Is a holstered weapon secure?

[Highland Ranger]

You should rephrase the poll question - "Is it safe to sweep someone with the muzzle of a holstered weapon?"

If you phrased it that way you'd get zero votes for is it safe (some of us don't read the post, just the question)

 

[BluesBear]

BIG difference.

The original post said nothing about WEARING a handgun in a holster.

if a weapon is loaded yet in a holster, is it considered "safe" for passing around.

A loaded handgun secured in a holster on your person is under your control. A loaded handgun in a holster OFF of your person and passed around is NOT under your control.

I have no problem staring down the barrel of a cocked and locked 1911 patten pistol in someone elses Galco Jackass holster.
I have no problem with the muzzle of a loaded gun in someones IWB holster sweeping my feet while standing next to me in an elevator.

I DO have a problem with a loaded holstered handgun being passed around like a tequila bottle at a bachelor party.

 

[Unisaw]

It's not safe. Why in the world do you want to pass around a loaded weapon? I will never let a loaded weapon out of my control -- heck, I don't even let an unloaded weapon out of my control.

 

[trapshooter]

Specifically on topic, when you pass a weapon to another, it should be verified clear and cold by the passer and the passee, as has already been said. I agree wholeheartedly with that. (I also understand the mentioned 'combat exceptions', when it's more important to shoot than be 'safe', but hopefully most of us don't have to see that circumstance).

I once had a hot M4 passed to me barrel first by an idiot with the safety off and no trigger discipline. I'm a lucky guy. Shooting or thrashing the dork was not an option, but I never was around him when he had a gun again. I understand what most of you are saying, and I apologize if my previous post sounded a bit harsh, but there are circumstances that you need to learn to live with. I don't consider a holstered weapon's muzzle a 'sweeping' event. I couldn't, and can't. It's just not reasonable, particularly in a military or combat environment. And not even in a 'civilian' one, unless we 'ban' just about every mode of carry except stong side hip or thigh.

Steven1281 has a point, as well. The muzzle of any holstered gun is always pointing somewhere. There are more rules than one, and this is one reason why. JMO, based on my experiences. You may disagree, that's your perogative. But I don't think you are being practical, at times, and this obsession about the 'unsafe' sweeping with shoulder rigs is one of them.

Having said all that, I don't use shoulder holsters.

 

[38SnubFan]

I definitely WILL NOT hand a loaded weapon, holstered or not, to ANYONE for any reason. Now, I did have my boss pick up my weapon while it was in it's holster sitting in my desk drawer or my bag (don't remember which place I stored it that day). Then again, he's an LEO and I trust him to check/clear any weapon he picks up that he's not intending to fire. Hell, he's probably handled and operated more weapons in his life than I will ever handle in mine.

Just my $.02, and I voted NO as well.

-38SnubFan

 

[Mark in California]

Blind Vote

I misunderstood your question, and you ask us to vote before the real question is asked. Is a holstered weapon secure. Yes, if it is on my person. But not if it is being passed around like a toy.

Two questions, who do I trust enough to hand a loaded weapon to; and second, why would I set up a trusted friend by handing him a loaded weapon?

The answers are: almost no one, and second, only durring war and under actual combat conditions.

 

[BluesBear]

logic

and you ask us to vote before the real question is asked.

No he didn't. Some people chose to answer before reading the real question.

The way the posting process is constructed the poll has to appear before the opening post.

Answeringthe poll without reading the entire question forces one to make an ASSUMEption.

Personally, I try to avoid making a A$$ of myself before U & ME.

YMMV

 

[WvaBill]

Why would any weapon be passed around in a holster? You have to pull it out to press check, and you just know some slip-fingered dweeb will manage to flip the weapon out of the holster to an accompanied crash to the deck.

 

[Mark in California]

The point of my post was that I had made a mistake in my voting because the question was changed between where it was asked in the header, where the vote was taken, and then the first post changed the content of the question. It was not holstered, it was in a holster but not secured by any means.

I guess some people were taught to read differntly. I was taught to read left to right and top to bottom.

 

[Peet]

do any companies make shoulder-concealment rigs that point the muzzle down,

https://www.bagmaster.com/index.htm

Peet

 

[DRZinn]

I am hoping that those who voted Yes did so without reading the opening post

Guilty. Sorry.

Anyone vote yess and mean it? Wanna try to defend yourself?

 

[sturmruger]

I voted Yes but that was before I saw that somene was going to be passing around a loaded gun. I would have voted No.

With just reading the poll question my impression was that the person asking the question wanted to know if it was safe to walk around with a gun in a holster which of course we can all agrea it is plenty safe, but to then pass that gun around for everyone to look at sounds like a bad idea to me.

 

[PromptCritical]

Check out this video:

http://www.dt-concepts.com/mg/gungrab-fobus.mpg

 

[SkyDaver]

file not found.

 

[Dorian]

Crap. I didn't read the post before voting. Take one away from yes and add it to no.

 

[coltcarbine]

Loaded no way!!

 

[jlwatts3]

I think that "passing around" a loaded gun no matter what its in is a BAD idea.

 

[Johnny Guest]

Minor dissent

I agree completely with The Four Rules of firearms handling. Some people take them to extremes. I'd far rather have it this way than the reverse, certainly.

One is responsible for the safety of any weapon he/she handles. A properly cased or holstered firearm IS safe, by definition. PROPERLY may be open to interpretation. I believe it means when the trigger is covered sufficiently so that it cannot be operated.

"Son, give me the pistol from the glove compartment, please." Is he gonna take it out of the holster, unload it, and then hand me the pistol, holster, and ammo separately? No. As a matter of safe handling, he won't let the muzzle point at me, or himself, but he DOES hand me the whole thing. Of course, I wouldn't ask someone not trained in gun handling to touch it in the first place.

Perhaps all this has to do with a level of comfort in dealing with firearms. Familiarity must NOT breed contempt for the instrument, but out-and-out fear is not a good thing, either.

Best,
Johnny

 

[Andrew Rothman]

Perhaps bnolsen could simply explain the context of the question? When might one pass around a holstered gun?

That might help me answer.

My off-the-cuff response is, yes, a properly holstered gun (fastened, trigger covered) IS safe to hand over to someone.

I hope that, if a cop needs to take my gun during a traffic stop, he'll let me simply slip the fastened holster off of my belt. I trust that bit of nylon or leather a lot more than, say, a well-intentioned officer with an unknown level of training and experience handling an unfamiliar firearm.