it's not on your hip, or in your hand, it's not in the fight" to be oh so true.

[spooky-1]

I did carry in my home for about a week, to "try it out". it didn't work out for me, first of all I want to relax when I am in my home, not willing to put on garments that are needed for concealed carry in my home (jeans, 5.11 tacti-cool gear, etc). I were loose fitting clothes that would not lend themselves to carrying a 2 lb pistol.

I DO however, have several guns within 5 seconds (yes I have timed it) in either condition 1 or 2 that I can grab anywhere in my home, including the garage. these range from pistols, to shotgun, to carbine, to .22's. They all have either lights attached or a flashlight within reach (for night ops) and (like the gun nut I am) I practice getting to them from time to time. Mostly when my wife is gone and the blinds are down. So I feel secure in my own home night or day.

[MisterTaco]

Do you really feel safer walking around your own home with a holstered gun on you at all times?

I carry all the time. I'm comfortable with being aware at all times, especially in my own home. It's where I spend most of my time. I recognize patterns in my neighborhood and prepare thusly.

It is what it is. It's not a big deal.

[ejsandstrom]

I dont, but not because I have any objection. As I am typing this I am concidering bringing this up a the next family meeting. In order for it to be effective, my wife would need to carry as well as my 15yo daughter. I am not every where I need to be. One good thing is that if someone did come to the house and knock or ring the bell, my dogs go nuts. I would immagine hearing several large dogs waiting for you on the other side of the door may be a deterant.

A quick story about why I should consider carring at home.

Its about 5pm and I hear someone lock the breaks up on a vehicle. We have a few kids in the neighborhood and fearing that some one got hit I ran to the door and looked out. There was someone screeming at the neighbor kid across the street. He is about 17 and just started driving. He is still sitting in his truck with the window half way up in the driveway and there is a guy screaming at him thru the window. I can hear the neighbor kid saying something like "sorry I didnt see you, ill slow down". From my point of view, I see one large male at his truck, and another male of unknown size in the SUV blocking the drive way. I proceed to grab my gun, tuck it in my pants and walk out to my drive way to my truck. Making sure that the 2 males see me. The neighbor kids dad comes out of the house. I am thinking "oh good, dad is here to see what the hell is going on". Nope he grabs his bike and rides down the block. Now my neighbor never rides a bike. I am keeping an eye on the kid and the situation seems like it is starting to defuse itself and every one is calming down. Here is the deal, if those 2 guys would have stepped up the situation before I was able to leave the door, go get my gun, and walk out side, the neighbor kid could have been dead. I cant believe his dad bailed out, I would have been pushing people out of the way to back my kid up. Or in a "Boyz N'the Hood" kinda way, "Do we have a problem here? [Lifting up shirt to show pistol grip] do we have a problem here?"

[Dan]

Or in a "Boyz N'the Hood" kinda way, "Do we have a problem here? [Lifting up shirt to show pistol grip] do we have a problem here?"

I would advise against this type of action as it is considered brandishing and is illegal in most if not all places.

[Dan]

I did carry in my home for about a week, to "try it out". it didn't work out for me, first of all I want to relax when I am in my home, not willing to put on garments that are needed for concealed carry in my home (jeans, 5.11 tacti-cool gear, etc). I were loose fitting clothes that would not lend themselves to carrying a 2 lb pistol.

Something to consider if you haven't already, I believe in most states you can open carry when in your home. Be careful not to forget about it and walk outside if open carry in public is not legal in where you are.

I carry a Glock 23 inside the waist band under regular jeans and a slightly oversized and un-tucked t-shirt, no tacti-cool gear required beyond the awesome Crossbreed Supertuck Deluxe holster and a Wilderness tactical belt. It works for me and I find it comfortable enough that it doesn't interfere with my ability to relax when I'm at home.

[ColdHaven]

I must say that I do not carry at all times. When I do get my concealed carry license I might. It might not be on my hip while at home, but I have access to it and a few other things as well.

However, I do not consider those who choose to do so paranoid. Guns are the new sword. Knights, Samurai, and warriors of almost every age have carried weapons on them at all times when allowed to do so. Do I feel like I and others are warriors? No. Not really. We care about our families. We do not think it is acceptable to have someone hurt or even kill one of our family - not when we could have done something.

Look to every age where weapons were allowed by a culture. Those who could afford one did. In Japan women were even taught how to use the Naginata to defend their homes while the man way away for his Lord on business or during war. The Naginata was a weapon that maximized the strengths of the woman using it and negated some of her weaknesses (such as upper body strength). The Samurai would keep their swords and armor together in a central place in their home. Usually this was in the bedroom where they could be accessed quickly. When a Samurai was out an about he would carry his swords with him at all times. He did not have to conceal them, and they were out in the open. Of course, then there came the Meiji Era where the Samurai were no longer allowed to carry their swords. They were stripped of their titles and weapons. There is much we can learn from their past and our present.

Personally I believe it is the right of every man and woman to be able to defend themselves from harm. Personally, I believe that every man who loves his family has the duty to protect his loved ones by any means necessary. I am not sure how criminals are in Australia, but here they are violent and they do not care about who they harm.

The media and other institutions might strive to tell us that it is unnatural to protect our loved ones, but that is not what is in our genes. They make it seem wacko for someone to carry a gun at all times and to have it near them when they sleep, but history shows us that people did exactly THAT when they were allowed weapons (and even when they were not [Okinawa]). There is a saying in the Bible about the End happening like a thief in the night. They used that allegory because no one knows when that thief will come, but you can prepare for when and if he does.

[Dan]

Well said ColdHaven.

Something else that crossed my mind (yes it was a short trip) is that according to the united states supreme court police officers are not obligated to protect citizens. In other words we are on our own here and cannot rely on others to protect us not even the people that are tasked with the job.

[phuttan]

I'm over six foot, have worked hard physical jobs until I was injured four year ago. I weighed 250 or more most of that time and could lift from the ground and carry objects that weighed more than me. People often referred to me as a human forklift and told me that I always looked like I wanted to kill someone. I got into martial art in high school and today people who see me carrying my cane think it is for fighting. Now because of this, people usually don't mess with me. Some people go out of their way to avoid walking past me. I can take of most situations without carrying a firearm, but I still had a CCW permit when I was younger and plan to get one again.

WHY?

Because I have kids. I felt obligated to carry. If I was injured or killed who would take care of my kids. When I was injured this was brought home again. Everyone thought I was going to die. My kids thought that they would have to go back to their mother and didn't know what would happen to them. They were scared. I can take care of most situations without a firearm, but most is not the same as all. As a father, I have an obligation to take care of my children and grandson. I don't have the luxury of of not protecting myself. If I don't protect myself, then I might not be able to protect them.

To me it isn't a matter of wether I like guns, want to carry or would want to use a firearm in self defense. It is my responsibility as a father and grandfather. Or as Mel Gibson said in The Patriot. "I am a parent. I don't have the luxury of principles."

[bungo]

I don't always carry in the home, but I do always have a firearm within reach. It was mentioned earlier that carrying a weapon is like an insurance policy and that is how I see it.

Now, I don't really look at them as insurance, I have them for piece of mind. What if's happen all the time.

Thanks everyone for your interesting responses. I can certainly understand the position above - although I don't own one, I can understand having guns within easy access. I like the idea of spooky's to have one within 5 seconds reach (love the idea of timing yourself!).

There's some pretty crazy s**t that happens by the sound of some of your responses, regardless of where you live.

I guess I still can't ever imagine myself having a holstered gun on me at all times. I can imagine having a weapon within my home, and I can appreciate the thought that if it's in another room it's not the same as having it in your hand there and then.

To the people who brought up protecting your family and kids - fair point, I can understand that.

Sounds like a little bit of sour grapes to me. I imagine that it WAS a bit more of the national culture before '96. Beyond their obvious utility, rights of gun ownership in a state whose institutions are armed with guns simply puts the citizen in a different freedom category.

Naah, not really. Only certain types of weapons were banned (mostly semi-automatic) although I understand it's now harder to get a licence. I think because we never had to fight for our independence here like America did, there's never been a culture of armed citizenry ensuring the government behaves itself. Hunters, recreational shooters, farmers, etc., all still have their guns, but it just doesn't seem to be widespread in the middle class, suburban world (where most home invasions, burglaries, etc., occur).

Keep 'em coming people!

[chris]

There's some pretty crazy s**t that happens by the sound of some of your responses, regardless of where you live.

If the "gangsta" mindset and vast numbers of poor people appear Down Under, you'll find out. 

[Craig67]

Hunters, recreational shooters, farmers, etc., all still have their guns, but it just doesn't seem to be widespread in the middle class, suburban world (where most home invasions, burglaries, etc., occur).

Seems the criminals don't like armed victims.

I'm Canadian so I can't "carry" at home (Or out of the home for that matter  ) , but I do unlock my gun safe when I'm home.

[Beetle]

  I wish they would start a cash for clunkers program for guns so I could trade my old guns in on some new sleeker models. That would be way cool!!!! And yes I am serious.

[ejsandstrom]

  I wish they would start a cash for clunkers program for guns so I could trade my old guns in on some new sleeker models. That would be way cool!!!! And yes I am serious.

They all ready do this with gun buy backs. A lot of irreplaceable guns get melted down every year. Its a no questions asked deal too. They dont bother to run serial numbers to try to get the guns back to the owners. I have a lorcin I was thinking about giving them, but then again maybe not.

[ModernSurvival]

I listened to the podcast last week where Jack advocated carrying your personal firearm on you at all times in the home, except for when you go to bed, and then it's under the mattress. this makes it less likely that children will find and play with it, and makes it on-hand should you need to defend yourself - both make sense, I guess.

However, I was surprised. This just seems so alien to me. I'm interested in people's personal experiences and thoughts here.

Do you really feel safer walking around your own home with a holstered gun on you at all times? Eating dinner? Shaving? Doing the dishes? Kissing your wife? ..... Isn't this a little paranoid?

You have to see the total picture a concealed carry holder leave the home with his gun on him, often he goes to work with it, shops with it, drives with it from the time he walks out the door until he returns the gun is on him as a part of his clothing.  Because he/she may typically be away from home 9-12 hours a day they have found a very comfortable way to carry when walking, sitting, standing, etc.  Hence it is actually an inconvenience to disarm when you get home.

I think also you got the wrong impression with "at all times" as I don't tuck my 1911 into my boxers when I go down and get my first morning coffee.  However, once armed I stay armed unless a situation (like a stupid gun free zone) requires me to disarm.

What are some alternatives?  Come home and instead of just kicking back walking the dog, etc I at once disarm and

1.  During the evening a person tries to break in and I need to go upstairs and retrieve my gun?
2.  I run to the store and forget my gun it/I get held up?
3.  While walking the dog we are approached by a pitbull that kills my old dog who can't fight while I run home to get my gun that I fogot to put back on before I took a walk?

I understand how having a gun on in the home would seem strange if a person did not carry day to day but honestly if you do carry disarming and rearming is a much bigger pain in the ass.  And yes many that carry do actually work for companies that allow carry or do not specifically disallow (my favorite version of don't ask don't tell).

It is also important to understand that concealed means no one ever knows you are carrying.  To intentionally reveal you are carrying to one that has no real need to know is considered brandishing and you can get arrested and loose your permit for doing it.  The reality is the concealed carry holder is actually held to a higher standard by the law when it comes to a use of force,
 

[ModernSurvival]

Oh and folks BE NICE TO bungo.  He is a good guy, not some gun control Nazi or anything, he never judged our laws, said anything negative about them, etc.  When people ask, give solid answers don't see every question as an attack on the second amendment.  He gave us his situation in Australia to admit that he simply is unfamiliar with our way of life here as it pertains to gun ownership.  Do not blame a clearly open minded man for the stupidity of his government.  Think about what we would have to say about our understanding of money if we applied the same logic to ourselves.

[Lawyerman]

I carry a firearm on me every waking hour and after dark I have a wall mounted safe next to my bed that has a pair of loaded Ak's and a Saiga 12 gauge in it along with some other "tools". I work for myself and openly carry a pistol, I carry a loaded shotgun in my vehicle. My grandfather always said, "You can't make an appointment for an emergency".....my own lifes' experience has told me this is true. I act accordingly.

We have a serious problem in this country with "hot" burglaries/home invasions..... Where the criminals will KNOW that someone is home and still enter. These are not nice folks, they are usually heavily armed and work in teams, often they have done considerable planning in targeting you. Your only real defense against them other than proper alert status and such things as dogs etc.... is IMMEDIATE and OVERWHELMING violence. If you have to run to the closet to "get your gun".....it's too late or at best you are going to have to think about shooting past your wifes' head while she has a gun stuck in her ear......A situation I choose to avoid if possible.

It's kind of funny, people will say "Why do you carry a gun, are you scared?" To which I always reply, "I'm carrying a gun, what do I have to be scared of ?"

[union hill]

I think the thing missing here is that this is an apples & oranges comparison. If bungo is comparing the American posters to a survival forum to the Aussies in his general acquaintance, and extrapolates the views of folks on this forum to the general populace of the US, he is going to get a very inaccurate picture.

I'm willing to bet that a general survey of US households would show that most Americans would consider the idea of carrying a gun in your own home in much the same terms as bungo's Australian friends and neighbors.

[Lawyerman]

I can give as a recent example of what I am talking about the poor folks in Florida who were targeted by no less than 8 scumbags. They attacked in two man teams from different directions and then killed the homeowner and his wife at close range with a shotgun while there were several children in the home. These guys had done their homework, they knew about the surveillance system and had practiced for nearly a month before the attack......

IF one of those goons had died in the hallway before or shortly after they gained access to the house- I am betting the rest would have turned tail and run.....

Here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/15/billings-slay-suspects-di_n_234695.html

[Mr. Bill]

I'm willing to bet that a general survey of US households would show that most Americans would consider the idea of carrying a gun in your own home in much the same terms as bungo's Australian friends and neighbors.

This is a good point.  On top of that, the people who have posted in this thread may not be a statistically-accurate sample of forum members.  (How many people don't want to be embarrassed by admitting that they don't carry at home?)

I'll carry 24/7 once I find my ideal handgun: a slim. lightweight, easily-concealable long-barrel 15-shot .357 revolver. 

Meanwhile, my handgun is within reach of my computer chair, and there's a shotgun in the bedroom.  (We will never have a gun under the pillow or anywhere else close to my sleeping wife, because she occasionally wakes up from a dream completely confused.  Too much risk of a tragic accident.)