The internal lock: my thoughts on the subject; and on the concept of a back up gun.

[Evil One]

I carry either a snubby .44 magnum with a snubby .44 special back up or a full size 1911 with a 1911 compact as a BUG.
I just purchased another .44 mag snubby so I have the option of .44 magnum for primary AND back up... with the .44 special as the BUG to the BUG.


Jim

 

[Harrison]

[
Firearms are not all that hard to conceal and I am not so concernered about comfort that I would carry something so light it seems like it's not there. No "I can't believe it's a real gun" style firearems for me. I value my life too much.[/QUOTE]

When the usual dress in a climate is jean shorts and a t-shirt you may have a little difficulty concealing both a 6" and a 3" pistol. And it better be concealed. If it is not, you are going to be in deep do-do. A friend of mine lost his CCP and had a hefty fine because a pistol (4" barrel) he though was concealed wasn't as concealed as he though, and some lady saw it, got a cop and told the cop "that man is carrying a pistol, officer". My friend was carrying, and the reasoning of the police and DPS, was if his pistol had of been properly concealed the lady would never had spotted it. Sometimes a small or mico pistol is all that can reasonably be concealed, and is better than no pistol at all.

 

[Frailer]

...At the risk of getting flamed, I don't think that some have thought things through seriously...

...Consider, as a concealed carrier we are required by law to keep our guns concealed until we can determine without ANY doubt that we are about to be attacked with intention of bodily harm or death...

...Knowing this, why would'nt you prepare to the best of your ability? Why would'nt you carry two guns? And a reload?...

...To trust that any firearm will always be reliable 100 percent of the time is foolish. But what are the odds that two guns break at the same time. Very slim.

But again, I don't play the odds game. Make your own luck cause luck won't be there when you need it.

Just my long winded 2 cents.

Respectfully, the odds game is exactly what you're playing. If you can carry two guns, you can probably carry three. Or four. Or even more: as I type this I'm wearing a T-shirt and a pair of cargo shorts. Even though I'm sparsely attired I wouldn't have much difficulty concealing a 1911, a pair of J-frames and a couple of mouse guns. To be fair, if I were to carry that much hardware I'd probably have to slip on a belt to keep my shorts up, but then I could also add my 16" ASP baton in its homemade IWB carrier.

But I think we would both agree that this would be overkill. So where do we draw the line? You've calculated that limiting yourself to a pair of guns is an acceptable level of risk. I've calculated that--based on my lifestyle and the places I travel--carrying a single revolver with the best available self-defense ammo reduces my level of risk to an acceptable level. Others have determined that it's not necessary to carry a gun at all.

The really funny thing is this last group of folks is more likely to be right than either one of us.

I'm not so foolish as to believe that any of my revolvers or the ammo in them will be 100 percent reliable. But what are the odds that such a failure will happen at the exact same time I'm called upon to employ one of them in a self-defense situation? Very slim.

As an aside, where I live I'm not required by law to keep my weapon concealed until I "can determine without ANY doubt" that my life is in danger.

This was not intended as a "flame," and I'm not busting your chops. If you feel it's more prudent to carry multiple guns, then by all means do so. In fact, if I happen to be in my local convenience store grabbing a gallon of milk tonight when a punk waltzes in with a shotgun to rob the place I sincerely hope that you're the guy in line behind me. But please don't think that those of us who don't feel the same way haven't thought things through.

 

[RightWinger]

Why are we wasting time arguing over what a person CHOOSES to carry, or how many guns/reloads they carry? This is the age old argument of Ford vs Chevy or the IL/no IL. Personally I feel like if I need to carry 2 guns and a bunch of reloads off duty, then maybe I might want to re-evaluate the places I am going. Yes, I'm a cop and I carry a BUG at work, but the reasons I carry the BUG are different than most.....there are places we are required to go that we're not allowed to carry guns...the BUG could be taken in these places un noticed if one was to chose to do so. I am glad we have people who are prepared and I think that is great, and it's good to see people exercise their rights but carrying less guns or less ammo doesn't mean I am less prepared or am naieve to the dangers of this world. How many of the people that carry 2 guns carry a spare cell phone battery? Here is another thing I see a lot....I have friends that spend enormous amounts of money on guns for "home protection" but will not spend 40 bucks a month on a home security system for their wife and family...crazy huh? Most officers carry one side arm, a BUG and have a shotgun or rifle in their car......every year police officers are killed in the line of duty, does this mean if they had carried 6 guns they would of been more prepared? should we start issuing crew serve weapons? If a person can function with 2 or 3 guns on him, than great....but the amount of guns a person carries has no direct correlation to how prepared a person is. This is not meant to be a slam to anyone who caries multiple guns.....

 

[rebelray84]

Why are we wasting time arguing over what a person CHOOSES to carry, or how many guns/reloads they carry? This is the age old argument of Ford vs Chevy or the IL/no IL. Personally I feel like if I need to carry 2 guns and a bunch of reloads off duty, then maybe I might want to re-evaluate the places I am going. Yes, I'm a cop and I carry a BUG at work, but the reasons I carry the BUG are different than most.....there are places we are required to go that we're not allowed to carry guns...the BUG could be taken in these places un noticed if one was to chose to do so. I am glad we have people who are prepared and I think that is great, and it's good to see people exercise their rights but carrying less guns or less ammo doesn't mean I am less prepared or am naieve to the dangers of this world. How many of the people that carry 2 guns carry a spare cell phone battery? Here is another thing I see a lot....I have friends that spend enormous amounts of money on guns for "home protection" but will not spend 40 bucks a month on a home security system for their wife and family...crazy huh? Most officers carry one side arm, a BUG and have a shotgun or rifle in their car......every year police officers are killed in the line of duty, does this mean if they had carried 6 guns they would of been more prepared? should we start issuing crew serve weapons? If a person can function with 2 or 3 guns on him, than great....but the amount of guns a person carries has no direct correlation to how prepared a person is. This is not meant to be a slam to anyone who caries multiple guns.....

Agree 100%.

Hell think about it most cops for years carried wheel guns with only 6-12 rounds of extra ammo,nothing else.Today if your packing a Glock 17 you already have the same amount of rounds ready to go in just one gun!Hell not to mention all the tazers gas PR 24s etc. I do carry one back up most of the time,a S&W 642 on duty in an ankle holster and a NAA 22 mag revolver off duty,usually in a pocket.That's just my personal preference.I don't think anyone a fool,stupid or ignorant for not carrying one.

 

[Rule 303]

Depends on who, what, where and how is how and what I carry. This summer I spent a couple of weeks down on the Texas/Mexico Border, I carried a Government 1911 and an Officers Model as a BUG. I ran up to WaldoMart a couple of miles down the road this morning and carried a J Framed Model 49. In the winter I usually carry a Kimber Pro Carry II
because I wear some type of Jacket. In the summer I wear the Offical Wardrobe of a Retired LEO, shorts, T-Shirt, tennis shoes/sandals and a ball cap. I also carry a Glock 19 in a buttpac. I've had one guy ask me if I really needed that, pointing at my buttpac and I said "What my clostomy bag, are you here from the hospital to collect a sample?" He jumped up and left the theater.
Works for me.

Rule 303

 

[desertdisciple]

I'm so grateful to live in a state...within a country...in which (for now) the 2nd Amendment allows carry of one OR more personal defense weapons.

I have only had my CCW permit for 8 years, but have not carried a BUG, until recently. Why do I? (probably the same reason I started the occasional Open Carry...and then the CCW... because I can).
Besides, I picked up a Galco Ankle Glove for $35 (shipped) and had a 340PD w/ Crimson Trace grips sittig in the safe...feeling neglected.

Then, I ran across some LEO and Civ perspectives that caused me to feel that I may want to continue doing so (consistently) for additional reasons. Here's one perspective, from another site I frequent:

"One day about a year ago, I took advantage of nice weather in NC and the fact that the lasergrips for my J-frame arrived to hit the range. I planned on doing maybe 100 rounds of realistic training with my summer primary, a Kahr PM45. I was carrying the Kahr IWB and had my 442 in a DeSantis Renegade ankle holster."

"First drill was going to be simulating a carjacking where I could not drive off. I was going to fire two rounds from inside my truck at a target 3 yards off the driver's side door; exit on the passenger's side and fire two more rounds at a target off my front bumper; tac reload, search and assess."

"This was all fine and good until my first shot, when the front leg of the polymer magazine follower on my PM45 mag broke off, causing the gun to double feed and the slide to lock back. I retrieved my 442 from my ankle after exiting the vehicle and finished the drill, stopping afterwards to pick up my now-inoperable PM45 from the driver's side floorboard."

I've always liked Clint Smith's advice. "People ask me, 'How many guns should I carry?' I tell them, 'Keep adding guns until your ability to perform daily tasks is impaired, then subtract one. That's how many guns you should have.'" ((per GhettoMedic))

Once again, to each his own...
A number of my friends have guns in their home, but will never consider carrying...and thankfully, that is their right.

Stay Safe!