Was eating breakfast one morning in one of my favorite chain restaurants and noticed a large man sitting at the table next to me start to get up pulled out his wallet and drop his small revolver.

It hit the floor with a thud. The guy looked around, leaned over, picked it up, handed his wife the check and he beat it out the door. Very embarrassed I suspect. She paid the bill and they left.

Lots of conversation buzzing around the place but nobody overreacted by calling the authorities.

I had my holster hit the floor in a restroom one time, when I first started carrying concealed, before I learned to grab that gun before dropping my drawers.

Have you dropped your weapon in public? Seen it happen?

What was your response?

__________________
NRA Benefactor Member

I have not , but my friend told me he was in the movie and bent over
at the candy counter and his Colt Cobra fell on the floor. He just picked it
up and finished his business and went back and set down.

8th

This is why I really, really like shoulder holsters.

I was out on the Las Vegas Strip dancing with a date. I had a S&W Model 60 in an ankle holster. I also had one HKS speedloader in the right hand pocket of my sports coat. I became a little warm so took off the sports coat and laid it across my chair. We came back to our table and I reached to pickup the sports coat. I grabbed the wrong end and the speedloader rolled out across the dance floor for about 10 ft. I walked over, picked it up and quickly set down. My date was about to laugh her head off. I waited quietly for Security to come visit me, but they never showed. I quess no one that saw it recognized it for what it was. ............. Big Cholla

I've carried for over 40 years, first 30 as a LEO, but never had this happen. I was taught to be careful. I did get a call once to a Sears to pick up a gun an FBI agent had forgotten in a dressing room while trying on clothes. I wanted to be a fly on the wall when he explained that to his boss . . .

An ol' boy I worked with one time, told of dropping his J frame BUG whilest bent over to pick up a loaf of bread at the 'supermarket' .

He said, "I see a revolver just laying there...Man, that's just like mine, then I realized it was my revolver...
Made big step to grab it before anyone noticed, instead kicked it half way down the aisle."

I'm sure no one really cared but him. ~Smiley~


Su Amigo,
Dave

(Charlie D. , if your readin' this...Happy Trails, Man!)

__________________
"IN GOD WE TRUST"

I knew of other guards leaveing them in rest rooms two or three times where I worked but that also must have involved a million man hours! We all have storys, but that kind of thing dont get told much!

Several years back in Shreveport, LA, a security guard carried his gun into the police station (illegal to say the least). The guy decided he needed to go sit on the toilet in a corridor bathroom between Central Records and the Office of the Chief.

As he dropped his pants, his gun fell onto the tile floor and discharged. The bullet went through the wall dividing the public restroom from the Chief's office. It missed the Chief's head by maybe a foot and lodged in a wall on the far side of the Chief's office.

I know the guy was cited and not real sure that he got his gun back. It may be he had to find a new line of work as well. The Chief took this very personally.

"The Chief took this very personally."

Some people are easily perturbed!!

LOL! Reminds of what happened to a police officer I know. He was at a wedding reception with his off-duty carry piece in a ankle holster. He got to dancing with his wife when the piece popped out of the holster and several dancers "kicked" it across the dance floor as he chased it around on his hands and knees. Gave a whole new meaning to "do the hustle".

__________________
NRA Pistol,PPITH,PPOTH&TASER

Is it illegal in your state to carry inside a police station? I don't believe it is in mine, but I had better double check that before I ever go in again carrying!

I had a leather holster by a big name company, that after about a year of wearing, dumped my gun when getting out of the car. I took it very seriously and decided not to use leather again.

After not being able to find a kydex holster I liked, I eventually decided to start making them, so I guess the gun falling out happened for a reason...

I would suggest getting rid of any holster that dumps a gun out. that's very serious (as seen above) and I test a holster as being suitable by holding it upside down with the gun and shaking it.

YMMV

Steve
Personal Security Systems
Supporting Our Troops, LEO's, & Responsible Gun Owners

Had the belt clips come loose from my IWB holster once while waiting for an oil change. Felt the hoslet shift and made a beeline to the restroom and got everything secured while in the privacy of a stall. Luckily, nothing was ever exposed, but it wasn't fun trying to wiggle the belt clip fasteners out of my pants leg and re-secure my weapon in a public bathroom stall. Now, I check the fasteners every morning before putting on the holster.

I was at a professional football game with some LEO friends of mine. One of them was carrying a snubbie in an ankle holster and as he was walking down the steps to go to the refreshment stand the snubbie fell out of the holster and skidded across the steps. Several people noticed but nobody said anything. He just picked it up and kept going.

I went to the funeral of an older coworker several years ago, and her very elderly brother was walking up the aisle to the front of the church with the rest of the family. Just as he passed my seat, his 6" barrel revolver slipped out of the waistband of his pants, down his pant leg and out on the floor of the church.
He calmly bent over, picked it up and kept going. Needless to say, there was a lot to talk about the next day at work.

BC, you were very lucky as being caught CCW in a casino/bar in Vegas is usually a fast trip to jail. Las Vegas cops are rarely mistaken for Miss Congeniality, particularly if weapons are involved. I had a friend who learned this the hard way.

Capt Steve: I'm sure that some have come under the steely eye of METRO while in a Casino with a CCW, but at that time I was an off-duty LEO that was a member of an agency that strongly recommended that we carry while off-duty. But, as far as I know, there are no Nevada CCW laws that prohibit one from carrying while in a casino or bar and even enjoying one's choice of an adult beverage. But, there are laws about being under the influence of alcohol or drugs over the legal limits and carrying CCW. If the Casino security had asked me to leave, I would have complied with profuse apologies. It has been my experience that Casino management as a whole are pretty laid back about their customers packing legally. ........... Big Cholla

Ok, let me first say that overall, Louisiana is a very friendly gun state. Some of our laws originated in the southern part of the State by gun grabbing Democrats and some police agencies that are against gun ownership by citizens. Many of the original laws have been done away with.

Yes, it is illegal to carry a firearm into any police station, court house, federal building, municipal complex, voting precint or pretty much any government owned property. I was under the impression that is the case in most areas across the US.

As to a gun falling from a holster, it should not if the holster is for that model gun and the holster has retention. Most good holsters have a retaining strap that holds the gun securely.

I have a few shoulder rigs that I can switch just the holsters out that enables me to change gun models as I wish. One holster is for a slightly wider semi than my wonderful S&W 1911. My 1911 will fall out of that holster at the drop of a hat unless the retaining strap is in place. The holster made for the 1911 is holds the 1911 securely without the retaining strap but I still use the strap for an added amount of security.

Personally I do not like the composite, plastic or nylon holsters. Many tend to leave marks on the guns carried in them. The also do not mold to fit the body and are therefore less comfortable.

When my wife first started to carry she used an inexpensive Uncle Mikes IWB holster for her Bersa Firestorm 22. But she refused to stick in inside her waistband, but shoved it down inside the pocket of her jeans, and covered it with her blouse. "It's fine there" she'd say..."OOOOKKKKK...If you say so."

She bent over at Wally World one day and the Bersa went clattering to the floor, then slid down the aisle. A fellow standing there heard the racket, looked down and saw the gun at his feet. Without thinking, he bent over, picked it up, and turned to my wife and said "Uhhhhhh...excuse me ma'am. You dropped your...gun?" My wife said she thanked him, stuck it back in the holster and went on.

She did agree that she needed to rethink her holster needs.

__________________
John 3:16 .

Thankfully, not the case. Federal buildings and courthouses in most cases. K-12 schools are usually off limits. I voted while open carrying earlier this month.

I came close in a restaurant restroom. Placed my piece on the roll-paper box, but didn't notice it was slanted. I grabbed it in flight...

That is not the case in Missouri, either. There are very few places in our state that it is unlawful for a valid CCW permit holder to carry a concealed firearm. Those that come under Federal Jurisdiction notwithstanding, obviously.

The leather/Kydex hybrids work very well, IMO. They are the optimum in comfort next to the body, they provide a perfect molded fit, they have excellent retention without the use of cumbersome straps, and can be had to fit literally any handgun on the market. I don't worry about too much about a couple of minor "marks" on my carry guns. "Pretty" is not one of the criteria I have for a defensive weapon.

__________________
NRA Pistol,PPITH,PPOTH&TASER

My carry guns are shot and carried quite a bit, and tend to pick up more than their fair share of dings. I consider them as good things!

Early on after I started carrying, I used a cheaper holster, but still from a name company. I just didn't spring for the reinforced mouth that allowed easy reholstering, and it was a multi-model bucket style iwb. Sucked, really bad. Had a SIG 239 dump out in a restroom, thankfully it had full wall between it and anyone else though. Haven't carried that holster since! I also take care of the gun first when dropping trou.

__________________
I hope I copied that right

Thankfully, I learned my lesson (the easy way) on bathroom gun issues soon after I began carrying. Went to the restroom, sat down and heard the clatter on my tile floor. The gun only dropped a few inches and didn't go off (not that I'd expect it from a striker fired weapon). But, it got my attention. I take great care since then every time. (note: this was at home in my master bathroom, so not in public (thank goodness)

__________________
"... shall not be infringed."

I learned my first lesson at home too. I took my carry gun from my bedside holster, set it on the bed and then decided to straighten the comforter. At least there was no discharge other than a little blood from my pinky toe.

__________________
sticks-n-stones&hollowpoints

Oldman45,

I could be wrong on the police station, so I need to double check that. I know here we can't carry in courts or federal buildings either.

As far as many of the plastic holsters leaving marks, I totally agree. All holsters aren't created equal though. More often than not, a quality kydex rig will not ruin the finish. It depends on the plastics being used. A real soft kydex will not harm the finish as long as it is fitted correctly, is the correct thickness, and any sand or dirt is kept out of the holster.

Think of using brass jigs to clean barrels. The brass is softer than the steel barrel, so they don't easily scratch it. The same is true of a quality kydex holster.

I made one as a duty/combat rig that places a lot of retention on the ejection port - a spot where retention is usually released at - and that is the only spot I have really ever noticed any wear. I had the retention so tight that the gun was tearing pieces off the kydex though. The idea of this prototype was for climbing or extreme tactics that a thumb-break is generally needed for. The gun showed a small amount of wear on the corner of the slide of the ejection port from tearing off the kydex. Due to the wear and shaving kydex, I scrapped the design, but it gives an idea of how little a clean quality kydex rig will wear a gun.

In fact, people who run the kydex/leather hybrids typically will see more wear on the leather side due to the friction leather creates. I know leather wore my guns much quicker.

I'm not saying this because I sell kydex holsters. In fact, if you are interested I can give you a list of many great kydex holster companies besides myself, and all of them are contoured to the body for comfortable IWB carry. The retention placed on the trigger guard makes it nearly impossible for the gun to come out unless its intentional and doesn't slow or complicate a draw any.

If leather is still desired, a Milt Sparks is well worth the investment.

My $0.02. YMMV

Steve
Personal Security Systems Kydex Holsters