Firearm Q and A - Questions From the Interwebs.

Today I asked a group of people randomly found on the internet to openly ask  me any questions they had about a daily CCW carrier. Out of the barrage of questions (had a few hundred posts), some were worth noting here in an entry. The format was open forum, anyone could post whatever they wanted anonymously without having issue or worry. Some have been corrected for spelling and grammar.

It went as follows:

Question:

What kind of gun and what kind of caliber, discrete holster or open carry? Hip, thigh, shoulder, or ankle Holster?

TSB:

I suggest anything that is .380 or larger for a few different reasons. I personally prefer 9mm myself but I would not denounce anyone for carrying a .380 (summer comfort carry usually) or even a .22 for self defense. Do I prefer .22 for self defense, no. 9mm is the smallest I go if I have the option. A CCW means discrete. Open carry is not an option for my EDC. I prefer a nice leather inside the waist band option (IWB) and I have been using a small of back (SOB) for my frame. I use a Tagua if interested and it's a very nice holster. Only drawback is you may have issues bending over or squatting in public because with larger framed pistols it may print or pop out if not careful. Its called concealed carry for a reason. The other styles pose obvious problems if you think about it. Especially with shoulder holsters and ankle holsters. Shoulder holsters require constant adjustment. And not only this they are expensive, and point the firearm in a dangerous direction at nearly all times. Also, you have to wear a jacket with them and this would not work in the summer. Ankle holster pose another problem. If you needed to get to it, you would have to be leaning down and nearly tying your shoe to reach it. This is not effective as a main carry. For a backup, I would suggest it as a last resort carry.

Q:

Why are you such a tool? I hate to generalize but I never met a guy who carried a gun and was not a complete ass hat.


TSB:

I find this hard to believe since most CCW holders do not announce they are carrying. The general population that are CCW holders are strictly discrete carriers. Chances are you have met many people that are abnormally nice that are just so happening to be carrying firearms and you never knew it. As with any group, there are always going to be douches that represent a bad portion of an awesome group of people. This is no exception.

"This is not your typical CCW carrier, I promise. He has a record I am sure of it."

Q:

How small is your penis?

TSB:

I do not carry a .50 AE pistol to compensate for anything lost in the nether region.

Q:

What are you afraid of?

TSB:

Not much really. I carry as a sense of security knowing that if anything were to happen I would have the option to protect myself and my loved ones and complete strangers in the worst of situations. I live not in fear but in confidence of my training. Its a comfort and a privilege to do so.

"WHUAAAAAAAAA?!"

Q:

Do you carry with one in the chamber?

TSB:

Yes, I carry with one in the chamber. I also do not have a safety on my primary carry firearm. Some people do not like the idea of carrying a firearm with a round chambered for different reasons. One is the accidental discharge myth which I can debunk. In a proper fitting holster, a firearm will not discharge on its own without the aid of an outside force, such as a finger inside of the trigger guard. The triggers are recessed and a proper fitting holster covers the entire trigger guard making accidental discharge nearly impossible. In order to be ready for a scenario you do not have time to charge a weapon most of the time. You will lose the chance to act out of surprise. Carrying with one in the chamber closes the gap of safe to engage, not safe to engage. Some carry with safety on. That is okay if you have been trained to deal with it. Glocks do not have safeties and its for a logical reason. Safeties in the heat of engagement can get you killed. I have never been hot on using safeties for this exact reason, but my lifestyle allows me to do this. I also do not own a Glock.

Q:

Now what do you do if said robber breaks in when you are at work, or on vacation. Your gun will do jack shit.

TSB:

According the the company I work for, the right to carry does not transfer to the employees. Patrons inside our premise can carry though. So at work, I do not carry although my General Manager said if it was up to him, I would be carrying every day there. But this does not mean I am unarmed completely. I carry a work knife that would be suitable for self defense in some scenarios. By policy, if I was robbed whilst working I would have to do whatever they wanted. If my life was in danger I cant say exactly how I would react. But I can mention that utilizing my work knife would be part of it. I have learned a bit about disarming a violent person with a handgun and can say in confidence it would be hard to fire a weapon with a broken pointer finger. On vacation, nothing would change. My CCW routine would remain as long as the laws allow me to travel with it there. I wont go to California or Illinois anytime soon. So I don't have to worry much about that.

Q:

Would something like the Taurus Public Defender be a good home defense weapon?

TSB:

Anything is better than nothing. A pistol like that would be suitable for most jobs presented to it. Options for .45 and .410 is a great option and you can use it to your advantage. Alternating rounds .45 - .410 - .45 etc can help is making sure you hit your target, whatever it is. For carrying in public it would be difficult for most, but for larger framed men it wouldn't be much of an issue. And also, revolvers have little problems when firing. Less failing to fires, and better for loading and forgetting. You can store a loaded revolver for years and not worry about if its going to operate. Revolvers are great. Don't let anyone tell you differently.


Q:

Do you think it would ever be possible in the US to restrict gun ownership in ways that made it difficult for criminals to get them? Or would that require changing the 2nd Amendment, and leave guns in the hands of criminals anyway?

TSB:

In short, no. I do not think that restrictions will change anything. Bad people tend to get guns by doing illegal things anyways. If you restrict, the majority of law abiding citizens are affected in more ways than criminals. Criminal types will always just steal guns. Its one of the biggest worries and obligations of being a responsible gun owner is securing them so they do not GET stolen and used in a crime. Its sad. There is no simple way to do it though. And if there is, it isn't in my own knowledge bank now.

Q:

 What is a good home defense option?

TSB:

I prefer a 12g pump shotgun, with a 18.5 inch barrel. There is much debate over what load to use in it, but I say "Where do you live, what is your scenario" before choosing. For apartment dwellers, condos, and town houses, you live in close proximity to other neighbors. Trailers could be included in this too. You could use bird shot and not worry too much about pass through with smaller sized shot like 7, 8, or 9. In a home with space in between, buckshot can pass through walls hitting loved ones in other rooms. Its all about your scenario and job for your weapon though. Pistols would work great with a tactical light option. But like a broken record, anything works better than nothing. But you have to break down the important bits of information about your surroundings and choose what works best for you and the safety of your family. 00 buck is not ALWAYS the best option. But many disagree with me and say LULULUL LOAD UP MAGNUM SLUGS AND BLAST AWAY. Which is irresponsible and incorrect for most.


I may do this again in the near future as it was fairly comical with some of the questions, and responses to my answers. Will be posting more frequently if time allows it. I would like to specially thank the random internet lurkers for this one, as it was completely up to them with what was posted for this entry.

-TSB