A foolish thing happened this morning.

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barbara_em

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This morning I prepared for my usual Saturday walk down the the Corner Store. I dressed warmly and wondered if I needed a cap since although the sun was out, it was still chilly; we had snow yesterday! I chose a cap and had to check my appearance in the mirror. To *******ize Hamlet, "Vanity, thy name is woman." Thinking I was ready, I put my driver's license and debit card in the right coat pocket and my keys and cell phone in the left. After another glance at the mirror, I was out the door.
I was already on the sidewalk walking briskly when I realized I left my pistol and spare magazine on the footstool in my bedroom. Normally I pat myself down to make sure everything's where it's supposed to be as I'm headed for the door. For some reason, this morning I didn't.
Do I go back and get it? I asked myself, feeling foolish. I carry a pistol daily, although I haven't needed a gun in ten years and that was against a dog. It's a bright sunny day. Not a cloud in the sky. I make this trek several times a week and people along the route know me. Is this the day it goes down? And me defenseless?
Momentum won out over safety. I went on. Thirty minutes I later I was back home. There was the gun, right where I left it. Since I don't carry a purse on these excursions, the pistol normally goes in the front right hand pocket of my pants, mag in the left. (Yes, I know the spare magazine shouldn't be loose in a pocket. I'm not perfect.) Not today, though.
How did I feel about being unarmed for the first time since since my last hospital stay? Uneasy. Perhaps more aware of my surroundings than usual, since my only option was to flee a threat. Grateful to be safely home. A bit foolish.
So, how many of you have forgotten your piece? What did you do?
The pistol is a Sccy CPX-2, holster DeSantis 111E1, worn in this case without the clip, ammo WWB 124gr. Yes there are more effective loads; personally, I tend to prefer heavier bullets but the 147 gr 9mm is too much for me in this small a pistol and I'm not going to take on the Symbionese Liberation Army. (Am I showing my age?) I like the WWB because it's universally available, well made, and economical so I can get in lots of practice with what I intend to carry.
 

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I don't wear a gun every day, but if I did, I might have done the same thing. I realize one cannot really say, "the threat level is low where I live." Bad things do happen everywhere, and without warning, but I prefer not to live with my hand on a gun. I can get along without access to one when I have to, for whatever reason.
 
If I'm not carrying, it is not because I forgot it; it's because I chose not to. Just drove to the liquor store and back - about 1-2 minutes away. No issues. Gee I go lots of places where I live without worry. Guess it just depends on where you live.
 
Most people never need a gun, ever.

My mom didn't need one, when she went to Sacramento for business. Out of nowhere, a mugger brutally beat her in broad daylight and took what little she had.

She purchased a 15-2 shortly thereafter.

It's a decision we make every day. Most of the time, I have my tiny Bodyguard .380.

I wouldn't stress about one time but it's always a good thing to know where your firearm is.
 
Not just where you live, but where you shop and where you travel and more importantly where the criminals happen to be at any given time.
That last one is the variable you can't control. The criminal element is making forays into even the best locales these days. They've figured out that is where they can find better stuff to steal and where the potential mugging victims with more money can be found.

The only time I am without a firearm is at work where the gun free zone is enforced with a metal detector, and the rare occasion when I have to go into a school, post office, or federal building where getting caught carrying can result in charges that would strip me of my 2A rights.
 
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Agree.....Going to Walmart? Absolutely. Going for bike ride around my little neighborhood? Nope
 
A wee bit off-topic - but I noticed the last time I carried into Wally World that one of their anti-shoplifting detectors beeped a couple times when I walked thru. Coulda been my imagination, I guess. I'm not concerned about my safety in the store - it's the coming and going that is scary around here. Aggressive panhandlers were the last problem I ran into - and I haven't been back since probably August.
 
Being I in the last say 90 days or so went from pocket carry to full time I W B. (M&P 40 c ) With my pocket carries ( .32, .380, 442, LC9) I could always stuff the pockets in P J and walk property if need be all fenced. But now 40 isn't rideing in P J . I do feel wierd out one a most likely go back to having pocket one on hand. Better to be armed my view
 
barbara_em

You could make that walk any number of times with no problems unarmed, but you never know for sure. Bet it will be a long time before you forget again. Anything you handle and shoot well is what you need to carry. Good for you.
 
oneounceload said:
If I'm not carrying, it is not because I forgot it; it's because I chose not to. Just drove to the liquor store and back - about 1-2 minutes away. No issues. Gee I go lots of places where I live without worry. Guess it just depends on where you live.
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I M H O a liquor store would be a place to carry for sure and bike rideing too . Florida is full of unleased two and four leg critters. Not a dig on Florida I have called it home since 1961.
 
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wingriderz said:
I M H O a liquor would be a place to carry for sure and bike rideing too . Florida is full of unleased two and four leg critters. Not a dig on Florida I have called it home since 1961.
Click to expand...

NOT where I live though. Should you carry to a liquor store? Sure........(and normally I wold) but wife and I needed some stuff, had the gym shorts on - which means NO carry in those things - no loose dogs here either; so not worried in that regard. When riding my bike I worry more about folks on the phone and driving into the sun as I ride the bike in the PM. Different neighborhoods have different aspects, but in this little corner of FL, it is retired, which means eyes and ears are everywhere all the time.
 
I have a routine for getting ready for the day. Arise, shower, dress. Attach my RM380 in the DeSantis IWB holster at 4 o'clock on the right side. It stays there all day. Small pistol in a soft holster so I really do not feel it. When I go outdoors it is with me.

I know it is unlikely I will ever have to shoot a person, but a few years ago I did have to shoot a pit bull that latched onto my left arm and would not release. Here's the thing. That happened on my front lawn and the dog was my neighbors. You can be in jeopardy in your house, in your yard, or ten miles away. So I carry all the time.
 
wingriderz said:
Being I in the last say 90 days or so went from pocket carry to full time I W B. (M&P 40 c ) With my pocket carries ( .32, .380, 442, LC9) I could always stuff the pockets in P J and walk property if need be all fenced. But now 40 isn't rideing in P J . I do feel wierd out one a most likely go back to having pocket one on hand. Better to be armed my view
Click to expand...


Why not just put the belt and holster on with the PJ?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I've been licensed to carry for yrs and not once have I forgotten to bring "it". Even when I'm driving to work, I bring "it". As a matter of fact when I was walking around the neighborhood this evening, I had "it" with me. Like the american express commercial (that I don't have) don't leave home without "it".
 
Well, I'll 'fess up. I have a routine that I follow every morning (or any other time that I'm getting dressed. One of the steps in that routine is to holster my EDC, right after I get my suspenders hooked on my belt. While I was hooking the suspenders, my cell phone rang. Call took a few minutes to complete. Got up and put my shirt on and went in for breakfast. Piddled around the house about an hour and then left for the Post Office to mail a package. Went to remove my EDC prior to walking in the PO (which I really dislike doing, BTW!) and guess what ... no EDC to remove and secure in my vehicle. My spare mag was in place, only probably because I mostly do not remove it from my belt at night. So I had ammo but no ammo launcher. I never leave home without my EDC, and mostly never am at home without it in place. I was mortified to have done so this day. Familiarity does indeed breed contempt. So does having your head in a dark stinky place!!!

After finishing in the Post Office, I went straight home and remedied the situation. No, I'm not paranoid, but IF you need it and don't have it, it's worthless to you. I was not happy with myself. The older I get, the easier I seem to be distracted. So I have resolved to pay more attention to my routine instead of taking it for granted. Bear in mind that I've been carrying for a great many years. Last time I remember doing such a thing involved incarcerating an arrestee in the County Courthouse which involved escorting the fellow into the jail proper. Rules required removing my sidearm and placing it in a filing cabinet drawer in the dispatch office prior to taking the elevator to the top floor. About the time I finished booking and while still on the top floor, I was notified of a vehicle crash with injury on a busy highway, so I was in a rush when I got off the elevator. I pitched the booking papers in the tray and rushed out to the scene of the wreck. A fellow at the scene asked me where my revolver was. When I reached down to touch it, I went weak in the knees to find my duty holster empty. That's what I call an unnecessary feeling. I unlocked my trunk and removed my spare that I always carried there and filled the holster with it. I knew where the other one was. But I had to eat humble pie when I returned to the Sheriff's office to reclaim my duty revolver. Naturally there were several witness to the fact. It was a good lesson, as was the incident I reported above.

It can and does happen. I will say this. Had I noticed I was naked while I was still close to home, I would have returned at that time and gotten fully dressed. I suspect this has happened to more of us than we know about. If we are going to carry, we need to be sure that we really are (BEFORE we leave home!) Note to self ... get your head out, son!!!
 
Odd, that very same thing happened to me this past week. I had arrived at work before noticing my IWB holster was empty. I must have really had something else on my mind, but I've slept since then and don't recall.

I do recall being a lot more attentive to my surroundings that day though. I doubt that I'll do that again. But who knows? Normally I have a handgun secured in a cabled lock box, but having to go on a nearby Army base forced me to remove it last Monday. I'm just getting more foregetfull I suppose.
 
"Perhaps more aware of my surroundings than usual, since my only option was to flee a threat."

This is good mind training on such an occasion. I do it often if "unarmed". I do scenario play outs and look for places of cover and potential weapons I may use against a potential threat.. I think of it as a defensive drill...and make sure the next time, I don't forget my handgun.
 
I would feel weird not carrying. I would also worry that my gun was out where someone could pick it up. There is nobody here but me and the wife but, you never know who could drop by. I would have had to go back. I have had this happen and whent back.
 
Breakaway500 said:
"Perhaps more aware of my surroundings than usual, since my only option was to flee a threat."

This is good mind training on such an occasion. I do it often if "unarmed". I do scenario play outs and look for places of cover and potential weapons I may use against a potential threat.. I think of it as a defensive drill...and make sure the next time, I don't forget my handgun.
Click to expand...

I actually feel as if this is indicative of a misconception.

Identifying threats starts long before disengage/de-escalate/flee/fight takes place. Aside from happenstance incidents like road rage and the ubiquitous "store robbery" mall ninjas fantasize about, when we think about self-defense from crime, we're thinking about predators.

These guys have a pattern, not so different from what we do: observe, select, approach, engage, escape. First, they're going to observe an area that has targets moving through it, and which offers the opportunity to attack and a route of escape. Then they're going to select a likely target, get close, do what they need to do, and GTFO.

Breaking the cycle is easiest the earlier we do it. We've got to disrupt the bad guy's plan. We can choose not to be near the convenience store or corner ATM at two in the morning. We can avoid being selected by not staring at our cell phones or digging through our wallets. Even something as simple as spotting a guy standing around doing nothing, and purposefully making eye contact with him sends a message: "I'm paying attention, I see you, I know what you're up to, I'm not scared, and you're not going to surprise me."

Then there's the approach phase, where we can (maybe) interrupt the bad guy's plan to get close. Say he approaches asking for a dollar, or a light, or whatever:

"Can't help you."

"Can't help you, back off."

"Back the **** up!"

Escalating, forceful language. No "please", no "sorry". There's no reason for a normal, reasonable person to keep approaching, so you're denying him his camouflage. Vulgarity communicates forcefulness in terms he can understand. Just don't slip into an insult, like "Back off, 'mf'."

Be fine with maybe being rude to strangers, or looking like a whack-job. Yes, "Don't talk to strangers" is excellent advice that we give to children and then ignore ourselves. The other day, some weirdo started to approach me to talk about the weather at a gas station. Now, 99%, he was just a weirdo. 1% he had some idiot plan in mind, and I was without my pistol because carry was illegal at my destination. Direct eye contact as he walked up was ineffective. So when he asked about the strange weather, I moved right to "I don't care. Back off." He stopped like he'd just been gut-punched, turned around, and shuffled off, looking over his shoulder.

Point is, if your self-defense mindset only identifies overt threats, you're ignoring your best opportunities for defense. Similarly, your gun is your least-effective tool.
 
I too experienced brain fart recently. WI firearm deer season at our cabin week of thanksgiving. My wife and kids joined me up there Wed. When they get there, we run a little doe I took that morning to the butcher for processing. Later that day my wife and I decide to take a walk around the property. Since I still had 5 tags to fill, I decided to take my 4" 629 instead of my Bulldog 44spl Pug (it's always loaded and carried every day). In case we kick up a deer in the thick cedar wetlands. I swap holsters and revolvers and we head out, 20 minutes into our walk, I see movement and unholster the 629. Tell my wife to cover her ears and rest on a tree with the gun pointed at the spot I saw movement. Turns out to be a tree rat. As I reholster the 629 it hits me..... I never loaded it! In my haste to switch firearms I totally forgot. My wife of 28 years laughs at me and smacks me for being a dork. I told her that I'd just have to throw the 629 at any deer we might encounter lol. We figured now would be the time that 8 or 10 pointer captured on our trail cams would make an appearance! We had a good laugh, and she'll never let me live it down! For me, lesson learned.

Be well folks
 
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I just read this somewhere, but can't remember where. It was about SD carry.

The narrator was explaining basically this "if you need a gun with you at all times to feel safe, then your mental thinking is not right."

He actually recommends you don't carry on occasion to help break that dependent thought. To get you thinking like you should be, due to being unarmed and vulnerable. Something you should already be doing, even with a gun.

Pretty much people rely too much on "having the gun" that they forget it's really ALL THE OTHER STUFF that's really important, and a gun is just a last resort.

Perhaps it's good you went without for a day, as it seems you were more aware and observant. There is so much more to SD than the gun aspect.
 
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There are two shelf's by the door that leads from the house into the garage. On the top shelf is my "protection". All I have to do is grab it and place it either in my pocket or on the belt. When I come back home on the shelf it goes till the next time I need it.
 
kthom said:
A fellow at the scene asked me where my revolver was. When I reached down to touch it, I went weak in the knees to find my duty holster empty.
Click to expand...

A senior officer taught me "put your keys in with it", when securing the weapon--keep you from driving off without it.

Keeping car/house keys, wallet & license, etc alongside CCW
piece can help avoid the "oh #$%" effect in civilian life, too.
 
iPac said:
I just read this somewhere, but can't remember where. It was about SD carry.

The narrator was explaining basically this "if you need a gun with you at all times to feel safe, then your mental thinking is not right."

He actually recommends you don't carry on occasion to help break that dependent thought. To get you thinking like you should be, due to being unarmed and vulnerable. Something you should already be doing, even with a gun.
Click to expand...

I know I've read that guy. I can't recall the name.
 
Every time I leave the house, I pat my pockets and count out loud for three important items: One - my carry gun; Two - my reload; Three - my wallet which contains my carry permit.

If I'm traveling directly to a no-carry destination, items One and Two are in a soft case which I place in the console of my vehicle.
 
I have been dressing myself for about 60 years, haven't forgotten my pants yet, wear them every time. I have been carrying a revolver for about 40, havent forgotten it yet either. I used to tell my children develop habits, it makes life easier.

I dont go anyplace terribly dangerous anymore, but I figure the ONE time you don't have IT will be the ONE time you wish you did.
 
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