Last night we were discussing our favorite movies, and the reasons why they were our favorites. This led me, as a recovering engineer, to look for a way to at least qualify, if not quantify, what makes a movie my favorite.

I thought about ways to classify my favorite movies. One way was whether I owned it on DVD. The problem here is that I own a lot of movies I don’t necessarily like a whole lot, and there are a lot of movies I love that I don’t own. (Take note, Hollywood.)

After some thought, I arrived at three categories of movies that define my favorites.

Class 1 – any time this movie is on TV, and I come across it, I stop looking for something to watch, and I put down the remote. It doesn’t matter much if I’ve seen it recently, or if I come in half way through.

Class 2 – if see this movie is going to be shown on TV, I will watch it from the beginning, provided I haven’t seen it in a few days at least.

Class 3 – I want to watch these movies at least once a year, from the beginning.

I will list my favorites in another post, soon.

So, you ask, why is this in a gun blog?

Because there is a fourth class.

Class 4 – these are movies I find are worth watching for their portrayal of firearms or firearms owners.

I use Class 4 movies as teaching tools as well. Well, let’s be honest – I criticize a lot of movie gun handling, and turn that into “you kids don’t do that!” If the gun handling is good, I point it out, too, but positive examples are not as common as negative ones.

Just like using the movies to teach us about anything else, learning gun safety or gun handling from them requires someone who knows what they’re doing, because there are a lot of bad habits to be learned if you’re not careful.

So, here are my Class 4 movies, in alphabetical order:

3:10 to Yuma (2007)
Bonnie and Clyde
Buckaroo Banzai and His Adventures Across the 8th Dimension
Die Hard
Full Metal Jacket
Heat
Last Man Standing
Miller’s Crossing
Pulp Fiction
Saving Private Ryan
The Big Red One
The Longest Day
The Outlaw Josey Wales
The Shootist
Tombstone

The discussion on each one is different. For instance, 3:10 to Yuma is on the list because of the varied types of guns used, from 1871 Single Action Army revolvers, to break top Schofields. Buckaroo Banzai is on there because it turns out that just about every character in the movie is carrying concealed.

Over time I figure I’ll talk about my favorite movies, and you’re welcome to comment or email me. If you follow me on Twitter (@FillYerHands) then you already know my favorite movie on the list. In fact, you may have already unfollowed me because you’re tired of reading the dialog every time it comes on, since it’s also a Class 1.

If so, well, bye.

A few weeks ago I was rearranging the closet, and I decided to lay out my collection for a photo. My wife came in and counted them. Thirteen holsters. She said, “13 holsters for 4 guns. Looks like someone has a Holster Problem.”

I tried to put on my best “how many purses do you own?” face, and explained my collection.

Because of its unique shape and size, the Buck Mark has a dedicated holster, a nylon belt holster that I had to modify to hold the red dot scope.

My Glock 17 and Glock 19 can share holsters, and for them I own a Glock factory polymer holster, a leather belt holster, a leather IWB holster, and two Kydex paddle holsters, one black and one painted tan. I also have an ankle holster that both will fit, but honestly, I would only carry the G19 in it.

My Glock 21 has a dedicated leather belt holster and a Kydex paddle holster.

All three Glocks can also share a thin leather IWB holster that I keep in the car, and a flap holster I use for open carry when I’m camping or hiking. (Is that a can of worms I smell?) They can also share a cheap shoulder holster I admit I have never used, and a holster with hook and loop on it, that I use inside fanny packs.

I suppose I should include the nylon belt holster that I got for the G17 when I first bought it. My son uses it for his Airsoft pistols, but we still have it.

Finally, I have a Bladetech double offset drop holster that I use for competition. I use it for the G17, but it fits the G19 right now, and the G21 with some adjustment. I also have a Kydex belt holster that I can use for IDPA.

So, there we are: 17 holsters for 4 guns, an average of about 4 each. Each has its purpose, its history, and a valid argument for owning it. No problem.

My wife shook her head and left. The day was mine.

Now, I’ve heard a lot of good things about these new IWB holsters . . . .

I just read another posting on an online forum from someone who was openly carrying his pistol legally in a large city, and was given a really hard time about it by the police.

I don’t think you should open carry, in most cases. Here’s why.

If the laws where you live allow, it is your right to carry a gun openly at any time. I don’t disagree with that. It’s not about whether you have the right to open carry. If anyone ever tries to take away our right to open carry, I fight it with everything I have.

Instead, to me it’s about what happens when you open carry – the reaction of people you encounter, the reaction of the police you encounter, and the kind of message those reactions send about responsible gun ownership.

Why do we care what the average person thinks of us as gun owners, or for that matter, what the police think? Because we have to live in this country and the time may come when we will need those people for their support to keep our rights from being taken away. And if you don’t think rights can be taken away, you are naïve or ignorant or both.

In a worst-case scenario – think Katrina or Japanese tsunami aftermath – I would rather my local police and citizens think “Oh, good, here comes someone with a gun,” rather than “Oh, no, here comes someone with a gun.” And if the governmental climate ever shifts toward the antis, I want the average citizen standing in their way, not supporting them because they’re fed up with my rantings.

So, unless I’m in an area with a strong tradition of open carry (like Arizona), or I’m at an event where it’s welcome and encouraged (like the NRA convention), I will carry concealed, rather than openly. Heck, I live in Kennesaw, Georgia, with its famous ordinance requiring gun ownership, and I don’t open carry here. I’m just as well protected when I carry concealed, and I don’t need to show my gun to prove any point.