Liz
San Jose, California
Beretta 96G Vertec .40-caliber pistol

“Being in law enforcement and having been a detective, I am acutely aware of things that can go wrong. Since I’ve been in law enforcement, I’ve always had a gun in my nightstand that I keep loaded, no safety on, ready to go, one in the chamber, because that’s the only way I feel it’s effective. If I had kids it would be a different story. I would never, under any circumstances, have a loaded gun in the house if there were children there. That is extremely unsafe. I can’t think of a worse thing to do.”

Photo: Lindsay McCrum