Protection Within Reach
Since 07-11-08
by Home Back-Up Protection LLC.
USCCA GEAR REVIEW
Okay... I'm going to save a LOT of time trying to describe this thing and just show you a picture right off the bat. I still haven't decided whether or not to just fix my camera or buy a new one... the cost would be about the same either way... anyway, I'm telling you that because NONE of the pictures I took of this thing look good enough to print here. I'm kind of a picture-perfectionist, so it's better for me to not show you ANY picture than a bad one. Luckily, the company has some great looking pictures on their website, so I'll be using those. I'm pretty sure they are copyrighted, so just be careful about what you do with them. Here we go!
A picture says a thousand words has never been more true. As you can see, this thing is basically a gun rack that slides between your mattress and box springs. It only sticks out a couple inches, and the 'wedge' portion of this thing is so big that there is NO fear that the weight of the gun moving this thing around or popping it out. Yet it's made out of polymer, so it's VERY light. I talked to the guy behind this thing, and he says that it's made out of the same grade of polymer that pistol frames are made out of! Last little tid-bit... This thing is made right here in the USA by Americans. Louisiana-ian's, specifically!
The idea is to give you a HUGE boost in home-defense. Here's the logic: The (12ga) shotgun (#4 shot or similar) is the undisputed king of home defense. It packs the meanest punch, it's shot spreads to give you the best chance of hitting a target, and it's downright intimidating! Everybody old enough to reason can recognize the sound of a cycling shotgun.
The problem is, what do you do with your shotgun? You want it close to your bed, but if it's leaned up in a corner, you have to do a rambo move to get to it and ready yourself. Not to mention, you have to turn yourself away from an adversary in order to grab it. If the shotgun is under your bed (as most are), you could run into two problems. One, you might be too high off the ground to reach it from where you are laying. Two, it could get bumped around, and it simply might not be there when you need it. Not to mention... things can get REALLY dusty under there.
If you find it difficult to execute a perfect draw while completely alert and in front of a target... imagine how hard it would be if you were confused from just having woke up to the sound of your bedroom door getting kicked in!
With 'The Back-Up' however, your shotgun is ALWAYS in the EXACT same, easily accessible position. One of my first realizations, was "Wow, this thing REALLY hides your gun!". And it does too, here are two pictures showing you what I mean:
Now obviously, this thing isn't child-proof. It even says right on the side of this thing, "Not intended for use in homes with children". I told my friends about this thing, and that was one of the first questions they had. They also asked if it could be used with different sized shotguns, or on both sides of the bed. It certainly can, and it's very adjustable. In fact, there are a LOT of questions like those answered right on the website itself. Here is a link to the FAQ page for 'The Back-Up':
http://www.the-backup.com/perception/backup-homefaq.html
That's really about all I have to say about this thing. I am in love with this product... The company was nice enough to let me keep the one they sent me for testing, but I am absolutely going to order a second for my wife's side of the bed!
Here is the website where you can learn more about 'The Back-Up', or even get your own if you want:
http://www.the-backup.com/perception/index.html