Crazy thing happened to me....

**P-11 shooter** · January 29th, 2008, 05:38 PM

I did the same thing when I was a kid em. I threw a wrapper in the toilet and pissed in the trash can. woke up about half way through and had to pinch it off.

but seriously that's why if you have a gun you need a BRIGHT LIGHT right next to it. If I shot my girlfriend, and she didn't die SHE'D KILL ME!

**Charlie B** · January 29th, 2008, 07:26 PM

When something wakes me up, the first thing I reach for is my wife (to make sure she is accounted for).

I personally prefer a shotgun with a short barrel (there is a psychological effect on an intruder when they hear a shell being chambered).

**sfg** · January 29th, 2008, 08:54 PM

A neighbor of mine, where I grew up, told me that he always keeps an unloaded gun next to his bed. I asked why it's unloaded. He told me that he knew a couple of different guys that had accidentally shot themselves half-asleep reaching for alarm clocks or ringing telephones.

I keep mine on the lower portion of my nightstand. Magazine is "in" but not all the way.

I figure if I have presence of mind to slam it in and rack the slide, then I'm probably not asleep. Also...I live in a studio/loft apartment. Were anyone to come in and hear me rack the slide, I'm thinking that most reasonable people will vacate at that point.

And when I was a kid I my bedroom had two entrances on opposite sides of the room. One led to a hallway where the other bedrooms/bathroom was. The other led to the kitchen. I once walked out and peed in the garbage can, in my sleep, in front of my parents and some company they had over for cocktails. They all thought it was really funny. I didn't remember it at all.

**LittleRedToyota** · January 30th, 2008, 12:30 AM

Originally Posted by sfg

he knew a couple of different guys that had accidentally shot themselves half-asleep reaching for alarm clocks or ringing telephones.

while the OPs story is scary and, if that happend to me, it would give me pause about keeping a loaded gun around at night, it seems like the issue of shooting yourself whil reachin for an alarm cloc or ringing telephone could be solved simply be keeping the gun in a holster.

then, even if you grab it accidentally while trying to grab the alarm clock, the trigger will be covered and you won't have an ND.

i never keep a pistol lying around not in a holster.

imho, the problem with having the gun be unloaded is what happens if you wake up with the BG already on you? granted, having alarm systems and/or dogs can make that less likely, but those things can be defeated.

for example, i read a story about a guy who was awakened by a "loud bang" while he was sleeping in his bed. turns out the "loud bang" was a home invader hitting him in the head with a hammer. if that guy had had to load his gun, he would be dead.

just some food for thought.

**Brown-Bear** · January 30th, 2008, 01:04 AM

You know I read alot of things here about how to ensure that you are in fact awake. The factr emains however that if you are accustomed to following certain routines, no matter how complex you will still them while sleep walking. People have been known to get in the car and drive off while sleep walking. Cas ein point, when I was in the USCG we had a seaman get out of the rack, get in his uniform, put his boots on and tie them, walked up 2 decks and eventually off the stern of the cutter. Luckily the watchstander saw him as he went over and sounded the man over board. Sounds crazy right! But you can complete almost any familiar task while sleep walking.

BB

**jsb889** · January 30th, 2008, 01:49 AM

When I was little, I had a habit of sleep walking and peeing on things, most notably the dining room wall (next to the bathroom).

I've always kept a baseball bat and a rifle with loaded magazine next to my bed, nothing on the chamber. I had one week where I was having very bad, spiritual nightmares. One of these nightmares included something very eerie. My rifle stood as it usually does against the bedpost in the dream, but in the dream it leaned against a desk. The rifle and the desk were the only thing in the room. My dad walked up to the rifle, looked down the barrel, and was shot in the head. Didn't touch the rifle at all. For some reason, I walked over, same thing happens, same result.

That caused me to think of sleepwalking and shooting at night. Since then, I refused to keep the gun loaded at night. I had the magazine next to it on the nightstand. Now I have my pistol with a full mag in holster, no round chambered, and the baseball bat.