For years, I carried a concealed firearm whenever I went to the grocery store, out for dinner, or even on road trips. I avoided sketchy areas, didn’t stay out late, and locked my doors at night. I figured I was covering all my bases. But it wasn’t until I listened to attorney and gun rights advocate Tom Grieve that I realized I’d been overlooking the most statistically dangerous place of all – my own home.
Grieve, a former state prosecutor, didn’t mince words: “If you can statistically choose one place to carry, it’s not the store, not your office. It’s where you sleep.” That statement hit hard. I’d never thought of carrying a gun while cooking dinner or watching TV as anything other than paranoid. But the numbers say otherwise.
Nearly 80% of Defensive Gun Uses Happen at Home
What Grieve laid out next shocked me. According to studies he cited, including a CDC-commissioned report and the 2021 National Firearms Survey, Americans use firearms in self-defense between 500,000 to 3 million times a year. And of those incidents, 25% happen inside the home, and 53.4% happen on the property – driveways, garages, yards, porches. That means nearly 80% of defensive gun uses happen where we’re supposed to feel the safest.
I had always imagined a violent encounter would happen in a gas station parking lot or a dark alley. But the data told me it was far more likely to happen while taking the trash out or relaxing in my living room.
The Numbers Are Worse If You Don’t Resist
Grieve also cited federal crime victimization surveys that reveal something else disturbing: compliance doesn’t guarantee safety, especially for women. Women who submit to an attacker without resisting are 250% more likely to be injured than those who use a firearm. And women who resist physically without a firearm? A 400% greater risk of injury.
The numbers for men weren’t much better. Men who comply are 140% more likely to be injured, and physical resistance without a firearm raises that risk to 150%. That data doesn’t just paint a picture – it yells a warning. Being unarmed during a violent home invasion isn’t just risky. It’s a statistical liability.
Even Just Displaying a Firearm Can Stop a Threat
One of the most powerful statistics Grieve shared was this: in 31% of defensive gun use cases, simply telling the attacker that you’re armed is enough to stop the situation. And in 91.1% of cases, no shots are even fired. Either the presence of a firearm or a verbal warning is enough to make the bad guy back down.
This wasn’t about being “trigger-happy” or fantasizing about a gunfight – it was about recognizing how the mere potential of armed resistance deters violence. Criminals fear armed citizens more than they fear the police, Grieve said, citing studies where 57% of convicted felons admitted just that.
Staging vs. Storing: What I Didn’t Know
After hearing Grieve’s stats, I started researching how to responsibly implement this kind of preparedness at home. That’s when I came across a USCCA video hosted by Brock Majkowski and his friend Brick. Their breakdown of staging vs. storing was a major eye-opener.
Brick explained that storage is for long-term, unloaded firearms, like hunting rifles or collectibles, locked away in a large safe. Staging, however, involves keeping loaded guns safely accessible in small, strategically placed safes around the house. It’s not random or reckless – it’s purposeful and consistent.
Consistency Is the Key to Safety
What impressed me about Brick’s approach was his attention to consistency. Every safe in his home has the same four-digit code, and every staged firearm is stored in a holster, just like he carries it during the day. That way, there’s no fumbling or administrative gun handling in an emergency.
His logic was simple: when he gets home, he takes the holstered firearm off his belt and places it directly into the quick-access safe in the same condition he carried it. No need to unload, no need to rethink anything. It’s just muscle memory in action.
Strategic Placement Makes the Difference
Brick’s staged safes are placed in logical spots throughout his house – by the front door, back door, bedroom, and even near the kitchen. He made sure that no matter where he is in his house, a defensive tool is never more than 10 feet away. That kind of forethought seemed excessive to me at first – until I imagined what might happen if someone kicked in the door while I was in the shower or upstairs folding laundry.
He also mentioned using small vaults that open with tactile button sequences, allowing you to access the firearm in the dark, under stress, without fumbling.
Yes, It Can Be Done With Kids in the House
One of my biggest concerns was how this setup could work in a house with kids. Brick addressed this directly. All of his guns, whether stored or staged, are either locked away in safes or on his body. Period. There’s no such thing as a “hidden gun” that’s left out in a drawer or under a couch cushion. “If it’s not secured or on me, it’s in a vault,” he said.
That approach made me feel more confident that staging for home defense doesn’t have to compromise safety. In fact, it enhances it.
Why I Now Carry in My Own Home
I never thought I’d be the kind of person who carries while walking around my own house. But after hearing Grieve’s data and seeing Brick’s practical, real-life setup, I realized that statistically, this is exactly where I should be armed.
If 498,000 home-based defensive gun uses happen each year (according to one study Grieve mentioned), then choosing not to carry at home isn’t cautious – it’s naïve.
I now carry at home the same way I do outside: in a secure holster, safely staged at night, and always within reach during the day. It’s not about living in fear. It’s about taking responsibility for the space where my family is most vulnerable.
Carrying at Home Doesn’t Mean You’re Paranoid
We don’t wear seatbelts because we expect to crash. We don’t install fire alarms because we want the house to burn. And we don’t carry firearms at home because we expect a shootout. We do it for the same reason we do anything protective – because life is unpredictable, and preparation is peace of mind.
Tom Grieve put it best when he said: “Being responsibly armed significantly improves your safety and your outcomes.” That’s not bravado. That’s a statistical truth.
Prepared, Not Paranoid
After absorbing everything I learned from Tom Grieve, Brock Majkowski, and Brick, I changed the way I think about home defense. I went from seeing carry-at-home as extreme to seeing it as basic, essential preparedness. I’ve now staged safes in multiple rooms, trained my family on emergency procedures, and made home carry a normal part of daily life.
The idea of carrying a gun around your house may seem over-the-top until the day you realize it’s the most statistically justified place to do it.
And as Grieve reminds us: “A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner.” Life doesn’t always give us calm waters. But now, I know I’m more prepared to navigate the storm.
Raised in a small Arizona town, Kevin grew up surrounded by rugged desert landscapes and a family of hunters. His background in competitive shooting and firearms training has made him an authority on self-defense and gun safety. A certified firearms instructor, Kevin teaches others how to properly handle and maintain their weapons, whether for hunting, home defense, or survival situations. His writing focuses on responsible gun ownership, marksmanship, and the role of firearms in personal preparedness.