I have thought about this idea of having guns stashed around the house, loaded, "ready to go". Years ago, if I heard someone describe that to me, I would have considered them some wierd paranoid, who was constantly on the alert and who led a miserable life with all that fear. However, now I am doing it myself, and came to this decision in a logical way, practicing regularly and getting comfortable with my firearms, it just feels natural to be prepared. I am alert, but in a good way. I feel more aware and more secure to have planned out some scenarios, as you put it, Moosie. If I was in an actual situation, maybe all that secure-feeling would go away, confronted with danger and the unknowables of a real encounter. But for now, I feel better being somewhat prepared and it doesn't feel strange at all.