Taurus PT 738 in Uncle Mike's holster

Holster selection is a tricky business. You need to carefully consider comfort, caliber and covertnessosityittude. You also need to make sure your holster has a proper grip on your gun: loose enough to allow efficient presentation (ta-da!) and tight enough to keep your gun from falling out during strenuous activities. Which, for OFWGs, could be as simple as bending down. Just ask baseball-loving granddad Richard Gransee . . .

Roger Gransee of Whitewater said he was acting as catcher as his granddaughter warmed up for her 12-and-under fastpitch game Sunday when he lost the handgun . . .

Roger Gransee said he usually keeps his gun on his waistband, but he had taken off his shirt on the warm day and didn’t want it showing through his T-shirt, so he clipped the holstered gun in his boot. He suspects the gun slipped out as he was kneeling. He didn’t notice it was gone until he arrived home that evening.

Gransee said he returned to the ball field early the next morning but could not find it. He continued to retrace his steps and finally called police.

Gransee figured someone found the gun and turned it in.

“Thank goodness somebody did,” he said.

gazetteextra.com doesn’t tell us how Mr. Gransee managed to “clip” his Taurus PT738 into his boot. I suspect he was keeping his gun in his waistband with a simple Uncle Mike’s-style holster. Failing to recognize that Inside-the-Waistband holster doesn’t do double-duty as a proper boot holster, he stashed his gat in his footwear and forgot it. Until he didn’t.

Thank goodness no one was hurt! Only, someone could still be. Specifically, someone victimized by a bad guy who could’ve been stopped by a legal concealed weapons carrier but wasn’t because the good guy with a gun couldn’t carry a gun at the ballpark thanks to a gun ban inspired by Mr. Gransee’s bone-headed pistol packing improvisation.

The possibility of banning guns at games was discussed at a Janesville Youth Baseball board meeting this week.

[President of Janesville Youth Baseball and a Janesville police sergeant Aaron] Ellis, said the situation is complicated because it appears state law does not allow cities to ban concealed carry in parks, but the baseball group leases Youth Sports Complex fields from the city.

“My choice would be to be able to post it ‘no concealed carry.’ If that option is available to us, I think that’s the way we’re going to go,” Ellis said.

Irresponsible gun owners hurt us all. Don’t be “that guy.” That is all.

 

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

36 COMMENTS

  3. Now concealed carry isn’t something I will probably ever get to do, but I’ve given it a bit of thought.

    Wouldn’t you plan better when you knew the weather was going to be hot? Or just sweat it out? Anything would be better than haphazardly jamming your gat in your boot.

    • Yes to all your questions. And why can’t you carry? Do you live in occupied territory (NY etc.)?

      • I live deep in occupied territory – Canada. I’d love to immigrate but they don’t want any Frostbacks, even though I consider America my Spiritual Home.

        • There are lots of Canadians here in Washington. And we could use a few more who think socialized medicine and gun bans are a bad thing.

    • I tested my conceal carry swim trunks yesterday and It worked as well as I planned which means it is a go. I will inform TTAG as soon as my demonstration video is produced. I did a dry run…so to speak as it took place in my swimming pool. The video will be done in one take. I do a 1 1/2 dive, draw from concealed retention while swimming to the surface, then fire at a poolside target.
      Stay tuned.

  4. I used to have a TCP a few years ago. I can’t believe gramps didn’t realize he lost his gun. It’s tiny but it ain’t that tiny. I wish I still had it-ran great.

  5. We had an older CCW holder here in Washington state have his gun fall out of his pocket in a movie theater and didn’t realize it until he got home. Some kid found it and turned it in. How in the heck do you not know when you lose your Roscoe?

  6. Glad he owned up and called the police. Could have been that a kid picked it up who didn’t know diddly about guns and could have ended up playing with it to tragic consequences.

  7. I have a steel center console vault in my truck. He might want to take a look on Cabela’s for one. If he still has his LTC.

    My Passport Max gets locked up every night, too. Well worth it

  8. Maybe I am the only one, but I pat myself down. If I move from one spot to another, I check, wallet, cell phone, gun. A quick pat, and I keep everything in the same place, wallet left pocket, cell phone right pocket, gun on the hip. A quick touch to make sure what I need is in its place is all it takes.

    • Yup. In no particular order, I always check for keys, wallet, phone, and gun when going from place to place. If I am ever without one of them I feel naked. It sucks, but it is better to be conscious of their absence.

  9. What an asshole! Wisconsin’s gun laws are not perfect, but they are pretty good. When I sent in my concealed carry application about a year and a half ago, I received my license within a week. I thought that was pretty impressive! However, I recently mailed my wife’s and stepsons’s applications a few weeks ago. That was on a Tuesday. They received their licenses on Thursday! That is really a one day turnaround, since they must have received the applications on Wednesday! Outstanding! So things here in Wisconsin are pretty good! We don’t need morons like Mr. Gransee screwing things up for us. And we certainly don’t need authoritarians like Mr. Ellis muddying the waters. Here in Wisconsin there is a state preemption that is very clear and does not allow local jurisdictions to make up their own gun laws.

    • That’s superfast turnaround for a state that only legalized concealed carry a few years ago.

    • “…Here in Wisconsin there is a state preemption that is very clear and does not allow local jurisdictions to make up their own gun laws …”

      Pennsylvania is trying to get something similar passed at the state level. Hope it goes through so if something similar to what happened to Mr. Gransee doesn’t result in the usual glut of premature laws getting signed as a result.

  10. UTTER NO-Sense B.S. Lost gun, someone found gun, turn gun in, owner collected gun…..THEN the council members must do something cause…well….WE JUST HAVE TO MAKE BALL DIAMONDs SAFE. Lets find a legal format to ban guns to cover every scenario.

  15. Does anyone have any suggestions for a concealed IWB holster for a Sig P220? Also, one for a S&W Shield?

    • I use a Summer Special with a Para P13. Several companies make them, even some “improved” versions. However I’m 6’2″, 200 plus. Also check out Cross Breed Holsters. Heck, check the sites for any of the major or minor companies.

    • Carrying my shield in a Comptac Infidel for two years.
      No reason to change
      Some people don’t like kydex but works for me.

  16. You know, instead of an uncle mikes clip holster, he might have applied a gun clip to his piece.
    I have a .38 that is so equipped, and it’s convenient and secure. It attaches with a side plate screw.
    The ones which attach with 3M tape, I have no clue about.

Comments are closed.