I can, and do, keep a couple of loaded handguns within easy access. I use a wall safe with a biometric lock. Once I make the three steps from my bed, all I have to do is push a button and put my finger on a pad. A door then instantly drops revealing two loaded pistols ready for action. My wife's fingerprint will do the same thing. The safe allows fast access but keeps our loaded firearms out of a child's reach. Even well behaved children trained in firearms safety should be kept from loaded firearms unless under direct adult supervision.

The ability to own and use handguns is one of the few things still differentiating the USA from the EU. The number of concealed carry licensees has been continuing to grow. A big surge in applications came just before the presidential election. The surge turned into a tidal wave and it has yet to recede. About half of the licenses are going to first time concealed carriers and a big portion of those are new handgun owners. Sales of handguns and ammunition were so great that stores were cleaned out and the back-orders are just catching up after over a year. Many, many people now own handguns. Any new national move to ban handguns will be met with a resistance unlike any seen before.