A foolish thing happened this morning.

I have a firearm in my car console all of the time but I will have to admit I don't carry on my the time person at all times. I am stocky built(that is a word for not quite fat) and nothing is comfortable except an OWB rig and I don't like that when I can't wear a coat of some description.
My daughter is never without hers. The purse she carries must weigh twenty pounds without her revolver but it doesn't seem to bother her.
 
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Duster340 said:
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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Neither will WE!!! :D :)
 
In all of the years that I worked Homicide in Miami-Dade, I don't think that any of the victims woke up that morning expecting to get murdered later in the day. Point being, evil is fluid and can be anywhere at anytime. Often, when you least expect.
 
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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.

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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I read that too I don't remember who the author was but I THINK Claude Werner re-posted it. I don't leave my home unarmed but I'm not allowed to carry at work.

I consider myself lucky to have done 5 years as an unarmed security guard both in mental health facilities and in downtown Colorado Springs because I had to learn to use people skills and conflict resolution.

When I became an armed guard I relied far more on those skills than the power of The Mighty Boomstick.
 
No CCW here-New Jersey. Implying that if you carry all the time your thinking is not "right"-you are paranoid ! Is it "paranoid" to have a first aid kit in the car, flares, triangles, a flashlight, a safety vest, a plug-in spotlight. No, I call that Being Prepared (I was an Eagle Scout.) Carrying a cell phone so you can call the authorities or summon help ? Being alert and observant ? Are Secret Service agents on duty paranoid ? Your local LEOs ? Locking your door at night ? Checking to see if you have your wallet, driver's license, car and house keys. Walking around your car to see if anything is amiss. Jeff Cooper emphasized "Situational Awareness". I would simply call it being Wide Awake. And following well thought out SOPs and procedures.
 
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.

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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Wow, I think that is short sighted. What is a person supposed to do when a large criminal has a piece of wood, a piece of pipe, a knife or a gun?As I age, I feel like I'm not likely to be able to defend my self as well as when I was young. People of small stature probably feel the same way. I am pretty much armed all the time. I am capable of effectively using it. It's one of the last things I would ever want to do, but if the situation demands it...With the "opiod epidemic" and tweakers around everywhere, I think now more than ever it is a good idea to be able to effectively defend oneself by deadly force, if necessary. My youngest daughter has a carry license. She was "ambushed" by a news crew when walking her dog the other day. They asked her thoughts on the Federal drug bust at the neighbor's house she was walking by. She was informed that a large amount of meth, guns and cash was seized. She lives in a decent neighborhood and had never suspected a thing. The chances of needing to defend oneself with a firearm by shooting it, are very low, but the likelihood of displaying it and fending off a thug is very much higher.
 
BE Mike said:
Wow, I think that is short sighted. What is a person supposed to do when a large criminal has a piece of wood, a piece of pipe, a knife or a gun?As I age, I feel like I'm not likely to be able to defend my self as well as when I was young. People of small stature probably feel the same way. I am pretty much armed all the time. I am capable of effectively using it. It's one of the last things I would ever want to do, but if the situation demands it...With the "opiod epidemic" and tweakers around everywhere, I think now more than ever it is a good idea to be able to effectively defend oneself by deadly force, if necessary. My youngest daughter has a carry license. She was "ambushed" by a news crew when walking her dog the other day. They asked her thoughts on the Federal drug bust at the neighbor's house she was walking by. She was informed that a large amount of meth, guns and cash was seized. She lives in a decent neighborhood and had never suspected a thing. The chances of needing to defend oneself with a firearm by shooting it, are very low, but the likelihood of displaying it and fending off a thug is very much higher.
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BLACKHAWKNJ said:
No CCW here-New Jersey. Implying that if you carry all the time your thinking is not "right"-you are paranoid ! Is it "paranoid" to have a first aid kit in the car, flares, triangles, a flashlight, a safety vest, a plug-in spotlight. No, I call that Being Prepared (I was an Eagle Scout.) Carrying a cell phone so you can call the authorities or summon help ? Being alert and observant ? Are Secret Service agents on duty paranoid ? Your local LEOs ? Locking your door at night ? Checking to see if you have your wallet, driver's license, car and house keys. Walking around your car to see if anything is amiss. Jeff Cooper emphasized "Situational Awareness". I would simply call it being Wide Awake. And following well thought out SOPs and procedures.
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You're misinterpreting the lesson.

People that carry habitually sometimes develop an attitude--and if you want proof, just browse the forums for 5 minutes--that The Gun is what keeps them safe. Everything starts to revolve around The Gun--how to carry it, carrying it everywhere, practicing with it, etc. They forget useful skills, they stop practicing awareness, etc--why bother? They're safe, they have The Gun.

How many times have we read a story about someone that stupidly got into a confrontation that they never would have considered getting into had they not been armed? Pretty often.

The "not carry" exercise is intended to prevent that. I don't know if it's effective--legally, my routine prevents me from true 24/365 carry--but I'll tell you this: I'm certainly not afraid without it.
 
BLACKHAWKNJ said:
No CCW here-New Jersey. Implying that if you carry all the time your thinking is not "right"-you are paranoid ! Is it "paranoid"
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No one said anything like that. What was said was it if your feelings of safety come from a gun then you're not thinking right.

The article was more aimed at people who feel utterly defenseless without a gun and who freak out if they ever have to go someplace where they cannot carry.

Your self defense strategy should NEVER (and of course YOURS isn't) be predicated on having a gun. The gun should be the last option.
 
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I generally carry every day. I probably forgot my gun 3 times in the last 5 years. I live in a neighborhood where crime is more likely to happen than most. However, I grew up in a neighborhood like that so I'm generally not fearful of it. I kinda know what to look for. With all that said, I have went back in and got it.
 
Wise_A said:
You're misinterpreting the lesson.

People that carry habitually sometimes develop an attitude--and if you want proof, just browse the forums for 5 minutes--that The Gun is what keeps them safe. Everything starts to revolve around The Gun--how to carry it, carrying it everywhere, practicing with it, etc. They forget useful skills, they stop practicing awareness, etc--why bother? They're safe, they have The Gun.

How many times have we read a story about someone that stupidly got into a confrontation that they never would have considered getting into had they not been armed? Pretty often.

The "not carry" exercise is intended to prevent that. I don't know if it's effective--legally, my routine prevents me from true 24/365 carry--but I'll tell you this: I'm certainly not afraid without it.
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I see the "not carry" exercise as indefensible. I'm just as aware of my surroundings with or without a gun. I'm more likely to avoid confrontations because I'm armed and realize the huge responsibility it entails. Going unarmed only makes one more likely to be a victim, if confronted by a criminal or attacked.
 
I'm a "checklist" guy, too. Everything in its place as soon as I'm dressed, everyday, all day. Well, except yesterday.

After lunch I changed into work clothes to go into the woods on my property to cut firewood. I made the conscious decision NOT to wear my belt so no OWB 640 Pro, but the M&P 340 was in its place in my pocket.

On my way to the next standing dead pine tree in need of felling -- about 100 yards from my cabin -- I saw four-legged critter prints in the four inches of snow, but they'd "bloomed" so I couldn't tell whether it had been a bobcat or a fox -- the only two critters around this time of year that make "those" small prints. No worries about either 'cause both are lots more afraid of us big two-legged critters than we are of them. I truly hoped to see which ever one it was, but I never want to see one of those big canines that nearby neighbors have occasionally reported seeing (and, no, I don't mean a coyote).

Hard at my work, I shut off the saw once, flipped up the ear muffs on my hardhat and heard a noise with which I wasn't familiar. It came from behind a thick stand of fir and pine I couldn't see through. Lots of commotion so I just watched and remembered my conscious decision not to pack the Pro. I didn't feel a need to reach for the 340, but I was aware of where it was.

I watched, but there was nothing to see. The odd noise of something flailing about in the thick woods continued and drew a bit nearer. "Never again will I choose NOT to hitch up the OWB holster and drop in the Pro," I thought!

In a flurry of noise and fanfare out from the woods flew a downy woodpecker. He landed atop the new stump about two feet from me, jack-hammered one of the bug holes and we eyed each other. I laughed, as much at myself as at his silly antics, and then he took his leave.

Note to self: don't leave the cabin half-dressed again.

No, I, too, can't agree with testing my self awareness and ability to defend myself by purposefully leaving home unarmed. Makes no sense to me, no matter what the threat might be.
 
Not a high-speed low-drag operator. I'm just a guy walking his dog at the park. I slip an LCP in my pocket in the morning and it stays there till bedtime.

That I should disarm myself to get better in tune with my Zen force awareness and tactical strategies ain't happening. I'll take the risk of remaining armed.
 
When I step out of the house the LCP is in the pocket! ;) If going to someplace uncharted and nasty, it's someting bigger! :cool:
 
Wise_A said:
You're misinterpreting the lesson.

People that carry habitually sometimes develop an attitude--and if you want proof, just browse the forums for 5 minutes--that The Gun is what keeps them safe. Everything starts to revolve around The Gun--how to carry it, carrying it everywhere, practicing with it, etc. They forget useful skills, they stop practicing awareness, etc--why bother? They're safe, they have The Gun.

How many times have we read a story about someone that stupidly got into a confrontation that they never would have considered getting into had they not been armed? Pretty often.

The "not carry" exercise is intended to prevent that. I don't know if it's effective--legally, my routine prevents me from true 24/365 carry--but I'll tell you this: I'm certainly not afraid without it.
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That was the whole point of the article, and one would need to read it before passing judgment because it was mainly directed at those individuals who absolutely feel it is the GUN protecting them alone, and if they don't have a gun on them, they are actually in fear.

Now, that might not be a large %, but it still exists. For the folks who are mentally and physically prepared, they will probably laugh at this.

Also, I'm not saying I agree with the author. I would rather not forgo carrying a gun just to get experience without it, but I do understand his points on SD being much more than just a gun. Fortunately, I'm not one of those who live in fear of being unarmed, and just use this information as further wisdom in the noggin.

Being that I have mental and physical preparedness, I will just opt to carry my gun at all times when outside the house.
 
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BE Mike said:
I see the "not carry" exercise as indefensible. I'm just as aware of my surroundings with or without a gun. I'm more likely to avoid confrontations because I'm armed and realize the huge responsibility it entails. Going unarmed only makes one more likely to be a victim, if confronted by a criminal or attacked.
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ChattanoogaPhil said:
That I should disarm myself to get better in tune with my Zen force awareness and tactical strategies ain't happening. I'll take the risk of remaining armed.
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I think you're both deliberately missing the point of the exercise. It's aimed at the people who FREAK OUT anytime they are required to go someplace where they are simply not permitted to carry. Say a military installation or a penitentiary where they can't even have a gun in the car. The same people who will not enter any business that prohibits firearm because they might get caught without The Mighty Boomstick

If you absolutely can not face the world without a gun you're too dependent on the gun for your safety
 
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I agree, the gun is a tool, an implement, the mind is the real weapon. Having a first aid kit without really knowing how to use it-like not knowing how to change a tire-is a good example of being prepared in a material sense but not in a mental one. But being prepared mentally and not physically is just as foolish.
 
Whitwabit said:
Would you take your spare tire out of your car to feel the need to look for pot holes ?? To become more aware of your driving surroundings ???

Why would you not carry your weapon ????
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Because, sometimes it is illegal; other times, clothing doesn't work well.
 
bigwheelzip - that is the ONLY time I don't carry - visiting family in NYC.

I suppose I won't carry if I know I am going someplace where my gun is prohibited but, as a rule, except for NYC, I don't travel to such places. Foreign travel excluded - that doesn't count because if I am not in America then I left my rights behind, too.

I might leave my wallet home, my money, even my knife, and for sure my phone, and not go back for it. It happens. I never leave my house without my gun. If I did I'd go back for it but it never happens. I don't even throw out the trash without a gun in my pocket. I live in a very safe neighborhood. It doesn't matter. Today could be the day.

Now that I have lots of years on me I even feel better about it than I did when I first started EDC - on my person or in my car - (before the concealed handgun law I might add - it was a very common practice in Texas). Now I feel like I can justify 100% carry no matter what because the headline will read something like this:

"Senior citizen prevents home invasion."

Or similar.

"It jus' beez dat weigh......"
 
Enjoying reading everyones pro and con opinion. I have respect for them all. However, one thought keeps coming back to me. Without trying, I'm a **** magnet and after surviving 35+ years as Police in high risk units in ARMY Military Police, Detroit, and Miami-Dade, what a tragedy it would be to get murdered because I was retired and left my gun at home. Or worse yet, a loved one with me was hurt.
 
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