Is It Necessary for You To Carry a Firearm at Home?

There is so much debate about this topic I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to touch it. But here I am — put me in coach, I’m ready to play! Should you carry a firearm at home?

You’re either on one side or the other. Personally, the decision is ultimately up to you. However, I’m going to chime in and provide my opinion on why you may want to consider it.

First, let’s go ahead and get this out of the way… As always, go out and get the proper training needed to be proficient with your firearm(s). I am not an instructor or tactical ninja, and I don’t pretend to be one on the weekends. I’m simply someone who seeks knowledge, improvement, and proficiency when it comes to self-defense and the ability to protect my family and those around me. You are your own first line of defense, seek the training of a certified and experienced instructor. Know your state and local laws to ensure you are able to carry a firearm, I am not a lawyer.

Why You Should Carry a Firearm at Home
Are You (or Are You Going To) Carry a Firearm at Home?

Why You Should Carry a Firearm at Home

Many people think you’re paranoid if you carry a firearm in general or even consider buying a firearm. Then people think you’re absolutely nuts if you carry a firearm at home. I mean, it’s YOUR home, right? I get it. It is MY home, and I’m responsible for the people inside of it.

I’m not paranoid. I’m not someone who scares easily. I’m not sitting around the house waiting for someone to kick in the front door so that I can smear on war paint. I’m not constantly looking out the window to make sure someone isn’t on my property trying to do harm to my family members, where I’d need to take a sniper position from the window. I’m none of those things.

However, I’m prepared for every single situation. It’s MY responsibility. I don’t expect my little kids to put some 250-pound man into a rear-naked choke and put him to sleep if this individual tried to take them while they were out playing. I am their protector. They rely on me.

And in the event something happens in my home or on my property, I will not fight fair, and I will not hold back. I will bring more force to that threat than is humanly possible. But that’s just me. I carry a firearm at home for in the event anything happens, I’m prepared. In term of where I keep my firearms, I have a dedicated bedside safe, but then I also have a bunch of GunVault Microvaults throughout my home that are secure and strategically staged.

John Correia of Active Self Protection was kind enough to provide us all with his insight on the topic and mentioned:

“Whether someone carries at home or not is a very personal decision with a lot of factors at play such as where they live, what risks they might face, and the reaction time they might have to those risks. I would encourage every self-defender to take that analysis seriously and decide whether carrying at home is a sensible and useful practice.”
— John Correia, owner of active self protection

Next, let’s think about a few different things and why it just makes sense to carry a firearm at home.

You Carry Every Day Anyway, Right?

If you have a firearm and put it in a quality holster when you walk out the door each day, what changes when you get home? Why are you letting your guard down? Why do you no longer want to be prepared? If you have no problem carrying a firearm all day, why take it off? Why not just leave it on and carry a firearm at home? Is it a comfort thing? If so, maybe you have the wrong holster?

Related Article: Jon Hauptman Talks PHLster and Improving Concealed Carry

I just don’t understand the thinking of people who, as soon as they come home, the gun goes back in the safe and is locked up. Unless you live next to a police station, thinking 911 is going to save your life is wishful thinking if a real threat enters your home and is willing to do bodily harm to you or someone in your family.

Speaking of safes, if you haven’t already, I did a review on a really cool safe that isn’t your typical pistol safe. Check out my Konig Safe 1.0 review.

Should you choose not to carry a firearm at home, is it due to a lack of training? Are you afraid you’ll accidentally discharge the firearm? If that worries you, it seems like more training may be necessary to break that thought process.

100% of Home Invasions Happen in the Home

My good friend, Garry Marr (the owner of Tremis Dynamics), made a comment once that “100% of home invasions happen in the home.” I mean, he’s not wrong. If you want some more reading material, check out the interview we did together, it’ll be worth your time (click here to check out the interview).

Garry also has a great article up on his website on this very issue of whether or not you should carry a firearm at home. His point of view comes from a firearms instructor’s viewpoint (unlike mine, a simply prepared civilian).

Getting back on the topic of home invasions, don’t think for a second that it can’t or won’t happen to you. The fact of the matter is that the criminal dictates the time and place, not you. So, why wouldn’t you want to carry a firearm at home?

Here are some pretty eye-opening statistics about home invasions that were compiled and published over on PolicyAdvice.net (they are an insurance company that I have no affiliation with):

Every 26 seconds a house is broken into in the US
65% of burglars are already well-acquainted with the people they rob.
Only 12% of home invasions are planned in advance.
There are almost three burglaries every minute in the US.
85% of home invasions are not conducted by professional burglars.
62% of burglaries happen during daylight hours.
On average, there are 2.5 million burglaries occurring every year.
Only 17% of US homes have a security system.
Burglars are three times more likely to target a home that has no security system.
Only 34% of burglars said a barking dog would deter them from breaking in.
Summer is the most common season for burglaries to take place.
34% of burglars enter through the front door.
48% of burglars say they would skip a home if they heard a noise inside.

You Hear a Bang

Whether you hear a bang from the front or back of your house (or even from outside), you’re going to look to see what’s going on, right?

What if it’s the middle of the day during the week and as you walk to your front door, it opens, and standing in front of you is a man twice your size with a weapon (put any weapon you want in his hand). What are you going to do if you don’t carry a firearm at home?

You may have to go hands-on, which is less than ideal if he has a weapon, and you don’t. What if your family was in the room behind you, and you had no choice? Wouldn’t it make sense to stand your ground and eliminate the threat while yelling for your family to run and call 911?

If you don’t carry a firearm at home, how long would it take to arm yourself? Do you even have enough time to do so? What if a threat is standing directly in your line of sight? Do you have to run upstairs to get a firearm? If you do that, are you leaving the rest of your family in danger?

Again, if you decide not to carry a firearm at home, that’s your decision. I’m not going to tell you what’s right or wrong as only you can make that decision. For me, I couldn’t live knowing I had the means to stop a threat but decided it wasn’t comfortable or thinking I’m in my home and safe, rather than being prepared and carry a firearm at home.

You Get to Test Out Your Gear

I reached out the Garry Marr and wanted his opinion on if people should carry a firearm at home, and on top of the article, he sent me and gave me approval to link, he said the following:

“In addition to my thoughts on carrying a gun at home in my article, one of the overlooked benefits of carrying a gun at home is free practice. For somebody new to carrying a gun, here is a private chance to see if the method of carry or the specific gear for that method meets their expectations. If that holster has a hot spot rubbing you raw and you are at home, you simply remove it and start making corrections to how you are wearing it, and if that doesn’t work, you replace it with something else. No need to suffer for eight hours until you get somewhere private to take care of it. It works the same for someone experienced who is simply trying out new gear. The first time I tried ankle carry, I’m glad it was in my house. An hour into it, I realized I needed a different ankle holster.”
— garry marr, owner of tremis dynamics

Are You (or Are You Going To) Carry a Firearm at Home?

To close this out, there may be nothing that can be said or done to convince you that there is a need to carry a firearm at home. If it’s just not something you’re willing to do, I truly hope the day never comes when you look back at this article and think, “Dang, I shouldn’t have put my family in this situation.”

The ability to carry a firearm at home is a right, not a privilege. And the ability to carry a firearm at home may not be comfortable, but it will be comforting. Ultimately, the decision and choice are up to you.

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