Carrying a backup gun? Why or why not?

[Kanewpadle]

Why or why not? Weight, ammo difference, having to dress for two guns not just one, double the chances of printing, etc, etc.

Look, if you take the extremist view of guns reliability, technically you have to buy a new gun, shoot it to destruction, buy another one, rinse, repeat, repeat, repeat, etc. It's a point of view that tacitly admits you don't have confidence in the pistol you picked to carry.

Myself, I picked the pistols I have the most confidence in and have done enough testing with them to give me confidence that if I have to use them they will go bang and hit what I am aiming at. Could they still fail? Yes. But I have done everything reasonable to ensure that they won't fail. All you can do is all you can do. At some point you have to take the field with the one you have the most confidence in, and work it from there.

Do as you wish. But you couldn't be more wrong about the rest of it.

Mechanical objects fail. Period. Nothing extremist about it.

Matter of fact, I could say that you are ill prepared to go out in public. How do you like that? Don't call me an extremist.

 

[Grayfox]

I never felt the need for a bug. But I have one now.
My GF just got her handgun permit. She's my back up.

 

[comtedeloach]

Do as you wish. But you couldn't be more wrong about the rest of it.



Mechanical objects fail. Period. Nothing extremist about it.



Matter of fact, I could say that you are ill prepared to go out in public. How do you like that? Don't call me an extremist.

Then why not carry three? Or Four? Or 12, they might all fail.

As far as you opinion of me going out in public, I could care less.

 

[OMCHamlin]

I always have a NAA .22 WMR (basic wood stocks, 1 1/8" bbl) in my front pocket. Sometimes it's the only gun I have, sometimes it's the backup. Always depends on the situation . . .

I had one of those in my left front pants pocket last night. At first, I slipped a speed strip full of CorBon 357s in there for my M&P 340, but decided the NAA didn't weigh much more or take up much more room. I was two gunning it, and both magnums...

 

[85V65Sabre]

Really guys, a pissing match!
Why do you care if I choose to carry 1 or 100 guns when I leave the house?
We live in a FREE country. I do what I want, you do what you want.

I'm not here to try and change your mind, I'm just answering the OP question.........
" carrying a back up gun? Why or why not?"

Everyone have a nice day.[emoji4]

 

[Jim1392]

For an active LE absolutely a back up should be carried. For a civilian with the odds of using their firearm being slim to none it's total overkill. I couldn't imagine seeing myself going to the grocery store carrying 2 guns. And if you live in a neighborhood that you feel you need to carry 2 guns a knife in your boot, etc I suggest you think about moving.

 

[jimmyj]

Back up handguns- YES !
Jimmy's method: backup should be the same caliber as your primary

 

[keith44spl]

Back up handguns- YES !
Jimmy's method: backup should be the same caliber as your primary

Yeah Boy!!!




.

 

[haywood]

I think to each his own. I like the option of the pocket gun when I'm walking through a dark parking lot. One hand on the old 5 shooter is quite comforting. It may not be the time or place to have your hand gripping that multi mega blaster on your belt. But that's just me. If you think I'm a Rambo wanna be, I couldn't care less. In fact I don't give a rats but about what anybody thinks. But again, that's just me.

 

[elm_creek_smith]

For an active LE absolutely a back up should be carried. For a civilian with the odds of using their firearm being slim to none it's total overkill.

LEOs have the advantage of backup and radio communications. We don't. Ergo, we should be at least as well-armed as they are.

I couldn't imagine seeing myself going to the grocery store carrying 2 guns.

We aren't responsible for your failure of imagination.

And if you live in a neighborhood that you feel you need to carry 2 guns a knife in your boot, etc I suggest you think about moving.

I live in a very nice neighborhood that was invaded one pre-dawn morning by thugs breaking into cars and garages. Luckily, neighbors were able to stop them before they got onto anyone's house. It took LEOs 20 minutes to respond from the first 9-1-1 call. The young *******s were apprehended in the next town by an observant police officer. Where would you suggest we move?

 

[ca survivor]

the only time I called 911, I was put on hold...........I carry a 642 in my off hand pocket, and usually a FS or Compact on my right hip 3:00 O'clock, when I'm traveling by car the 642 goes into an ankle holster, so I can pull it while sitting.

 

[Jim1392]

LEOs have the advantage of backup and radio communications. We don't. Ergo, we should be at least as well-armed as they are.



We aren't responsible for your failure of imagination.



I live in a very nice neighborhood that was invaded one pre-dawn morning by thugs breaking into cars and garages. Luckily, neighbors were able to stop them before they got onto anyone's house. It took LEOs 20 minutes to respond from the first 9-1-1 call. The young *******s were apprehended in the next town by an observant police officer. Where would you suggest we move?

We can play this made up scenario game until we are blue in the face. LEO's respond to and are involved in more situations then you will be in a life time. And again, your odds of coming into an armed confrontation are about the same has hitting the Mega Millions lottery.

In response to the remark about my failure of imagination. I spent my whole career on the streets in Newark New Jersey in the Patrol Division, Tactical Squad, to the Robbery Homicide Squad. I have plenty of imagination so you don't have to be responsible for me. And when you get out from behind your keyboard and do the same then I'll take any advice you hand out about how to arm myself.

Also people breaking into cars and garages are not armed home invasions. And I could bet that it took the LEO's 20 minutes because they were told that they were breaking into cars, etc. Assignments are coded by priority and available units. I'm sure if they received a call that an armed home invasion was in progress there would have been a different response.

Lastly, back to original response if you need two guns, etc to go to the store you might want to consider shopping in a different part of town. And if my neighborhood was actually having HOME invasions and ARMED robberies I would consider where I lived and why I wanted to stay there.

 

[85V65Sabre]

So.......going to diner with friends or car shopping you have little need for self defense?

I'm sure that's what these 6 people in Kalamazoo Michigan thought .
Kalamazoo Uber driver got fares between killings, source says - CNN.com
Bad things can happen to good people any time any where.

 

[Jim1392]

So.......going to diner with friends or car shopping you have little need for self defense?

I'm sure that's what these 6 people in Kalamazoo Michigan thought .
Kalamazoo Uber driver got fares between killings, source says - CNN.com
Bad things can happen to good people any time any where.

I agree bad things can happen to good people. And I agree these people thought they were safe. But being realistic it wouldn't have mattered if they had 2 or 3 guns on them they were caught by surprise. It could happen to anyone including LEO's.

 

[Cal44]

It's interesting how emotional this topic gets.

Some people carry multiple guns, and other people treat them like they are a little paranoid or out in the ozone.

Other people say they only carry one, and some of the multiple gun carriers make comments about how the people with one gun are being careless with their safety.

I myself made it through 65 years of life as a computer engineer without every carrying a weapon.

Never felt I needed one. And I never felt my life was threatened.

Now, after carrying for a year or so, I feel like carrying a 5 shot J frame is a huge step up in security and ability to protect myself.

And as a retiree in a upper middle class suburb, I feel even less threatened that as a computer engineer in Silicon Valley.

So I can't bring myself to schlep around a big pistol, five magazines, and a couple backup guns.

One is enough.

But I accept that other people's current living situation and past life experiences may be significantly different from mine.

So more power to you if you want to arm up to a higher level.

 

[Kanewpadle]

Then why not carry three? Or Four? Or 12, they might all fail.

As far as you opinion of me going out in public, I could care less.

I'll continue t do what I think is best. As for you, I guess you're gonna find out the hard way. Your opinion is fine. But calling people names isn't.

 

[Savvy]

One day I'll actually meet a LEO or anyone who's actually needed their back-up in an incident (the venerable forum "I know a guy . . ." doesn't count).

Allow me to introduce myself

Always carried a model 36 snubby as a backup to my model 10.
In NYPD back in the 80s we had swivel holsters when assigned to vehicle patrol. If you are not familiar with these, google images will show you. Its swivel point was a bolt and washers affair.

It was a super busy Saturday night in July in Harlem. Quite a few priority calls, and also a few phony 'officer shot' calls put in by the drug dealers to send us running to another location so they could conduct business.

At one point we had 3 calls, back to back. As we are walking back to the car, central gives us a new call, this one in the housing projects. Twice while on the call in the projects, I hear what sounds like change hitting the floor. Since very often things were thrown at us from the roofs or from windows, we assumed it was change. We hustle back to the car before we get hit with something, and a new job comes over the air, this one a unit in foot pursuit. All we are getting is a location ,no details.

Lights and sirens all the way, ( I'm driving ) jump out and run into a building vestibule behind the foot post who is right behind the suspect. "He may have a gun, I didnt see it but he bolted during my search" he tells me.

I reach down and my gun is gone. As is the holster with it. Just a leather flap on my belt.

Do I turn around and get my gun, which Im hoping is in my car and Im hoping the car is locked - and leave the foot unit alone?

F it. I draw my snubby from the ankle and continue the pursuit.

We got him, (he was hiding a large bundle of dope, not a gun) gave him a shampoo and rinse with my motorola portable, and hustle back to the car to find my gun, in holster, sitting in between the seats and just under the fold down armrests.

Those were not pennies from the rooftops, but the washers falling out of my swivel!
Mind you my gear was not old, this was within my first 3 years on the job.

 

[rock_castle]

G19 or Shield and one spare mag. That's all I need. YMMV.

 

[elm_creek_smith]

We can play this made up scenario game until we are blue in the face. LEO's respond to and are involved in more situations then you will be in a life time. And again, your odds of coming into an armed confrontation are about the same has hitting the Mega Millions lottery.

In response to the remark about my failure of imagination. I spent my whole career on the streets in Newark New Jersey in the Patrol Division, Tactical Squad, to the Robbery Homicide Squad. I have plenty of imagination so you don't have to be responsible for me. And when you get out from behind your keyboard and do the same then I'll take any advice you hand out about how to arm myself.

Also people breaking into cars and garages are not armed home invasions. And I could bet that it took the LEO's 20 minutes because they were told that they were breaking into cars, etc. Assignments are coded by priority and available units. I'm sure if they received a call that an armed home invasion was in progress there would have been a different response.

Lastly, back to original response if you need two guns, etc to go to the store you might want to consider shopping in a different part of town. And if my neighborhood was actually having HOME invasions and ARMED robberies I would consider where I lived and why I wanted to stay there.

I spent 20 years in the Army in Combat Arms. I currently wear a badge and carry guns on duty, too, for around 20 more years. I've had a few "armed confrontations" myself.

LEO response in the county where I live (out in the "sticks") can run over 30 minutes regardless of the priority of the call. It's called time/distance. BTW, the call was coded as burglary in progress - occupied dwelling, Priority 1.

I don't <I>need</I> two guns to go to the store, just like I don't <I>need</I> the AR and 12 gauge in the locker at work. The odds of needing them are slim, but I've never heard anyone complain about having too many guns or too much ammo in a gunfight.

As for where we live - two incidents in 15 years isn't bad. No one considers big lots and nice houses a "bad neighborhood."

Thanks for your service to your community.

 

[jrs70]

I carry 2 guns because I do not believe in "A" gun. I have one located for sitting and one for standing. Not many people think anything when I put my hand in my pocket.