To everyone who says CARRY EVERYDAY ALL THE TIME, your right.

[kd7nqb]

So here is a quick story that made me realize why its important to carry everyday all the time.

First a little background, I work in an unarmed security job so late night shifts, odd hours and crappy areas of town seem to be my norm. I have pretty much always kept a gun in car figuring that even if I cant carry at least my transport to-from is armed.

Well lately I got a pretty cushy assignment, day shift, downtown but not in a high crime area of town and a short commute. And like an idiot I decided that the gun could come out.

Well Friday I am driving home and just as I am about to get on the highway I see I have a flat. So I pull over find myself a wide shoulder of a city street and begin the process of changing the tire. When I pulled over the street around me was mostly empty.

As I cranked down my spare and got out my jack I notice there are now 2-3 homeless people hanging around. Now homeless are pretty much a regular part of Portland so this didn't immediately strike me as all that bad.

I continue my tire change and as my luck goes the jack handle broke so I could not use the jack to get the car high enough to pull off the tire. So I had to call a buddy of mine who I knew could bring me a regular floor jack. So for the next 40min I sat in my car half jacked up waiting for him to show up. During this time the group of homeless grows and most disconcertingly one of them was an individual who I have dealt with many times and I know is a person who can "snap" pretty easily.

So lets just say that the car now has a gun in it and its staying that way. Also I am fully aware that in this situation nothing happened and if the situation repeated itself 100 times I would probably have 98 other times where nothing bad happens.

 

[armoredman]

Kinda left us hanging - I assume your buddy showed up and all was well in the end? Yes, I carry all day every day except where not allowed to by law, i.e., work, but I drop it off at Traffic Control and pick it up on the way out.
Glad it didn't go south, and you didn't end up another statistic in the newspaper.

 

[outerlimit]

I have the same type of work and have a full sized car gun, but I also have a CCW that is with me all the time. I actually feel kind of naked without my car gun when I go somewhere. I couldn't imagine not carrying at all! I keep a spare couple of mags in the car for the full sized weapon as well as a 50rd box of ammo in the glovebox in case it really hits the fan. I keep a few other things, spare Surefire batteries, lamps and a 6V lantern light in the console among other things just in case.

I usually take the car gun out when I work the day shift, because I don't like it on the street in my car at night. Car gun and CCW use the same ammo, so I'm good to go if I need more spare ammo. I'm a believer in Murphy's Law, because it never fails.

 

[darksidemxer]

i agree, with all the car jackings and people getting desperate i have started keeping my double stack 45 close by in the car, just the other day i heard of a man running up to peoples windows while they sit in traffic, trying the door handles, and i suppose he would pull you out and steal your car. fortunately he got busted.

 

[MrCleanOK]

On the plus side, you had a tire iron handy if anything had happened.

 

[James T Thomas]

logical extension

kd:

When I read the title of your post, and then the first few lines about being an unarmed security gard, night shift, in a bad area of town, I concluded that you were going to give an incident that would cause a conclusion to "CCW" on your job.

I recommend you extend your logic and experience you had with chance occurrence on the highway to your employment; late at night and in a bad part of town also, so that your category changes from being an unarmed security guard.

 

[outerlimit]

James, there are no armed security jobs in this town, except for armored car, which actually pays worse than my job. The OP probably is in the same situation.

I personally think my job is a joke, but I play the game and it pays the bills.

 

[James T Thomas]

don't ask, don't tell, don't know, who me?

Outerlim:

I wasn't suggesting an armed security job, honest.

I was trying to be discreet.

You know...

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Even though the position itself is unarmed, is there any reason why you can't conceal a firearm on your person for yourself? I used to work both armed and unarmed security, and I can tell you, The only thing I changed between them was how visible my weapon was.

 

[colorado_handgunner]

It is funny how you get so used to carrying that you do feel naked without it. I went out to dinner with some buddies directly after work this week, thus not having my cc with me since I can't carry at work. Ran some errands afterward and kicked my self for not stopping by home and picking up the gun. Like you, live and learn.

 

[Oyeboten]

The scariest, worst situations I have ever been in, (and got out of unscathed, thank goodness,) were in those rare occasions of having forgot my Carry.


Funny how things work...

 

[luigi]

Even though the position itself is unarmed, is there any reason why you can't conceal a firearm on your person for yourself?

In certain jursdictions Security Guards that are licensed as unarmed are not legally allowed to a carry a firearm on duty regardless of CCW status. Whether you would choose to obey such a law is ,of course, not proper discussion for THR

 

[sidheshooter]

Also I am fully aware that in this situation nothing happened and if the situation repeated itself 100 times I would probably have 98 other times where nothing bad happens.

Nothing aside from you sitting there sweating it out for a long 40 minutes, of course. Hey, it's a quality-of-life thing...

Thanks for posting, good reminder that we are often only safe in our little glass/steel boxes when they are capable of moving away from trouble.

 

[kd7nqb]

Sorry to kinda leave you guys hanging. All in all everything was fine. As to CCWing at work believe me I have thought about it a million times but it would be a guaranteed loss of my security license and loss of my job.

The good new is that I am going to be starting a new career in the next few months and in the new job I will be able to CCW plus its a classic office job.