Yes, always, I sleep with a firearm no matter where I'm at. At home I sleep with more than one with more in easy reach. I once let someone stay at my apartment and he woke me up early in the morning. Held me a gunpoint for hours while his buddy went through all our crap looking for cash. Joke is on him we didn't have any. I was convinced he was going to shoot me in the face because he was acting very irrational. This was my reward for giving someone a warm place to sleep on the coldest night in 100 years.
I prefer the trifecta of pistol on my person or in the bed with me. Shotgun by the bed in easy reach but not visible to intruders. Last but not least a rifle within easy reach in case I'm going to be dealing with multiple intruders or engaging something in the yard (I have a big yard, actually it's more like a field). Thankfully, I've not had to shoot another human yet. I actually haven't taken an animal in decades aside from mercy kills (people hit animals on the highway near my house all the time).
When I traveling I typically have at least two firearms on my person. Usually a pistol IWB or in a pocket. The other firearm is almost always either a .22lr rifle or an AR-15 slung over my back. I also carry knives but they're more for small jobs than personal protection. I'm not interested in getting into a knife fight with anyone.
If you're going to carry a firearm make sure you train with it. Swap ammo out often and keep it in good condition. I also advise keeping it loaded. Not sure why so many opt for not having one in the chamber. You shouldn't count on having use of both hands to rack a slide. I also suggest learning how to shoot with both hands, eyes open, and practicing drawing or bringing it to the ready using both strong and weak side. If you have children start them out with bb-guns or pellet rifles young. By the time I got a real firearm I'd already been shooting stuff with bb-guns for many years.
Oh and do whatever legal mumbo jumbo you can just in case you run into a cop. But that said I would advise carrying even if you don't have that. Better to be judged by 6 than carried by 6 and all that... Don't show it off to people or let them know you carry it. They'll just steal it from you or worse yet take it from you and shoot you with it. If you're a felon get a black powder firearm. They're 100% legal and not considered a firearm legally. They work just as good as smokeless powder firearms as long as you keep them clean and know what you're doing.
All that said if given the option I'd prefer just to beat them with my walking stick if possible. I avoid conflict. I run away from it with no shame. I'm not interested in fighting or any of that bullshit. I've only drawn my gun with intention of killing someone twice in my entire life. Both times they ran away and I was very thankful they didn't choose the dumb option.
I guess there was a third time when I fired a warning shot to break-up an altercation. The law says you shouldn't do that but it worked out okay for me. I walked up on a large group of people. 10 or more guys were taking turns beating the fuck out of someone that was pinned in a car under a seatbelt and steering wheel. This was happening on my families property. I didn't know the details I just walked up on it and overheard two guys threatening to pull out firearms and kill each other. It was the middle of the night and no one knew I was lurking in the shadows watching this go down.
I fired a shot off in a direction I knew was safe. The large group watching and the guys beating the shit out of the dude scattered and ran to shelter. I approached the car and there were two guys in it. One of them had a face that looked like hamburger. Their car was badly damaged because he'd plowed through a fence. Hamburger face then threatened to kill me. I told him to get his car off our property before I got the sheriff involved. He couldn't because someone had swiped his keys. Turns out it was my father. Dad took the guys keys because he'd just nearly killed multiple people. He was trying to leave drunk and fucked up on who knows what else. Hence why his face looked like hamburger. I got his keys and made him leave. Normally, I wouldn't have let someone that fucked up leave driving but I figured it was better than a murder taking place in my Dad's yard.
After that I went inside, joined the party, and everyone was very thankful once word got around that I was the one that broke it up. I've seen a warning shot break-up something like this twice in my life. When people hear gunshots they usually get the fuck out of dodge. I really don't advise doing it though. It could just as easily escalate the situation if your luck is bad.
Whatever you carry or do just make sure your life or another persons is in mortal danger before you deploy a weapon. Know how to use the weapon. Don't get this idea in your head that you can just scare someone away by flashing a weapon. That's really stupid. If you aren't prepared to use the weapon for its intended purpose do not carry it. You'll get yourself into trouble. Also if you are going to carry a firearm you should be aware of the 21-foot rule.
Within 21 feet the knife always wins. A firearm isn't a magic boom stick that makes bad guys go away. You can very easily get yourself stabbed if you think like that. If in doubt run as fast as you can and don't stop. There is no shame in fleeing or refusing to fight. The firearm should always be the last resort.
