Sleeping With A Weapon

[LoyalOne]

He says he does not sleep with them when he has a girl over, luckily for the girls.

 

[Girl3]

Deer skinning knife in the night stand. One night i had a break-in. Criminal 0 - me 1. Short, sharp knife in the right spot beats a katana any time. Weapons are not the problem. Awareness, self-control, ability to recognize friend or foe is the key. If you can't wake up 100% aware, lose the weapons.

 

[Robert N. Lee]

I keep a bat under my bed where I can grab it, have for years. It'd be very difficult for me to kill myself with it, if I'm suicidal, and in the unlikely event that something worse than a nightmare wakes me up, it's a better quick grab, close quarters weapon than a gun, IMO.

 

[Girl3]

Any weapon is only as good as the person wielding it. I'd be fairly useless with a bat at close quarters unless my attacker is as small as me. My batting average was never that great.

 

[Ruth09]

Heh. I got hit in the face as a kid with a grounder that popped off my glove. I don't even go near a baseball game if I can help it.:giggle:

So, yeah. I have a gun.

 

[Girl3]

I've got the trifecta. I sleep with my dog ( Rat terrier), a hunting knife and my cell. My dog will not let anyone in my room at night

Love the terriers - they sleep with one eye open and both ears on -

 

[Gamereign555]

Never felt the need for a gun.

A katana would be awesome and kind of fun to practice with and learn the defensive stances and basic strikes. There is so much power behind its design. It can slash along a huge amount of its length with the unique curve of the blade, can cut through a bone in ham or a whole pig in one focused swing. The blade is slender and long with a long handle for both hands and only has a very small guard which is round. It's double edged but only on the outward curving side and the bulk of the blade overall has a subtle triangular shape but is actually a lot more sophisticated than that.

The tip is double edged and angles away abruptly at the last few inches of the blade while continuing the double edge. The tip, quite sharp and fine elegantly but bluntly tears through the target when used to thrust and easily would cut a wound more than a couple of inches wide as the blade followed through its curve. An expert could do several swift and powerful strokes in a row that would first disarm and then kill within the next 2 strikes, the fourth one is just because the ancient samurai just likes to chop heads off.

 

[TSG]

I sleep with a knife under my pillow, guns nearby and knives hidden all over my bedroom. I can't/won't sleep without.

 

[ericaboo]

Any time I have to sleep alone, I sleep with a switchblade. Probably dangerous - I see what people are saying about waking up to a startle repsonse and somebody innocent getting hurt. Something to talk to my therapist about...

I don't even know if I would have the presence of mind to grab it quickly, but it helps me fall asleep at night... It makes me angry at myself to think I would be unprepared - that in a way it would be my own fault whatever happens if I'm complacent.

 

[Smallhold]

Is this forum balm to my soul or what? Exhale of relief here.
Thought I was one of the very few who felt so unsafe they needed some kind of "weapon" at hand at night.
Good to read about it and good to be able to talk about it.

In my country fire arms are not allowed, period. Unless under lock and key in a safe with a permit where it'd be of no use to me.
So what is allowed is a bat, knife or rolling pin provided you never use it on a burglar. Cos that would mean intention to harm.
So the next best thing (or better in my case) is my trusty dog. I always have German Shepherds since childhood. Feel very comfortable around them and they will protect me to the death.

So the present dog sleeps either next to me in bed, don't care what people think about hairs or dirt. She is there during winter time. In summer when it gets warmer she sleeps on a rug right in front of the bed.
In fact, my dogs go with me to most places I go to. Not for protection but because dogs are pack animals and do not like to be alone for too long.

Since I don't live alone, I'd not trust myself with a fire arm. If the rest of the family would come to me during a nightmare of flashback, I might hurt them.

 

[Philippa]

I have a little pepper spray canister which is attached to my key chain...'hello Kitty' style.;)

I have a foam baseball batt which I keep for my own anger management catharsis, next to the bed...and it might not severely injure someone, but it would definitely shock them if I hit hard, which might give me a spare second or two to move or get away or hit them hard in the balls.

I used to keep a steel bar under my pillow. It was given to me by a PTSD sufferer one day when I was doing a door to door to raise money for a charity. He was an ex veteran...and he insisted that I take it home with me.

I've never carried knives or guns or any of that. I have trained in a martial art though, and have attained two belts in a relatively short period of time. I have VERY fast reflexes and I'm not afraid to get violent if I really need to.

The only thing that really used to scare me would be thinking about someone breaking into my room while I was asleep and me not waking up before they were on top of me...and then not being able to move...and with the pepper spray...if it's in the dark, I'd be concerned about spraying myself in the eye. There is a little groove which tells you which way it is at, but in the heat of the moment, and when adrenaline is pumping, would I stop to think about that or just react??

All these uncertainties. I don't really worry about it much anymore. I live with 3 guys and I don't think any of them would ever try anything on me. I still made sure i locked the bedroom door though at night. Now though, my "room" has no real walls that go all the way up and I have a sarong as a door.

 

[Terri M]

I too sleep with a weapon. That is when I sleep. I constantly have a loaded .45 within reach and whenever I'm out and about (where it is allowed) I have a firearm concealed on me. Yes I have my CC permit :) I honestly don't know if I'll ever be able to give it up. My senses are always on high alert and every little thing catches my attention. I also act out in my sleep but it's usually thrashing around in my sleep. A lot of punching and kicking and cussing. The only time that I've reacted to where I've come out of my bed is when I get an F-18 flying low over the houses. According to my spouse I scream out obscenities and scramble across the floor into the corner of the closet where I sit curled up rocking back and forth. I'm hoping that one day I'll be able to kick the nightmares and responses to them.