CCW - When And Where Do You Carry?

[jyl]

In a few weeks, I have an appointment to be fingerprinted, pay $60, and receive my concealed handgun license. I've decided to buy a Smith & Wesson 442, which is a concealed hammer DAO snubby .38 that weighs 15 oz empty. Fired one at a range, found it very easy to shoot, easier than my small .45. Five in the black at 50 ft, seems will be good enough at 10 ft.

So, my question is, for the CCW holders here, where do you carry?

I mean, where on your person do you carry the gun?

But more importantly, where/when in your daily life do you go armed?

I admit that I am getting this CHL partly as a political statement (I figure when local politicians see that over 16,000 residents in a county of 500,000 have CHLs, they will be less inclined to restrict gun rights) and partly because it's something I couldn't do in California.

However, I haven't really identified a practical reason to carry. I have a sedate lifestyle, to say the least. I have no reason to go anywhere sketchy. Midnight at the liquor store? Won't find me there, try afternoon at the local organic grocery store.

Do you carry when/because you feel at risk? Or do you carry all the time regardless? Why?

[charleskieffner]

how about when you go to the bank? deposit or w/drawal. grocery store,gas station,pharmacy, and on and on. any where i go, every time i go ANYWHERE! paronoia.................NOT IN THE LEAST! more like too many cop friends from school who give you the real low down that doesnt even make the news!

come on, a simple murder doesnt cut it as news worthy any more! its got to be a 3 fatals found in blood splattered home before its news worthy, or pregnant women beheaded! what you see, what you hear, on TV/radio is the tip of the iceberg. wanna really pee yourself..........punch in FBI crime stats! that will open your eyes!

since i was going to hawaii again last year and had already witnessed some crap there, i decided to check on crime stats. hawaii is not exactly the safest place to vacation! and NO CCW's permitted!

but if your CCW instructor was worth his salt you should be trained now to ALWAYS BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS!
24/7/365!

get in the habit EVERYTIME YOU PICK THAT GUN UP TO CHECK PIPE FOR ROUND! on my autos in the morning, pull from holster, drop clip,rack slide back and look TWICE to see if chamber clear. after 30 days of doing it, it becomes habit. actually it SHOULD BE HABIT ANY TIME YOU P/U ANY WEAPON!

now heres a instance i have played over in my head. in p-car, top down sunny day, drop dead good looking,big hootered g/friend, driving along anywhere. what do you think i look like to a bad guy?????

someone with a lot of BUCKS! funny thing is, i never carry cash and am the opposite of what bad guy is thinking. hes thinking i have a car full of cash. reality is i have a .45 and a credit card!

dont ever leave your weapon anywhere it can be used against you. if you go into restaurant or bar that serves booze, you cant carry concealed. here in arizona they are working on law to allow CCW holders to go in restaurant that serves booze as long as they dont drink! DUH! anyway when faced w/this, disable weapon and pull rounds and lock gun away.

as far as carrying...........if normal day, on my side in uncle mikes nylon holster. if walking/hiking, a dillon CYA holster. if camping quading fishing, 4 x 4 jeeping, in my bianchi shoulder holster. if hot summer day, in my cargo shorts w/out holster w/hawaiian shirt or xxl t-shirt.

when camping/fishing hiking by myself.............always round in chamber. for ALL OTHER TIMES..........no round in chamber.

there is an argument brewing btwn my CCW instructor about carrying live round. live round means push safety off and gun goes bang! hes a cop.......i'm not. empty chamber angle is, if the doo doo goes down, i have to rack round and then fire. but on legal side, it shows jury you were not blood thirsty gun nut and just started shooting! i know a hell of an arguement, but i prefer carrying empty to avoid an A.D. (accidental discharge). i have shot all my life and can put an auto into battery very damn quickly if need be. w/wheel gun just carry gun with hammer on empty cylinder. if doo doo goes down, just pull,point ,squeeze trigger and gun goes bang! i hate carrying .45's loaded w/hammer back. have seen evidence off too many AD's, when gun falls out of truck/jeep/car/holster!

[id10t]

A CCW wouldn't do me much good, since I work at a college and I can't carry here. Mebbe I should see about being a reserve officer for the colleges PD...

Anyway, there have been a few times that I felt I needed to carry - one period was after/during the Danny Rolling murders here in Gainesville. Carried a full size CZ75 clone (TA-90 by Tanfoglio, wish I still had it) in the small of my back. Like above, I went with full mag (17 rounds) and empty chamber - Just In Case. More recently, I've had to go check on a friends wife who wasn't answering a phone - home or cell, should've been home. Turns out the batteries were dead in both her home portable phone (you do have a old fashioned plugin phone at home, right?) and cell phone and she was takign a nap. My "concealed" choice at that time was my FAL - it hid nicely in the car. She lives out in the boonies, at least 45 min from any type of emergency help, so I went assuming the absolute worst.

[on2wheels52]

"I mean, where on your person do you carry the gun?
But more importantly, where/when in your daily life do you go armed?"

95% of the time I leave the house there is a .22 mini-revolver in my front pants pocket. Given my job site is a gun & pawn shop, I probably have a few more loaded handguns laying around than the typical workplace.
BTW, no need for empty chamber on a modern DA revolver, you must be thinking of the old style single actions, and even most of the late models have transfer bars.
Single action autos (1911A1's) another kettle of fish. Best keep chamber empty unless you're heading for a gunfight (and I would normally head the other direction).
Jim

[red-beard]

Everywhere it's legal for me to Carry. I do not carry at work as we have a rule against this. I dis-armed for NASA yesterday. Otherwise, I have at least a .380 ACP in my pocket.

If I have my choice, small belt holster with my 3 inch Colt 45.

[Jeff Higgins]

John, be prepared to feel really weird about this at first. You won't be able to help feeling very self-concious, and you will be worried that everyone knows you are packing. You will keep checking to see if its really hidden as well as you think, and all kinds of stuff like that. Your choice of a smaller, less obtrusive gun will help a great deal with this.

So when and where... hmm... Typically when I'm on the road, staying in hotels, camping, or whatever. If I'm heading down town into the "big city" for dinner or a show. Anytime I'm taking my wife out for the evening, really, no matter where. If I'm walking the dog after dark, or stuff like that.

When I'm in the car it is under the seat or in the glove box. When I'm on the motorcycle, or out of the car, out and about on foot, I carry the bigger guns behind my right hip. I simply stuff it into my waistband; no holster or anything. They call this the "border carry"; apparently popular along the U.S. - Mexico border at one time.

With your small revolver, this probably won't work. The barrel isn't long enough to ensure it won't fall out. For my Charter Arms Bulldog, a very small revolver like yours, I use a small holster to secure it behind my right hip (I'm right handed). Either that or my right front jacket pocket, if the jacket is bulky enough to hide it.

Make sure wherever it is, you can get to it one-handed. Lots of folks bury them too deep, under too many layers of clothing. If you actually need it someday, you might be using your left hand to hold the guy back, so one-handed retrieval is important.

[charleskieffner]

its like AMEX...........never leave home w/out it.

heres one to think long and hard on.

couple from prescott, mid 20's celebrating 1 yr aniv. of going out together. both employed, no priors, good families etc. go to spot below sunset point look out to camp. sunset point is on I-17. where they camped is 15 miles as crow flies from I-17. set up camp at spot we dump dirty bikes off to ride to crown king on top of bradshaw mtns. lots of gold claims, silver claims. goes from cactus up to pine trees. spot we dump bikes off use to be old corral.

couple shot to death in the head, in back of pick-up truck. case unsolved. case transfered from yavapai county to DPS. case dumped into my 27 yr vet, DPS classmates "in-basket" at DPS HQ in phx. CASE UNSOLVED!!!!!!!

couple did not have any weapons, no drugs involved, hadnt pissed anyone off etc.

WHO DUNN IT???????

now had it been me and my girlfriend...............dont think the same would happen.

A) i would NEVER CAMP along well traveled road.

B) .45 would be loaded.

C) anyone / anything that made a noise, CONDITION RED WOULD BE EMPLOYED!

D) would have camped in spot that afforded view of surrounding entry ways and/ or headlights coming towards camp.

E) would have had my dog, which is the cheapest EARLY WARNING RADAR YOU CAN FIND! despite being a PITA and tends to go after anything that moves ie. SKUNKS!

i can go on and on. its just like reading crime reports/coast guard reports/ NTSB/FAA reports. you learn the mistakes made and try and not repeat them. its a crappy world out there, despite what alot say to the contrary!

[azasadny]

Interesting as this just came up last Sunday here at my house. My father is a retired LEO and carries his pistol everywhere he goes as does my brother who's an active duty detective. My father attended church with us last Sunday and someone complained to our pastor that "some guys has a gun in church" and "they aren't allowed to carry a concealed weapon in a church". True, a CCW permit in MI is very restrictive and bringing a concealed weapon to a church is forbidden by law, but there is an exception for active duty/retired LEO's. LEO's are not restricted and can carry their weapon anywhere they want.

I emailed a copy of the MI law to my pastor and told him that if this (my father carrying a pistol in church) bothered him (the pastor) that I would tell my father but I can almost guarantee that my father will not step into the building again.

Anyone else have any similar experience? Most people probably don't know about the LEO exception unless they happen to be in that category or study MI CCW laws...

[charleskieffner]

its not alot but sometimes you see grocery stores w/sign on door stating NO CCW's. other than that, its your standard city state county federal bldgs. military bases, airports, nuklar plants, bars, or anywhere booze is served. SERVED is key word here. here you can go in liguor store with CCW.

you cannot carry concealed while hunting here. and the indian reservation is a soverign nation that is weird as hell! best bet on rez............get cheap varmint hunting lic. that way having a gun is ok. but on rez. having booze and gun is bad ju-ju in their books. rez is a different country akin to mexico. bad guys have heavier firepower than cops. example T.J. cops had weapons taken and were issued slingshots for christ sake!!!!! WTF????

meth problem on rez...........IS UNREAL! captive audience w/nothing to do. bloods/crips etc. on the rez. just picture indian kid all bling blinged out! LOL! but true!

[Lothar]

Find out what the consequences are for carrying in places where concealed carry is not permitted. Consider if your life, or the life of a loved one, is worth more than the fine or other consequences.

EXAMPLE: You are at a restaurant or bar where alcohol is served. You are not drinking and will be there late for a party with family or friends. After the event, you will be walking to your car in a dark, tree-lined parking lot that affords plenty of hiding places for a would-be attacker.

Consider:

1. You are carrying CONCEALED! If properly concealed, no one will ever know, unless you need to use it. If so, you had much bigger problems than the CCW rules.

2. Where I live the penalty is $100 and it is a misdemeanor. Also, your CCW permit is not likely to be revoked on one violation.

Is your life worth $100?

[charleskieffner]

lothar have given that thought. my old boss years ago went EVERYWHERE. including the day he arrived at airport with gun in briefcase. went thru security and got popped. had honestly forgot about. feds fined him $275 bucks and did not loose lic.

right across from where 500,000 goofy golfers are at FBR OPEN, is a days inn or quality inn hotel. north scottsdale. mega mega bucks. guy goes in hotel, shoots clerk for a few hundred bucks.

it can AND DOES HAPPEN EVERYWHERE!

good point -life vs. fine. whats cool is that there is a bill as mentioned pushing thru house to carry concealed in any establishment that serves booze as long as CCW doesnt drink booze. i imagine if caught drinking while CCW they would hang you out to dry!

[Jeff Higgins]

Most states have some kind of LEO exception to CCW restrictions. Illegal as can be from the standpoint that there should be no restrictions on anyone anyway, but that is the way it is.

Funny, Washington tried just recently to elevate any domestic violence conviction retroactively to felony status. Many citizens had plead guilty to missdemeanor assault charges to avoid facing more serious charges. Many prosecutors offered plea bargains to avoid a lengthy court battle. Then, after the fact, the state decides these missdemeanors are now felonies. Felony convictions disqualify citizens from firearms possesion altogether; forget CCW. Enter yet another LEO exemption. It turns out that so many active duty (and retired) LEOs had a history of domestic violence that it would have severely impacted a very large number of police departments. Think about that for a moment. This is the population that our lawmakers feel deserve an exemption to CCW restrictions - a population with a recorded incidence of wife beating and other domestic aggression that is far higher than the general population.

Businesses regularly post "no firearms" signs. Courts have upheld their right to restrict carry on their property. Again, illegal as can be, but that's the way it is. While they cannot arrest you, they can legally ask you to leave. Imagine if they still posted "Irish need not apply" or "No Coloreds" on the front of businesses. Or perhaps a better analogy, "No Free Speach", "No EEO", "Men Only" (like Agusta). Individual businesses cannot legaly restrict your rights enumerated in the Constitution or described by law. Except for this one.

[Lothar]

Originally posted by charleskieffner

good point -life vs. fine. whats cool is that there is a bill as mentioned pushing thru house to carry concealed in any establishment that serves booze as long as CCW doesn't drink booze. i imagine if caught drinking while CCW they would hang you out to dry!

Here's an interesting point about alcohol and CCW. In North Carolina, you forfeit your CCW privileges if you consume alcohol. You can be sited for violation if you have the odor of alcohol on your breath, even if not legally intoxicated. However, NC has an open carry law with no such provision. Open carry is permitted provided you are not legally intoxicated.

A friend was approached by a police officer at a check point. As required, he told the officer that he has a CCW permit but was carrying open with his gun on the passenger seat of the car.

The officer asked why he was carrying open if he had a CCW permit. My friend told the officer that he had a beer several hours ago and was concerned that the odor might be on him. Since he was clearly not intoxicated, he carried open.

The officer complimented him on his knowledge of the law.

[thrown_hammer]

I carry in the shower, while scuba diving, milking cows, mowing the lawn, checking my son's homework, giving the dog a bath, anytime I am outside, Reading the paper, shoveling snow, darning my socks, and building model airplanes.

I am not paranoid, you have to consider all the people that are trying to kill you at any given moment. People are always trying to kill you.

[stevepaa]

hit the nail on the head

[fastpat]

Originally posted by thrown_hammer
I carry in the shower, while scuba diving, milking cows, mowing the lawn, checking my son's homework, giving the dog a bath, anytime I am outside, Reading the paper, shoveling snow, darning my socks, and building model airplanes.

I am not paranoid, you have to consider all the people that are trying to kill you at any given moment. People are always trying to kill you.

Get rid of those smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, too paranoid appearing.

[stevepaa]

Where do you find those fire extinguishers that you can carry around with you at all times, in case you spontaneously combust?

[fastpat]

Originally posted by stevepaa
Where do you find those fire extinguishers that you can carry around with you at all times, in case you spontaneously combust?

The point here is that a firearm carried by someone is no more than a tool to put out several specific types of "fires", and should carry no more symbology than a common fire extinguisher does.

Those that attempt to ridicule people that carry a weapon for self defense are immoral and should be shown to be so.

[Moses]

People are always trying to kill me, too! I don't carry a handgun because my reflexes are lightning quick. I think I'm part ninja.

What are the CCW restrictions in California? Can you carry in a public place? In a stadium during a football game? (they pat you down on admission). Can you carry in a hospital? A courtroom? I'd hate to think of you guys disarming with all those other folks trying to kill you.

[Moses]

For the record, I'm a gun owner and whole-heartedly approve of CCW permits. In fact, I think they should be granted on a "shall permit" basis. I've never heard of a CCW holder comitting a violent crime with a gun. I don't need a CCW permit. Like I said, I'm part ninja...