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I actually installed a small (1 gun) wall safe in the entry hall. I have a picture that is about 4" larger all the way around and made a hinged frame for it and it covers the safe very well.

I depened on my dogs for alot of things. I cant tell what car has pulled in to the driveway but for some reason the dogs have never guessed wrong. there in the house by dark. Maybe better ways but it seems when they know they dont know who you are.
IMO a big dog, a peephole and a gun safe on the wall is not a bad idea.

The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to come back and say thanks to bronco78. Based solely on my first post (which is all he had to go on), his admonition was wholly appropriate and thoughtful. We need to constantly remind each other of all aspects of safety. . . and these threads live on long after the conversation dies off. For those readers who might come along later and could have been given the impression that being complacent with firearms around kids is acceptable, I'm grateful for the opportunity to flesh out the topic.

As a believer, I'll never object to re-hearing the sweet truths of the Gospel. As a gun owner, I'll never shy away from another conversation about safety.

Anyway, in my rush to elaborate, I neglected to thank or validate bronco78 for his input.

Others beat me to it...DO NOT get a chain. Those are easily overcome by a kick or a firm shoulder. Plus, to use the chain you reveal that you're home.
Get a peephole and then they won't even know you're home.

I keep my handgun within reach wherever I am while at home unless I am wearing it.

My son doesn't touch it when he visits. He has shot all of my weapons and has a clear understanding that there is no need to touch them. He has also counseled me on perceived safety-violations while in the house.

To the OP


Carrying
There are safe options for carrying in your situation:

Belly band
Kangaroo carry
Various fanny paks
Remora Holsters
etc

There are also options for keeping a guns safely nearby for example a quick assess safe such as a gun vault.

Answering the Door
Do NOT open the door. Many bad things can and have happened when people open the door. Google The Dartmouth Murders
Install a peephole (although a perp can block a peephole with his hand).
DO let them know someone is home there have been situations where people have not answered or verbally responded to a knock and the person then breaks in assuming no one is home.
A chain is worthless (as others have said)
Residential doors are easily kicked in. You can install long throw deadbolt locks on the doors but it is more secure to also install a reinforced strike plate that the deadbolt goes into.


Stay safe.

Thanks yall....especially on the info on the chains. I did not know they were so useless. When I was a kid in San Antonio that believe it or not was the only lock we had on our door! Will talk with husband about getting a peep hole installed. Dangerous not to do so.

I do carry openly around the house and outside of it quite often (legal here in VA). So the kids are used to seeing mommy with a gun. And I usually stay dressed until it is time for bed. Just had gotten into the habit of on Mon and Tues dressing down for a little bit...Obviously no more.

I usually would not open the door, except, that I thought it was my husband. Thank God my lack of clarity at the moment was not lethal.

Upon reflection my DH and I think it was our annoying neighbor. Our cat likes to sit on the hump on the property line between his and our house. This annoys him, but there are no laws against cats or dogs being off leash in our section of chesterfield and there are hundreds of feral cats in the neighborhood so if he thinks a cat has never walked on his lawn he has another thing coming. He has kicked our cat, and hit him with an umbrella. And our cat is so nice that he just lets himself be picked up and carried about so I think he picked the cat up, put him on our porch, rang the doorbell and took off. Scared the daylights out of me though. They are moving in two weeks. I shall not cry.

Thank you guys again for all your help

edited to add: we just got the fence. Now we have to save up for the dog

Be careful with the peephole. When I lived in Arizona, the local law enforcement instructed residents not to look directly through the peephole or replace it with one that has a one way mirror type lens. Evidently it wasn't uncommon for gang members to choose a random house, ring the doorbell, stand to the side and look for the light to change in the peephole when the resident looked through it. They would either shoot through the door or kick the door in when someone was standing in front of it. Look for a peephole where the lighting coming through the hole doesn't shift when someone is standing infront of it.

Glad to hear everything is ok. With my wife and 2 yr old at home when I work late this is a concern for me as well. We have resorted to setting the alarm to instantly alert authorities when I am running late and she watches TV either upstairs with our son where there is a gun safe or downstairs in our bedroom where there is a second gun safe. When I arrive home I deactivate the alarm from my remote control before going in. We live in nice quiet neighborhood, but as they say nice quiet neighborhoods are only nice and quiet until something happens.

Check out a Remora type holster. I got one for my wife for exactly that reason. Even if she is in work out clothes, pj's, etc., she can quickly put the weapon in the small of her back and have it ready if needed.

mamabearCali wrote:Now for the really bad part, my phone had been MIA for a few days....

Now for the gun part. How do y'all handle this sort of thing. Do you carry in your pj's? Do you have a gun safe beside the door?

Hi mamabearCali - before my gun advice, can I first encourage you to get a landline? I don't think anyone else has mentioned this. I know how with most of us having and depending on our cell phones so much, a landline seems needless. And for the most part they are - my wife and I pretty much only check voicemail on our iPhones. But there are quite a few reasons to always have a landline:

1) It is much less likely to get lost, have dead batteries or be turned on silent
2) You can have multiple phones around the house
3) Even if the power goes out, a landline will work indefinitely because the telephone company's central office provides the power and has a battery backup system (Exceptions: if it's a portable phone, or if you have digital phone service and no power backup, but they usually come with that)
4) Children as young as 2 can be instructed how to dial 911 in case you are ever incapacitated
5) When you dial 911, they immediately have your location
6) Landline service is pretty cheap, especially the digital voice kind

In summary, I view a landline as another weapon in my arsenal, and just like with guns, I'd rather have it and not need it, than need it but not have it.

About the gun issue. I have a GunVault Standard in our bedroom closet, and a GunVault MicroVault up on a shelf in our living room, both of them with loaded 9mm's. (I usually disarm when I get home). Whenever the doorbell rings, and I'm not expecting someone, I'll holster up the gun in the LR. Sometimes I'll holler out, "Just a minute, I need to put something on!"

Glad everyone is ok! I carry most all the time around the house.

If we're not expecting someone, I never answer the door. Our townhome was broken into a few months ago and I had Rollac storm shutters installed on the entire first floor. We use the garage for entry and exit, so our front door is completely shutdown via the shutters. It's excellent piece of mind as it will protect from storms, occupy wallstreet folks and maybe zombies...

mamabearCali wrote:Never let your guard down.

<SNIP>

Now for the gun part. How do y'all handle this sort of thing. Do you carry in your pj's? Do you have a gun safe beside the door?

I thank God that you and the little ones are good and safe. I am grateful that it was a prank (apparantly). As for me and my household, it is a tiny house with loaded weapons no more than 10' away from any point...well maybe 12' from some.

For PJ's--

I usually stay dressed until late--about 10 or 11. I am always armed with my EDC until then. My PJ's consist of gym shorts. After changing into those I put my primary in the safe and keep the backup in the pocket of my gym shorts.

I do not have children, but we live with a very good friend who has two (5 & 6). Leaving loaded guns sitting around is out of the question. I keep a shotgun loaded but not chambered in the bedroom. The little LCP is not an ideal gun to stop intruders, but I'm confident that I can hold off any advances for the 5 seconds it would take to reach the shotty.