I keep one in the chamber always on my pistol that I carry in a holster and keep by the bed. When its next to the bed its secured in a holster that is secured to my nightstand, the trigger is protected and I just have to pull it out. Most cases in a defensive shooting you won't have time to rack a slide, and in my opinion it would be dangerous to train that way. None of my handguns have external safeties. I don't buy handguns with safeties because I don't want to have to remember to disengage them. Most modern semi-auto handguns will have mechanisms to keep the weapon from firing unless the trigger is pulled (Glock, Sig Sauer come to mind) so as long as you are training correctly (keeping your finger off the trigger until ready to fire) and practicing your draw (you can use Snap-Caps for this), you will be a safe effective shooter. The trigger is always protected by the holster anyway. The most important part is train train train.
I keep my home defense shotguns cruiser ready. Which means magazine loaded, safety off, chamber empty, slide unlocked. Most shotguns aren't drop safe, so if it falls down with a round in the chamber it could go off. Some shotguns I keep in the safe, some I keep in corners of the house. If needed, I can grab it, rack it and shoot.
I keep my home defense rifles cruiser ready. Magazine inserted, safety off, bolt forward, chamber empty, dust cover closed. If needed, I grab it and charge it and its ready to work. I keep 1 rifle out of the safe.
Most long guns are not technically drop safe, and if I'm reaching in the safe, under a bed or in a closet for it, there is a good chance I'm not going to have a good view of what I'm reaching for. Especially in the dark, just waking up and under stress. Also, the triggers on those weapons are not protected, I can't put them in a holster.
I don't have children around, so I'm ok with having guns out of the safe. Whenever my brother brings my niece by though, the first thing I do is secure everything.
