Home-Defense Training: Unconventional Positions

by
posted on June 19, 2014
kimberguy.jpg

When I lived alone on the Blue Ridge in Virginia, there were at least two occasions in which I was convinced a perp had broken into the house while I was asleep. You know the scenario-loud noise somewhere wakes you and your pulse is suddenly that of a hummingbird.

If you’re like me you know where your home-defense gun is, and have mentally rehearsed how to get it in hand fast, along with the phone to dial 9-1-1. Unfortunately, the first scary “bump in the night” I wasn’t in the habit of staging the handgun in the same direction every night. So when I went to grab it in the dark (remember, darkness can be your friend), I wound up chasing the gun across the nightstand.

Now when the lights go out, the backstrap is parallel to my sleeping position, muzzle pointing toward an outside wall, and on the left side of the bed where I can grab it efficiently in an emergency. I’ve unloaded the gun, staged it, and practiced reaching it in the dark enough times that my arms and hands have the move memorized.  Some might consider that paranoid, but during a home invasion criminals will be moving fast, very fast-and the practice could come in handier than knowing the names of the latest American Idol contestants.

Another advantage of rehearsals is the fact you can identify potential disasters before they strike. To get my point of aim toward the bedroom door (at the right side of the room), I had to move it across the end of the bed. And if things happened fast enough that I was still lying there, there was a real good chance I’d muzzle my little piggies.

Had I not staged the unloaded gun and worked through the exact move with the lights on—and the noises really turned out to be bad guys before my discovery—at least one of those piggies might have good reason to cry “wee, wee, wee” in my home.

Don’t discover your well-conceived plan has some shortcomings when seconds count. A little practice irons out those problems and develops the kind of muscle memory that could save your life (toes and loved ones).

Latest

Nraam 2025
Nraam 2025

See New Guns & Gear At The NRA's Annual Meetings In Georgia

Freedom-loving American patriots gather every spring at the NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits to celebrate their liberty and check out the newest crop of guns, optics, ammunition and accessories. This year, 2025, the fun will take place in Atlanta, Ga.—we hope to see you there!

Rifleman Q&A: A Hornet In Father’s Attic

From the pages of the April 2025 American Rifleman, learn about a Savage rifle in .22 Hornet that was found in an attic. 

Spring Into Savings With Federal & Remington Ammo

Two of the industry’s finest began offering ammunition rebates on April 1 and the special savings continue through June 30.

The Revolutionary Art Of Don Troiani

By using surviving artifacts, eyewitness testimony, accurately reproduced uniforms, original firearms and the thorough study of battle sites, Don Troiani has done more than imagine what happened 250 years ago. His art is as close as it can get to a true representation of what period combat would have looked like.

The Armed Citizen® April 21, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Captain John Parker's Fowler: Witness To History

While thousands of firearms were used in and around the Massachusetts towns of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, few survive today. One survivor is the flintlock fowler used by Capt. John Parker of the Lexington militia.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.