Here at TTAG, we talk a lot about concealed carry, including the what, when, who, why and how of it. But there’s one topic we don’t really delve into a lot, and that’s the whole thing about if you have a concealed carry permit, how often do you actually carry? I bring this up, because when it comes right down to it, carrying is not just a huge responsibility (from civil, criminal, self-defense, and safety perspectives), it’s also requires a lot of dedication . . .
You’ve got to worry about concealment, printing, what to do if you have to go into a place that restricts your right to carry, getting in and out of your car, et cetera. It’s such a big deal, that I find myself thinking, “well, I don’t really need to carry today – I’m not going any place dangerous, and odds are, I won’t need it.” Until I do, and don’t have it.
I recently read in the local paper that two men were shot in a parking garage. Not big news, except that this parking garage is one where I park on a semi-regular basis. It’s right downtown, oposite a casino. Well lit. Regularly patrolled by Shreveport’s Finest. In a relatively crime-free part of town. Yet two guys got shot.
Coulda been me, I’m guessing. And carrying a gun is no guarantee that I would NOT be a gunshot victim. But I like my odds more WITH the gun than WITHOUT it. So I ask our question of the day: how often do you actually carry?
When I’m at work I don’t carry… when I’m at the gym I don’t carry… and when I have arrived at home to relax in my recliner I usually don’t carry (sorry RF)… So that really just leaves the odd times when my weeknights differ from the norm and the weekend when I carry indiscriminately.
Rarely. Unlike some CC advocates, I don’t believe in a “one size fits all” approach to security. There are risks to not carrying, but there are also risks to carrying. It all comes down to risk management – you have to balance the pluses and minuses of carrying and come up with a solution that works.
There’s a saying that when the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. To me, a firearm and a CCW permit are tools. If I believe I need them, then I use them. If not, they stay in the toolbox.
Sure, you can “what if?” until the cows come home – carry tire chains in July because you could be in a freak snowstorm, or get vampire insurance because you never know, right? The reality is that there is no 100% safety or security solution, you just have to make the best choice you can after analyzing the benefits and the detriments to each potential COA (course of action.)
I think of it this way – I carry a Leatherman and flashlight on my belt every day, even weekends, if I’m leaving the house (and even sometimes around the house) I’ve got the Leatherman and flashlight on me.
I was not always this way – but it got to the point where too many times I needed a knife, pliers, screwdriver, light, etc. and didn’t have one because they were not with me. I didn’t like carrying them in my pocket so my belt was the logical place. Whole days go by without me using either my Leatherman or light, you could probably find whole weeks where I didn’t use either. As a network admin I don’t encounter situations every day on the job that would require the use of either. But I have needed them enough that I decided the burden of carrying them everyday no matter what I’m doing or where I’m going was the best thing.
I’d rather have and not need than need and not have.
I take the same stance with CC. I don’t see it as that much of a burden and I think that people who say it is too much of a burden have not CCd long enough to know better. The first few months I started carrying daily sucked, honestly. It takes some getting used to wearing two pounds of plastic and metal on your hip. It takes dedication. After a couple of months of daily carry though I got to the point where it felt more odd not carrying then carrying because I’m so used to the weight, etc.
Plus – I spent the time, money and hassle to get my licence why would I waste that by not carrying?
Plus – it’s my right (I don’t feel I should have to have a licence but that’s the law so…) and if i don’t exercise that right I may lose it someday.
I don’t carry a small gun either – a Glock 23 (13 round mag) – I use a quality holster Monitor MTAC or a Galco OWB concealment holder. I don’t pay particular attention to what I’m wearing – I’m a t shirt and jeans guy and I’ve not had to change anything except get pants a little bigger, but even my old pants are fine for IWB. The only time I think about what I’m wearing is if I want to carry OWB and then I may put on a little bigger t-shirt or a coat. All in all my dress and activity level has not changed.
“There’s a saying that when the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”
That statement tells me tells me your anti-gun, anti-self defense. It’s the same rhetoric used by the anti-gunners and it irritates me when I see people who are pro-gun (or at least claim they are) use the same rhetoric. Just because I carry a gun everywhere (that I legally can), everyday does not mean that I am going to shoot someone the first chance I get. In fact the one consistent point of training that you always get, no matter who your getting your training from is avoidance. Avoidance is my first “tool”, my first line of defense. Whatever my second, third, fourth lines of defense are – deadly force is always, always, always, the absolute last.
“To me, a firearm and a CCW permit are tools. If I believe I need them, then I use them. If not, they stay in the toolbox.”
But how are you going to know when your going to need to take them out of the tool box?
So someone who doesn’t carry 24/7 is “anti-gun?” That’s ridiculous. I’m just not obsessed with my gun.
Some people can’t carry at work. Others live in states where they can’t carry in certain businesses or other places where they go on a regular basis. If the choice is to commit a serious crime vs. go unarmed, most people will choose the latter.
You know, “shall issue” concealed carry is a relatively recent thing in most states.
For those of you who carry 24/7, or those who refuse to enter a place that doesn’t let them carry, I gotta ask: What did you do before you got your CCW permit? Did you just cower on the floor of your home? Did you carry illegally?
Or did you just go about your daily business without worrying about being unarmed? And if it was the latter (which I suspect it was, for most of you), what changed? Did the world suddenly become a more dangerous place on the day you were issued your permit?
You either misread or are intentionally misrepresenting what I said.
You said:
There’s a saying that when the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”
In response to that I said:
That statement tells me tells me your anti-gun, anti-self defense. It’s the same rhetoric used by the anti-gunners and it irritates me when I see people who are pro-gun (or at least claim they are) use the same rhetoric. Just because I carry a gun everywhere (that I legally can), everyday does not mean that I am going to shoot someone the first chance I get. In fact the one consistent point of training that you always get, no matter who your getting your training from is avoidance. Avoidance is my first “tool”, my first line of defense. Whatever my second, third, fourth lines of defense are – deadly force is always, always, always, the absolute last.”
No, not CCing does not make you anti-gun. Using anti-gun rhetoric makes you anti-gun. Or at least makes you look anti-gun.
For those of you who carry 24/7, or those who refuse to enter a place that doesn’t let them carry, I gotta ask: What did you do before you got your CCW permit? Did you just cower on the floor of your home? Did you carry illegally?
Or did you just go about your daily business without worrying about being unarmed? And if it was the latter (which I suspect it was, for most of you), what changed? Did the world suddenly become a more dangerous place on the day you were issued your permit?”
Before I got my CC licence I went about my life as I do now. Noting has changed other than I now live in a state that issues CC licences. I’ve never refused to go into a place that prohibits CC – I simply do not carry if I need/want to go in.
I don’t need my gun with me to feel safe… but I have it, I have the licencee to CC and it seems to me that I’d feel really dumb not having it if I needed it.
Like the Leatherman I carry everywhere, everyday, I don’t always need it (statistically it’s probably in its sheath more than it’s used) but when I do need it, I’m glad it’s there.
The hammer and nail expression isn’t anti-gun rhetoric. That is a very old and very common expression with lots of applications. It implies no anti-gun argument at all. The same metaphor or analogy can be used in different applications without carrying over connotations from past uses in different applications.
-D
I only ever hear anti-gun people use the phrase.
Nonetheless, in the context it’s a stupid saying.
How am I supposed to hammer a nail if I need to if I never have a hammer because I, or someone else is afraid everything will start looking like nails?
Besides – it implies that if you carry you are going to shoot willy-nilly. Don’t you find that the least bit insulting? I do.
That is not the implication of that saying at all.
Also I would never deride a fellow gun enthusiast by accusing them of being anti-gun to get back at them for having a (marginally) different point of view from mine. There are some cheap shot insults you just DON’T stoop to. I think this is one of them. Just like when people call people “sheep” or “slaves” around here. Unless you are here to instigate or troll, no one reading this blog and participating in comments out of genuine interest is a “sheep” or a “slave” or “anti-gun”. That is absurd. Also, there are NO insults which are acceptable in the capacity of an offensive attack (to start a fight). But even if defending yourself in an argument, cheap shots like that are unacceptable.
-D
So what should I call someone who uses decidedly anti-gun rhetoric?
I don’t care if someone CCs everyday or not. Frankly I find it odd that one would go through the pain and suffering (should you state impose it) to get licensed and then not use/exercise that licence but at the end of the day it’s a personal choice.
Albright misrepresented my comment and used what I consider anti-gun anti-carry retoric.
If a horse were standing in front of me I would not call it a moose. If someone uses anti-gun rhetoric then I call them anti-gun.
Also, that’s the exact implication of the hammer/nail phrase. Which is why people who are anti-gun use it.
Google it. Ironically it’s really about being unaware of confirmation bias, which is the exact mechanism which is causing you to believe it is an anti-gun saying. To extend on your analogy, if all you have ever seen is moose, and have never seen a horse, you would likely call a horse a moose.
Before I got my CCW (which I still don’t have, so my entire life since I was 13), I carried the largest pocket M&P knife that was legal in my state without a license.
At school, I carried a pen with a 0.35mm steel point.
Before (and after) I got the knife, I worked out and trained in various H2H techniques.
When I walked into a room, I would try to assess who should be there, who shouldn’t, and who should but isn’t. I would look for exits. If I could identify a potential threat, I would even learn the sound of their voice and footsteps.
Before someone says that I was paranoid to pick my school items based on usability as a weapon, know that I had received death threats and been jumped without identifiable cause before. Because of my paranoid attitude and preparation (and the sheer incompetence of the assailant in one case), none of those threats or attempts ended with my harm.
I used to not be paranoid. Then I needed to be and wasn’t. Now I am, and it has saved me pain at the very least.
I would say I lie between your two categories of people who cower and who were unprotected.
“There’s a saying that when the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”
That is why most CC advocates have multiple tools: alertness, avoidance, escape, verbal warnings, and self-defense (hammer) among others.
“To me, a firearm and a CCW permit are tools. If I believe I need them, then I use them. If not, they stay in the toolbox.”
If you don’t have the toolbox with you, you won’t be able to use the tools (a firearm and a CCW permit).
I carry everywhere except at work, where my company prohibits firearms. As I live less than a mile from work, when I leave work I go home and get my holster, pistol, and two extra magazines and arm myself. Yes, I do carry at home. When I leave my apartment, I carry unless I am going to work.
I didn’t go through all the hassle get my California CCW to find that when I encounter an actual nail (a threat to my life or great bodily harm), I left my hammer (firearm) at home.
You raise a few points, that I hope you’d be kind enough to address.
1) You state: “There are risks to not carrying, but there are also risks to carrying.”
What are those “risks to carrying” that you are aware of, I know of none, nor have I encountered any in the 35+ years that I have carried.
What have I missed?
2) You state: “There’s a saying that when the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”
My vehicles all have spare tires, in your mind, does that mean you believe I see driving as a “blow-out”? My fire extinguishers because: I want a fire?
I have smoke detectors because I want a house fire?
What “tool” should I have used, to stop the rapist, instead of the sight of my .45?
How about to stop the 3 armed robberies? A kindly expression maybe?
3) You state: “Sure, you can “what if?” until the cows come home – carry tire chains in July because you could be in a freak snowstorm, or get vampire insurance because you never know, right?” I’ve never seen a victim of a vampire attack, I’ve seen many, many victims of violent criminal attacks.
But that aside, how does auto insurance fit into your belief system? Does carrying auto insurance mean you are at a greater risk of being in an accident?
I’ve driven over a million miles with absolutely no need for auto insurance; but I’ve needed “Armed insurance” 4 times to stop criminal violence.
4) You state: “The reality is that there is no 100% safety or security solution, you just have to make the best choice you can after analyzing the benefits and the detriments to each potential COA (course of action.)”
I’ve had too many friends dies while holding full-autos to believe “guns guarantee safety”. But I’ve also seen too many people sacrificed on the “Gun Free” alter: Columbine, Virginia Tech, Luby’s, and a thousand other smaller slaughters of the unarmed.
If you don’t believe in 24/7 carry, how do you determine when you SHOULD carry? What do you use to help determine when there is a need to carry?
Thank You!
My pistol comes with me to work everyday and other than that it stays in my vehicle. I mainly have my CCW so I don’t have to worry about not having my guns in plain sight if I ever get pulled over by the popo.
But without knowing more, why should this have any bearing on what you choose to do? What were the circumstances? Were they involved in a drug deal/prostitution? Were they intoxicated, stumbling back from a bar after getting into an altercation? Were they gang bangers in a chance encounter?
Merely hearing that “someone got shot there” doesn’t make a location any less safe if all you know is that someone got shot there. It’s not like bullets just rain out of the sky at random and fall in certain places. Circumstances are important.
But even assuming arguendo that the victims were genuine innocents who were the victims of a random street crime, is “now I have to carry!” the reasonable response? Because for me the response would be “I have to find someplace else to park!” Not only that, if the shootings prompt the PD to step up patrols, then the area of a recent shooting might actually be the safest place in the city to park.
+1.
I don’t know many more details than were shared in the original news story. “Ongoing investigation” and all. But here’s the thing – I don’t care WHY they were shot. I go to that parking garage because it appeared to be safe. Do you seriously thing that, if somebody feels like opening fire in a place like that, you’re safe, just because you don’t do drugs or engage in other illegal behavior? Bullets have no conscience, and are equal-opportunity destroyers, once they leave the barrel. And while I spend a good bit of time at the range, some ass clown/gang-banger who doesn’t is just as likely to shoot wild as he is to hit his intended target. The Law of Unintended Consequences is a stone-cold bitch. I don’t fancy getting shot but I particularly dread the irony of getting ventilated through no fault of my own. Wrong place/wrong time is NOT my favorite way to go. So yeah, I stand by that logic. If the safest place to park is still not safe, I’ll either stop going, or I’ll carry concealed.
Everytime I step out of my apartment I am carrying. (Unless I’m going to work because my office is in DC.) It’s become habit and part of the checklist for me; keys, sunglasses, wallet, cell phone, pistol, extra mag and knife.
Exactly. It can be a bit of a chore after a couple of weeks, but after about a month or so of carrying it just became habit. Everytime I leave the house it’s the same ritual. Phone, wallet, keys, knife, gun, mags.
And I HATE the argument about only carrying sometimes as part of “risk management”. How many people know that they’re going to need a gun before they need it? How about your seatbelt? Or your carbon monoxide detector? Or smoke alarm, fire extenguisher, spare tire, first aid kit, your life/health insurance, burglar alarm, the clerks panic button under the counter at the gas station… Risk management isn’t preparing for something that you already know is going to happen, that’s called common sense. Risk management is making a habit of taking precautionary steps ahead of time because you DON’T know when something bad is going to happen.
The only times I don’t carry are when I intend to get intoxicated or if I’m doing something that would require me to take the gun off my hip, like going to the gym or the beach.
Speaking of “walking the walk” I’d like to take a moment to debunk a stereotype that anti-2A folks have about people like me. In my daily life, especially when I’m carrying, I comport myself in the most mild mannered way I can. I don’t argue with people, I don’t raise a fuss if they cut in front of me to buy movie tickets, I don’t flip people off when I drive. In short I do everything humanly possible to avoid a conflict, even if it means backing down when I’m clearly in the right. If it’s not worth drawing my gun over then it’s not worth arguing about.
If it’s not worth drawing my gun over then it’s not worth arguing about.
That’s a great line. I’ve had people tell me I must be looking for trouble because I carry a gun when it’s just the opposite; if anything having a firearm on my person has made me a more respectful and tactful person.
I agree with this sentiment wholeheartedly.
-D
I got my GWCL (Georgia Weapons Carry License) about 6 months ago. I got a Glock 26, a Crossbreed Supertuck, and thought, I’m ready to go.
After a few days of home carry to get used to the rig I came to an inescapable conclusion: This is a major pain in the ass.
Aside from the sheer discomfort of trying to CC, I thought about all the places I am not allowed to carry. I also factored in the all of the liabilities as mentioned by another poster above, the fact that in 14 years of living in GA I have never once felt the need to be armed in public, and the fact that I live in a relatively “safe” area.
I simply decided CC isn’t for me right now. What about OC? I don’t want to deal with public scrutiny and the possibility of a MWAG call.
So why did I get my GWCL? I want to have the option to carry if I ever feel like I really need to. As was pointed out by Martin, it is tool I would like to have at my disposal.
“After a few days of home carry to get used to the rig I came to an inescapable conclusion: This is a major pain in the ass.”
I don’t think a “few days” is long enough…
It took me at least two months of real world carry (that is outside my house) to get used to it. I carry a Glock 23 with 13 rounds. It sucked balls for a few weeks but I got used to it.
It’s your choice, but if you’re interested in carrying, why not try something smaller? The Glock is great, but it’s still pretty chunky. There’s a reason all the pocket .380s are so popular.
Fair enough. I am looking into the Ruger LCP.
I agree with the others. It takes TIME to acclimate. I also thought it was a PITA at first. And, I would never suggest that it’s just a “natural” to start wearing an IWB holster with a decent-sized gun (whatever that is). But if you’re used to going barefoot, it will take time getting used to shoes, too. 🙂 I carry a Glock 27 in a Crossbreed Supertuck every single day.
I live on the border between two states with VERY different gun laws. I am permitted for a CCW in my home state. However the border state of which I have to drive through sometimes, has some of the most oppressive gun laws in the US with excessive punishments for carrying, and a very prohibitive CCW permit process. Ironically, it is the state that I am most likely to need a CCW.
Still, I concur with those that identify their CC pistol, as just another tool in the tool box.
Every. Single. Day. Every. Single. Place.
At home (in or around). On the road. At work. In the park. At the store. While eating at my favorite restaurant(s). At the Gym. In the airport (dropping off and picking up). On the bus. At the grocery store. In the mall. Visiting my favorite home improvement store. In a “Big Box” store. Visiting friends…
Unless prohibited by (unconstitutional) law, of course. But I try to avoid those places.
I have to ask, does your work place permit concealed carry or do you just carry anyway?
I have adopted a “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
They have no policy either way.
I highly doubt that – unless they are a very small company. But it’s your job.
Of course if you get caught it makes the people who follow the rules look bad as well so let me offer my sarcastic “thanks” for that.
Don’t know about Andy’s workplace, but as for mine, (a public utility) I checked: neither the company policy manual nor safety manual make any mention of firearms. So, no policy either way.
A few pockets of freedom still exist.
BTW: I carry every day, and almost everywhere.
Andy – how do you deal with carrying at the Gym? Is it always on your body, or do you carry off-body in a bag or something?
Unfortunately, the nature of this beast requires it be carried off body. It is kept locked up while I am exercising, and the locker room is private members only, requiring RFID badges to gain entry.
Yeah, I’d say I “walk the walk” but if and what I choose to carry is based first on where I am going to be and what I am going to be doing.
Negligible risk scenarios:
If I am going to be moving around a lot, at a party or BBQ in someone’s back yard where I am going to know everybody, and I’m going to be going there and leaving in a car, I can travel very light… a 3″ .22 WMR NAA Earl. This gun is really for pocketknife +P scenarios. (Before anyone flips their lid over such a small gun, let me tell you, I can put all 5 shots on a sheet of office paper at 25 yards when in a hurry. With CCI V-Max poly tips I’m getting 200ft*lbs at the muzzle. A NAA .22 magnum micro revolver is no slouch if it’s got decent sights and a good grip on it.)
Low risk scenarios:
My 442. This is easy to carry in a pocket. It’s barely there when IWB. If I am going to a party or the store and will be on foot or on a bike, but otherwise am going to be in controlled environments I will carry this. Sometimes I op for the 442 and the Earl. This is fairly common for me in controlled social scenarios.
Medium risk scenarios:
Both my 442 and my Model 36.
“Higher” risk scenarios:
I use quotes around “higher” because I’m just going to AVOID a High risk scenario (duh). For “higher” risk scenarios, I go with my SW1911, Government model. This is what I carry when I’m going to be in uncontrolled environments, out at night, or anywhere around strangers, or I anticipate possibility for confrontation/attack. I also carry this whenever around anything vaguely or overtly political, because people are absolute irrational nutcases when it comes to politics. I can handle this platform in my sleep and I know this particular pistol of mine to be flawlessly reliable.
Special cases:
Woods, 629 or 686 depending on the particular woods and the particular critters I know to be there. I have a spear gun for the bath tub 😉 .
Wow – with all those guns and carry methods you must have the muscle memory of a god.
It is entirely possible for someone to be good at riding a bicycle, swimming, driving a car, throwing a frisbee, etc. etc. despite not doing it every day.
Same thing with guns. I haven’t shot my dads HR 12ga in 15 years, but I could drive over there and be just as good with it as the last time I shot it with very little effort.
Muscle memory is exactly that….to develop it with firearms doesn’t take as much as you think. There are hundreds of things you do every day without thought that are much more precise….thousands that you do every once in a while that have similar ease.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYvAxLX6OzE&feature=feedu
Guy admits that he was “practicing” with multiple firearms which contributed to his confusion and thus him shooting himself.
I’ve heard and seen this muscle memory argument verbatim as you present it on so many gun forums and from so many folks who shoot the shit more than they shoot their firearms.
First of all, the most lucid moments of my life have been those in which I thought I’d have to either escape or defend myself imminently. Luckily I’ve always escaped. I don’t really want to shoot anyone if I can avoid it. I’ve had these encounters more than once. In these moments I’ve known EXACTLY what gun I was carrying and how I was carrying it, and where my reloads were. You will find that just about any trained, experienced, and proficient handler of handguns who’s had incidents like this will say the same.
Also your link presented as proof that practicing with multiple firearms contributes to shooting oneself is moronic on two levels. More likely than confusing his muscles he was a clumsy guy who wanted to blame something for his accident. He blamed too much practice. Give me a break. On a more abstract level, proof by anecdote is a logical fallacy.
As far as the muscle memory argument, it doesn’t apply on the scale you are trying to use it in. For example I can play the guitar proficiently, put it down and pick up a bass guitar, and play that proficiently, and then put that down and pick up a mandolin and play that proficiently. Yes they vary slightly, but it’s the same idea and I’ve practiced extensively on each. Just like any DA revolver is effectively the same and any pistol with a thumb safety is effectively the same. Take yourself for example, if you have to run away from an attacker, do you fear you are going to trip and fall on your face because you likely “practice” walking and running with different shoes?
At the end of the day, how smart do you think you need to be to shoot someone who is attacking you? Morons kill each other all the time with guns they know nothing about and without any training or practice. Study security camera footage of shootings and you’ll get an idea what you are up against. Most guns are designed to be easy and intuitive to use.
In conclusion, thanks for your concern but I think too much internet forum scholarship has colored your views on this matter.
-D
“He blamed too much practice”
I’d have to watch the video again to be sure but I believe he said he was using a gun with a thumb safety before he switched to the gun he shot himself with – which didn’t have a thumb safety.
Obviously his mistake was having his finger on the trigger at the wrong time. However, based on his account the fact that he used two different guns with two different methods of operation contributed to the ND.
Now, none of this matters because he should have kept his finger off the trigger to begin with but… it does, perhaps, illustrate that you should at least stick to firearms that operate the same way.
For example, I carry and train with a Glock. I think it would be a mistake for me to start to carry a firearm that has a thumb safety because while I’m more than familiar with their operation, the safety might trip me up when I’d rather it not.
I suppose if you train with multiple carry guns then ok, but I still think there is a risk of confusion when you don’t want to be confused.
There is a saying KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid
And I do not mean to imply anything by that other than I think it’s best to Keep Things Simple. The less moving parts, the better.
Please tell me, in the scope of “multiple firearms practice”, which firearms is it proper to program a “muscle memory” for putting your finger upon the trigger before your gun is safely pointed at your target?
What if you have a gun with a thumb safety and your not used to manipulating such a gun.
I CCW carry only one gun in one holster: Sig P220R Carry model in a Galco IWB holster. I do this to ensure I can draw, use, and re-holster while only thinking about the situation, not how to do the practiced motions.
If I ever need to use a backup weapon because my carry weapon is disabled, I also have a Sig P220R full size to fall back on, which fits my CCW holster and hand just like the Carry model.
At the end of the day, how to CCW carry is up to each of us. I have no argument with how other people live their lives, unless they infringe on mine.
Having had permits in various states since about 1992, I have gone though several phases. 4 or 5 years ago, I decided that the adage ‘you either never carry a weapon or always carry a weapon. you don’t “sometimes” carry a weapon’ made a lot of sense, and since then, have probably had at least one on me or quickly accessible 98% of the time that I leave the house. I don’t typically pay attention to criminal protection zones, concealed is concealed. It is a commitment that requires special attention to clothing – particularly this time of year.
Those times that I leave the house without a firearm, I audibly follow Lt. Col. Grossman’s advice and say “Baahh” as I walk out the door.
The way I see it, the internal turmoil I would experience by allowing harm to come to me or mine because I chose not to be prepared would be far worse than the inconvenience, risk of printing, or inopportune discovery, etc. that comes with having the firearm.
100% of the time no questions asked
Does your work place allow conceal carry or do you just carry anyway?
It is hard for me to type this post because I am holding a handgun in each hand.
I can’t daily. I work on military installation and personal weapons are not only forbidden, it is a felony. Gives me concern, but I am not paralyzed with fear.
When I am traveling, I carry in the vehicle. I rarely conceal carry anymore. Too many restrictions at businesses.
Interesting comments here, with the candor I’ve come to expect from 2A folks. Where did I read recently that only 4% of CCW permit holders actually carry regularly?
I carry all the time, except at home and where prohibited by law (schools, government buildings and restaurants when I intend to drink). I even carry at church (God bless Virginia’s AG!) At home, there is a firearm on every floor (but out of reach or sight of the kiddies).
I’m an urban middle-class office drone. I’m not Jeff Cooper or ex-military or any such thing. I carry a Kel-Tec P3AT. It fits in my pockets, IWB, OWB, and it’s never an encumbrance and goes with all of my non-gunny apparel — tucked shirts, pressed chinos and the like. I used to think about upgrading to a 9mm or .38 until I realized the *only* reason I always carry is that it’s easy.
I say *make it easy.* Ignore the Glock chauvinists or the guys who claim if it ain’t a .45 you may as well throw rocks. A .380 or .32 is plenty firepower for everyday self-defense. Exercise your rights!
Any gun is better than no gun, you’re quite right. A .32 in the pocket beats a .45 in the safe.
I agree, I always carry my Ruger LCP.
It easily fits any pocket and is lightweight.
On small calibers, there was a time when it was common for folks to carry .22, .25, .32 calibers all the time. .380 and .38 special were considered “full caliber” for civilian use. You were really smokin’ if you had a .38 +p. I remember in the 90s all of the talk about he “wondernine”. These super powerful mythical beasts which punched holes through cars and daycares and cops and vests… Then in the early 2000s nobody would be caught dead with anything less than a .40S&W because the 9 just doesn’t have “stopping power”. Something happened in less than a decade which made bad guys bulletproof. Vitamins? Recently I’ve been hearing 22 year olds at one of my gun clubs talk about trading in their .40S&W for .45ACP because they don’t quite trust the stopping power of the .40S&W… Now ironically the kinetic energy of the .40S&W is equal or higher to that of a .45ACP, and 5/100 of an inch is not all that much increase in diameter… but gee wiz, the number’s bigger!
You make a good point sir.
-D
Van said “I want to have the option to carry if I ever feel like I really need to.”
That’s where I am at the moment also.
The third day of a training sequence I’ve attended was force on force using AirSoft pistols. One thing I learned is how quickly a situation can develop. In one scenario I actually had my hand on the pistol in my jacket pocket. I knew something was going to happen. However one of the opponents edged in close enough, probably around ten feet, to lunge at me with a training knife. I got off some shots but in an actual situation I would have been injured.
So I concluded that one has to work to keep a safe distance and that an effective draw from concealment has to be very quick. OWB carry is the fastest way that I’ve tried. That’s still awkward when belted into a car seat. There are wardrobe considerations too.
I don’t want to slide into some ‘fallacy of perfection’ argument about carry i.e. if something about it is problematic then it’s not worth pursuing. On the other hand CCW incompetently handled has the potential for making a bad situation even worse.
Since I’m fortunate to live in a statistically safe area I feel that I have the luxury of time to ponder my self defense competence. Should the proverbial SHTF hopefully I’ll be prepared to strap on the weapon and not put too fine a point on theory of it all.
Not often enough. If I’m not going to any businesses then I can carry. But look around my part of Ohio and there’s too many places with “no guns” signs. I would take my business elsewhere but the competition usually has them too. I appreciate the restaurant carry change in Ohio coming soon, but I know most restaurants will put the sign up, too.
By the way, the dude with the gun in that picture is screwed. That guy with the 8 – 12 inch blade is way too close already. The bad guy might have a few .45 holes in him after he fillets the good guy, but damn.
Eric, check the exact wording of your state’s statutes on prohibiting legal guns on private property. In my state, the law makes it clear signs need to be posted at every entrance. If a property owner doesn’t do that, s/he has not given sufficient notice. I respect everyone’s right to manage his or her property, but I bring this up because the most dangerous place in my city is a certain mall. I never go in there unarmed, and only do so because I am within the law unless a security guard asks me to leave or disarm (if I refuse, then it’s trespassing).
I’m retired now. I could not carry when I was working because I worked in a governmental office building–weapons forbidden and illegal. Nowadays, I carry just about everywhere I go. Admittedly, I don’t go that many places so it’s not much of a challenge.
Everywhere but work and church. I don’t carry where signs are posted no CCW. I don’t go to bars so that isn’t an issue. I don’t carry in Church because my wife asked me not to. Its one of the few things she’s asked me not to do.
The four tools in my personal protection “tool box” (other than my noggin) are a SureFire E2D, a folding knife, Kymber Pepper Blaster, and an XDM. The flash light and folder are always carried – sometimes in my bag, sometimes on my person. The pepper blaster is for times when I’m in buildings / locations where I’m legally obliged to give criminals a more than sporting chance. The gun goes most everywhere else.
I’m an office worker for a large company that doesn’t allow weapons of any kind on property (someone recently got in trouble for bringing wooden field tipped arrows on company property and leaving them in his car). And said property is in an area where it’s difficult to park off site with all four tools in my tool box, so it’s tough to accessorize at times.
Silly as it sounds, the biggest concern I have about carrying the XDM concealed is waiting for the day when one of my honorary nieces or nephews gives me a hug at dinner or a BBQ and asks what’s on my belt. Their parents know I carry, but they aren’t ‘gun people’, so they’ve never explained to their kids what guns are. Kinda like having a birds and bees conversation on the spot!
Or you could tell your nephews and nieces that it’s an adrenaline pump for medical purposes (IE. it helps keep you alive in an emergency). And then wait to give them the talk when they are older.
I carry everywhere I legally can (My last job allowed concealed carry, I hope my next one will as well). I carry a Kimber Ultra Carry II utilizing an IWB holster at the 4 O’clock like the guy in the picture (+ an extra magazine). It’s not always comfortable. I’ve noticed little wear holes in my shirts. I’m thinking of having my wife sew extra material to slow down the wear. (She also carries a Ruger LCP).
The assailant in the pictures is close. The guy with the pistol needs to be prepared to pivot his pistol and fire from his side, no time to extend his arm.
I carry everyday, everywhere. The only time I don’t is if I’m going someplace with a metal detector. As for businesses with No Guns signs, I’m lucky to currently be in TX. TX law is very specific and what the sign must say, how large it is, and must be in both English and Spanish. Anything that doesn’t meet the requirements of section 30.06 I happily ignore.
I change carry pistols based on activity and form of dress. The smallest is a Kel Tec PF9 and the larger one is a Taurus 24/7 in 45. I also have at least on knife on me at all times.
For those using the tool analogy a couple of points. First and foremost, you have to have a tool readily available to be able to use it. Second, a hammer is useful for other things besides hitting nails just as a pistol can protect you by other means than shooting someone. Before it is asked, I have a small bundle of tools in each vehicle for emergencies and a tomahawk in the truck. The tomahawk has come in handy cutting brush to put under folks tires to help give them traction and the back was used to hit wheel that was locked in place to be able to pull it off. So, having the perfect tool for an application doesn’t matter if it is sitting in your toolbox at home.
Is the statute really Section 30.06? That’s hi-larious!
The only place I don’t carry is in my office at work (due to a company policy they just implemented). My state does not have any of those crazy sign or alcohol served laws, so other than public schools, and government buildings, you can carry anywhere.
Everywhere. All the time.
http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=410706&CategoryId=14091
RF
Link no workie
Huh. The site’s dead. Lucky I saved it. Or not.
My home state of New Hampshire has very few restrictions on concealed carry and I carry every time I leave the house.
The only exception is work. My gun stays in my truck as my company doesn’t allow firearms inside the building.
I don’t know when I might need my gun, but I do know it will always be available to me.
If I’m outside my house, I have a gun either on me or nearby. If I’m going to a “gun-free” (aka victim-intensive) zone, my pistol is secured in my car, but other than that, between a CZ P07 in a SuperTuck Deluxe and Kel-Tec P3AT in a pocket holster or a Galco 2nd Amendment, there really isn’t any place I can’t carry due to the weight, size or carry position of my pistol.
When you guys leave your gun in the car, where do you put it? Glove box, under the seat? Actually, you may not want to respond to this in the event you don’t want to reveal the spot – I’m just wondering because I have to do it on occasion and am trying to find the most secure location.
Everywhere but in the shower, in bed, and in places that have metal detectors.
Saves the trouble of having to think about whether or not to do it. 😀
I can neither confirm nor deny that I carry almost everywhere in public. I don’t home carry, but I keep them close.
I carry every day. The only time I do not have a gun on me is in federal buildings and places off limits according to state law (although I hope for certain changes to that list.) Work allows me to carry. I don’t have shower carry (yet.) Certain times at home (late night, kids in bed) I place my firearm on the couch besides me. Before going to bed, I place my two carry guns next to me (one on the bedside table and the other in the table’s drawer.) They have a particular place so that I can reach for them in the dark and they are in the same spot every time.
My two EDC’s are my trusty 1911 and a pocket .380 and I choose which one based on my style of dress for that day. Sometimes I carry both if my clothes permit.
For the times when I approach a place that does not permit carry, postings have no force of law unless they can tell I’m carrying (hasn’t happened yet.) Most of the time I avoid such places. When necessary I have taken steps to allow me to secure the firearms in a safe manner in my vehicle.
The only states I’m allowed to carry in are all a good distance from my home state. I haven’t applied for my home state permit because I’m doing the reverse permit tango. I’m getting permits from every state that will give me one without having one from my own state. I now have Utah, Florida, Virginia, Arizona, New Hampshire and Maine. These six permits allow me to carry in 37 states and the closest are NH and ME. I just sent out my CT application and I should have their permit in less that sixty days, and then I’ll finally apply for my home state permit and the MA permit because MA won’t give me one without my state permit. I’ll then be covered in 41 states and the nine COMMIE wanna be states that won’t let me carry all suck and I’ll never go to any of them anyway.
Utah now requires you to get a permit in your home state (if they issue) before they will issue you the out of state Utah permit. It changes the first of the year I believe. If you had it before then your grandfathered in but I’m not sure how they will handle renewals.
“Note: If you are a resident of a state that has reciprocity or honors a Utah Permit/License you must have a permit from your state of residence to apply after 5/10/11 and renew after 1/1/12. If you are from a state that doesn’t issue permit/licenses to carry or does not honor a Utah Permit/License you can apply or renew as in the past.” Lucky for me that RI won’t accept anyone’s permit, so the new law won’t apply to states that won’t accept the Utah permit. Even though it works out better for me, this law doesn’t make any since. If your state accepts the Utah permit you must have your home state, but if your state doesn’t accept the Utah permit then they’ll give you one. This is a stupid law but it does work in my best interest. I used this link to get all my non-resident permits, it was really helpful and easy to do. http://www.handgunlaw.us/documents/NonResidentPermits.pdf
It does make some sense. States that have reciprocity with Utah (like LV and TX) were finding that residents were getting the Utah permit instead of their home state permit because the Utah permit is so cheep compared to their home state’s permit.
Several states treated to pull their Utah reciprocity if Utah didn’t do something to prevent people form exercising this… loophole.
I personally don’t see a problem with the new requirement (beyond the fact that requiring a licence/permit is unconstitutional). Ironically I had my Utah permit before my OR permit but that’s only because of the way training schedules worked out.
I don’t carry all the time, when I do it’s based on risk assessment. I work from home most days and carry. Most burglaries happen during the day in my neighborhood. If I go to the movies, I carry – we’ve got a few shootings a year at movie theaters in Philly. If there have been an increase in robberies or other violent crime in places I frequent, I tend to carry.
The rest of the time I generally don’t.
@Don
Google it. Ironically it’s really about being unaware of confirmation bias, which is the exact mechanism which is causing you to believe it is an anti-gun saying. To extend on your analogy, if all you have ever seen is moose, and have never seen a horse, you would likely call a horse a moose.
It might help if you read my comments before commenting on them… No matter what the origin of the saying is – in the context of a discussion about guns, armed self-defense, etc. it strikes me as anti-gun, anti-self defense.
The implication of the phrase in this context is that no one should carry a gun because everything/everyone will start looking like a target.
Oh, and I don’t believe I said Albright was anti-gun just that his use of the phrase made him come across as anti-gun.
You better not carry your car keys because everything might start looking like a car.
And no, I’d likely ask “what’s that?”
I’ve read all of your comments on this article, you seem to have something negative, absolutist and/or patronizing to say in response to anything anyone else says. Others are smart enough to ignore it. I’m joining them.
-D
you seem to have something negative, absolutist and/or patronizing to say in response to anything anyone else says.
Citation please.
I carry almost all the time, it can be a pain, gotta park on the street instead of the post office parking lot when I need to go, because I can’t even have it tin the car on govt property. Other than that I at least have my NAA magnum in my pocket, always better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
All the time. Who knows when I am gonna meet a friend on the road and he have his new .22 and me my shotgun?
Pull off the road a few miles, set up a wooden box and shoot the crap out of it.
Cop pulls up.
Hey! What are you guys doing?!
Shootin’ some targets officer!
Mind if I get in on that?
I love Oregon.
Do you live in the same Oregon that I do?
If it is in the West, yes. You are legal to shoot within the confines of any state forest.
I’ve been licensed to carry for about 15 years. But, it wasn’t until about 2 years ago that I committed to concealed carry. I mean REALLY committed. Nowadays, if I’m wearing pants, I’m carrying. It doesn’t matter where I am (unless it’s illegal, like a post office). If I’m legal, and I’m dressed, I’m carrying. It’s like putting on my watch anymore.
Just this week, I went on vacation in one of the few states that do not offer reciprocity with my home state of Florida. Furthermore, I had to connect flights at La Guardia. And, I have to say that I felt VERY uncomfortable not having my EDC. We rented a cottage that is a bit isolated, and I did not like not having a gun with me at night. Nope… didn’t like it one bit.
So, yes… I walk the walk. I cannot predict what will happen or where it will happen. But, I know it DOES happen, and it’s ALWAYS unexpected. I consider my EDC in the same vein as my seatbelt. In 31 years of driving, I’ve never had a single “accident.” I’ve never crashed into anything. I don’t expect to, either. But, I wear my seat-belt 100% of the time I’m in a car.
I also carry a spare mag, Fox Labs pepper spray, one of my Spydercos, and a Swiss Army knife. All different tools for different purposes. I no longer find it a burden to carry all of them, and I can do it with my work-a-day business attire, and nobody knows or notices. It all blends in. And, it’s all ROUTINE for me. I go about my daily business just like I always have (and did before I was licensed to carry).
Last year we had a rash of armed muggings throughout my area and I live in a very nice, quiet suburb of Houston. The assailant would hide next to someone’s home and wait for them to step out of their car with briefcase or groceries (or their child) in hand. He would then pistol whip them with a revolver and demand cash, credit cards and keys. This went on every few days for six months and happened first in neighborhoods near my own, then right down the street and finally to our mayor. The assailant was never caught but his crime spree ended soon after he mugged the mayor.
Since then I carry concealed every single day. During the daytime my firearm is in my OWB holster under my shirt unless I’m working at a client’s office and then it’s locked in my vehicle. When I step out of my vehicle at home it’s generally in my hand (yes I am now that paranoid). In the evenings it’s within reach of my easy chair or locked in my safe. I rarely open the front door unarmed and I practice my concealed draw and dry fire (for IDPA practice) every few days. I shoot every weekend and take my training seriously. I am an OFWG with a wonderful wife and four beautiful daughters and intend to live a long and full life. I talk the talk and walk the walk!
CZ P-01 everywhere, especially church. It’s on the floor on a towel when wife and I share the tub. She has the Kahr CW 9 chambered, at home, always when I’m not. When we both go out the Kahr comes too in a bag. (I have the permit, she does not.) We don’t go to movies, bars etc. I make a point of wearing it out in the front yard when I’m in the garden, and usually turn toward people walking up and down the sidewalk so they can see it. (MN is concealed or not. I’ve dressed spiffy with a tie and carried openly in grocery stores; I presume people presume, “Cop”) Vigilance is as important as being armed, maybe even more so.
All day every day. Except at work, of course. Then the gun sleeps under the front seat of the Crown Vic w/ a trigger lock installed while I’m inside earning a living.
Not much more to add. Don’t leave home without it. “It” being a 6906 or a P6 depending on whether it’s an odd or even week of the month. Gotta rotate your stock.
Have had my PA LCF (License to Carry Firearm) for 9 months and have carried a few times. Right now, for me, its about having options, especially if I have to travel into Philadelphia at night and I am not going to a pro sports event.
If I was so smart that I knew where I would have a problem, I wouldn’t go there in the first place. Since nobody is that smart, including me, I carry every day, all day, just in case trouble finds me. I check my gun in those few gummint buildings where I can’t carry, and I’ve never gotten as much as a sideways glance when I did. The gov in Mass is antigun, but the people aren’t. Ain’t that a hoot?
What did I do in the ancient past before I was licensed? I carried a big f^cking knife on my body, a hatchet under the driver’s seat of my car and a baseball bat in my trunk. The latter was just in case I was driving down the road and a ballgame broke out. Be prepared, right?
Always, every day, everywhere. Inside the house and outside in the yard. We don’t have any “no guns” signs to worry about in our town. We also have a lot of home invasions.
Right now it’s a Glock 19, sometimes it’s an XD, sometimes it’s a 1911, always OWB, sometimes I also have a LCP in a pocket or on my ankle. I will carry in a purse only when dressed up, like for a wedding.
Nearly 24/7. I can’t carry in church in Utah, and I don’t carry at the gym. Otherwise it’s there.
Some grabbers think the subordinate clause at the start of the second amendment (“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State …”) really means arms are for the government. I say horse puckey. It’s an obligation. We are the militia and unless we are proficient and armed (i.e. well-regulated) we won’t have a secure and free state.
Are the odds good that I’ll never have to use my EDC pistol? Yep. Could I live with myself if something happened to my wife or children because I was willfully unprepared to handle it? I don’t wanna know.
It is often overlooked that in this democracy we as individuals are the government, the militia, and the people.
I’m STILL in Illinois. I STILL cannot carry (outside of my home). If I did, I would probably carry on weekends and weekday evenings. In other words, anytime I’m not going to or from work. My company doesn’t allow weapons on the premises–I’ve still got my S&W “boxcutter” though–and I don’t like the notion of leaving a gun unattended in my POV. The POV discomfort is a problem. It’s not logical … My gun is just as unattended (even moreso) at home; but I’ve had a car broken into before. My house is, to date, unmolested.
Have you ever been in a car accident? Did you know before hand that you were going to be in a car wreck? Do the police show up while the accident is happening or after to write the report? Do you know when you might need a firearm to protect you and your family? In your home, the mall, youth camp. No person can know. I am responsible for my security and that of my family. I carry to be prepared for unseen situations.
Tell me where a motor vehicle accidents never happen and I will take off my seatbelt. Show me where violent crime never happens and I will take off my Glock 23.
“Intelligence becomes recognizable in those who, on the one hand, apply the quality of Conscience, adhere to Moral codes of conduct, and hold respect for the ’Rights’ of other persons–and on the other provide themselves with the tools, knowledge and training necessary to increase their potential for successful defense and survival.”
Gw.
That said, I personally own and lawfully possess a flashlight, Leatherman, Bic lighter, first-aid kit, fire extinguisher, cell phone and a firearm.
( no spare tire or tire-iron, I have Triple-A free towing. )
Key phrase, “Be Prepared.”
Should my conscienceless, immoral, rights-denying firearm ever assault me in a senseless act of ‘gun violence‘:- the flashlight is for illuminating the hole, the Leatherrman for extracting the slug, the Bic lighter for cauterizing the wound, the first aid kit for salve, gauze, tape and aspirin and the fire extinguisher for putting out the blaze started during the cauterization process.
( The cell phone is for a quick pic, you know, to ‘capture the moment’ and then for calling myself to see if I’m alright. )
What? CARRY a Fire-Arm? As in ‘KEEP and BEAR?
Naw.
I have a badge I wear 24/7–written in three languages, English, Spanglish and Slanguage, containing the universal ‘No Harm’ symbol ( the red circle and angled line with the unisex figure of person on their knees pleading for mercy. )
stating “Don’t Harm Me, I’m a Liberal.“
“Evil is an absence of Conscience, Hell a place devoid of all Reason.”
Gw.
I walk the walk *in ILLINOIS*.
I carry probably 99% of the time, accounting for places where it is illegal to do so. My 1911, my Fenix PD-22 Light, Multi-tool, and Folding Knife pretty much all follow me around on a daily basis.
Sometimes I’ll leave the light or the multi-tool behind if I don’t feel the need to have them, but my 1911 & knife are always there.
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