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Wanted to say thanks and share a thought.

2K views 18 replies 16 participants last post by  ruffinit 
#1 ·
I wanted to take a moment to thank you all here for sharing the concerns and issues you come across for those of us that are new to carrying. Thanks to some of what I have read here, I was prepared for a couple of situations that could have been problems. (the "neon sign" feeling among them)

I had something happen that I thought I would share so maybe someone else can "prethink" it lest it happen to them.

I was playing with my 4 year old nephew the other day and helping him sort toys in a closet. He was sitting on the floor and I was standing beside him bent over. When he went to stand up, he reached out and put a hand on my hip. Feeling something "grip-able" on my hip (my handgun) he grabbed onto it and pulled himself up off the floor that way. As he stood up, I thought "glad this is the one with the safety!". I didn't think that reacting where he could see me would have any useful outcome, so I didn't. I did, however, apply some thought to it.

It seems to me that there really isn't any terrible hazard to it as long as the holster covers the trigger guard, but for my comfort, I will most likely carry a pistol with a manual safety if I am going to be around the boys.

Thanks again!
Ruffinit
 
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#2 ·
Another option is a DA/SA pistol that allows you to chamber a round and pull off the first round double action where the trigger is stiff like a revolver and then the next rounds are single action. There are several of them out there.
 
#3 ·
My daughters know not to grab for it. Unfortunately they have not figured out how to not bang their head on it occasionally. Especially if we are goofing off. A good holster with the trigger well covered should be all you need.

Someone else's kid, I might not make a big deal out of an honest mistake. My kids, I talk to them and tell them not to touch it unless they have my permission and I let them. Holstered or not.

A situation I had last Sunday. My daughter was sitting on my right side at Church. She got cold and wanted to get close to me to warm up. She spent an hour trying to keep from leaning on my pistol. I could not really say, "Is the gun bothering you?" in church. Note to self, put her on the left side next time. OOPPS.
 
#4 ·
That's your choice...but a holster covering the trigger is going to do more than a manual safety to prevent an ND, IMO.
 
#10 ·
Teach the child that's a NO TOUCH - THAT has everything covered. If the child doesn't touch it, the point of what type of safety/holster is moot. Now, I DO firmly believe in safeties, secure holsters, covered trigger guards, etc. However, if a child is allowed to touch, they might touch in your absence and they are perfectly capable of getting around holsters and safeties. "I always put my gun up" you say? Children are regular cat burglars when it comes to getting into places. NOTHING is secure from a child. However, if it's in their mind, "If I dood it, I get a whuppin'." Then they're much less likely to "dood" it.
 
#6 ·
the trigger is covered int he holster so safety or not its not going anywhere...its not uncommon for my 10 year old daughter to hang onto me at the store or waiting inline somewhere and she regularly comes in contact with my gun...she knows not to mention it and i control how much contact there is just as you should be conscious of it yourself...it takes a concerted effort to remove a gun from the holster from in front of you so i wouldnt be worried about that...
 
#7 ·
I think that some of us on here worry about being "made" more than we should. The grip of the gun is not dangerous; I wouldn't have worried about it when it happened.

Heck, we are doing VBS this week at church and last night one of the kids who attended came up and gave me a big hug strong-side. (I'm the pastor...I get a lot of hugs) He was snuggled up right next to my EDC (Kimber Pro CDP II) and nothing was amiss. It was probably not the most warm and soft hug the kid ever had, but hey whatever. :)
 
#8 ·
Most guns will not let you engage the safety unless the hammer is cocked. I'd go with a DA/SA gun and continue carrying hammer down firing in the DA mode for your first shot.
 
#11 ·
In this instance I would not make a "teachable moment" out of the incident.

Why? I'll tell you why.

With your firearm properly holstered in a good quality holster the kid was never in any sort of danger by pulling himself up by your gun grip or your holster.
That is the actual reality minus all emotion due to the fact that a child was involved.

Since you are the Uncle and not a parent - no good can be accomplished by opening up a can of worms over a situation where no harm was done and your properly holstered firearm could not possibly have discharged.
Regardless of if your firearm had an external safety or none.
Not worth getting the kids parents upset over something that couldn't have happened and didn't.
 
#13 ·
Teachable moment! I like that and it s very true. :hand10:
 
#12 ·
Any time anyone touches a gun, there is danger involved for someone. To think there are times a gun isn't dangerous is dangerous in itself and that's how people are "accidentally" shot. The people involved and the safeties employed may mitigate the danger level, but it is always there. That's why, when a gun store salesperson clears a weapon from the display case and hands it to me, I clear it again. That's why, when I clean a gun, I clear it, then clear it again.

As we all know, the first rule of safe gun handling:
All guns are always loaded.
 
#14 ·
So you are saying that merely touching the butt of a properly holstered firearm is in itself a dangerous act?

Well, I guess that it would be about as equally and potentially dangerous as touching the handle of a razor sharp knife while that knife was housed and protected in a good quality sheath.
 
#15 ·
If you take proper precautions with your holster choice, it shouldn't be anything to make a big deal about. Since I have small kids, I like my OWB holsters to have a retention strap...more for the coverage than the actual retention.
 
#19 ·
My EDC at the time was a Ruger SR9. Striker fired with a manual safety. No hammer.

There were several reasons I chose not to say anything when that happened. That really wasn't the thought behind my posting it here, just that it surprised me and caused me to think about how to handle that and similar situations in the future and I thought someone else may benefit from my tale.

The reasons I chose to react by not reacting I guess bear mentioning here since it has become a topic.

First, he isn't my child. I don't know what, if any, teaching he has had about guns and I didn't want to cross any lines with my sister's child.

Second, I carry IWB exclusively. The trigger guard is covered by my holster first and then my pants and then my belt. I felt that the odds of him getting the gun to go off were something like none.

Third, the child involved is 4. And a young 4 at that. He had no inkling that he was touching anything other than my belt or maybe a phone. He took no visible notice of the "handhold" on my waist other than for the moment that he had a grip to pull himself up.

The final reason that I chose not to react where the child could see was that it seemed to me a similar situation to a child passing gas or swearing accidentally in front of adults. A reaction only serves to bring the child's attention to that action. Depending on the reaction, it can cause them to see it as a way to get attention.

What it did cause me to do, like I said, was think about how to prevent/address it for the future.

Around my younger two nephews, (the 4 year old and his younger brother) I will be carrying my SR9 so that I have the added protection of the thumb safety. I will also be paying more attention to keeping them from coming into contact in that fashion with the spot that I have my gun concealed. I am also planning to talk with my sister some time to find out what they have been taught so I am aware of that.

Around my older nephews, I can react and I will. I see them frequently as their mother lives in the same household with me and has them every other week. They have been taught from a young age about guns and have a healthy and proper respect for them. If it comes out to them that I carry, they will be reminded that you don't touch and also that you don't talk about it.

Thanks again to all of you that have shared stories and thoughts here on the board.

Ruffinit
 
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