Here’s the story .

For the past 5 years I have lived alone in a very quiet setting . I'm also a light sleeper so any unusual noise wakes me up . This morning my current Girl friend decided she was going to surprise me . She knows where I keep the spare key and that I'm a light sleeper . So she VERY quietly let herself in and made her way into the bedroom to crawl into bed with me .

She did a great job because I didn’t hear a thing till I felt something touch me .  The problem is that I keep a loaded .45 on the nightstand ( Which She Is Fully Aware Of ) .

To say the least it scared the crap out of me !!!!  and I rolled out of bed and to my feet while grabbing the weapon before I got my eyes open . The whole incident took less then 2 seconds but time seemed to slow down because I knew it was her before my eyes focused in the dim early morning light , and I never brought the weapon to point . As time came back to normal I saw the look of shock on her face and found myself dripping with sweat and could hear my heart pounding in my ears . I stood there for a few more seconds regaining my composure with thoughts of Relief that it was her , Anger that she put me in that position , and FEAR of what might have happened . I didn’t make a big deal out of it this morning . Besides asking her NEVER to do that again . Which I'm positive she won't because even though I never pointed the weapon at her , she knew it could have turned out much worse .

But the what if's have been gnawing at me all day . Its burned into my memory and I cant shake it . Even now I'm not sure if it was luck , poor reaction on my part , or having prior conditioning from back when I was married and the kids were young and would come into our bedroom and sneak into bed with us . I never kept a gun outside the safe back then for just that reason , fear of them surprising me .

It’s now 4 AM , and I'm still feeling spooked over the whole thing and don't think I'll sleep for a month .  

Anyone Been there , Done This  ????????

Not to be an ass in any way, but you seem really stressed or something, for your first reaction to grab a pistol.

Maybe a place that is just as easy to grab but just a tad further? Not sure just for a first reaction to grab a gun because you got spooked, kind of how people get shot. and not the right people.

I was sleeping one day and all of a sudder about 45 min after I got to sleep I heard some noise, I was out of bed and had my AK ready in a few seconds.  Turns out to be the Icecream truck going by at 8PM.

I sleep and live alone so I havent had your type of situation happen.

HEADLINES
TAXMAN shoots Icecream truck for waking him up
With a mig-22 flak-jak .22 armor exploding zig bang zom purple people eater cop killers.

Quoted: Not to be an ass in any way, but you seem really stressed or something, for your first reaction to grab a pistol.

I think the part that spook's him is the fact that he "could" have shot her....


That would scare me too, But you will get over it, and you will have something to think about for a long time....


Im happy to hear that things turn'd out all right..




BTW: Did you get any "action" after you put the gun away?

You also forgot the other headline, cops come after Taxman fires the AR50 outside because he wondered how loud it is.

Quoted: Not to be an ass in any way, but you seem really stressed or something, for your first reaction to grab a pistol. Maybe a place that is just as easy to grab but just a tad further? Not sure just for a first reaction to grab a gun because you got spooked, kind of how people get shot. and not the right people.

For all intensive purposes . No one should have been in the house besides me . Spooked is an understatement .

I've been thinking of moving it further away or harder to get because if she was an actual threat
intent on harming me ....... I'd be harmed .

Since this is the first time anything like this has ever happened to me .
I really just don't know what actions to take at this time , that’s why I put it up here .

thanks for responding .

Quoted: You also forgot the other headline, cops come after Taxman fires the AR50 outside because he wondered how loud it is.

Okay Okay,
HEADLINE
Tax Man destroys the moons moon with a 120mm solid uranium super ballistic teflon coated anti goverment anti Million man mom march projectile fired from a Gangbanger fav, AR50

Quoted: Quoted: Not to be an ass in any way, but you seem really stressed or something, for your first reaction to grab a pistol. Maybe a place that is just as easy to grab but just a tad further? Not sure just for a first reaction to grab a gun because you got spooked, kind of how people get shot. and not the right people. For all intensive purposes . No one should have been in the house besides me . Spooked is an understatement . I've been thinking of moving it further away or harder to get because if she was an actual threat intent on harming me ....... I'd be harmed . Since this is the first time anything like this has ever happened to me . I really just don't know what actions to take at this time , that’s why I put it up here . thanks for responding .

Sorry really misread, figured it was some one who lived with you, get a good dog that will bark if some one gets with in 100 yards of your house. WORKS. Make sure they wake you up however. Then you have time to decide if you need your gun or not.

chrome1,

I have been there - in very similar circumstances.
I keep my defensive handgun (S&W410 .40) under my side of the bed between the matress and box spring. This makes it tough enough to get to that I must be pretty awake, out of bed, and be able to focus my eyes. At the same time, I can have that weapon in my hand and rack the slide in about 5 seconds.

If I am carrying while out, there is no debate...100% of the time there is round in the chamber, anything less defeats the purpose of carrying it.....however, under the bed at night, I dont do this anymore as it is too easy to reach for the gun in my sleep, and make a really bad choice as a result of being startled.

In the absolute worst case scenerio (I awake to someone in the room that present an actual threat), I need to deal with threat in whatever manner I can, but even if I had the gun under a pillow, I am already at a huge disadvantage. I am a light sleeper like you, if there is a forcible entry, I like to think I would wake up prior to someone entering my bedroom....and all I need from that point is the above mentioned 5 seconds.

Move the key.

lock your bedroom door

Did you get some early morning nookie?

Well...you are the one that gave her a key................


SGatr15

Quoted: Not to be an ass in any way, but you seem really stressed or something, for your first reaction to grab a pistol. Maybe a place that is just as easy to grab but just a tad further? Not sure just for a first reaction to grab a gun because you got spooked, kind of how people get shot. and not the right people.

WTF?  ARe you an idiot?

You are harping on the guy for defending himself against an unknown intruder?


ARe you daft???


SGatr15

I guess she won't be planning any surprises for a while.

First, it's "for all intents and purposes".

Second, yes, I did something almost identical to that when I was in college.  I was asleep in bed behind a closed bedroom door in my apartment with a .45 on the nightstand (its usual place).  My g/f let herself in the apartment, then BLASTED the bedroom door open with a kick (just screwing around).  Before the door had bounced off the wall, the front sight was perfectly superimposed on her forehead.

I don't feel bad about it, because a) she surprised me and b) my finger stayed indexed on the frame.  Scared the shit out of her, but she was cool because she knew she shouldn't have done that.

Quoted: For all intensive purposes .

"irregardless" i wouldn't "loose" sleep over it


it's FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES argggggh damn i've become a grammar/usage nazi  :-(

She knows where I keep the spare key

The fact that you leave a spare key ANYWHERE that someone can get to it AND are shocked that someone might use it to easily enter your domocile leaves me puzzled

i was a sleep once when a girlfriend did something similar, but squirted me with whipped cream. I grabbed her and threw her halfway to the floor before i realized it was her. We made up quite nicely...lol

You might want to go over your defensive preparations and expectations with her or any girlfriend in the future. e.g., any bump in the night after you know nobody is supposed to be there will be met with appropriate alarm.

I knew when I was a kid (and my parents were still married) never to sneak out/in at night. My Dad is a light sleeper and always had a gun handy - he taught me well.

That was close call.  On one hand you're lucky, but on another, you would have been totally fucked had it been a real bad guy.  My advise: lock your bedroom door (deadbolt), so that someone has to make a lot of noise before they can get to you.  

I hope that one of my layers alerts me so I can be prepared.

I have:
fence
motion lights
dogs
house alarm
dead bolts

With those layers I won't be taken by surprise and jump to conclusions. My wife often works nights, but she calls after her shift and lets me know she is pulling in.

Quoted: She knows where I keep the spare key The fact that you leave a spare key ANYWHERE that someone can get to it AND are shocked that someone might use it to easily enter your domocile leaves me puzzled

Shocked & Puzzled  ??

First off . I don’t live in what you would call a high crime area . Hell I’m surrounded on 3 sides by a high dollar horse boarding/riding farm . That caters to spoiled rich woman and girls . The back yard is a steep heavily wooded 1600 foot ridge .

The Spare key(s) are in the truck of my car in a tool bag . Something I don't consider easy access .
Anyone that actually found the key ring would have to know which key it was out of 6-7 similar Yale keys on the ring to get in as quietly as she did .

Quoted: Well...you are the one that gave her a key................ SGatr15

Give her a key .............. what are you nuts !!!

The last woman I gave a key to ended up owning that house . I learn from my mistakes