I used to keep my S&W Mod. 49 next to the bed, tucked down in the toe of one of my battered old size 14 leather boots. One day we came home and discovered we'd been burglarized. The bedroom was a mess - bedding torn apart, mattress dumped, drawers dumped, closet racks and shelves emptied. But the burglars never looked in those worn-out boots - the snubby was still there!

I don't use that gimmick any more - got a better and safer one now. But the lesson remains: don't keep your guns where the bad guys always look for them - under the mattress, under the bed, in the drawers, in the closet.

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