National Veterans Carry Permit

While visiting New Mexico from Colorado recently my wife and I had the opportunity to attend a performance at the Santa Fe Opera. It is a nationally recognized venue, which you can also see in the final scenes in the movie Crazy Heart. As I stood overlooking the opera grounds at the hundreds of people there, I wondered who among the crowd was legally carrying a concealed pistol. It being New Mexico, I figured the odds for concealed carry, legal or otherwise, were pretty good.

A Colorado concealed carry permit is recognized by the state of New Mexico, and vice versa. While this is a good thing between neighboring states, there are differences in the conditions under which one may legally carry in different states, and it is the responsibility of the person with a permit to know and abide by those different requirements. For example, I keep a list of restaurants in Taos and Santa Fe, the two towns I am most likely to visit, in which concealed carry is permitted. In New Mexico, a restaurant that gains more than a certain percentage of its income from the sale of liquor is not one in which legal concealed carry is permissible. Not being able to compute that percentage myself, I rely on the list of those restaurants that are considered by the state to comply with that requirement. Before going to an eatery, I check the list I keep stored on my iphone.

Yes, this is a minor pain, but it is my responsibility to comply with the state law. But, the real pain is that permits are not valid in all states. Twenty different states may consider my carry permit to be valid, but the rest may not. Although I pass the background check and that's considered good with some states, it is not with others. The chances are good that I would also meet their permitting requirements, but I'd have to either live there, or apply in absentia. Not all states permit this.

If I were a Federal employee with the right and requirement to carry a concealed weapon and did so, after satisfying the necessary requirements, I would be able to legally carry in all states. If I were an active member of the armed forces with those same requirements and obligations, the same would hold true. But as a citizen of the United States as a whole, but residing in only one of the states, I don't have that right. Being an honorably discharged veteran of the United States Navy, surely one of the most ancient and federal of government organizations, and who was expected to be armed when and wherever necessary to defend the Constitution, I think that right should not be surrendered upon the honorable discharge of a veteran who would still qualify under a state requirements.

In other words, if an honorably discharged veteran of the American armed forces desires to legally carry a concealed weapon, and can pass a standard background check for that purpose, that person should be entitled to carry in any state in the Union, regardless of the vagaries of state law. I can carry legally in Colorado. Yet, when I travel to New York to visit family, I am not allowed to carry my weapon, concealed or otherwise. I am an honorably discharged Navy veteran, trained and experienced in weapons and weapons systems by the Navy, sanctioned by the State of Colorado to carry, yet, somehow in New York, all of this goes by the wayside and I am prohibited from exercising those rights.

I think it is time that all honorably discharged veterans of America's armed forces be able to apply for and receive, with appropriate and timely background checks, a concealed carry permit that is valid in all fifty states. I am going to continue to promote this idea on this blog and in communicaitons with all of my elected legislative representatives and to the White House. I am not a criminal. I am not unstable invididual, liable to go suddenly insane for no reason. I served honorably for eight years, most of that during the Viet Nam war. now, as a citizen and resident of Colorado, having passed the necessary background checks, I am licensed to carry a concealed weapon. I see no reason why I, and other veterans who meet those basic qualifications, should be discriminated against and prohibited from excercising that right in all states.

I will be asking for and promoting what I am calling the National Veterans Carry Permit law, to be passed by Congress and signed by the President which will allow qualifying veterans to exercise our Constitutional right to be armed in all fifty states of the Union.

I hope you will join me.

If you support this idea, or have constructive criticisms and ideas for improvements and support, please comment here or send me email at eindecker@gmail.com with your ideas.

As regular readers will know, I often review holsters and other gear on this blog. I would like to pass some of this forward to those who have constructive comments and feedback about the National Veterans Carry Permit (NVCP) proposal. I will choose the most interesting and helpful comment or idea every few weeks, post that here for others to read and consider, and send a piece of gear from one of my reviews to that person. The first award will be a new cargo pocket holster from SwapRig Holsters.

Let me hear from you. Even if you don't like the idea, let me know, but be real, cite evidence to back up your objections so that we can evaluate them in a mature way.

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Lobo Gun Leather Offset Belt Clip IWB Holster

Lobo Gun Leather IWB Offset Holster

A few months ago I received a new Offset Belt Clip IWB Holster for my Ruger SR9c from Ray Cory. I posted an introduction to Ray and his advice from many years of law enforcement experience here: http://sdcarry.blogspot.com/search/label/Lobo%20Gun%20Leather

I have had the opportunity to use his  offset IWB holster for two different, albeit, similar guns. Ray made this holster for my SR9c and it performed as advertised for that task – securely and comfortably with a high enough ride to ensure the grip on the pistol was available for a fast and secure draw. Ray uses rather thin and flexible leather for this holster, cowhide in this case, not horsehide which I understand is stiffer than cowhide for the same thickness. While adequate for the Ruger, I personally would not have wanted to go with thinner leather, but I did enjoy the resulting comfort of the holster.

I no longer have the Ruger SR9c.  The Smith & Wesson M&P Shield is now my main carry gun. Curious about how this holster might work with it, I tried the Shield in Ray's holster designed for the Ruger and found it is almost a perfect fit. There may be a fraction of an inch extra on the slide shield, but if you didn't know the holster wasn't made for the Shield, you would never guess. The positive thing for me is that with the Shield's lighter weight, the holster feels just right. Not to stiff, not too flexible. The comfort is still there as is the excellent positioning of the grips above the belt line. And, the offset clip, riding behind the bulk of the pistol in the holster, keeps the profile slim and makes it even for concealable.

Sometimes too much is made of a holster's ability, or lack of it, to enable easy one-handed re-holstering of a firearm. There are times and activities in which this is a good thing to have in a holster, for example during practice sessions or at the range, but for a self defense carry gun and holster, I don't think it is a necessary feature. When I carry in public, the gun stays in the holster, and will do so unless the time comes for me to produce it. I doubt if I will be required to re-holster later without the aid of my other hand or eyes. Your opinion may differ.

So, for a good, well made and comfortable holster at a reasonable price, take a close look at Ray's work on his site: http://www.lobogunleather.com/1_home

kytex. Yes, kyTEX, not Dex...

Kytex Gear Ruger LCP .380 magazine belt holder

There is this company called: Kytex Gear, at http://www.kytexgear.com  They make, well, shooting gear from kydex. Now, lots of people have outfits that produce kydex shooting stuff: holsters, magazine carriers, flashlight holsters and the like. Most of them are pretty good. It's hard to screw up moulding and trimming kydex, although it can be done. Most of these products are pretty standard. Some kydex products are, however, much better and more innovative in ways that work, than others. Innovation is fine, but innovation must result in improvement and enhancement solutions before it is innovation with value.

Brian, owner and designer of products at Kytex Gear has made, produced and sells what I think are the most useful and innovative semi-automatic handgun magazine carriers around. I have reviewed these mag carriers here, last year. As I said then, I like to be critical of shooting products, especially those intended for people who conceal carry for self defense, for that is a serious business and one in which corners should not be cut. I received a Kytex Gear mag carrier for my Ruger SR9c double-stack 10 round magazine. Which also works fine for the 17 round magazine I might add.

There are no bolts, brads or washers involved, just an efficient, three-dimensional little piece of functional artwork that wraps around the magazine and folds over into the belt clip. Nothing there that doesn't belong. The belt clip has these little ears that serve to hold it securely, and, surprisingly, aid putting it on and getting it off. I routinely clip it on with one hand and unclip it with one hand, but it always stays in place.

Now, in testing gear there is always the 'honeymoon' period when it's new and cool and neater than cold beer on a hot day. But, with time and use, the picture often changes. That comfy holster isn't so comfy after a ten hour car and shopping trip, or a long sit at the movies. The ergonomics aren't so hot when you discover that the holster, for example, puts the gun's grip in such a position that it hangs up on the chair at the diner, almost prying the pistol out of the holster and flipping it on the floor. Maybe that new mag holder continually pokes you in places you don't want to be poked in.

Since I got my Kytex Gear SR9c mag holder last year, I have also been using two Kytex Gear .380 mag holders for my LCP. These are little jewels. I clip 'em on, slide them where I want them and, really, forget about them. Always there. Never aware. They work as they are designed. Every time.

Once, I snagged my SR9c mag holder with magazine aboard, on the side of a door. Wasn't my fault, it was an accidental collision with another person. Result, the belt clip on the Kytex mag holder bent out at about 30 degrees. Hmmm... A quick note to Brian and a short session with my daughter's hair dryer to heat up the clip area, I bent the clip back into position. Works fine again and has never bent or cracked. I'm thinking it's indestructable.

So, a year later, the big double-stack mag holder and the small .380 holders are part of my everyday carry system. The holsters I choose may vary with the season, gun and clothing, but the Kytex Gear mag holders are always there. Good stuff.

Swimming Pools, Cars and Guns

I recently read an article about studies showing many people who understand the facts and science that underly certain issues still will not believe the facts if the facts contradict their personal beliefs. The Anti-Vaccination crowd is one example. Even though it is clear that vaccinations prevent many, many childhood diseases, the anti-vax people refuse to believe this fact. I think the same thinking, or lack of it, pervades the anti-gun people. Below are a few facts from the Center for Disease Control website:

• From 2005-2009, there were an average of 3,533 fatal unintentional drownings (non-boating related) annually in the United States — about ten deaths per day. An additional 347 people died each year from drowning in boating-related incidents.2
• About one in five people who die from drowning are children 14 and younger.2 For every child who dies from drowning, another five receive emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries.1
• More than 50% of drowning victims treated in emergency departments (EDs) require hospitalization or transfer for further care (compared with a hospitalization rate of about 6% for all unintentional injuries).1,2  These nonfatal drowning injuries can cause severe brain damage that may result in long-term disabilities such as memory problems, learning disabilities, and permanent loss of basic functioning (e.g., permanent vegetative state).3,4
• Children ages 1 to 4 have the highest drowning rates. In 2009, among children 1 to 4 years old who died from an unintentional injury, more than 30% died from drowning.1,2  Among children ages 1 to 4, most drownings occur in home swimming pools.2 Drowning is responsible for more deaths among children 1-4 than any other cause except congenital anomalies (birth defects).1 Among those 1-14, fatal drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death behind motor vehicle crashes.1

So, from the above information it is clear that two children die each day from drowning, mostly in a family swimming pool. Those who are lucky enough to survive, may not be so lucky because of the terrible after effects. The last point above indicates that the next greater killer of young people are "motor vehicle crashes".

There is, then, a proven record of the killing of innocent children through the negligent care and operation of the family swimming pool, followed closely motor vehicle crashes. Given the emotional reaction of the anti-gun people who demand an end to gun ownership in this country when "gun violence" (regardless of the type: suicide, gang shootings, robberies, holdups, drug gangs, etc.) is in the news, I used to wonder why the same uproar, or bigger, did not emerge with the reporting of all this deadly mayhem in our nation's swimming pools and on the roads.

Ban swimming pools? Not likely. Keep children out of motor vehicles. Fat chance...

I think the answer lies in the fact that most people who do not understand guns, were not raised in an environment in which guns are owned, cared for, respected and used responsibly, are unreasonably fearful of them. Gun = bad. Gun owner = potential evil person.

Rationality doesn't work when dealing with an anti-gun person. What I basically end up telling any that I have occasion to talk with is that gun ownership, and the right to carry, is a civil right and they have no business trying to take my civil rights away. It's their choice to exercise those rights or not. But, their ignorance and fear does not trump my civil rights.

Someone recently said that seeing someone change their minds in the midst of a discussion about beliefs or strongly held opinions was about as likely as seeing a supernova explode overhead. I believe this is true. I don't try to change minds about this any longer. I just point out that my Constitutional right to keep and bear arms is mine, I wore a Navy uniform for many years to support those rights, and I refuse to allow their fear and ignorance to take them away.

I know that there are many commentators and pro-gun writers who advise us not to use the Constitutional right argument, but I think they are wrong. You won't be able to change someone's made-up mind. Experience and a traumatic experience might, but your arguments won't. I think it is proper and effective to stand up for our civil rights and be publicly supportive of them, not to hide this fact because it won't change minds. I don't think it is my job to change minds about this but to support the maintenance and expansion of those rights. I hope you do too.