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. Another situation that could happen if you have a gun under the pillow is that the gun might roll out from its designated spot.
Sure there will be some instances where you will have plenty of time to grab your firearm and chamber a round, but there are plenty of cases where you may not. So it's good practice to leave any gun designated for home defense or carry with a round chambered.
California makes it a crime to keep a loaded gun somewhere on your property (or property you control) if you know or should know that a minor (under age 18) is likely to get access to it without parental permission. The child obtained the gun and killed or seriously injured someone (first-degree criminal storage).
When you train with the gun and one in the chamber or not, the answer is no. Carrying your self defense weapon, be it concealed carry or open carry, should be as ready as the law allows. There is no wrong way as long as it's within the confines of the law and you are comfortable with it.
Cops keep a round chambered at all times (with the safety off, if equipped). When you ask an officer how many rounds he/she carries in his/her weapon they'll respond with an answer something like, “Fifteen plus one.” This means they have a full magazine containing fifteen rounds and one in the chamber.
Recoil is also a major cause for concern when choosing a shotgun as a home defense weapon. Excessive recoil is going to negatively impact performance during training as well as during defensive situations, and as many of us have found out one way or another, shotguns can generate a ton of recoil.
IMHO firing through a pillow will muffle or suppress the report of the weapon, that is the loud noise created by the escaping and expanding propellant gases.
Access. One of the key benefits of openly carrying your firearm is how easily it can be accessed in an emergency situation. While those who opt to conceal their firearms can practice techniques to limit their draw time, it will generally be faster to draw from an open carry holster.
While it is true that C&B revolvers are not categorized as firearms under the provisions of the Gun Control Act of 1968…to be called GCA 68 from here forward, so you don't need to buy them through a Federal Firearms Dealer, they rarely have any special standing under state laws.
It's best to avoid placing our gun safes in the garage, but if there is no other choice, it's a good practice to bolt it to the floor and build a closet around it. Although the gun safe can be placed inside a bedroom closet, the best place is once again the basement.
The first place to consider hiding your guns is underground. When the local police force, military, or government are on their confiscation raids this is a decent place to hide them. You'll want to establish your secret underground hiding place in a remote area, not easily found.
