Concealed Carry and Driving

From sales and the models of holsters advertised by the main makers it appears that most people who carry concealed do so in holsters worn on their strong side. Exceptions being pocket holsters, most of which are carried in the front pocket, not the back. Pocket carry puts one at a serious disadvantage while seated, and most especially when driving. You just can't access your weapon quickly enough in an emergency situation. Think about getting to your self defense weapon in your front pocket while you are sitting, belted into your car. If one is going to carry this way, it pays to have a second pistol that is readily available while in a car.

In my opinion, carrying a pistol at the small of the back is the worst thing one can do with the possible exception of carrying without a holster at all. Very difficult access - practically none if you are seated - and if you should fall or get knocked on your back, you'll have trouble getting to your gun even if you aren't paralyzed by landing on it in the first place.

For the purposes of this discussion, forget about pocket carry except as a backup. While driving, or seated either in a car or in a chair, the most accessible position for a holstered self defense handgun is in the cross draw position. Easy and unobtrusive access. No leaning forward or twisting around to get to that pistol at your 3 - 5 o'clock position (for right hand shooters). No worries about your elbow being blocked by your seat back or other obstruction like the wall behind you.

If you are committed to strong side carry, and still want quick and easy access to your handgun, my advice is to put it, or another handgun, in a Concealed Caddy by Bear Creek Holsters where it rides close to hand, concealed, protected and quickly accessed. Or, put your main, or second, handgun in a Remora clipless holster and carry it in the IWB cross draw position while driving.

The down side of this is that if you are using another handgun in addition to the one strapped to your strong side, you'll have to carry both or lock one away once you exit your car. Switching around guns when you get in and out of your vehicle is not a good idea for two reasons: one, you can be "made" more easily and end up explaining to a law enforcement officer that you are legal, and why you are doing that, and, two, you increase the chances of a negligent discharge and the possibility of shooting yourself, or far worse, and innocent person.

I think the safest course is to bite the bullet and carry strong side and hope that you won't have to get to your firearm in a hurry, or change your technique to cross draw carry (especially if you spend a great deal of time in a vehicle and or in a chair). I will often use the Concealed Caddy to keep my firearm off my person and accessible while driving, but I have to transfer it to another holster when I want to exit the car with my weapon on me. Not the best solution, but workable if you are careful.

Posted with Blogsy

The Trouble with Lasers

I have had the opportunity to live with a Crimson Trace laser sight for a few months now. It is the Laserguard model that fits my Ruger LCP. I can report that the sight works fine, exactly as advertised. It comes on easily when I grip the pistol. The light itself is bright and crisp, and so far, readily visible, especially at self-defense ranges. It's aligned.

It has been on and off of the gun a number of times. Now, it's back in the box.

At this point, I have two issues with the sight, one minor, one major.

The minor issue is a personal preference. I have found that I do not care for the "instinctive activation" feature - the button built into the grip section so that when you grip the gun for firing, the laser is activated. I've found that on many occasions, I don't want it on, and have to change my grip to make it go off, which plays hell with my shooting accuracy.

Some folks say, primarily on the gun forums, that they don't want to fool with turning on a laser when they are in a quick-response self-defense situation. This does not make much sense to me if the shooter has spent enough training time with his or her firearm and the laser. Most of us have the basic sequence down pretty well: access your gun, get a proper grip and draw, present and aim, define your target (don't shoot anything you aren't intending to shoot) and fire. Some shooters prefer to carry with a manual safety in the 'on' position, so swiping off the safety should become an integral part of their sequence. Putting in a simple button push, if desired, should be no big deal.

If a person is too hurried or panic driven to be able to push a button before shooting their gun, they probably shouldn't be carrying a gun in the first place.

The big problem for those people, and for those that are leery of a safety, is that they don't spend enough time training their motor reflexes to deal with those things. Drawing and swiping off a manual safety fifteen or thirty times isn't enough. You have to do it enough so that it becomes second nature - you don't think about it, it just happens. Every time. Same goes for actuating a laser sight button.

But the main reason my Crimson Trace is back in it's box has nothing to do with it's effectiveness or training to use it. It's because I am not going to duplicate my favorite holsters in order to carry my guns with laser sights attached. I have spent a great deal of time and considerable money on finding and getting oriented to a few good holsters. I carry different guns in different places, depending on conditions, weather and my mood for the day. I have IWB, OWB and pocket holsters - a number of each. Frankly, I can't afford to duplicate them. I'd rather spend the money on an SR1911 if I had it to spend in the first place.

A case in point - my favorite OWB holster for my Ruger LCP is my Bullard Bodyguard. It's one of the best holsters made, in my opinion, and it's not cheap. Dave Bullard has a current 20 week wait time if you want something not in stock. I'd do that, but I am not spending almost $100 on another Bodyguard that will accommodate my LCP with the Crimson Trace attached. Now, apply that to the other holsters I like, IWB and OWB for my other carry guns, and I could run up quite a tab in new holsters.

I had a conversation with a Crimson Trace representative a while back who admitted that their (and all makers of handgun laser sights, I'd say) biggest problem with sales was the holster question. Although many people like the laser sight concept, many don't want to, or can't afford to buy more holsters.

It does not have to be that way.

There is plenty of real estate exposed on a semi-auto handgun, like the Ruger LCP, when holstered. About one third of the slide area and all of the grip is exposed, leaving more than enough room for an innovative designer to create a laser sight system that can be user installed, easily actuated and would not interfere with a standard, existing holster. My belief is that the laser sight makers have so far taken the easy road, producing products that hang off the front of the pistol with enough bulk to easily accommodate the sight and battery. The attitude seems to be, buy a simple holster that will fit your gun with our without the laser, or buy a specially made one that will. Either way, you have to buy something else in order to carry the laser equipped handgun.

This is particularly onerous since the laser sights are made for and heavily advertised for self defense. You really don't want to carry a self defense gun without a good holster.

My challenge to the laser sight makers is to design a good sight that I can easily attach to my Ruger LCP, or LC9 or SR9c that does not require me to buy another holster, or holsters, in order to carry it for self defense.

I know they can do it. I just don't know why they don't....

Elsie Pea; Block Training; Police Chief; Lasers again

My Moderator's Logo from the old Elsie Pea Forum

Not too long ago, last year, the old Elsie Pea Forum (LCP) was sold off to an organization that runs forums. Many of them. The Elsie Pea Forum had grown to over 10,000 members and it was all five of us could do to keep things in check. We prided ourselves in stopping spam before it got started, keeping the atmosphere polite, if not cordial, preventing flame wars and keeping posters to the topic: no religion, no politics, no hatred. I will admit that there were times when this was trying, but if truth be told, the members themselves were very good about policing the forum and keeping troublemakers in line. If the members couldn't reign them in, the moderators did.

I was a big fan of Have Gun, Will Travel when I was as kid. I still think it was a TV show ahead of it's time, so I picked the logo, above, as my moderator calling card. I still moderate, but a much smaller forum where many of the Elsie Pea refugees hang out. http://www.compactcarryforum.com

Have Gun. Will Carry

Of course, it is more than that as anyone who has carried a concealed handgun for any time will tell you. Lately, I've been around the block more than once over dealing with the extra baggage that comes along with concealed carry. Like many of you, I have a drawer full of holsters (and I only have three carry guns), extra magazines, laser sights, night sights, special springs and recoil rods, gun safes, various cleaning do-dads and storage and carry boxes.

Now, the entire picture is complicated by my use and evaluation of laser sighting devices. Saving the topic of the utility and usefulness of laser sights on a concealed carry handgun for another time, one big factor became apparent right away. When I received a Laserguard from Crimson Trace for my LCP I was faced right away with the fact that, other than a Versacarry rig, I had nothing to carry it in.

At this point, over the last two months with the CT, I have had it on and off the gun three or four times. I do now have a Jeff Hays cross draw OWB holster, which is very nice indeed and works better than any cross draw holster I've found so far, and I have acquired a Remora with attached mag pouch for it. However, my other holsters, carefully pared down from many I tried that fit right, work right and will last a long time do not work with the Laserguard. Hence, off with the laser and, like today around the house, on with the Bullard Bodyguard and LCP.

Having a laser on my gun is pretty nifty, although the jury is still out as to whether a Crimson Trace or LaserMax will find it's way on one of my carry guns permanently. But not being able to carry it as I wish, in the style and quality of holsters that I require, is a big stumbling block. But, I'll report more on this after the LaserMax units arrive for testing alongside the Crimson Trace.

Block Training

I got an email, and later a follow up phone conversation, with a small group nearby composed of experienced former LEO and NRA Firearms Trainers who have come up with a very good idea. I call it Block Training. It works like this. They have essentially taken a general two-day intensive handgun and self-defense training class and broken it down into 2 to 2 1/2 hour blocks. This way a person can afford to begin improving his or her real-world handgun self-defense skills without having to pony up a few hundred dollars for the course, lodging, meals and a thousand rounds of ammo all at once.

I hope to be able to attend one of the first class blocks and report on this concept in more detail here.

Police Chief

The Chief in one of the local towns nearby is leaving after a long military and police career. One of the more interesting things he had to say was that he, along with many other in law enforcement, support the 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms. To walk the talk, he is planning to set up and conduct concealed carry classes in our area. Now, if you want to take one, it is at least a two hour drive, and if you don't want to wait until they get around to holding a class within that range, you can drive another hour or two. I'm looking forward to that and it's got me thinking about getting my instructor qualifications and helping out.

Lasers Again

I've already whined about lasers and holsters, so I'll spare you that. The update is that I am waiting on what I have been assured by LaserMax is a package with at least one laser sight evaluation unit, plus other materials. If I don't see it this week, I'll be following up with them. Once that arrives, and the snow melts and the ground dries, I will be able to get some range time with both models and have some  personal experience that I can hopefully translate into useful information.

Carrying Concealed: the first year

This post is primarily addressed to those who have recently received their concealed carry permits, or are within their first year of actively carrying. Welcome to a new world of increased awareness and responsibility. Awareness of having a weapon stashed somewhere about your person almost all of the time. Awareness of the idea that you think everyone else knows that you are carrying. Awareness that your weapon might not be totally secure in its place or holster. Awareness of your awesome responsibility to be safe and to stay out of confrontations whenever possible. Awareness that you possess access to deadly force. Awareness that innocent people can not be threatened or harmed by the fact of you having a legal gun and possibly being required to use it.

For those new to concealed carry, probably the overriding fact for them is that they have a gun on their person. It is natural to be constantly aware of the weapon - after all, it is not something that most of us have grown up with. A pound or more of cold steel encased in plastic or leather hanging off our belts, tucked inside the waistband of our pants or skirts or in a purse or briefcase is difficult to ignore under normal circumstances. It's always there. It pokes, prods and weighs us down. It bumps into doorways and cars. It is there to be felt when a friend gives you a friendly pat or hug. ("That? Oh, that's my insulin pump." Or, depending on the friend, you can say that's my new 9 mm semi-auto... Wanna see it? I don't recommend disclosing to anyone whom you don't have to that you are legally carrying. Once you tell someone, it is in the "wild". You have no control over who else will know... Not a good idea.)

It is a good idea to practice giving and receiving hugs, being an increasingly normal greeting in some circumstances, so that the other person is redirected from touching your weapon. I've found that some men friends will reach out and give one a friendly pat on the side, about where your kidneys are. Wearing a gun near that position - strong side carry on or behind the hip, a common practice for men - guarantees that such a friendly pat will find your gun. Then what? I've used the 'insulin pump' ploy before, but that's pretty lame and leaves the suspicion that you are hiding something. Which you are. I tend to favor a cross draw or appendix carry position when I know I'm going to be mixing with a lot of people to forestall the good old boy kidney pat, or the friendly females who are into hugging everyone. Once, when a male friend gave me a "hello" pat like that on the street and his hand banged into my pistol under my shirt, he looked at me with a quizzical expression. I just smiled back and carried on like nothing happened. To this day, I still think he isn't sure what happened, but I never admitted carrying, so he doesn't know for sure.

So, finding a carry position that works for you, and a good holster that you can depend on will go a long way to becoming more at ease with concealed carry. My experience is that you will end up with a number of holsters to suit different needs. For example, I recently spent two days traveling to another city, going to restaurants, hotels, stores, walking streets, visiting friends, in and out of the car and in a large movie theatre. I took two guns along. One, a Ruger LCP with a Crimson Trace laser sight, and a Ruger LC9, no laser. I had the LCP in a Remora holster, leather lined with an attached mag pouch. Since I carry this mostly at the cross draw position, this was an excellent package for driving, when I was not wearing a coat or sweater (it was pretty cold outside) and in the dark movie theatre. Slipped between my belt and waistband on my cross draw side, it is totally unobtrusive, comfortable and secure - there is a large amount of surface area with the mag pouch attached and this grips exceedingly well.

Even under a simple long sleeve T-shirt, it's not detectable, and it's accessible when sitting.
Other times, I changed to the LC9 in a D.M. Bullard "Bandit" which I use for either my LC9 or my SR9c as a strong side OWB holster. Being almost a straight drop (small cant) I can also wear this cross draw if I like. When I was carrying one pistol, the other was in my messenger bag along with my iPad, notebook and pens and flashlight. It's become my BUG ( back up gun) bag when I carry two guns. When I know I will be walking a lot and want more comfort with a larger caliber, I favor OWB holsters. Although I like cross draw for most situations, I have still not found an acceptable OWB cross draw for anything larger than a small pistol like the LCP.

Other people's awareness that you are carrying a gun
Unless you are sloppy and careless, or carry without a holster, or in an inferior holster that will allow your gun to fall out on the sidewalk as you exit your car, or on the floor as you bend down in public, or dress so that your gun and holster shows, other people will not know you are carrying. I frequently observe others in public to see if I can determine if they are carrying. So far, unless the gun actually shows by printing badly (once) or is exposed when they reach for something (once), I can't tell. And, considering where I live and how many people own handguns and permits to carry them, I am certain that in any sizable gathering, I am not the only one carrying.

When you are new at this, you will have a tendency to fiddle. Re-adjusting the gun and holster, which, after a brief time of carrying, could be the sign of an inferior or ill-fitting holster. Mostly, assuming you have the holster thing figured out, this is only the result of you being too aware of the gun. It is also a give-away to anyone who is looking for signs. If you think there is a problem with your holster or gun, head to a private area - stalls in a restroom are good - and check it out. And fix it. And, remember, that when you look down and see a small dent in your shirt from the end of the grip, you may know it's from the gun under your belt, but hardly anyone else does, if they even notice it at all. Just looks like another wrinkle to them.

Practice. Practice. Practice.Sometimes awareness comes from the sneaking suspicion that you aren't ready to carry, deploy and use your weapon. Comfort with carrying comes with carrying. If you have decided to do that, then by all means, carry whenever it is legal to do so. Not when it seems important or convenient, but all of the time. If you have to leave your gun behind, like going to the Post Office or Court House, invest in a cable-secured gun box, attach it to your car and lock your gun there until you return. Not convenient but better than leaving it at home. You can never predict when you will be confronted by a situation that calls for self protection.

Practice deploying your gun from your various holsters, quickly, efficiently, safely and properly. Needless to say, do this with an unloaded weapon, with no one else around. If you carry with the safety on, always disengage it a the proper place in your draw sequence. Even if it is already off-safe, it is good practice to swipe it off anyway. Do this while wearing what you normally would wear - shirt, sweater, coat, purse, etc. Do it five hundred times to be sure you can do it right the one time you will need to. Then do it five hundred times from the other holsters and carry positions you will be using. This is a good method to get you to settle on a limited range of carry positions as well as holsters.
Above all, practice drawing, aiming and shooting what you want to hit so that you can be certain of hitting what you aim at, and only what you aim at. Nothing else. In my view, there is only one way of doing this, and it involves a significant investment in time and ammunition, and, of course, money.
Shoot regularly and substantially. Invest in targets, ammunition and training. This isn't target shooting. This is self-defense shooting. Quick, but not blazingly fast. Deliberate, so that you engage the right target. Accurate, so that you hit an appropriately sized target area with all of your rounds. Sufficient, so that you can get two or three rounds into that target area before assessing the situation. (Even though you might be loaded up with eleven rounds, there is no need to practice shooting them all as fast as possible.)

There is a school of thought that a laser sight is a prerequisite, or great benefit to accomplishing good self defense shooting skills. I am in the process of testing this theory, along with a couple of laser sights from major manufacturers. However, my expectations right now are that a laser sight does not excuse one from bearing down and practicing solid self-defense shooting skills so that they are effective and come naturally. I expect that a laser, while offering certain advantages in some circumstances (I will have a better idea about this after I've done my testing and evaluations) will not substitute for the requirement of a significant amount of practice and ammunition expenditure.

To sum up, I think that awareness of having a gun on one's person is a requisite to being a safe and effective practitioner of legally carrying for self defense. The type and level of awareness changes and one gets familiar with the weapon, carry systems and responsibilities inherent in gun ownership and use. Always be aware, but be experienced, trained and effective.

Posted with Blogsy