gun in a handbag

[two gun charlie]

Wonder if there are any stats out there on how many fire-arms have been lost or stolen while in a handbag

 

[WALKERs210]

Trying to take a purse from my wife can and will lead to serious injury. Plus last month I purchased a purse for her that has a side compartment designed to hold her 38 revolver. One small pull on zipper and the 38 is in her hand. Of course the purse cost a ton but pure leather and very nice design, if I were more secure in my manhood I would carry one.

 

[Fred Fuller]

An interesting story from the area news...

http://www.independenttribune.com/news/article_ce03859e-30e5-11e3-a478-001a4bcf6878.html
Armed bystander thwarts stun-gun robbery outside Concord bank
Posted: Wednesday, October 9, 2013 9:22 am

=snip=
Spencer and his wife both have concealed carry permits, and he said when he realized what was happening, he reached into his wife’s purse and pulled out her Kel-Tec .380 pistol.
=snip=

 

[W.E.G.]

A firearm should not be carried in an extraneous container unless the person carrying it is highly motivated to carry it in such a manner that it will not be taken from them.

That's all it ever comes down to in the handbag discussion.

I carry a man-purse fairly often.
Its inferior to a belt holster, but its quite adequate for my application.
And there is also room for snacks.

 

[mljdeckard]

Every carry option is a compromise.

When I met my wife, she didn't own a single outfit that was good for carrying.

Every carry method has some degree of risk. Every type of holster is a compromise.

Any woman can carry a purse anywhere and no one wonders why she is carrying it. Yes it requires attention and discipline, but ALL of us need to always know where our gun is all of the time, regardless of what holster we use.

 

[kyew]

Talking about purses being snatched and pockets being picked makes me think of something I saw on YouTube. It was a demonstration by some guys who are "magicians" now, though they used to be pickpockets. They were demonstrating, in detail, how pockets are picked. Standing right on front of people, they would take their wallets from whatever pocket they had them in. Any item in the pocket was theirs for the taking. Makes me really think about carrying with an I- or OWB holster positioned anywhere other than on the front of your person. It's a shame shoulder holsters are so hard to conceal under light clothing. That would be an excellent place to keep a handgun secure.

 

[herrwalther]

Talking about purses being snatched and pockets being picked makes me think of something I saw on YouTube. It was a demonstration by some guys who are "magicians" now, though they used to be pickpockets. They were demonstrating, in detail, how pockets are picked. Standing right on front of people, they would take their wallets from whatever pocket they had them in. Any item in the pocket was theirs for the taking. Makes me really think about carrying with an I- or OWB holster positioned anywhere other than on the front of your person. It's a shame shoulder holsters are so hard to conceal under light clothing. That would be an excellent place to keep a handgun secure.

That is quiet simply not paying attention or being easily distracted. If you do not know someone, why would you let their hand anywhere near your person or let them distract you with something else so they can slide in. I have seen those videos and wonder how some people can be painfully oblivious. Arms are a finite length long, you stay outside someone's arm reach and you have little to worry about. Unless you live in a crowded metro area (like NYC where CCW is nearly impossible anyway) you should be able to maintain a respectable "do not touch me" bubble.

 

[mljdeckard]

No, I notice immediately if my wallet gets touched.

I think it's at least as good of an idea to keep your gun in the same general area as your wallet. It means if you are ordered to hand over your wallet, your hand will be close to your gun.

I don't remember ever hearing of a purse snatching here, I suppose it's a greater concern innsome places.

 

[kyew]

... you should be able to maintain a respectable "do not touch me" bubble.

In an elevator?

In line at a bank or a theater?

In a grocery store while you're shopping?

There are many more places where it is practically impossible to maintain your "do not touch me" bubble. You cannot live your life if you have 100% of your attention on watching the people around you and wondering if they're going to pick your pocket/steal your sidearm or not. And you cannot go through your life keeping every stranger at arms length or under observation every second. It just makes sense to me to have your firearm in a place where you're most likely to know if someone tries to lift it from you.

 

[herrwalther]

Respectable is the operative word. I accept that there will be times that someone might be "too close to me" but that is where body language reading is important. For example, in the line at the bank. If someone is playing around on their phone, they are probably not a likely threat for snatching something out of my pocket. But still worthy of a bit of suspicion. In an elevator I typically lean against one of the walls. This isn't really an issue of paranoia, more along the lines of situation awareness.

 

[OptimusPrime]

Mrs. Optimus does carry in her purse, but she has her hand in her side-pocket, on the grip. If someone does snatch her purse she'll be standing there holding her pistol. But most importantly, now that she has grown accustomed to carrying more and more, she has developed the situational awareness and mindset that is so important to avoiding trouble in the first place.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

It would be nice to believe that one is always aware of what's happening with their wallet and other items they may be carrying.

But the fact is that those who seriously pick pockets for a living have a very good understanding of how the human body reacts to many forms of stimuli, both constant (chronic) and dynamic. Saying that one would be immediately aware of the loss of an item under any conditions is as naive as people who don't believe their eyes can be fooled by various optical illusions that work on the way the human eye functions.

Even a relatively massive object such as a firearm can be lifted off of a person from various locations without their knowing about it immediately. All it takes is that one instant and a few instants afterwards and it's gone by the time you realize it.

I'm not saying that all efforts at pickpocketing a firearm from any given person at any given time will result in the loss of a firearm...but don't underestimate this, just because you THINK you'll always know about it when it happens.

Because you won't.

 

[henschman]

My old lady will simply never carry on her body, and that's all there is to it. She just doesn't think the added hassle is worth the security benefit versus carrying it in a purse. She likes wearing tight fitting clothes that leave very little room for anything else, and is not going to change that for something she will probably never need. Carrying in her purse is the only way she will ever carry. It can be taken more easily, but it carries the benefits of being able to have one's hand on the gun ready to fire without anyone being the wiser, and being able to fire inside the purse. Starting with her hand on the gun in her purse, she could get a round on target from 5 feet quicker than any of y'all with a IWB setup. Shooting inside the purse point blank, the attacker would have no warning other than a 158 grain silvertip ripping through his chest.

Two gun charlie, exactly what part of "shall not be infringed" do you seem to be having trouble with? It is contemptible that you would like to see the woman I care about more than any other person in this world be threatened with force for choosing to take precautions to protect her own life which do not threaten the liberties of any other person.

 

[9MMare]

Respectable is the operative word. I accept that there will be times that someone might be "too close to me" but that is where body language reading is important. For example, in the line at the bank. If someone is playing around on their phone, they are probably not a likely threat for snatching something out of my pocket. But still worthy of a bit of suspicion. In an elevator I typically lean against one of the walls. This isn't really an issue of paranoia, more along the lines of situation awareness.

While I think this might apply more to women, it still applies to men. When you are shopping and examining items, shelves, etc etc, your focus is elsewhere. People walk up and stand next to you, look over your shoulder, etc. Unless you wait until there is no one in your aisle or something which is not always possible unless you have all year.

 

[9MMare]

Mrs. Optimus does carry in her purse, but she has her hand in her side-pocket, on the grip. If someone does snatch her purse she'll be standing there holding her pistol. But most importantly, now that she has grown accustomed to carrying more and more, she has developed the situational awareness and mindset that is so important to avoiding trouble in the first place.

Nice. I think the part I bolded is the key...no matter where you carry.

 

[9MMare]

My old lady will simply never carry on her body, and that's all there is to it. She just doesn't think the added hassle is worth the security benefit versus carrying it in a purse. She likes wearing tight fitting clothes that leave very little room for anything else, and is not going to change that for something she will probably never need. Carrying in her purse is the only way she will ever carry. It can be taken more easily, but it carries the benefits of being able to have one's hand on the gun ready to fire without anyone being the wiser, and being able to fire inside the purse. Starting with her hand on the gun in her purse, she could get a round on target from 5 feet quicker than any of y'all with a IWB setup. Shooting inside the purse point blank, the attacker would have no warning other than a 158 grain silvertip ripping through his chest.

Two gun charlie, exactly what part of "shall not be infringed" do you seem to be having trouble with? It is contemptible that you would like to see the woman I care about more than any other person in this world be threatened with force for choosing to take precautions to protect her own life which do not threaten the liberties of any other person.

Very cool. Is your wife carrying a semi-auto? I have practiced dry firing from inside my purse....from practice and what I've read, the slide isnt going back into battery after that first shot. So that first shot is all the more important because she really needs to draw after that. Has she found that?

 

[kyew]

It would be nice to believe that one is always aware of what's happening with their wallet and other items they may be carrying.

But the fact is that those who seriously pick pockets for a living have a very good understanding of how the human body reacts to many forms of stimuli, both constant (chronic) and dynamic. Saying that one would be immediately aware of the loss of an item under any conditions is as naive as people who don't believe their eyes can be fooled by various optical illusions that work on the way the human eye functions.

Even a relatively massive object such as a firearm can be lifted off of a person from various locations without their knowing about it immediately. All it takes is that one instant and a few instants afterwards and it's gone by the time you realize it.

I'm not saying that all efforts at pickpocketing a firearm from any given person at any given time will result in the loss of a firearm...but don't underestimate this, just because you THINK you'll always know about it when it happens.

Because you won't.

Exactly. The demonstration I saw, the pickpockets made their targets fully aware that they were going to get their pockets picked, even told them which pocket sometimes, and then they did it! Granted, some of the targets had that glazed look that 75% of Americans have when they've grown so complacent anything happening around them takes a few seconds to register. But most of them seemed fairly alert people, and they were duped as easily as the others. It simply amazed me.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

Exactly. The demonstration I saw, the pickpockets made their targets fully aware that they were going to get their pockets picked, even told them which pocket sometimes, and then they did it! Granted, some of the targets had that glazed look that 75% of Americans have when they've grown so complacent anything happening around them takes a few seconds to register. But most of them seemed fairly alert people, and they were duped as easily as the others. It simply amazed me.

When I was overseas, I'd usually take part in a little misdirection, myself. I habitually carried two wallets....one in my front pocket, which had my bare-bones military ID, credit card, phone card, and cash. The second was in my hip pocket and contained just a little bit of the local currency.

The idea was to provide a pickpocket with the typical tempting target of a wallet in a hip pocket as a distraction from the real McCoy. Never had my pockets picked, fortunately, but several shipmates did. Amazing how many didn't think it was such a silly idea after they'd lost their wallets. Several took up the habit afterwards, and one did, indeed, have his decoy wallet stolen.

 

[9MMare]

^^^ Here is an essential different between men and women (including physically).

Carry extra stuff in pockets.


No.

 

[ChCx2744]

I remember hearing a woman say once that "Men can hide guns anywhere on them, it's not fair. Ladies' clothes fit more snug and their curves don't allow even the smallest of guns to be carried discreetly." Unfortunately, many women aren't willing to sacrifice fashion for the security of carrying a gun, let alone carrying one at all.

 

[lemaymiami]

Although this thread is all about "guns in purses" there's an underlying danger that everyone who carries should always keep in mind... You might go all your life and never run into one -but there are a few really bad actors that never carry a firearm ---since they're planning on taking yours to start the festivities... Your best defense in that kind of situation is a well concealed weapon that's not noticeable (and not your opponents target...). That's the main reason I will never advocate anyone one "open carry" except on their own private propery or while hunting...

There's a significant number of cops killed each year with their own guns... The last stats I remember reading put the percentage each year at about 30% and I'll bet it stays pretty steady year to year... Wish it weren't so.

 

[two gun charlie]

You might go all your life and never run into one -but there are a few really bad actors that never carry a firearm ---since they're planning on taking yours to start the festivities...

There's a significant number of cops killed each year with their own guns... The last stats I remember reading put the percentage each year at about 30% and I'll bet it stays pretty steady year to year... Wish it weren't so.

that is basically why I started this thread , because there are too many armed people out there who are making it ridiculously easy for someone to take their gun away from them , carry responsibly or rather leave it at home , because getting shot with your own gun doesn't make any sense , no matter what your point of view is

 

[JustinJ]

A gun in a purse offers a far greater "tactical advantage" to no gun at all. If a crazed shooter enters a restaurant, such as the event which motivated TX to adopt concealed carry, a gun can be retrieved from the purse for SD. A woman can also grab her gun while keeping it concealed while walking through a parking garage or other such place. In fact, that ability is actually an advantage over carry on one's person as the gun can be brought against an attacker faster than if having to draw.

Sure, nobody wants a purse snatcher to make off with a gun but i'd rather take that risk than have my wife not carry at all. I find it highly unlikely that a mugger will suddenly decide to murder a woman because he discovers a gun in her purse. If murder was his intent he will try with our without the gun.

 

[Kleanbore]

Posted by JustinJ: A gun in a purse offers a far greater "tactical advantage" to no gun at all.

It's hard to argue with that.

If a crazed shooter enters a restaurant, such as the event which motivated TX to adopt concealed carry, a gun can be retrieved from the purse for SD. A woman can also grab her gun while keeping it concealed while walking through a parking garage or other such place. In fact, that ability is actually an advantage over carry on one's person as the gun can be brought against an attacker faster than if having to draw.

I agree.

Not all violent criminal actors who target women are after their purses.

And if one would like to acquire a gun, why would he suspect that a particular victim might have one in her purse?

 

[herrwalther]

A gun in a purse offers a far greater "tactical advantage" to no gun at all.

Isn't that rule 1 in a gunfight? To have a gun.

While I think this might apply more to women, it still applies to men. When you are shopping and examining items, shelves, etc etc, your focus is elsewhere. People walk up and stand next to you, look over your shoulder, etc. Unless you wait until there is no one in your aisle or something which is not always possible unless you have all year.

I am very willing to admit I am more paranoid/situationally aware than the average bear. I don't let people stand in aisles next to me. Your shopping cart is your best friend here, you can use it to help create that personal bubble between you and the next person. I don't let people look over my shoulder and I usually sit with my back against the wall in restaurants. I just think differently. When I walk into the store, my wife is looking for Frankenberry and I am looking for the best cover and concealed positions, egress routes, and high avenues of approach. And she wonders why I always seem dazed.