CCW pocket carry incident at Movie Theater

[forgetitohio]

It was not in a pocket holster.

In the state of Ohio holster must cover the trigger.
Those shoot thru "billfold" holsters are illegal here.
Probably want to check your state laws about covered trigger.

Life is hard; it's harder if you're stupid.
John Wayne

 

[onebigelf]

Keep your finger off that thingy. I understand that guns pretty generally won't go "boom" if you follow this rule.

John

 

[earlthegoat2]

I hate to break it to you but.....

So I reached into my pocket and flicked the safety on. I still felt nervous with the gun pointed at the back of his head, but it did ease my mind quite a bit.

This was probably infinitely more dangerous than just leaving it alone.

 

[wep45]

It was not in a pocket holster

then go buy one and stick it in

 

[toivo]

Sorry to dogpile you, but....

1. Get that Galco and use it. While you're waiting on the backorder, you could pick up one of these: http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/ZAA917-33.html.
2. Don't handle your gun in public, especially in your pocket where you can't control the muzzle or see what you're doing.

In the situation you described, the safest thing would have been to get up and go to the bathroom to handle your gun (no pun intended ).

 

[ironhead7544]

If you dont feel safe carrying a semi in your pocket then leave the chamber empty. When I am forced to pocket carry thats what I do. Holsterless carry is not a smart thing to do IMHO. I want a holster that wont allow the gun to fall out even if Im upside down and that has happened to me. You can also drop a pocket holster with the gun in it. I would get some velcro installed in the pocket if I had to use one. There was some sports star that dropped his Glock from a holsterless carry and ended up shooting himself trying to catch the gun. Also resulted in legal trouble for him.

 

[Johnny Lightning]

I have to say that i agree that when I am carrying my LCP in my pocket W/ pocket holster (nothing else in my pocket either) and it is pointed at a family member across the table while eating dinner i am thinking....yea I am pointing a loaded gun at a family member....smart? not really. I personally don't like pocket carry very much and have moved to carrying iwb or owb. I know that there is almost no chance of the gun going off in my pocket but pointing a loaded gun at another person unintentionally is still not acceptable in my eyes.

 

[JoeShmoe]

I have to say that i agree that when I am carrying my LCP in my pocket W/ pocket holster (nothing else in my pocket either) and it is pointed at a family member across the table while eating dinner i am thinking....yea I am pointing a loaded gun at a family member....smart? not really. I personally don't like pocket carry very much and have moved to carrying iwb or owb. I know that there is almost no chance of the gun going off in my pocket but pointing a loaded gun at another person unintentionally is still not acceptable in my eyes.

The location of the safe in my bedroom closet results in all the stored handguns being pointed directly into my daughter's bedroom on the other side of the wall. Am I pointing them at her? No, they are lying on a shelf, in a holster, in a safe. When a handgun is safely in a pocket holster, in your pocket, it is in the same condition. The four rules apply to handling a firearm.

 

[mustang_steve]

I'm going to post this pic to show you can make a holster out of duct tape...been using this one for months. Only issue is it leaves a line of adhesive on my nice rosewood grips.

Reason for this one was to prevent handle printing.

 

[orionengnr]

Some good advice, and some questionable statements...

If it has a safety, use it. One should not carry a gun that has a safety without it, as it is designed to be used...

That would depend upon the pistol. If it is a long trigger stroke "DAO" or the equivalent, whether it las an redundant "lawyer-safety" or not is immaterial. Kahr has built the PM9 for almost ten years, and suddenly added a thimnb safety to comply with CA standards. Is my 49-state Kahr unsafe? No, of course not.
Although I have only handled one once, I would bet that your Bodyguard is safe without the manual safety, but it was included to comply with "some state's" rules.

Even if there's nothing else in your pocket with the gun, there is still the possibility of an AD.

That would be an ND. An AD implies that the pistol malfunctioned. If the trigger was pulled (no matter how) and the pistol discharged, that is not a malfunction of the pistol.

 

[Shawn Dodson]

If your pistol has a manual safety it should ALWAYS be engaged so you are conditioned to ALWAYS disengage it when you present it.

Mr. Murphy has a habit of showing up at the worst possible moment - and when you must draw and quickly fire your pistol in defense it may not fire because the safety will be on (e.g., like when you probably forgot to disengage it after the movie). When that happens you'll stand there dumbfounded and wondering what's wrong with your pistol.

If you've trained to perform tap & rack as an immediate action whenever your pistol doesn't fire - it won't work with the Bodyguard because the manual safety locks the slide in battery. So now your gun didn't fire and you can't rack the slide - all because you assumed the safety is disengaged and it isn't.

 

[pockets]

A carry gun is pretty-much always pointing at something/someone. No worries, provided it is in good working order and secured.

Note: If I were worried and intended on putting the safety 'on' in a pocketed gun, I believe I would have gone to the restroom and done so there....rather than risk a fumble with it in my pocket in a dark and populated theater.
Although I rarely carry a pistol that has an added safety.
.

 

[bri]

I won't carry a firearm for SD that has a manual safety, non-issue for me.

If for some reason I did, I certainly wouldn't worry about it if properly holstered. You're probably risking more by fiddling with it...

 

[RS14]

You may be more comfortable maintaining the four rules even when the gun is holstered/pocketed, but regardless of whether you choose to do so, they most certainly do apply when you're fidgeting with it to engage the safety. It would have been appropriate to excuse yourself to the restroom to engage it (or to have left it alone).

A bit of searching reveals a defective or damaged Remington 700 that would fire when the safety was actuated.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Oh my get a uncle mikes for under $20.00 and carry it properly.

 

[Dr_B]

I pocket-carried my Sig P238 to the same movie. I always use a Nemesis pocket holster, made for the LCP/Kel Tec, for my P238. The fit is pretty much the same; trigger is covered, gun stays in place. I make a quick adjustment so that the gun points toward the floor when I sit. If I forget, it usually ends up pointing that way due to its own weight.

 

[macadore]

When I go out, I usually wear loose slacks, like Dockers, so I can sit with the barrel pointed down at the seat.

 

[Dr Dave]

A good example of why the real safety is between your ears.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

What would you have done if you had been in this situation?

Nothing. Certainly not stick my hand in the pocket and fiddle with a loaded gun. It is irrelevant where the gun points when it is holstered. It is when you handle or fire it that the Four Safety Rules come into play. This does illustrate a point I've often made, that no one holster or carry method fits every situation, every time. Pocket carry, for all its other virtues, is poorly accessible when sitting. If you know you will be in a situation where you will be sitting for an extended period, consider a belt holster for your collection.

 

[mr.trooper]

Please STOP carrying until you get a good holster.

When you do buy a holster, get the BEST one you can possibly afford. I recommend the Galco Horse Hide pocket holster. It is MUCH more rigid and durable than the standard Galco pocket holster (paper-thin suede) and a world different than some nylon 'Uncle Mikes'. They are like $35 online. Get one, or another STURDY equivalent.

Securing your gun is priority #1 when you carry, even when concealed. Some flimsy ElCheapo hostler is NOT secure in my book (not to mention they usually don't conceal well either).

 

[GojuBrian]

Get a pocket holster!
My Razzy LCP in DeSantis Nemesis.


Sent from my iRazzy

 

[Heretic]

I like that kevlar holster idea.

 

[mustang_steve]

The point is, get a holster of some kind if you're pocket carrying.

Be sure it fits the gun well. My Duct-tape job was because the UM did not fit well. Some guns are just too small even for their number one.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Get a DeSantis Nemisis. It's about $15-$20, has a rubber textured exterior so it grips your pocket and won't come out with the gun if you need it, it covers the trigger (most important!), and it keeps the gun oriented in the correct position so you don't reach in your pocket to find the thing upside down when you need it immediately.
I'd be more nervous with someone fiddling with a gun pointed at my head, even if they are putting the safety on.

 

[Mudinyeri]

I wonder if someone could get Plaxico Burress to do a PSA on safe pocket carry. You'd think the publicity of that event would have had an impact ....

Please carry responsibly and avoid "fiddling" with your gun while it is in your holster. Oh, and don't try to catch your gun if it falls down your pants leg (Plaxico). Just because you can catch a football doesn't mean you can safely catch a gun.

As my granddad used to say, "A falling knife has no handle."