I have been asked by several people about concealed carrying of weapons. Where I carry, what I carry, how I carry it. No I am not going into detail. OPSEC. People who know me know.
But here are some thoughts on the subject.
If you haven’t trained, don’t carry. Just like yoga pants, just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Untrained people carrying firearms scares me more than bad guys with guns. I’ll say that again. In bold. Untrained people carrying firearms scare me more than bad guys (criminals) with guns.
So here we go.
What I carry.
What I carry is not relevant to any conversation I might have. It goes bang when I want it to and doesn’t go bang unless I put my booger hook on the bang switch and pull.
But I carry the same weapon every single day. It is the same weapon I have carried every single day since 1996. There is no thought to how it functions. There is no thought to how it operates. There is no surprise to felt recoil. Everything is the same since 1996.
I don’t have “fashion” weapons. I don’t have a “dress” gun and an every day carry gun. If for some reason my primary weapon is not able to be carried, my secondary weapon is EXACTLY the same. If I carry a model PEWPEW091 and its in the shop? My secondary is a model PEWPEW091.
Where I carry.
Again no concern to anyone. But I carry my weapon in the exact same place and the same angle, at the same height that I have since about 1982. It never changes. I don’t have to think about it. I don’t have to “find” it when I need it. It’s there. Right where I left it. Right where I put it in 1982. I don’t have to wonder where it is and how to get to it in an emergency. It’s there. Where it’s always been.
Muscle memory is a wonderful thing. If you train your body the same way it will react the same way without thought. You should consider this when carrying a weapon for personal defense. When the stakes are high, the adrenaline is rushing, your thought processes will be hampered. I’ve seen people who can put a 2 inch group with 10 rounds on a target at the range at 20 meters, hit a target twice the size at half the distance ONCE with two times as much ammo.
Locating your weapon and knowing how to operate it should not be part of the thought process when your life is on the line.