DefensiveCarry Concealed Carry Forum

DefensiveCarry Concealed Carry Forum http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/ We are a concealed carry forum for those legally permitted to carry a concealed weapon or those interested in concealed carry. en Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:58:13 GMT vBulletin 480 http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/images/misc/rss.jpg DefensiveCarry Concealed Carry Forum http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/ TN: Idiot Judge strikes down restaurant carry law http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/second-amendment-gun-legislation-discussion/91335-tn-idiot-judge-strikes-down-restaurant-carry-law.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:51:29 GMT

Quote:

Nashville Tenn. (AP) - A judge ruled Friday that a new law allowing handguns in Tennessee bars and restaurants is unconstitutional.

Chancellor Claudia Bonnyman said the law, enacted earlier this year over the veto of Gov. Phil Bredesen, is "fraught with ambiguity."

She ruled after an hour of arguments in a suit brought by a group of Tennesseans, many of then restaurant owners. The law allowed handgun permit holders to take their weapons into places serving alcohol, providing the establishment makes more than 50% of its profits from food.

There was no immediate word from attorneys for the state about an appeal.

The measure took effect July 14. Thirty-seven states had similar legislation at the time.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/D4...w+struck+down+

Once again, Tennessee shows its stupidity when it comes to common sense.

I would like to ask the morons who brought the suit, "Where are the drunk permit holders who have shot up all these bars and restaurants since the law went into effect July 14th? Where are these streets that would run red with blood? ]]> TN_Mike http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/second-amendment-gun-legislation-discussion/91335-tn-idiot-judge-strikes-down-restaurant-carry-law.html Any way for GA resident to CCW in SC? http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/concealed-carry-issues-discussions/91332-any-way-ga-resident-ccw-sc.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:59:44 GMT I have scanned through the laws, the forums, the handgunlaw.us and as far as I can tell, there is no way for me to legally carry in South Carolina. I live on the state line in Georgia and often have business there so it would be very beneficial to carry. If I have read properly, SC will only grant a non-resident permit if you still own property in SC but reside in another state. Also, they do not honor any other state non-resident permits. So, short of buying property in SC which I am obviously not going to do, have I missed anything that would qualify me for a permit? I have scanned through the laws, the forums, the handgunlaw.us and as far as I can tell, there is no way for me to legally carry in South Carolina. I live on the state line in Georgia and often have business there so it would be very beneficial to carry.

If I have read properly, SC will only grant a non-resident permit if you still own property in SC but reside in another state. Also, they do not honor any other state non-resident permits.

So, short of buying property in SC which I am obviously not going to do, have I missed anything that would qualify me for a permit? ]]> Biomortis http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/concealed-carry-issues-discussions/91332-any-way-ga-resident-ccw-sc.html Why would I need an outstate permit? http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/concealed-carry-issues-discussions/91330-why-would-i-need-outstate-permit.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:34:41 GMT This thread may exist already, but for the benifet of the newer folks on the forum, what is the need for a CHL from another state? Are there advantages and disadvantages to haveing multiple? I live in TX and, though I dont have mine yet (please pm me if you are a CHL instructor in the Houston area :wave:), i realize that a TX permit will allow carry in most states though not all. Please add comments. Thanks :hand10: This thread may exist already, but for the benifet of the newer folks on the forum, what is the need for a CHL from another state? Are there advantages and disadvantages to haveing multiple? I live in TX and, though I dont have mine yet (please pm me if you are a CHL instructor in the Houston area :wave:), i realize that a TX permit will allow carry in most states though not all.

Please add comments. Thanks :hand10: ]]> basher052 http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/concealed-carry-issues-discussions/91330-why-would-i-need-outstate-permit.html <![CDATA[FINALLY! Someone makes sights for when you're in the hood]]> http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/defensive-carry-guns/91329-finally-someone-makes-sights-when-youre-hood.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:28:14 GMT

:tongue:

Sorry if it's a repost, I searched and didn't see it posted. Also wasn't sure where to post it. ]]> Defensive Carry Guns dlclarkii http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/defensive-carry-guns/91329-finally-someone-makes-sights-when-youre-hood.html mi ccw just came today http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/concealed-carry-issues-discussions/91328-mi-ccw-just-came-today.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:51:36 GMT omg i was jumping around lol i was so happy one of the best feelin in the world :danceban: omg i was jumping around lol i was so happy one of the best feelin in the world :danceban: ]]> iroctheglock http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/concealed-carry-issues-discussions/91328-mi-ccw-just-came-today.html PLEASE HELP!!! glock 23 problem with scherer 3.5 trigger connector http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/general-firearm-discussion/91326-please-help-glock-23-problem-scherer-3-5-trigger-connector.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:42:12 GMT I got a new glock 23 and installed a 3.5 scherer trigger connector,stronger glock competition trigger spring, and reduced power firing pin spring. When I put any one of these parts or all three of them in the gun, the slide sticks when trying to rack a round into the chamber. It sticks when the slide is being pulled back. When the bullet is about 1/4 to 1/2 way out of the chamber the slide sticks. You can pull it real hard and it's like the slide breaks loose and then it operates properly. It does it about every third to fifth round and sometimes when ejecting the first round all by hand. When actually firing the gun it cycles fine ,you can only tell there's a problem if you try to cycle by hand. When I put everything back to factory it works fine. And when I put the pieces in my full size glock 22 it works just fine. I have tried using different magazines with the 23 but it will still do it. I don't know what else the problem could be. It feels like a piece is catching on something then if you pull it hard enough it breaks free. But, I can't figure out what that could possibly be. Any help would be very much appreciated... ]]> General Firearm Discussion glock22 http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/general-firearm-discussion/91326-please-help-glock-23-problem-scherer-3-5-trigger-connector.html OC shortly before/after work. http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/open-carry-issues-discussions/91325-oc-shortly-before-after-work.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:13:11 GMT I know that when I carry outside of work its my business, and people at work know I carry off work hours... I'm not too worried about this scenario otherwise, just shortly before and after work.

Lets say I'm headed to work and I decide to get coffee at Sheetz before hand and I bump into a co-worker (or boss) who is getting coffee as well. I am OC and we both have to be to work in 15 minutes. The co-worker (boss) knows I'm obviously headed to work. They also know darn well that I have to have my gun with me while I am at work (or in the car). The company has a strict no guns policy. They can put 2 and 2 together.

My question is this, given that scenario... Do you guys worry about this? Do you CC shortly before or shortly after work to avoid this potential problem? ]]> Pro2A http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/open-carry-issues-discussions/91325-oc-shortly-before-after-work.html <![CDATA['Anti-gunner' OSHA nominee advances without questions 'By fiat could outlaw firearms]]> http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/second-amendment-gun-legislation-discussion/91323-anti-gunner-osha-nominee-advances-without-questions-fiat-could-outlaw-firearms.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:56:15 GMT CZAR WARS
'Anti-gunner' OSHA nominee advances without questions
'By fiat could outlaw firearms in workplaces, parking lots across America'
Posted: November 19, 2009
1:00 am Eastern

By Bob Unruh
© 2009 WorldNetDaily

The U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee today approved without question and without comment the nomination of David Michaels, the chief of a George-Soros-funded Project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy, as the next head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

As WND reported, Second Amendment advocates sounded an alarm over Michaels, warning the most significant attack on gun rights in years soon could come in the form of workplace "safety" regulations.

Obama's nomination of Michaels, a George Washington University professor, drew reaction from Walter Olson at Overlawyered.com.

Olson said Michaels' strong views on firearms are "by no means irrelevant to the agenda of an agency like OSHA, because once you start viewing private gun ownership as a public health menace, it begins to seem logical to use the powers of government to urge or even require employers to forbid workers from possessing guns on company premises, up to and including parking lots, ostensibly for the protection of co-workers."

According to Examiner gun-rights writer David Codrea, the committee today approved Michaels' nomination by a voice vote.

"Committee Republicans Tom Coburn (Okla.) and Richard Burr (N.C.) requested they be recorded as 'no' votes," he reported.

The nomination, which now advances to the full Senate, was accomplished without "a confirmation hearing to question him and today's vote occurred with no discussion," according to the website Point of Law, despite "serious concerns about Michaels' views on science, law and business."

"So much for new openness and transparency in government," commented Codrea.

"Next up will be a vote in the full Senate," he continued. "I urge concerned gun owners to contact your senators and register your objections."

WND has reported on Obama's czars and has published a Whistleblower magazine issue on the "shadow government" officials gradually being installed in positions of power in Washington.

Two already have met problems. Green jobs czar Van Jones quit his post after reporting, largely by WND, of his self-described communist beliefs and his contention that the Bush administration was behind the 9/11 attacks. Also, White House communications director Anita Dunn, who launched a verbal assault on Fox News as an "arm" of the GOP, reportedly is stepping down.

Now Michaels, although he would need approval by the U.S. Senate, comes with views that concern Second Amendment advocates.

Two years ago, Michaels condemned proposals in Georgia and Florida that would have allowed workers to carry guns to and from their places of work for protection.

He continued in his 2007 writing to laud the ability of the federal government to respond by creating new laws to ban activities or behaviors.

"When the toll of preventable and pointless deaths or injuries from any single event or related events becomes so great, or particular aspects of the story bring it to the public's attention, our nation invariably demands more and stronger regulation, not less," Michaels wrote at the time.

"In the U.S., we see an average of one gun-related homicide every 45 minutes, or 32 each day," he wrote. "These are usually treated as isolated incidents, until a horrific event like the Virginia Tech massacre reawakens the public and strengthens public health advocates who are attempting to prevent gun violence."

At RedCounty.com, writer Bryan Myrick noted that the Washington Times has urged the Senate to reject Michaels' nomination.

"OSHA is an agency that already has a well-earned reputation for abusing its authority and reaching beyond its stated purpose. Add one zealot and it easily becomes an oppressive entity with immense power over all American businesses, large and small. At a time in which America's businesses desperately need the freedom to responsibly pursue earning profits and put workers back on the payroll, the chemical potency of combining Obama's left-wing agenda with an anti-business zealot manager at OSHA could prove toxic," Myrick wrote.

Codrea warned that some "public health" excuse could be used for imposing draconian restrictions on gun owners.

He cited the comment from a director of the CDC's National Center for Injury Control and Prevention that, "We need to revolutionize the way we look at guns, like what we did with cigarettes. Now it [sic] is dirty, deadly, and banned."

Codrea asked: "Does anyone doubt that Michaels will bring a similarly creative agenda to apply through regulatory measures under the guise of 'occupational safety and health?'"

The National Gun Rights organization called him an "anti-gunner."

Columnist Dave Kopel at the Independence Institute in Colorado said, "Plenty of Obama's administration appointees have a longer record of anti-gun activism than David Michaels, but perhaps none of them have the ability to make such a dramatic, instant change in the lives of law-abiding gun owners.

"By its own fiat, OSHA could outlaw the possession of firearms in every workplace and every employee parking lot in the United States," he wrote.

"That David Michaels is anti-gun is undisputed," he continued.

"The Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution means that a valid federal law or regulation wins in any conflict with a state law. Many states have laws that protect the rights of employees to store lawful firearms in parking lots at work. If an OSHA regulation prohibiting such storage existed, the federal regulation would trump state law," Kopel said.

"Under Michaels, OSHA could write a regulation stating that it is illegal for any business to allow guns in the workplace or in parking lots. No handgun could be locked in the trunk of a car, even if the owner has a Right-to-Carry license. No rifle could be stored in the car, even if there’s no ammunition around and the gun will be dropped off at the gunsmith after work," he said.

Obama's attorney general, Eric Holder, supported Washington, D.C.'s ban on handguns before it was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. And since Obama has been in office, he's already advocated for a treaty that would require a federal license for hunters to reload their ammunition, has expressed a desire to ban "assault" weapons, has seen a plan to require handgun owners to submit to mental health evaluations and sparked a rush on ammunition purchases with his history of anti-gun positions.

'Anti-gunner' OSHA pick advances without questions ]]> cbp210 http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/second-amendment-gun-legislation-discussion/91323-anti-gunner-osha-nominee-advances-without-questions-fiat-could-outlaw-firearms.html Attorney General Holder Reveals Aggressive Gun Control In Response to Ft. Hood Terror http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/second-amendment-gun-legislation-discussion/91322-attorney-general-holder-reveals-aggressive-gun-control-response-ft-hood-terror.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:50:44 GMT Attorney General Holder Reveals Aggressive Gun Control In Response to Ft. Hood Terror Attack

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Before the Senate Judiciary Committee November 18th, 2009, Attorney General Eric Holder revealed a stunningly broad and aggressive anti-gun agenda.

"The President of the United States asked that politicians not use the Ft. Hood attack to engage in 'political theater.' It appears those committed to attacking gun owners and the Second Amendment simply can't help themselves and are engaged in blaming guns and gun owners on the heels of this terrorist attack. Sadly it looks like 'politics as usual,'" said LEAA's spokesperson, Ted Deeds.

After explaining and defending his decision to give enemy combatants constitutional protections and the right to public trial in civilian courts, Attorney General Holder revealed his support for a national gun owner registration scheme and authorizing the government to ban firearm possession for any person by merely adding that person's name to the terror watch list.

Drawing reasonable conclusions from what Holder publicly said, we now know:

* Holder wants a national, permanent gun registration system administered by law enforcement. A registration of honest citizens that have cleared the federal background check for gun purchases with those records permanently retained by and shared among law enforcement.
* Holder wants new federal authority to prohibit any person on the federal watch list (reported to be 400,000 names) from buying guns and supports confiscating guns from those on the list who possess them.

Transcribing General Holder: "The position of the Administration is that there should be a basis for law enforcement to share information about gun purchases." "... [It's not] inconsistent to allow law enforcement agencies to share that kind of information, for that information to be retained and then to be shared by law enforcement." "It seems incongruous to me that we would bar certain people from flying on airplanes because they are on the terrorist watch list and yet we would still allow them to posses weapons." {Emphasis added}

LEAA's Executive Director Jim Fotis said, "Those behind the badge don't believe more restrictions on honest gun owners is a reasonable, practical or constitutional response to acts of terrorism. As a retired officer, I know that America's men and women in blue want to fight terrorism, to stop terrorists; not waste time keeping records on innocent gun owners!"

Home

SOURCE Law Enforcement Alliance of America

Attorney General Holder Reveals Aggressive Gun Control In Response to Ft. ]]> cbp210 http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/second-amendment-gun-legislation-discussion/91322-attorney-general-holder-reveals-aggressive-gun-control-response-ft-hood-terror.html An Embarrassed Announcement http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/defensive-books-video-references/91320-embarrassed-announcement.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:47:19 GMT I guess this is the appropriate forum to put this in...

When my friend Mark Walters and I began collaborating on a book last year (Lessons from Armed America, from White Feather Press), we were extremely excited about the possibilities. We knew we had a winner of an idea and we believed we'd be able to pull it off. We couldn't wait to see what we produced together! But at the same time, I was a little shy of telling other people what I was up to. Truthfully, I was afraid to talk about it for fear that if I did, it wouldn't be "real." I was afraid of being embarrassed if our plans fell through, or if the book didn't work out for some other reason. So afraid of being embarrassed was I, in fact, that I didn't even tell my own mother that I was working on a book! "I'll mention it later," I rationalized, "once I know for sure that the book will become a reality." I extended this same reasoning to other family members and friends, figuring that there would be plenty of time to make such announcements when we had a formal contract from a publisher.

It wasn't long before we'd finished the writing and went looking for a publisher. We were extremely fortunate when Mark Walters met up with Skip Coryell, of White Feather Press. Skip took one look at Lessons from Armed America and said, "I'll publish it." He thought we had a winner. Excellent!

We even got a foreword from Massad Ayoob. And yes, asking him if he'd be willing to do that was also embarrassing.

When Mark and I signed our contract with the publisher, we were both extremely excited. Mark immediately set out to tell the world, shouting it from the proverbial rooftops (I half suspect he shouted it from some literal rooftops as well; he's that kind of guy). But despite my excitement, I still found myself strangely embarrassed. "When the book is really in print," I thought, "then I will tell everyone about it." I rationalized that there was still lots of time, and that I didn't want to make any formal announcement until the book was actually available for purchase. So apart from a few close friends, nobody else in my life knew that I had a book in the works even after the contract was signed.

Of course, I hadn't realized that when I diffidently avoided telling people that I was working on a book, from fear of embarrassment, I was actually setting myself up for even more embarrassment down the road! That's because almost without exception, when I mentioned to a friend that my collaborator and I had just signed a book contract, the universal response was, "Really!? That's wonderful! How much time do you have to do the writing?" – and then I would have to explain that the book was already written, and that we'd been shopping for a publisher, and of course that little story was always followed by a hurt look when friends realized I hadn't shared any of my writing adventures with them.

But it got worse.

Now the book really is in print, but even though I'm holding it in my hands, it still doesn't seem real. And the embarrassment I hoped to avoid, by keeping quiet? It's become acute! That's because every time someone mentions Lessons from Armed America in my presence, they almost always follow up by throwing an accusing look at me while saying, "Of course, Kathy didn't tell me she was writing a book! I had to find out by ..." – followed, of course, by some long and involved story about exactly how they'd discovered my embarrassing little secret.

Awhile back, I kind of quietly changed my sig line in some of the forums where I participate, figuring that would function as an announcement. But I've been told that it doesn't count ... So as belated as it might be, here it is, my formal announcement: I've written a book with Mark Walters. I think it's a good book. It might even be a very good book. But if I can't overcome my embarrassed reluctance to tell people about it, nobody will ever buy it – and that would be a crying shame.

If you want to save me from myself, please pick up a copy of Lessons from Armed America today. If the book sells well, it won't be nearly so embarrassing.

Oh, and if you read the book and like it, please post a review on Amazon and on a gun board somewhere. Help spread the word...

Signed,

an embarrassed pax ]]> pax http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/defensive-books-video-references/91320-embarrassed-announcement.html What optic to put on a M1A Scout Squad? http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/defensive-rifles-shotgun-discussion/91319-what-optic-put-m1a-scout-squad.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:17:25 GMT I have an M1A Scout Squad rifle with Mossy Oak camo stock and the forward mounted picatinny rail mounted just ahead of the action. What kind of optic to you all recommend for this rifle? It has an 18 inch barrel. If any of you all have this rifle, what optic did you choose and why? I have an M1A Scout Squad rifle with Mossy Oak camo stock and the forward mounted picatinny rail mounted just ahead of the action. What kind of optic to you all recommend for this rifle? It has an 18 inch barrel. If any of you all have this rifle, what optic did you choose and why? ]]> bgglock http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/defensive-rifles-shotgun-discussion/91319-what-optic-put-m1a-scout-squad.html Yes officer, I have weapons you need to be aware of http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/concealed-carry-issues-discussions/91318-yes-officer-i-have-weapons-you-need-aware.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:57:02 GMT Here's a common theme I see here all the time.

"They said, 'Do you have any weapons.?'" he said. "I think out of respect for officers, if an officer says, 'Hey, do you have any weapons in your truck or your vehicle?' you should tell them. It's an officer safety thing."

Despite how much you assure yourself of your legal rights, and all this concern for this nice officer's safety, think long and hard before you answer that question.

Pepper spray lands Texas man in jail on felony

by Jason Whitely / WFAA-TV

Posted on November 20, 2009 at 8:24 AM

WYLIE, Texas - A canister of pepper spray is now at the center of a Wylie dispute after a North Texas man found out what most people don't know, anyone who carries it can face a felony.

Jason Simpkins admitted he looked suspicious when a Wylie officer stopped him while he was driving his truck with a jet ski inside his lawn mowing trailer.

It happened early on the morning of August 22.

"I didn't have a problem with it at first," Simpkins said. "I gave him my drivers license. I thought, 'Okay, you know, it does look suspicious.'"

Police were curious if it was stolen, but Simpkins provided proof he owned the jet ski.

The officer then noted that Simpkins' speaker for his truck alarm positioned in his grill looked similar to a siren, though the officer never tested it to see what sound it emitted. News 8 did and heard a loud screeching sound, but no type of emergency tone.

Simpkins had what police thought were red lights in his grill, as well. But, again, no officer activated them. The "lights" don't illuminate, but are rather part of a laser detection system.

Officers also saw a police scanner and a law enforcement type light switch often used to activate emergency strobes. The scanner isn't illegal to have and no one tried switching on the lights, which would have illuminated nothing more than fog lights.

After an extensive check, police discovered Simpkins had no criminal warrants and no prior record.

But, 40 minutes and four officers later, questions continued.

"They said, 'Do you have any weapons.?'" he said. "I think out of respect for officers, if an officer says, 'Hey, do you have any weapons in your truck or your vehicle?' you should tell them. It's an officer safety thing."

Jason volunteered information that he had a four-ounce can of pepper spray he purchased legally inside his satchel in the cab of his truck. The spray is sold to the public, but marketed as law-enforcement strength.

The investigating officer, a young man named Officer Silas Hughes, said it was illegal to possess. That was something that even surprised his sergeant.

"Is that a prohibited weapon?" the sergeant asked Hughes according to a recording of the dash cam video.

"Yeah, you're not supposed to have it," Hughes said.

"Really?" the sergeant pressed.

"[You] can't have police-strength pepper spray," he said. "I can look it up in the penal code real quick. I can't remember exactly where it's at, but I know it's in there."

But, there is no such wording in the Texas Penal Code.

Simpkins, who the dash cam video showed was cooperative, said he couldn't believe what happened next, which was all captured on the dash cam video.

HUGHES: "You can carry stuff like Mace, things like that, like the little stuff you buy on TV, that kind of deal. This is a no-no. You can't do this."

SIMPKINS: "Really?"

HUGHES: "That being said, you want to turn around and put your hands behind your back?"

SIMPKINS: "Wait, wait."

HUGHES: "Put your hands behind your back."

SIMPKINS: "I'm under arrest for..."

HUGHES: "I've asked you twice. Number three time, turn around and put your hands behind your back."

Simpkins complied.

He was arrested and charged with a third-degree felony. Pepper spray, Wylie police alleged that night, is a prohibited weapon. A Collin County Grand Jury agreed to prosecute the case, but refused to indict.

John Duscio, Wylie's police chief, said the system worked.

"They didn't say the officer did anything wrong," Duscio said. "They just felt there wasn't enough to continue on because there is a lot of variance, a lot of gray in that law."

The chief admitted he has never heard of another case similar to it. But, he adamantly supported his officers as they considered the totality of the circumstances.

The exception in the law is vague, stating pepper spray is illegal to possess in anything "other than a small chemical dispenser sold commercially for personal protection."

"Is this one small?" Chief Duscio asked holding up a two ounce canister of pepper spray.

"Is this one small?" he asked holding up Simpkins' much taller four ounce black canister. "You might say it's small. I might say it's not. The law doesn't clearly state what small is or what a chemical dispensing device really is."

Wylie police tested the flaw in the law and lost. Simpkins said he is just upset it happened at his expense. He lost $6,200 in expenses related to the arrest and hiring an attorney, he said.

Since the grand jury refused to indict, essentially dropping the charge, Simpkins wants a refund and his record expunged.

Duscio said he met with Simpkins but would not divulge what was discussed or what might happen.

A call to the Wylie city manager, Mindy Manson, was not returned as of 10 p.m. Thursday. ]]> dldeuce http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/concealed-carry-issues-discussions/91318-yes-officer-i-have-weapons-you-need-aware.html Article for those considering CC. http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/concealed-carry-issues-discussions/91317-article-those-considering-cc.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:54:06 GMT Emailed to me - good reading for someone considering CC - good to read for those who already do too....
=====================
Practice Carrying Concealed: An Interesting Perspective
"...Start packing without the mental discipline, and you will fail the 'ALWAYS' test...."
by David Woodbury
Editor's Note:
This article by David Woodbury is aimed toward those who have not yet reached a point of confidence to carry concealed even though they have a permit to do so. It is better to build up one's confidence even if one has to practice carrying a concealed mock weapon (if legally permitted in your area). No need for emails about how temporarily carrying a mock or empty weapon is useless. Never carrying at all due to lack of confidence in one's abilities is permanently useless.

It bears repeating: Practice handling and shooting your gun before you need to use it. But if you're going to carry concealed, practice CARRYING before you actually do it.

Always Deciding to carry concealed presents some interesting and important mental challenges. Besides always staying in practice, so you are always as safe as you can be in a crisis, there are many more demands on you, all of them preceded by the word "always". (And there are scores of other demands preceded by "never", but those are the ones we hear all the time.)

ALWAYS know where your gun is, both when it's on your body and when it's not.
ALWAYS know whether it's loaded, when it's on your body and when it's not.
ALWAYS know whether it's locked (or whether the safety is on, depending what type of hardware you're packing).
ALWAYS know how you can sit, stand, walk, and run so it won't bulge or "print" on you.
ALWAYS know how close you are to other people and whether there might be someone close by who would give you a spontaneous hug or a friendly pat in the wrong place.
ALWAYS, always, always.

These are things -- and I could add many more -- that you cannot forget, even for a moment.

Permit Today, Pack Tomorrow. Yes, you can get a concealed carry permit and then immediately begin carrying when you've never, or seldom, done it before. But to do so requires a level of mental discipline that most of us don't possess the moment we start. You will make mistakes if you do it that way. Start packing without the mental discipline, and you will fail the ALWAYS test above. So I'm here to offer a handful of suggestions.

A. Before you ever carry a loaded firearm, carry a single cartridge
Do it before you ever get a permit. Start with one, and see whether you can say positively that you are aware every moment where it is. Where is it while you're in the shower? While you're at work? While you're at the Post Office or in church? Where is it when the clothes you just wore are in the washing machine? If you slip up and someone finds out that you have it, so what? You can explain it any number of ways, and you don't need a permit.

Then carry six at once, or whatever number would fully reload your magazine or your cylinder. This may be more important a skill than you think, because even though the idea of carrying a lone bullet is to make you accountable for carrying a firearm later, you'll also want to figure out how to carry extra ammo once you do start to go around armed.

(I've found that the little Tyvek sleeve the bank gives me for my credit card holds six round of .38 or .357 neat and flat.)

B. Carry a toy gun
In the side-street toy shops you can still buy a near-life-size plastic revolver or a squirt gun shaped like a semi-automatic. Try carrying one of these concealed for a few weeks. If it's longer than your real gun, cut it down to match. Or, if it's just too weird to carry plastic, cut a notch out of a bush or small tree (or carve a block of wood) to something vaguely resembling the dimensions of the gun you may one day carry, and carry the piece of wood for a few weeks first. If someone finds out you have it on you, again, you can explain it any number of ways.

If it's not your intention to carry a concealed firearm but, say, a tactical knife for personal protection, then modify this suggestion to something vaguely resembling the size and weight of that equipment.

A Rossi .38 special beside a notch from a cherry tree cut to approximate the gun's size.

C. Carry an empty gun
Once you are comfortable with the feel of carrying and the discipline needed to keep it concealed and safe, there's still a quantum mental shift from concealing a piece of harmless metal to concealing something that is instantly deadly. Carrying empty gives you the complete feel, but not the feeling. Once you start carrying for real, you're making two monumental adjustments: You need to get past the self-conscious stage with the real hardware, and you need to reckon the gravity of the choices you can now make. Notice I didn't say you have to do both at the same time.

To get past the self-conscious stage, carry empty but on alternate days for a week or so. Do it one day, then think it over and adjust your habits the next day. Then carry empty for a week, maybe with the ammo in a pocket somewhere.

The quantum mental shift doesn't come with the permit. It takes weeks of training in the military. Putting on the uniform the first day doesn't do it. It's accepting that every day, because of the choices someone else makes, you're ready to take a life. (And, as has been said in these pages so many other ways, if you're not ready to take a life, then you shouldn't be packing.)

The Consequences: Even though I'm a Registered Maine Guide, even though I've hunted for 40 years, even though I'm an Army veteran, even though I've been a security manager (unarmed), even though I have long owned firearms of several types, I didn't make the transition instantaneously once I started packing a few years ago. I was accustomed to open carry as in hunting: slipping the safety off and on as I moved about, unloading in the open before re-entering a vehicle, and so on. When I'm armed for hunting, it's right out in front of me where I'm acutely aware of it and open to the world at the same time. And no one where I live gives any thought to seeing someone alongside the road lugging a shotgun or rifle.

But I didn't start out doing A, B, or C. Why? I just thought I was already so handy and safe with firearms that packing heat would be natural. And because of that assumption, here are a few things that happened to me once I began carrying daily.

1. I forgot that the gun was on me. I had eventually found a way to carry that was so comfortable I didn't have the slightest discomfort to remind me it was there. The day it happened, I'm sure no one saw anything, but before I was sure I had to think about everywhere I'd been for the couple of hours that I had forgotten about it.

2. I dropped it in public. The way I carried at the time, in an unbelted holster tucked in my pants at the small of my back, it left me vulnerable to slippage when I exited a vehicle. It had shifted in a way that, even though I still felt it, I didn't realize how loose it was. Again, no one saw.

3. I left it in a desk drawer that others had access to, loaded and ready. This was really stupid, but I had to get it off me quickly and then go meet some people in another room for a time. I should have simply continued to carry it. The one person who'd have been most likely to find it never mentioned it, and would have been fine with it even if she had found it. But I wish I'd never subjected her to the awkwardness of the possibility.

4. I forgot where it was in the house after I had gone to bed. After I dressed the next morning and went to get it, it wasn't where I expected to find it. I scrambled mentally to remember what had interfered with my routine the night before, and then I found it.

5. While it was on me, I forgot whether it was locked. I carry a Rossi knock-off of a S&W .38 Chief's Special. It has a neat little screw in the back of the hammer that you set or release with a custom hex key. I was carrying, but sort of remembered that I had locked it the day before when I went to bed. (It's not the night security piece.) I sort of remembered that I had unlocked it the next morning, but in the middle of the day in question, in the company of others who I couldn't excuse myself from for at least another hour, I wanted nothing more than to check it. On the Rossi, if you can just touch the base of the hammer with a fingertip, you can tell whether it's locked.

6. The very first day I started carrying, my employer sent me on an overnight trip. Alone in a motel room, I debated keeping it loaded and ready. I truly wondered, in fact, whether I might be a sleepwalker in an unfamiliar setting and not know it, or whether I could otherwise harm myself or others with it while not fully awake. I unloaded it to be more certain. The mental discipline for everyone here is to be sure what kind of sleeper you are before dropping off too soundly next to a loaded gun. Are you someone who does anything at all in your sleep that you've not been fully aware of while you're doing it?

These are examples of common challenges in mental discipline. But there was one thing that was probably harder to get used to than overcoming any of these six glitches. It was simply the astonishing realization at first that I was armed and potentially deadly. Not as deadly as driving distracted at 70 mph. Not as deadly as when leading people into the wilderness in November where someone in your party can decide to wander off and get lost, leaving you to find him before he freezes. But deadly if someone else chooses that I must be.

Carrying concealed, it took me a long time to get over the fact that I could drop a human being in two or three seconds, power I had never had before. If I were highly skilled in the manual martial arts I might have that feeling, but I also would have spent years getting used to it as my skills improved. When your skill is with a firearm, you're harmless one moment, deadly the next.

If you own a gun for self-defense, practice handling and shooting before the day when someone decides for you that it will matter. But if you're going to carry, practice carrying before the day when you decide for yourself to go about armed!

David A. Woodbury is a Registered Maine Guide with a B.S. in Wildlife Management who is winding down a career in Human Resources. His work has included responsibility for facilities security in the paper industry and in health care. He and his family live "north of the 45th parallel" in Maine. Much of David's writing, including work that has appeared in books and magazines, is found at his own website: Home. ]]> ArmyCop http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/concealed-carry-issues-discussions/91317-article-those-considering-cc.html Need advice http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/concealed-carry-issues-discussions/91316-need-advice.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:43:26 GMT I'm very pro gun even though I'm still young. I believe an honest person has the right to defend themselves at all possible. But wife has an issue of carring. I'm gone all week long and is only home on weekends. She is a very small women I mean 4'11" 90 lbs and attractive, but now a days they is a lot of shady people out there. How would I help here become more appt to want to carry. And she is just finishing up emt classes so now sheis going to have to enter unpredictable senerios that can changes even if the police are clear the scene. We have two children and I worry for them when I'm not home. Please add input. ]]> IrishTater http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/concealed-carry-issues-discussions/91316-need-advice.html New guy from NH. http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/new-members-introduce-yourself/91315-new-guy-nh.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:41:48 GMT Hey everyone,

New guy from the Granite State. I accidentally stumbled across his site while searching the interwebz for reviews of Pure Kustom holsters. I'm glad I did. I am the same name on a few other gun forums as well. I look forward to having intelligent "conversations" with you, learning, and hopefully contributing to the forum.

Cheers,
Jason ]]> New Members Introduce Yourself jmac603 http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/new-members-introduce-yourself/91315-new-guy-nh.html