Concealed Carry

[JimT]

I have been carrying a pistol for most of 65 years or a bit longer. There was a period when I was in the Army that I did not have a pistol. During the 6 years I lived in Africa the only time I carried a pistol was when we were on leave back in the US. When I was a teenager I usually had a .22 sixgun somewhere on me. The first one was an H&R 9 shot double action. There were no concealed carry laws in those days and I was too young to qualify for them if there were. One night I was riding with a friend and 4 or 5 guys in a car tried to run us off the road. I am not sure if they were angry or looking for a fight or what. My friend who was driving got ahead of them and they chased us. After bit I leaned out the window and put a couple shots into their radiator. They decided they had some other place they needed to be and made a really quick turn away from us. I learned that it is good to have it on you when you need it.

For years I carried a Derringer in .38 Special, either in my boot or in my pocket. It came in handy more than once. Coming home from work one evening, as I pulled up by the house a coyote jumped out of our back yard where my dog was. I stepped out of the car and shot at the coyote as it ran past. And hit it in the back leg! The coyote did not stop to argue with me and I was surprised how fast it could run on 3 legs! I used that little popgun a couple times in confrontations with people but never had to fire it.

I also carried a 5 shot .38 Special by a fairly new company called Charter Arms. I got my carry loads from Tom Ferguson of the San Antonio Police Department. I used a 148 gr. Hollow Base Wadcutter loaded backwards with the large hollow base in the front. He told me about using it on a man in a gunfight in a hotel room and how well it worked. The only thing I ever shot with that pistol was a rooster who stuck its spur in my calf. But it stopped the rooster.

Over the years I have carried concealed a Colt 1911 .45 ACP ... a Colt Combat Commander 9mm ... an Astra Cub .22 Short ... a Raven .25 ACP ... a Beretta Model 950 .25 ACP ... a Colt Officers ACP .45 .. a S&W Model 10 4" ... a Freedom Arms Model 97 .45 Colt/ACP with the ACP cylinder .. Colt SAA .45 ... Charter Arms .38 Special ... Star BM 9mm ... Star PD .45 ACP ... a custom Ruger Vaquero .45 Colt by Gary Reeder ... Ruger Blackhawk .357 ... Ruger Blackhawk .45 7 1/2" ... a S&W Model 340 .357 and others I am sure. Right now I have a Ruger Bearcat Shopkeeper .22 in my belt.

I have never worried about the weight of the gun I carried. If it was heavy I figured out a way to do it. Suspenders are a Friend!! And you can hide them under a shirt or a vest. Most guys can hide a 7 1/2" single action if they take the time to think it out and try different things. I had a lightweight vest designed for hiking and hunting that worked well, even in warm weather. And while it is best to conceal as much as possible, most people would not notice it if you had a dead skunk on your belt. I walked around one day with a 1911 stuck in my belt in open view. In 3 or 4 hours I had only a couple people notice it. I stood talking to group of ladies and only one of them noticed it. She did not mention it until we were where the others wouldn't hear and then she asked me about it.

There were times when I couldn't carry a firearm but I always had something handy. In Mozambique I had no firearms but I did have weapons. One day I was giving a Mozambican Pastor a ride home. He noticed I had a knife mounted on the transmission hump in my truck, near my hand. He said, "Papa Jim. You have a knife!" I replied, "Yes I do." He said, "But you have Jesus." And I said, "I have Jesus and a knife."

That sort of sums up my personal philosophy of self defense.

[Scott Tschirhart]

If my pants are on, I’m packing iron. Generally a J frame these days but on weekends it’s generally a Colt or USFA .45 SAA. But the j frame is still in my pocket.

But I have Jesus regardless of whether I’m wearing pants.

[Walt]

"It is better to have a gun on you when you don't need it than not to have one when you do need it." unknown author

[ollogger]

Always have a hand gun on me, the one time i really needed a gun i didnt have one with me
that wont happen again, some how a roaring 600 lb black bear at 10 feet leaves a lasting impression



Brad

[JimT]

YIKES!! THAT would make a heck of an impression!

[Keith D]

It being Halloween I get to once again wear my cowboy hat, boots, duster, belt/holster with a 5.5" Ruger Blackhawk in 44 Special. The neighborhood kids and parents that see the Blackhawk always ask "Is that a cowboy gun?" I reply "It sure is." I don't think any of them believe it's a real gun, just part of a costume (that isn't a costume). Concealed carry in plain sight!

[AmBraCol]

I'm amazed at the number of folks who believe the tool is wicked rather than the hand the wields it. I know a number of "people of faith" who are proud to not carry so much as a pen knife. I've got Jesus, a couple of pocket knives, an inventive mind and depending on certain factors a few other choices for protecting innocent life. I've always appreciated your reply to our Mozambican brother.

[Paladin]

Yes, if I have pants or a robe on, I have a handgun. At least a J-frame in .22 MAG up to a .44 MAG, and normally, there is a long gun close. In this country, I have, but on rare occasions, shot critters.

[piller]

Trust in the Lord, but keep your powder dry.
I used to work for a couple of big chain stores which specialize in my profession. One time I was working at one in a very bad part of Dallas. Company policy was no firearms. I had a NAA .22 Mag with the little flip down grip in my front pocket. Had to go to the restroom. Some dude followed me in and pullet a knife. I already had that NAA in my hand as I was sort of facing the wall. I turned and eared back the hammer. He nearly broke the door getting out. I finished up and went back in to work. The pistol was back in my pocket. At the old Minyard which used to be directly across the street, a Store Manager got mugged in the bathroom a few years before that. I am glad I didn't need to shoot. A .22 Mag out of a short barrel in a bathroom would have deafened me.

[jeepnik]

Public restrooms are dangerous places. Many moons ago I landed back in California, changed to civies and made my way to the San Francisco airport. While waiting for my flight I was standing at a urinal when a couple of locals decided to relieve me of my wallet.

They went to the hospital for an extended stay. I went for some stitches and then the police station. The police weren't too pleased a GI in transit has "attacked" two of their upstanding citizens.

Some folks from the Presideo straightened everything out and I was on a flight the next day.

I haven't used a urinal since. Not only is your back to the world, but it's sort of disconcerting to go hands on with your penis hanging out.

[piller]

It is indeed disconcerting.