SCBA's, Helmets in the shower, and bulletproof vests

[Riccur]

I have not started carrying yet but have applied and am in the waiting line.

However, when I read about CCW and see all the people that are adamant about being armed at all possible times to ensure you are ready if something goes down. I can agree with that; preparedness is very important, so I pose the following questions to you all.

If the point of concealed carry is to protect yourself, your family, and the innocent people around us from an early demise, are we really doing enough.

Why do we not wear bullet proof vests all the time, just in case?

Or wear motorcycle helmets and HANS devices in our cars and in the bathtub?

Or why is it that so many people will smoke and drink excessively, increasing their chances of premature death.

Check out the leading causes of death in the U.S. below, and ask yourself if you are really doing enough.

http://www.nsc.org/research/odds.aspx

 

[Landpimp]

I wear a Level 2 vest on certain occasions and always when I am out on my 40 acres shooting by myself.....I could use a helmet as well

 

[GatorFarmer]

Um, I do wear a vest. They're bullet resistant, not bullet proof by the way.

What everything boils down to is cost/benefit equations. You balance discomfort and inconvenience of doing something(and I suppose cost out of pocket) versus the consequences of not doing it(which is in turn balanced by your perception of the threat).

Remember Murphy's law? The flip side is that whatever can go wrong usually goes right, thus lulling one into a potentially false sense of security.

A good example is extension cords. You can get along for a great many years using non UL listed Chinese cords from the dollar store and overloading them without burning your house down. That doesn't mean that it is a good idea or that you ought think the guy with his fancy UL listed cords is mistaken.

When it comes to going about armed, or wearing your vest for that matter, you only have to guess right once for it to have come in awfully handy. If you've guessed wrong, eh, well you die. You balance that against the hassle of carrying X number of pounds of weight. Since people pay to join gymns and such to get in shape, I don't see why that X number of pounds is going to be all that bad.

Your decisions on what you need (or feel comfy with) might work for you, but they might not work for me, or that guy over there. I'll continue to get the warm fuzzies carrying guns (yes plural) and wearing armor. Your desires, world view, and so on may vary.

 

[GatorFarmer]

Originally posted by Landpimp:
I wear a Level 2 vest on certain occasions and always when I am out on my 40 acres shooting by myself.....I could use a helmet as well

http://www.bulletproofme.com/B...olice-Special-Forces or many other sources. I used to wear one at the range, it kept hot steel AK cases off my head (from nearby lanes) quite nicely. Works better than a hat since it spares you the "thunk" part of things.

 

[John R]

My helmet won't fit over my tin-foil hat.

 

[mrwildroot]

I bought a NIB Navy gas mask in 1972, sealed canister with fresh filters. In 1998, while living in NYC, an illegal set off bug bombs in the basement of my building
Being a bug bomb designed for a 100,000 Sq. Ft. Bldg, set off in a 10,000 Sq Ft bsmt, it filled the entire structure with toxic gas in minutes....
It took me several minutes to unpack, open the storage cannister, and fit the filters to the mask.
I was by a large open window, and in between gasps, finally got the Mask on, and properly fitted. Most of the other tenants in the bldg were carried out by NYFD, and some went by ambulance to the hospital.
The bomb robbed the bsmt of available oxygen, and it extinguished itself, or the entire ordeal could have been MUCH worse...
People laughed at me for buying/keeping that mask, but it may have saved me on that night.
I had it when I really needed one...
Being prepared for possible scenarios can save your life. Who cares what others think???

mw

 

[LoboGunLeather]

In my experience, the only problem with becoming paranoid is knowing just when you are being paranoid enough.

Of course, just because you are paranoid doesn't mean that there aren't people trying to get you.

 

[deralte]

Guess I need to be more paranoid especially since J.Napolitano thinks retired military are a threat to the nation and BO doesn't care to much for us that attended one of the Tea Parties. In fact I saw one of the Black Choppers circling overhead this morning - turned out to be the local Sheriff.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Originally posted by Riccur:
I have not started carrying yet but have applied and am in the waiting line.

By the way, how does it feel to have a constitutionally-affirmed right to bear arms and still standing "in the waiting line" wanting to exercise that right?

 

[scout]

I've often wondered if it didn't make as much or more sense to wear a helmet while driving my car as when regularly riding a bicycle. (Under most conditions, I choose not to wear a helmet while bicycling.) If I have learned one thing, it is not to rely too heavily on popular convention for guidance, especially in issues of great importance or grave consequences.

Another catastrophic risk many of us irrationally neglect or ignore is the need for certain types of insurance coverage, such as disability income insurance. (Disability insurance insures a percentage of your income should you become temporarily or permanently unable to provide for yourself and family due to disability.) On the other hand, when it comes to insurance in general I self-insure as much as I can, and choose among the higher deductibles offered.

While I am on the topic of catastophic risks: You older folks, please be careful and take special precautions that you do not fall. My ailing mother fell last Autumn when attempting to undress while standing rather than sitting down first. After three surgeries, that simple fall that initiallly was nothing more than a hairline fracture is looking more and more like it will be a death sentence for her.

 

[SixWillDo]

Scout,
Just a comment on your sig line. With all due respect to Mr. Anderson, I would submit that, though wise and prudent, avoiding gunfights is actually the second rule of gun fighting. The first rule is "have a gun"

 

[Farmer17]

There is an infinite number of levels to "playing it safe" and a person needs to weigh out the probabilities and priorities. I eat healthy, workout, don't smoke, don't do drugs, rarely drink, and don't ride a motorcycle. I drive a large and safe vehicle, and have a decent ability to protect myself while armed or unarmed. With that being said... I wanna have some fun!

I've spent too much of my life worrying.

 

[Crazy K38]

I have ordered a level 3a vest and level 4 plates to go in it, I worry some nut my try to break down my door with a loaded sks and go for my chest, so a class 4 vest is a goodthing in my mind

 

[Andy Griffith]

My question is...

How do you carry in the shower?

John Wayne did it pretty well in Big Jake.
But I haven't seen a stainless double shotgun yet.

 

[mrwildroot]

Large ziploc bag...or under towel, just outside shower door.

mw

 

[flop-shank]

Originally posted by Andy Griffith:
My question is...

How do you carry in the shower?

John Wayne did it pretty well in Big Jake.
But I haven't seen a stainless double shotgun yet.

I set it one of the little inconspicuous shelves on the side of the medicine chest. I mexican carry IWB of my towel on the way back to the bedroom. While kayaking, I double ziplock bag my 360 PD.

 

[GatorFarmer]

Originally posted by Andy Griffith:
My question is...
How do you carry in the shower?

http://www.bestglide.com/aloksak_info.html

Aloksak bag and a Glock works.

 

[WR Moore]

An underappreciated benefit of the large ziplock bag is that it retains all those hot, sharp edged high speed pieces of brass-at least with a 1911 .45. Otherwise, the situation could be hazardous to the unblemished condition of ones skin.

 

[Old Corp]

Not sure you could PAY me to ever wear body armor again. Try doing 25+ years of life in one, even through the hell-hot NC summers. Even now, the ripe smell of B.O. brings back memories.

 

[BillA]

OLD CORP....Amen, brother!! I spent several years as a sheriff's deputy and also working a second job in armed security and you are right on the money. Body armour is hot, smelly and uncomfortable in the heat. Yes, it has saved many an officer, and when you are paid to put it on the line, only a fool would go out without it. But any civilian who thinks he is going to wear it day in, day out, needs his head examined or has no concept of the reality. Unless your job puts you in harm's way, it's like pulling a boat around all the time behind your car because you are afraid of floods. If I worked in a convenience store, liquor store or jewelry or pawn shop, or had to carry large sums of money or valuables on my job, it might be different story. But now that I'm retired, and I don't miss the hassle, one bit. I do carry a concealed hand gun, but I go out of my way to avoid places and situations that could be hazardous. I worked in the Memphis area, so I know what real summer heat is.