Responsible Firearm Storage - Remain at WAR, Part 2

Our role as firearm owners is to keep our weapons OUT of the hands of unauthorized users. The people that seek to destroy our 2nd Amendment rights to keep and bear arms, are literally introducing more legislation all the time to make firearm ownership a liability. You know that firearm ownership is an asset as long as you take the time to secure your weapons when not in use, keep your defensive firearm on your body(at home) or within arms reach. This suggested routine should be our everyday commitment to refuse to be a victim to theft or unauthorized access by a minor or anyone.

You have several choices of locking methods including a viable safe that has been bolted to the foundation of your home. You may also utilize a California approved FSD- Firearm Safety Device such as a cable lock thru the open action of your firearm or a trigger lock that prevents the trigger from being actuated.

Come to one of our informational courses and learn the extra proactive methods JLPFI recommends in storing your weapons that disables the use of your weapon completely!

The question each of you should strive to answer with confidence is: If I need to access my defensive weapon in my own home, where is it, what condition is it in, and how long will it take to have it in hand for use? You all must realize this takes some planning, some training and definitely maintaining the same routine.

Where is it? Do you live alone? Do you have multiple family members in multiple rooms in the home? Did you or have you discussed a plan with each of them on what to do when the bad guy breaks in? Just like a fire escape plan, you better have a "what to do when the bad guy breaks in" plan. And the whole family must share this plan.

What "condition is your firearm in"? JLPFI often asks students in our ccw classes if they maintain a loaded weapon in their house for self defense and the answer is mostly YES! So what is your version of loaded? If its a revolver, its a full cylinder of ammunition, that is "ready to fire". Somewhere stored on you during your awake hours in the house, and discreetly stored Within Arms Reach, when you are bedside.

Those who own a semi-automatic handgun for defense have many more options of how they will store and then produce the weapon for defense. Optimally, the condition should be a fully loaded magazine containing home defense fragmenting rounds and a round in the chamber. Many defensive firearm owners have shared their plans with JLPFI of how they choose to store their semi-auto for self defense. These accounts include: Loaded underneath the pillow- NOT recommended!- Empty chamber, firearm within reach, and loaded magazine in another area. Loaded with one in the chamber, safety on. Slide locked, loaded mag inserted. Weapon stored away from the bedside, unloaded and magazine next to the bedside.

All of these are intriguing plans of defense, yet if the number one rule of firearm safety is to "Treat all Firearms as LOADED" and every person in that household abides by this rule, so be it.

What each owner of a defensive firearm must realize is the TIME factor. Do you really have TIME to run to the safe to access your weapon? Do you really have TIME to load the weapon? Will your memory assist you in the TIME of need to get your defensive weapon online - and READY TO FIRE?

JLPFI highly recommends that no matter which way you choose and plan to enact your defense in your own home, that it is absolutely necessary to rehearse this event and build in the time factor so you know how long it will take you to become an active defender. A stopwatch, a dry(unloaded) defensive firearm and a start to finish rehearsal will enhance your ability to safely access your defensive weapon and produce a neutralized threat if the need arises.

Be Responsible, Be Safe, Be Confident. Train.