After one decides to carry a concealed handgun for defense and goes through the necessary bureaucratic procedures to get the carry permit, and trains to become proficient, then attends more classes, or does some extensive reading and discussion with friends or forum friends, then decides on the ammunition that best serves the carry needs, schools oneself on the possible aftermath of a legal self defense shooting and, finally gets a few holsters that satisfy concealment requirements, it is apparent that the situation has become somewhat complicated. Like that last sentence.
Much energy, time and conversation is devoted to the accessories, guns, ammo, shooting and all that goes with them, but it is easy to lose sight of what brought you to this pass in the first place. That would be, at least for me, the desire to not go defenseless into the world, to be ready to stand up to evil and craziness where and when necessary. So, let me try to find the basics in all of that.
The basic requirements are, I think, these:
- Be armed where ever legally possible, all of the time.
- Commit to the real possibility that sometime in life you will be forced to use your gun to apply deadly force in the defense of yourself or others, and you will do this without hesitation once that situation is reached.
- Understand absolutely the legal and moral requirements incumbent on you who have chosen to carry a concealed weapon.
- Be proficient with your gun and particular with your ammunition so that you only hit what you intend to shoot.
- Choose a gun for defense in an environment that will most likely contain other people than just the bad guy(s). A .44 magnum is not a good choice.
- Use a gun that you will always carry. Again, a .44 magnum or other two pound massive pistol is not a good choice.
- Use a quality holster in such a position that you can get to your pistol quickly whether sitting or standing.
Assuming that one has accepted and practices numbers 1 through 4 above, there is still much dispute and endless discussions about the best defense pistol and how to carry it concealed. Much of this is really beside the point. It is entertaining and fun to get into these things, but, for real, my philosophy has boiled down to a few basic facts.
I always carry when legally possible with a gun suitable to the occasion, and in a position where I can access it quickly sitting, driving, standing or walking. This means it has to be in a cross draw or appendix carry position, or a shoulder rig.
D. M. Bullard Cross Draw Holster
I would guess that the majority of legal concealed carry permit holders, when they carry, use the strong side position. It's kind of become the sanctioned or "approved" way. However, I think it is not the most effective. Even worn at 3:00 o'clock for a right handed shooter, the pistol will not be as easy to get to when one is sitting, or, especially driving buckled into your car seat. Moving the gun further back to 4:00 or 4:30, or worse, small of the back, just makes it worse.
Cross draw, especially for a right handed shooter, is the optimal carry position. You can get to your weapon quickly from almost any position. The seat belt doesn't interfere in a car. It is easy to get your gun hand on or in close to your gun without drawing attention to that fact. The same goes for appendix carry (1:00 o'clock for the right handed) but a little more complicated if sitting in a seat with a back, but not as bad as a strong-side position.
Cross draw has gotten a bad rap over the years, even though you'll see many photos of the old lawmen and Texas Rangers wearing their pistols cross draw. Must have been a reason. These days, if you were open carrying, like most law enforcement officers do, this would certainly put your gun in an easily accessible position when standing face to face with a bad guy. However, for us, wearing concealed, the bad guy likely won't know you have a gun in the first place.
It's a good position to use if, for example, a bad guy is close to you and you suddenly have to fend him off with your non-shooting hand. You can quickly fend, or block with your left, stepping back with your right leg, which is a natural movement in a fight, quickly drawing as your body turns and as soon as your gun becomes level it's pointing directly at him.
There are other reasons for considering cross draw. I had pretty much bought into the often stated notion that cross draw was old-fashioned, unsafe and not as effective as strong side carry, until I read a long piece on it in Gun Week by R. K. Campbell. You can find it here: http://www.gunweek.com/2005/feature0101.html
Given his experience and his reasoning, I had to re-evaluate my opposition to cross draw even though I was initally attracted to it. I suggest you read Mr. Campbell's article and decide for yourself.
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