Category Archives: Carry Concealed

Ego unchecked = Trouble.

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The few unlucky people that have been instructed by me, receive several mantras and the first one is: The first casualty of carrying concealed is the Ego.  When you decide to have a gun with you and to travel outside your home, you will learn to endure the verbal “slings and arrows” and that they are not there to right wrongs, defend maidens’ honors soiled by a mouthy sailor or to stop any petty (or major) crime in progress that offends your sense of order in society. In most localities you are not allowed to defend property and I do not recall one state where you are allowed to pursue and use deadly force against anybody once the crime has ceased.

We have this case in Detroit where a home owner, Tigh Croff, arrived home to find it being broken into and now he is facing hard time for chasing down and killing one of the perps. It was the third time that his house had been broken in during the same week and I am guessing he was incensed like anybody else would be. But he had a gun and an unchecked ego:

“He turned around and looked dumb. He had that ‘mercy’ look,” Croff told police after the shooting, per Detroit Police Sgt. Gary Diaz. “I told him he was gonna die, and I shot him.”

Ego, just like alcohol, does not combine well with firearms. Words don’t hurt, gang rape in the local house of detention does.

Killing the Drama Llama: Conceal + Carry = Survive

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If Top Shots is too “Reality TV looks at Big Brother significant Other Survivor married to Real Housewife of East LA who thinks She Can Dance”, you have an alternative on Spike TV. It is called Conceal + Carry = Survive.

According to what I read, it takes several people with little or no experience in firearms and trains them in their defensive use. Some are just people who want to avoid trouble and some were victimized and want to be ready if crap ever happens again.

The show is to air on July 17 on Spike TV. Set your DVRs.

And now back to my self imposed rest… I know, I keep breaking it but I think this is worth watching.

Miami Police: “He displayed Tombstone Courage”

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Three Bad Guys apparently got to dance with a modern Wyatt Earp and lost. According to Miami’s Channel 7, the miscreants entered Okay Auto Tire Service along Northwest 46th Street and Second Avenue in Miami, forced people to the ground with guns and owner Omar Rangel drew his gun, shot and wounded two of the three assailants.

But what I like the best is the comment of Miami PD Officer Jeff Giordano:

“He displayed tombstone courage this afternoon and fired upon the offenders,”

And that shows a departure from the old Police Mentality of “We are happy with the outcome, but people  should let police take care of things.” Times have changed quite a bit down here in South Florida. Police (rank and file) understands that Gun Owners are law abiding citizens with tons of patience and restrain when carrying a concealed weapon.  And they are also painfully aware that they can’t protect everybody no matter how much they wish it.So, To Miami Police: thank you for breaking the mold.

Gun ownership works. Taking responsibility for one’s protection works. Crime did not pay for those three idiots. And to Mr. Rangel, Que  Dios lo Bendiga. (May God Bless.) you kept yourself, your workers and clients safe today.

Pocket Carry… Finally and never again.

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Today I decided to do a Pocket Carry as if it was my normal everyday carry. The few times I have carried the wife’s Rossi R46202, it was in an El Paso Saddlery Snap-Off holster: or if it was a quick run to the local Farm Store drive -thru for a gallon of milk, the gun was on my vest pocket.

Today I had to go out to the doctor for a quick “help my back is killing me” visit and after a stop at Lowes for jigsaw blades. I chose a pair of relaxed fit jeans that had deep pockets but not too wide and the gun fit perfectly. No turning or twisting and enough space for my paw to get to the gun with some modicum of speed and control. Since I do not have reloading strips, I chose to take 2 speedloaders by Safariland: a COMP-1 that went into my right vest pocket and a COMP-3 that went into the depths of my left pant’s pocket.  I use both in my IDPA matches so I am quite comfortable with their operation and I know they are fast and reliable.

OK, why the vest if I was doing Pocket Carry? I have worn vests of many different kinds since I was 17-18 so everybody that knows me is used to see me with one. I also have to admit the vest has become my man-purse. Other than a knife and a bandana, I do not carry anything in my pants pocket; my vest as everything a Modern Tactical Urbanite (I gotta copyright that one) should have. I get home, shed my vest and hang it and I am done; I need to get out, I don my vest and I am almost ready. Ta-da!

OK, back to the Pocket Carry. My first disappointment and Duh! moment came when I jumped (read:slithered slowly and painfully) into the truck’s seat and realized there was no way in hell I could reach for the gun in case of emergency or carjacking. That right there killed the whole project for me.  Still I decided to go on and see if I could find the good in it and I did. Pocket Carry is less stressful on the lower back, specially on ones in pain. I have a very comfortable pancake holster for everyday carry, but even that sucker was bothersome during the last couple of days. Point for Pocket Carry. At the doctor’s office I was able to sit down on the chairs with arms without fear of getting stuck but again, no way to access quickly the gun if SHTF. During examination I was asked why I was not carrying my gun today and I smiled. Even dropping trou was not an issue (I know, TMI) and the doctor did not have a clue I was armed. Point for Pocket Carry.

After leaving the doctor’s office (BTW located in a Gun Free Zone which gets ignored. I love Florida!) I proceeded to the local Wally World to fill my prescriptions and then to Lowes and in both places there were no awkward looks, whispering and fingerpointing at the bulk in my pocket. I did find myself walking with my hands in both my pockets without thinking and the right hand on safely the gun. I am guessing not being used to carry like that made me a tad nervous and wanted to have fast access which is amazing since my brain ain’t usually that bright.  After that, I just went home and again i was blessed I did not have to use deadly force.

Conclusion: Pocket Carry is comfortable and I imagine even more so if done with one of the smaller pocket autos.  Personally, barring back pain, not being to able a cover garment or other unusual situation, I will not make it my main way of carrying a gun. The car thing is a deal killer IMHO and I like having the easiness to access my weapon fast and from a holster. Again, it is my choice and might not be yours as long as you know what you are doing and carry right. And it beats being armed with nothing!

Mumbai: I wish I’d had a gun, not a camera.

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Mumbai photographer: I wish I’d had a gun, not a camera. Armed police would not fire back

This a headline and pictures that are been published around the world. Terrorist attacking the  Chatrapathi Sivaji Terminal railway station in Mumbai, India, doing their deed completely unchallenged and the the sad lament of the photographer who realized he could do nothing more than being a good witness instead of stopping the massacre.

Although we hope an attack like this never happens in the US, the sad truth is that we cannot depend on hope and wishful thinking. And we cannot depend on government to save our lives. The terrorists in Mumbai initially targeted anything that was uniformed or visibly carried a weapon and then started on the civilians so the government sponsored “protection” was neutralized at the beginning of the attack. The rest was just a literal excursion into finding the most appropriate/desirable/random victim to be executed on the spot.

When I saw the first picture, my first reaction was of surprise at how nonchalant the terrorist were behaving. But it makes sense when you realize that they were unopposed in a target-rich environment. The second thought that went through my mind was: “Shooter, Do you understand the Course of Fire? Shooter ready, Stand By! (beep).”

For the benefits of those who got lost in the last sentence, that expression is the final questions & warnings that an IDPA shooters hears at competitions just before engaging targets.  And although we shoot paper targets that do not shoot back and these idiots were carrying & shooting AKs, they were easy prey for any IDPA, IPSC, ICORE, SASS or any competition shooter with barely six matches under his or her belt.  Somebody with a basic training in sidearms could have stopped two islamofacist in their unholy tracks.

Yet we hear that our leaders want to make all areas of mass transportation Gun Free Zones and not just those deemed sterile by federal law. In other words, they want to increase the tract of unprotected, target-rich environment for terrorists under the pretense on making us safer. If they have not figured out with Mumbai that those regulations beacons that attarct the criminal and the derranged, we will be facing many more of these government-sponosred massacres in the future.

Open Carry, Open Warfare.

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Let me make this clear: I will never Open Carry out on the street. I think from a self defense standpoint is dumb as wet crackers for caulking and I open carry only in 2 places: At the range and at home.  That out of the way I want to address the issue within the gun community known as Open Carry = Stupidity. If Open Carry is legal in your state and you want to do it, fine with me since it is your right, God Bless and you will have my support 100% because it is your right. What is royally pissing me off is the name-calling and infighting of some in the Concealed Carry against Open Carry bands and the obvious responses from the Open crowd.

Let’s be clear about Open Carry. It is not the question of tactically sound practices but of Civil Rights and to oppose Open Carry just because it makes your inner Black Nylon Ninja cringe is not reason enough to oppose it. Actually you are no better than Chuck Schummer or Sarah Brady when you voice your “tactical” concern. If you oppose Open Carry you are just pulling a Jim Zumbo by badmouthing on our right.

The Chicken Littles are eager to point out that Open carry is scaring normal people and that results in police interventions and bad press for the cause. That sounds pretty much like people complaining about niggers interloping with the withe folks in common areas exclusively reserved for Whites. Yes I make it sound bad because it is that bad and this is no time to be pulling punches about it. We must support all Law Abiding Citizens’ choice of weapon and methods of carrying just as we must support the First Amendment rights of every Che, Barrack and Pelosi out there no matter how disgusted we could become.

That is not to say that some in the Open Carry crowd are without sin. I have seen in forums the glee which some OC people have in confronting Law Enforcement and making them look bad in their ignorance of the law. This is very counterproductive for us too and I believe it will erode the confidence of the rank & file police officer that was either with us from the beginning or came around after realizing that CCW was not such a dumb idea and figured out that those citizens were not only the least of their problems but supporters of LEOs.

So boy and girls on both sides of the carrying issue, CHILL!