A couple of entries ago, I posted this. Lots of readers responded.
One of my favorite blogs, Tamara Keel’s “View From the Porch,” adds this.
I offer a hearty “Amen!” to Tam’s sentiments. A few months ago in GUNS magazine, where I’ve been handgun editor for 30-some years now, I had this to say on the topic.
As always, readers, your input is most welcome.
Mas, The only comment I can make to you and Tam is, AMEN! There is no better way to be safe AND not sorry. Thank You Again.
These articles, at least in my take-away, reinforces my minimalist view of everyday carry choices. I’ve stated in the past that my everyday carry criteria is a weapon that is lightweight and small enough to be nearly unnoticeable to myself or anyone who might attempt to detect it while on my person.
It jumped out at me, in one of the scenarios , that the homeowner was killed by an assailant armed with a .25 acp, while numerous superior weapons surrounded him (the home owner), but not “on” him nor accessible enough to protect him.
I have no beef with those who daily carry full or near full-size large caliber weapons for everyday carry. I did this for 34+ years per my job. After retirement, I had no desire to carry this bulk and weight any more. Thus my affinity for the small, micro-weight, modern pistols and revolvers. I won’t go into the pro’s and con’s of .380 vs. 9mm, 9mm vs. .45 acp. I just know that a 13 oz. fully loaded Ruger LCP doesn’t pull my sleeping shorts down, but a 1911 does.
In the same vein, I visited my new family doctor a couple of weeks ago. When he entered the exam room, I immediately noticed he was wearing an over-sized un-tucked shirt, with a noticeable bulge on the right side of his waist. I pointed out my observation to him, and he sheepishly admitted it was a pistol. He never noticed that I was also armed, albeit with a much smaller, undetected .380 LCP.
Maybe it’s cognitive dissonance, congenital foolishness, or watching a lot of fantasy video games but many gun owners seem to think they can anticipate exactly when and where violent criminals will attack them, and be ready to successfully defend themselves. That doesn’t happen in the real world.
If only my wife would embrace this practice. She has her concealed carry license, but as a substitute teacher, she talks like her students are around her 24-7. She is growing in her journey though and I can appreciate that.
Just to cover the area that no one seems to mention on carrying…..a ziplock baggie will keep your sidearm dry whilst getting clean. The gallon size will even allow a full size semi-auto to be fired while still in the bag. This does require a bit of adjustment to allow the slide to recoil. Experiment a wee bit here.
As an unintended consequence, the baggie will generally retain brass. This eliminates the hazard of high velocity, sharp edged hot brass zinging around you when you may be extra vulnerable.
Before someone calls the nice folks in the white coats, I used to work in some areas that were less than charming. A pistol stashed in a stack of towels can still gather quite a bit of moisture and require frequent cleaning.
And that goes for quick trips outside to the trash can or the garage to grab a wrench or some tie wraps. My pocket always contains a tool used to increase force, and I hope I never need it.
When I’m on two feet, I have a Glock 21 on my right hip. When I’m in bed, it’s on the nightstand. Never beyond reach.
Your article covered “stuff happens at home” and “if it’s on you, your gun is secure.” There’s one more reason I home-carry. The quick trip.
“I just need one item at the hardware store” or “My spouse called me to pick her up” or “I’m just going down the street to help a neighbor.” Temptation. “I’m already out of the driveway. Do I really need to go back and unlock the safe and arm up?”
Nope. Because my gun’s already on my belt.
I made the decision to carry a gun on me 24/7 (even around the house) many years ago for the same reasons you discussed in the Guns Magazine article. The gun is immediately available to me in the event of an emergency & it is under my control all of the time. Having a couple of other loaded guns hidden away in various strategic locations doesn’t hurt, especially when they are more powerful long guns, but for me, having something that is immediately accessible on my person is paramount.
Back in the 1980’s & 1990’s, I used to watch a lot of horror movies on video late at night on weekends in a darkened house for fun. It didn’t take me long to realize how short those movies would have been if any of the “victims” had been armed with a gun. I saw so many of them that I not only ceased to be frightened by them, but also I learned to anticipate what was going to happen next to the point where I could predict exactly what was about to happen (including false endings) about 99% of the time. This is excellent training, by the way, stupid as it may seem, because it opens your mind up to all the possibilities of ambush/counter-ambush similar to the way Shoot/No Shoot & Force on Force drills do. It gets you thinking about what you would do in a similar real life situation & what your vulnerabilities are, especially when you are walking through your own darkened house on your way to bed after the movie has ended. (Horror Movie Rule #1: NEVER go into a dark basement alone at night, armed only with a candle, under any circumstances!!!!!).
For those who would rather not watch horror movies late at night, I would suggest walking around your property inside & out looking for potential ambush sites, defensive positions, lines of fire, places to hide, exit options, & other tactical features while trying to anticipate the possibilities of what could happen there & under what circumstances something might happen. Is that paranoid? No more than planning an escape from a house fire or a tornado. It’s just common sense to prepare for the worst because if an unexpected emergency does occur, you are going to be so shocked & in such disbelief that you won’t have time to think about what you should do next. You can either automatically revert to what you trained or planned in advance to do, or you will suffer the consequences.
Now, getting back to the subject of Home Carry, I almost always wear a Glock 27 wherever I go, even at home. Occasionally, I will carry something smaller & lighter, like an LCP, for convenience or when I’m not feeling well. One trick I learned when wearing shorts with an elastic waistband is that it is possible to put on a belt & holster over them, even though there are no belt loops, to support my M27 when I take my dogs out at night. It looks kind of stupid, but it is very comfortable & it can all be hidden by a large loose fitting shirt, football jersey, or jacket. So don’t ignore the option of literally strapping on a gun belt, like they used to do in old western movies, when you need to.
I have a gun on, or within arms reach ALL the time! There is only one exception, when away from home I only carry where it’s legal. I don’t like it but that is the law.
Another home defense tactic we employ is to be hyper alert when you enter your house.
For instance when I unlock my door I don’t have a lot of packages in my hands, I keep my dominate hand free to draw and sometime I have my hand on the grip.
I also open the door and step back. I think a little distance will give you that fraction of a minute to react.
WR Moore et al: you may find the recent book “Armed Survivor” by Christine Hand-Gonzales interesting. Upshot: a murderous stalker attacked her in the shower; she now keeps a handgun there.
Things got a lot easier when I retired and can carry all day most times. At this point in my life it is a lot easier to decide, when I will not carry, than to decide when I will carry.
I can now wear jeans and untucked polo shirt/sweater as my basic outfit. Plus I do not like clip on holsters or mag carriers as they tend to come loose for me. Therefore, use holsters and mag carriers with loops, which take more time to put on and remove. Just much easier to put gear on jeans and leave there until need clean jeans.
We all have different circumstances and different phases of our life, but I believe important to adapt so have weapon on person as much as possible.
I tend to not carry at home, but this does not imply my being defenseless. While firearms are in a convenient location, so too are many other force multipliers. Some the wife knows of, others she does not.
While there is no substitute for a good blaster on your hip (no apologies for my nerdiness) having contingency plans is just as important as having available weaponry: A plan involving front door vs back door break entry (or even both), window entry (difficult where I am w/o a ladder) and even plans for “unconventional” exits from my own place. Each of them has been rehearsed and each has its own available force multipliers. Some even include falling back to the location where there are firearms, but not all.
In short, I would prefer to have a firearm in my hand when facing an intruder but if not someone will still be made very unhappy by his life choices and my response to them.
Mas,
I just read “Understanding the Gun Debate, Part 1.” It was exquisite, perfection. I even think you chose good language for relating to people who don’t know much about guns. If only more people would try to educate themselves.
I don’t think that there are any “one size fits all” solutions.
For some people, continuous carry (including in the home) is a good option. For other, not so much.
I don’t feel that it is a good option for me. For one thing, I am very limited in my daily carry because my employer absolutely forbids carry at work. Here is an extract from my employer’s written policy on the matter:
“DEFINITIONS:
1. Firearm – is any rifle, pistol, shotgun or weapon of any type, whether loaded or unloaded, that is designed, made or adapted to fire a projectile by action of an explosive, or any device readily convertible to such use.
2. Lethal weapon – is any instrument or object that is designed, made or adapted for the purpose of inflicting death or serious bodily injury, or any instrument or object that is used in such a manner as to threaten or be capable of causing death or serious bodily injury.
3. Workplace – is any location, either permanent or temporary, where an employee performs any work-related duty. This includes, but is not limited to, buildings and surrounding perimeters, including parking lots, field work sites, and traveling to and from work assignments.
POLICY: The possession or use of firearms and/or lethal weapons in the workplace is strictly prohibited. Any employee who has knowledge that any person (other than an authorized law enforcement officer) possesses or has used a firearm or lethal weapon in the workplace shall immediately notify a supervisor.
Any employee who violates this policy will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including Dismissal…”
They are not kidding about firing you for doing it either. Notice that this policy not only forbids carry on the job, but also requires all other employees to inform on you if they spot you doing it or, else, they will face dismissal too.
For some people, carry at home just means continuing to wear the gun after you get in from work. For me, it would mean being unarmed while at work and while commuting to and from work but then arming myself once I reach home. This seems strange to me.
If one has children or untrustworthy adults around, home carry does make sense. However, these things do not apply to me.
In addition, there are some other factors such as:
1) How much safer does it really make you? After all, it is not possible to be in condition yellow all the time. Everyone needs to sleep, bath and relax. If you are in condition white while at home anyway, how much safer are you really to be armed?
2) While we don’t like to think about it, spending more time armed must (unavoidably) increase the chances of a negligent discharge of your weapon.
Taking everything into account for my situation, I have decided that the best option is to not carry at home. Rather, I use my alarm system, locked doors and cached firearms to create a “safe space” which will delay a break-in or home invasion. This way I can afford to lapse into condition white and (hopefully) still have time to go into yellow/orange/red and arm myself in the event of trouble.
Nothing is perfect, of course. Some people can afford to live in a fortress with armed security around them 24/7. I cannot afford such perfect security but I feel safe enough at home to relax without “packing heat” while I watch the TV or take a shower.
If I were to carry inside a home, I would go with a shoulder rig. I own a Mitch Rosen express shoulder holster. It’s easy to wear, around a home, especially if I’m not wearing jeans.
I carry at home… not because I’m paranoid, but because I’m lazy. I put the gun on when I get dressed in the morning, and it stays there until I get ready for bed.
I never saw the point of all the take-it-off and put-if-on rigamarole some people go through whenever they pass through their door.
Jeff, in re: your wife being home alone with a susppressed weapon registered to you — I would strongly urge you to look into a gun trust, with her on the list of authorized people. Do yourself a favor and have it done by an attorney who has a specialty in that sort of thing. There are horror stories about people doing it on their own with a form downloaded from the Internet. Your local gun shop should be able to recommend a good lawyer for that.
In re the story of the home owner being shot upon opening the door,
I’m not sure that short of opening the door with a gun already pointed at the person on the other side, anything could have saved the man. Certainly not dozens of guns stashed around the house. If someone plugs you as you open the door, perhaps you shouldn’t have opened the door in the first place.
Maybe some highly trained special ops warrior could draw and return fire after being shot, but most are just going to fall down. Short of also wearing around the house a vest with a ceramic plate in addition to your carry gun, and pre-stashed hideout guns, what to do?
Lesson learned: Stay in condition orange.
This is difficult to do 24/7/365. But when something happens the average person is way behind the event curve from the start.The miscreant knows what they intend to do and your mind is off somewhere else dealing with everyday stuff.
I’ve had this happen to me a few times with random people suddenly appearing and engaging me in what turned out to be a ploy for a handout.
It could have been much worse and later, after replaying the events in my mind, I realized how lucky I was. The last time was in a dark motel parking lot as my wife and I walked to the motel front entrance. I’m afraid I somewhat terrified this person, but we walked away and the night ended peacefully.
Something similar happened to someone I know, a no BS, real deal former Navy SEAL (who never, EVER talks about it, let alone brags). The person who confronted him had a knife and it ended very badly with an ambulance ride for the would be mugger. Even at that the crook got off easy. Dick didn’t have a gun, he really didn’t need one for that event.
But I’m no SEAL, I’d prefer to be armed.
TN-Man, I disagree. I find it comforting to be in condition yellow ANYTIME I’m awake! Maybe it’s because I grew up in Detroit and have been shot at…….and yet
I’m comfortable that way, it has been a way of life since I was 15. Obviously, I wasn’t carrying then, but I was constantly aware of my environment, and a way to escape.
@ Mary Beth Robinette:
You are an exceptional person if you can remain in condition yellow during all of your waking hours. I know that I cannot. I have the gift (or curse, depending upon your point of view) of being able to concentrate entirely on whatever I am doing at the time. This means that anything upon which I focus tends to take my entire attention. So, whenever I am watching TV or working on my computer or reading a book, I tend to be oblivious to most anything else. By definition, I am in condition white. Also, of course, everybody is in condition white while sleeping.
Therefore, knowing that it is impossible for me to be in yellow during all my waking hours, I do the next best thing. I try to only slip into white when I am at home behind locked doors and with an alarm system active. I am counting on these measures to buy me enough time to snap out of white, arm myself, and be ready to respond. I doubt that the extra second or two gained by having the firearm on my person, versus being cached nearby, will be the deciding factor. The deciding factor will be having enough time to move to the higher alert status (mentally) in the first place.
Sun Tzu said that one must “know your enemy and know yourself” to obtain victory. My arrangements are based upon knowing myself. if you can remain in condition yellow during all waking hours, then home carry my be part of you knowing yourself.
As I said, there is no “one size fits all” rule. Each of us must operate based upon our known strengths and weaknesses.
By the way, I have been shot at myself besides being the victim of crime on more than one occasion. None of these things have changed my ability or tendency to mentally concentrate, however.
Rereading my post, it might sound like I was comfortable being shoot at, that’s incorrect. What I was trying to say is that I’m comfortable being in condition yellow.
My guess is that Mas is always in condition yellow.
One suggestion, if you have your gun just outside the shower cover it with a dry towel. Humidity is not the best thing for a firearm.
TN-MAN,
To quote you;
As I said, there is no “one size fits all” rule. Each of us must operate based upon our known strengths and weaknesses.”
You are absolutely right, we have to know ourselves and operate within those parameters.
My powers of concentration are decent, but not top notch. I’m easily distracted by anything going on around me. That’s a blessing and a curse, but when it comes to condition yellow it helps.
TN_MAN,
I must be getting ready for disappointment, because I feel a small dose of optimism entering my brain. It’s about your employer disarming all the employees, making the workplace a “gun-free” zone. Could a lawyer charge the employer with being responsible for the employees’ safety, since the employer has rendered them helpless? When the TSA or an airline disarms us, could a lawyer hold the TSA or the airline responsible for our safety, since they won’t allow us to be responsible for our own safety? Employers, the TSA and airlines have lots of money, so they may be juicy targets for lawsuits. This sounds like a job for Ron Kuby.
I guess the truth is, we can be disarmed, and those who disarm us will still not be held liable if we are attacked. Ah, now I’ve returned to my normal, pessimistic, Eeyore-like state of mind.
Mas, excuse this off topic post. If you have occasion to visit Chicago…Use extreme caution. The City is experiencing a major crime wave across previously safe north side area’s due in part to an acute shortage of Police. Indeed, carjacking and armed robberies are off the charts. Just last night, an off duty City Officer was relieved of a .38 by a robbery crew. Stay safe.
@ Roger Willco:
Sadly, with the twisted ethics enforced by the left-wing mentality, employers get praised, not blamed, for the creation of a “gun-free” killing ground for psychopaths and terrorists. If a mass shooting was to happen in my workplace, I am fully confident that my employer would not be held responsible for any part of it.
Quite the contrary, they would declare that they had taken the appropriate action to protect their employees from violence by trying to make their workplace “gun free”. The fact that the strategy failed would not be their fault. The real fault would be the deplorable excess of firearms in this country and the easy with which criminals and terrorist can obtain them. They would blame it all on “Gun Violence” in order to avoid accepting any blame for themselves.
It would all be written up in their “Press Release” to the news media. Of course, the mainstream media would eat it up and do nothing but heap praise upon my employer while simultaneously exploiting the tragedy so as to call for more gun control.
In other words, the twisted ethics of the extreme left would be again displayed and the news media would hold yet another “dance in the blood” of the victims. I doubt that we will ever see the day when someone is held responsible for setting up one of these gun-free killing grounds. We would have to see a completely different sense of ethics in this country and in the news media before that will happen!
If you carry openly when you are working outside your domicile, other people will take note. Word will get around, and miscreants will be less likely to bother you. Pacifist neighbors may also avoid you like the plague for fear of being shot, which can’t be all bad. You may also find that others treat you with the same careful courtesy that attended gunslingers of yore such as the famous Slade (see Mark Twain’s “Roughing It”). One rung above “Condition Yellow” is “Condition Chicken,” which is when you carry your piece in your hand ready for discharge. I assume this condition frequently when outside the house at night. I could actually be dancing with a predator before you know it, and I prepare accordingly. My 400-lumen Surefire LE is often a ready companion.
About “Understanding the Gun Debate”….decades ago Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowtiz did an article about “The Embarrassing Second Amendment”. He noted that while everyone seemed in agreement that the Bill of Rights dealt with individual rights. Yet, when considering the Second Amendment, it suddenly became a collective right. Logically, if the rest of the Bill of Rights dealt with individual rights, so does the Second Amendment. If the collectivists wanted it to be so, they needed to amend the Amendment.
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