Thoughts on Methods of Carry

On October 6, 2011December 29, 2015 By Tom LindsayIn CCW, Concealed Carry, Training

Sometimes you need to carry 2 Glocks.

JP over at the Empty Mags Podcast recently did an episode about pocket carry, that is, carrying a pistol in a pocket holster. I was reading other blogs who commented on this, and I wanted to share my thoughts.

There are several ways to carry a gun, and there is no way I can be exhaustive, but here is how I’ve done it.

My choice of carry method depends on several things, including the clothes I’m wearing and where I’m going.

By far the preferable way for me is belt carry, the traditional holster on the belt on the strong side, which I do when I can wear a concealing garment like a jacket or over shirt. I carry at almost the 3 o’clock position, maybe 3:30, and I would carry it even farther forward if I could work out reliable concealment. I just find that a draw at 3:00 or farther forward works best for me. When I open carry, I carry at 3:00.

I’ve used several kinds of holsters for this: Kydex paddle holsters, Kydex belt slide holsters, and leather belt slide holsters. Again it depends on what I’m wearing and where I’m going. If I need to take the holster off to go in a restricted place like the courthouse, I’ll use a paddle holster, although I’ve also taken to using a leather belt slide holster, and carrying a leather IWB holster to put the gun in, and put it in safe keeping.

I also have a Bladetech double offset drop belt holster that I use for competition. That’s it in the forward position in the picture.

Next on my preferred carry methods is Inside-the-Waistband, or IWB. All my IWB holsters are leather. I carry them at 3:00 also. I find that when the gun is canted forward a little, it rides right on my hip bone, which works really well.

Next is a fanny pack with an IWB holster in it. I stress that I always use a holster whenever I carry, even if it’s in a fanny pack, so that the trigger guard is covered to prevent accidentally pressing it. I use a fanny pack when I’m out walking, wearing gym clothes. I’ve also used a very large fanny pack to carry in the car, and I sling it over my shoulder like a ruck sack. No one knows.

I also have an ankle holster that I bought at a gun show on a whim. I’ve never carried using it. My plan was to use it to carry my G19 as a backup gun. Maybe I should work on it.

Now, back to the issue of pocket holsters. Admittedly, I’ve never carried a gun in a pocket holster. In fact, I don’t own a gun that’s small enough to carry in a pocket holster.

I don’t rule it out though. Michael Bane talks in his Down Range Podcast about methods of concealed carry, and I really like his strategy – whatever he’s carrying on his belt, he almost always has a pocket pistol in his left front pocket as a backup. In his case, it’s a Ruger LCP.

His thinking is this, and I like it – he doesn’t plan to have to draw the gun quickly in most cases because his plan is to have his hand on the pistol, already partially drawn, when trouble goes down. Weer’d also talks about having his pocket pistol out and on the console.

Of course, this assumes we know when trouble is happening, which isn’t always the case. But if we work on our situational awareness the chances of this go up a lot.

Is It That Time Again?

On September 20, 2011July 26, 2012 By Tom LindsayIn CCW

Last week I went to renew my Georgia Weapons License. This is the eighth time I’ve gotten, or renewed, a concealed carry license. Time flies.

As permits go, Georgia’s was rather simple to get. I filled out a form at the Cobb County Probate Judge office, paid them my money, and went down to the basement to be fingerprinted. They have the same woman doing fingerprints who was there the last time I did this, 5 and 10 years ago. I talked to her a little while she rolled my hands across their glorified photocopier, and in 5 minutes we were done. In a couple of weeks I will get my new license in the mail.

We talked a little about my experience with the application and renewal processes in the places I’ve lived. By far the easiest renewal I ever had was in Alabama, probably 18 years ago. At that time the license had to be renewed once a year. The initial license took a month or so for the background check, but the renewal was something else entirely.

I went in the Sheriff’s office, and the clerk had me fill out the renewal form, and took my $5. Then she called out “Sheriff!”

The Sheriff stuck his head out of his office, and the clerk told him my name, and said, “He’s here to renew.”

He looked at me closely, and then said “Nope, I haven’t run into you this year. He’s good.” And I got my permit right there.

There is currently a bill before the Congress to compel the states to recognize gun permits issued by all other states, just like they do with drivers’ licenses. As long as the Federal reach ends there, with direction to the states, I’m good. If we mess up and let the Feds into the permitting process beyond that, we’re screwed.

Ultimately, I believe all states should allow concealed carry to all citizens who are not otherwise restricted from gun ownership, just as Alaska, Vermont, and Arizona currently allow, without a permit. Permits are a holdover from the Jim Crow laws, meant to prevent freed blacks from taking up arms. Beyond that, they are revenue sources – my Georgia permit cost $75.

As I was leaving the fingerprint office in the basement of the Cobb County Courthouse, I told the Fingerprint Woman I would see her in five years, unless Georgia went the way of Vermont. She smiled and said she was fine with that, she’d find another line of work.

It would be fine with me, too.

Georgia Scores 8 on the Brady Scorecard

On May 5, 2011 By Tom LindsayIn CCW

The Brady Campaign’s 2010 state gun law rankings are out, and my home state of Georgia scored an 8 out of a possible 100. The lower the score, the less restrictive the gun laws, so a zero would be the perfect place to live. I’m sure if they scored Kennesaw, where I live, we would get a lower score that 8.

You can see an interactive map here. The People’s Republic of California scored highest with 80.

Too bad even the Brady Campaign can’t answer just one question.

Adventures in Permitting

On April 5, 2011July 26, 2012 By Tom LindsayIn CCW1 Comment

Since I’ve owned guns I’ve lived in three states, so I have had the pleasure of holding Concealed Carry Permits in three very different states. The processes to obtain and renew those licenses are as varied as they come.

I believe the Second Amendment guarantees to citizens the right to carry concealed firearms, and there should be no government regulation of that right for those citizens who can lawfully own a gun. But, living in the real world, we are forced to deal with the system we have. For those unfamiliar, there are basically three kinds of permit processes for concealed carry in the United States. The first is my favorite, so-called Constitutional Carry, and requires no permit. Vermont, Alaska, and Arizona currently have this system and a lot of others are considering it.

For states that require a permit for carry, there are two kinds of processes, May Issue and Shall Issue. May Issue means the permitting authority May Issue you a license if they deem you are worthy, and usually if you can prove the need for the license. In Shall Issue states, the permitting authority Shall Issue your permit, unless they can prove you are not eligible for the license. It really comes down to the burden of proof: in May Issue states, the burden is on the applicant to prove the need, while in Shall Issue states the burden is on the issuer to prove the applicant is ineligible.

When I first got a pistol, I lived in Alabama, which was and is a May Issue state. From what I know about other May Issue states, Alabama is the easiest to get permits. My experience was simple. I went to the Sheriff’s office in the county seat, and filled out an application, and paid $10. Five days later I got a call that my background check was clean, and I could come get my license.

Although the permit was good for only a year, renewal of the license was much easier. I went back to the Sheriff’s office and filled out a renewal application, and the clerk looked up my name in her computer to be sure I hadn’t gotten in trouble in the past year. She then called into the other room and told the Sheriff that she had a renewal, and told him my name. The Sheriff stuck his head in the room, looked at me, and said “Yeah, he’s good.” I paid my $5 and was on my way.

When I moved to Arkansas and wanted to get a permit there, I found a different situation. Arkansas is a Shall Issue state, and requires applicants to complete a training course, pay for fingerprints, and pay a $144 permit fee, that’s not refundable if the permit is denied. The permit is good for five years. At the time, I also had to list the serial numbers of no more than 5 guns that I would be carrying, which, to me, was de facto licensing of my guns. I got all the forms from the State Police office in my town, completed my training, paid to be fingerprinted, and mailed it all off. The law allows up to 120 days for the process to be completed, but six weeks later, I had my permit. Then five years later, I went through it all again.

When I moved to Georgia, I found a process that was about in the middle. Georgia is a Shall Issue state. I got a money order for the permit fee and background check fee, and went to the county courthouse. The application was easy to complete, and fingerprinting was actually done by a scanner rather than the traditional ink and paper. Four weeks later I had my permit, although the law give them 60 days. Georgia’s permit is good for five years, and I realized recently that I’ve lived back here long enough to have to renew my permit for the second time. My, how time flies.

Another interesting point here in Georgia is some changes that happened last year. For a long time, knives with blades over five inches were in a regulatory black hole. The law covered knives under five inches, but there was nothing about knives longer than that. The fix – a couple of sentences in a gun law passed in 2010. One changed the name of the Georgia Firearms License to the Georgia Weapons License, and another said that handguns and knives were weapons. Done.

So, how do I feel now about these processes?

I advocate Constitutional Carry in all 50 states and DC. In the era of instant computerized background information being available to law enforcement, the argument that it provides security to officers is no longer valid. It just remains a de facto tax on gun owners that should be ended.

I know there are times, like when purchasing a gun, where having a permit makes the process quicker, because the permit holder has already been checked out, and there is an active record of that check. But, a gun owner could choose to pay for a voluntary NICS background check, and have proof of that handy when buying a gun.

I would recommend training to anyone who is considering owning a gun for protection, regardless of whether you plan to carry concealed or not. But, I would not require that training as a condition of getting a permit.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to set a reminder to renew my permit this fall.