I saw an interview on the news last night about this...
In the 'Lessons Learned' corner of gun ownership - putting your gun under your mattress is NOT a secure location, as a guy in Michigan learned when he came home to find an intruder in his house, drunk, and pointing his own gun at him. He briefly confronted the man who began to fire when the homeowner turned to get out. Thankfully the intruder missed him.
While the homeowner got out and took cover while calling the police, Mr. Bad Guy hung around drinking beer and watching TV. When the police arrived, they were able to subdue him with a taser and take him into custody. The home invader even tried to claim it was his house and the homeowner had broken in and attacked him.
Some takeaways for us gun owners: First, the homeowner wasn't carrying, which could have given him the edge over the bad guy - if you carry, always carry, every day, everywhere (not specifically prohibited by law of course). Second, your guns at home need to be secured in some way not only against children getting them, but also against an incident like this. Bad guys aren't stupid - they will figure out your 'under the mattress' hiding spots. Either have them in a read-access type gun safe or concealed using concealment furniture (ones specifically designed to hide guns) or keep them otherwise locked away when you're not at home. No one wants to have their own gun pointed at them when they walk in the door.
Some links to the story:
Homeowner: Man broke in, drank my beer, wore my clothes, slept in my bed then shot at me
Intruder Fires at Clinton Township Man's Gun at Him When He Comes Home for Lunch: Police
In the 'Lessons Learned' corner of gun ownership - putting your gun under your mattress is NOT a secure location, as a guy in Michigan learned when he came home to find an intruder in his house, drunk, and pointing his own gun at him. He briefly confronted the man who began to fire when the homeowner turned to get out. Thankfully the intruder missed him.
While the homeowner got out and took cover while calling the police, Mr. Bad Guy hung around drinking beer and watching TV. When the police arrived, they were able to subdue him with a taser and take him into custody. The home invader even tried to claim it was his house and the homeowner had broken in and attacked him.
Some takeaways for us gun owners: First, the homeowner wasn't carrying, which could have given him the edge over the bad guy - if you carry, always carry, every day, everywhere (not specifically prohibited by law of course). Second, your guns at home need to be secured in some way not only against children getting them, but also against an incident like this. Bad guys aren't stupid - they will figure out your 'under the mattress' hiding spots. Either have them in a read-access type gun safe or concealed using concealment furniture (ones specifically designed to hide guns) or keep them otherwise locked away when you're not at home. No one wants to have their own gun pointed at them when they walk in the door.
Some links to the story:
Homeowner: Man broke in, drank my beer, wore my clothes, slept in my bed then shot at me
Intruder Fires at Clinton Township Man's Gun at Him When He Comes Home for Lunch: Police