Many of us keep a gun at a close distance while we sleep to protect ourselves from home invaders at night. While many people use gun safes and nightstands to hide their guns when sleeping, others keep them underneath their pillows. While this may seem an enticing option due to easy access, we cannot stress how dangerous it is to keep your gun under your pillow! Read on to know why.
Is it safe to keep your gun under the pillow while you sleep?
No! Keeping your gun under the pillow while you sleep is never safe. Granted, you can quickly access the gun from that spot if you want to ambush an intruder or feel at ease. But the gun under the pillow can do more harm than good, especially if you’re more of a restless sleeper who often stirs while sleeping. If this is the case, you certainly want to store your gun in a safer spot. (1)
List of Reasons Why Not to Keep a Gun Under Your Pillow
- Safety: A gun should be stored in a safe, secure location where children or unauthorized individuals cannot easily access it. Keeping a gun under your pillow increases the risk of accidents or unauthorized use.
- Accessibility: If you need to use the gun for self-defense, it may not be easily accessible if it is under your pillow. You may have to wake up and fumble around to locate it, which could put you at a disadvantage in a dangerous situation.
- Comfort: Sleeping with a gun under your pillow may not be comfortable and could disrupt your sleep.
- Legal issues: In some areas, having a loaded gun in your bedroom or within easy reach while sleeping is illegal.
- Mental health: Carrying a gun can be stressful and may increase feelings of anxiety or paranoia. It is important to consider the potential mental health effects of carrying a gun and seek help if you struggle with these issues.
Why is it dangerous to sleep with a gun under your pillow?
When you sleep, you might roll out of bed several times before you find your comfort spot. On any other day, it would seem like a harmless act. But on the day when you place the gun under your pillow, that’s a ticking time bomb right there. Even when you point the muzzle of the gun away from the direction of your head, even then, the weapon could prove to be dangerous.
This is because you’re likely to move a lot when sound asleep. Even the best of us roll on the bed before we find a comfortable position. Amidst all the movement, the gun could change its position.
The worst-case scenario is that the muzzle points right toward your head or the body of the person sleeping next to you; both situations are equally hazardous. From here on out, a simple pull of the trigger could worsen things. Believe us; the scenario is more likely than you think.
Another situation that could happen if you have a gun under the pillow is that the gun might roll out from its designated spot. The outcome would be – the gun is either exposed right on the bed, easily noticeable from the doorway. Or, the gun drops on the floor, pulling the trigger along the way. Even if the trigger does not tug, the firearm could be exposed.
If you encounter an intruder, they could conveniently take the gun away from you, leaving you unprotected and vulnerable to danger. That would negate the point of having a gun under the pillow, won’t it now? Even if you have shoved the gun inside a holster and then placed it under the pillow, the likelihood of it going off because of the movement is high nonetheless. There’s no way around it.
What are the alternatives to keeping the gun under your pillow?
While sleeping with the gun underneath the pillow is the most unwise decision you could make, you also have plenty of alternative options. (2)
For example, gun safes and nightstands are popular spots where people hide their guns while sleeping. They offer quick accessibility, with complete security from self-harm and theft. Buy these online or make a DIY safe to house your firearms. But ensure that quick accessibility is not compromised in any situation.
But if pillows are not the safest to hide your gun, where to keep your gun when you sleep? And one of the recommendations is a nightstand! So, here’s one learning guide you may want to check on how to mount a nightstand gun-safe! Until next time! I also recommend this guide for the best nightstand gun safe in the market!
References
(1) restless sleeper – https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/a22567439/what-is-diy-meaning/
(2) pillow – https://www.thespruce.com/types-of-bed-pillows-350491
