More pocket holster discussion
I mentioned them yesterday. I still contend that they are not most effective carry method. But given how I dress, it’s the method I use most often.
Les Jones looks at the issue:
I mostly pocket carry because it fits the way I dress. With any kind of belt carry you have to conceal the gun and holster. I don’t walk around with an untucked shirt, which seems to be the major solution to concealing. I’d feel goofy wearing a vest all the time. It’s too warm in Tennessee to wear a coat most of the year and then once you’re inside you have to remove the coat.
I generally frown on the shoot me first vests in general. He also talks holsters.
Meanwhile, Jay shows us how quickly he can draw from a pocket. And, well, presuming I have my hand in my pocket; am not in a car; don’t have to set my child down; or drop my shopping bags; I can do that too. But it is limited.
December 31st, 2009 at 11:54 am
I like pocket carry because if you are robbed on the street at gunpoint, reaching into your pockets is a natural and expected move. Fumble through both pockets, pull cash from the left pocket first and nervously throw it on the ground, then draw from the right and fire. The hip or shoulder draw is a very recognizable “I’m reaching for a gun” move, and if the bad guy already has a gun drawn, you’d have to be really quick. Like, this quick:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=137081406828493148&ei=w8c8S7_aLIjUqQKX27Vs&q=zubiena+quick+draw+miami&hl=en&client=firefox-a#.
And in slo-mo:
December 31st, 2009 at 12:03 pm
For every pro there is a con. Pocket carry may be fine for a 2d or 3d gun, but it is less than optimal as:
1. It is dangerous. People have shot themselves or in your state, Tennessee, a child was shot after he grabbed his father’s leg and the pistol dicharged into his chest.
2. It is hard to access on the move. Fights usually do not happen as we like them to happen, and usually involve movement.
3. It is hard to access while seated. Many of us today are sitting throughout a majority of the day (just look at the food blisters on our fellow citizens).
Keep the downside in mind whenever a gun shoppe commando tell you “all you need” is to put the gun in your pocket (and then they always pat their pocket).
December 31st, 2009 at 1:50 pm
“in your state, Tennessee, a child was shot after he grabbed his father’s leg and the pistol dicharged into his chest.”
Ten bucks and a beer says the father wasn’t using a pocket holster. If your holster doesn’t cover the trigger, you’re asking for trouble. If it does, I don’t see why pocket carry would be any less safe than belt carry.
December 31st, 2009 at 4:25 pm
You’re cheating a bit with your “…am not in a car; don’t have to set my child down; or drop my shopping bags; I can do that too” statement.
All of those things will have a negative impact on draw speed with any method of carry, not just pocket carry. Some more than others, depending on just how you’re carrying, but still…
December 31st, 2009 at 9:06 pm
This conversation reminds me that all pistols are essentially compromises. As Clint Smith has pointed out, given the choice in a gunfight, he’d bring a rifle. One reason why I like 1911s is that they actually are more easily concealable than even mid-sized Glocks and SIGs. But, there are many times when even a bobtailed commander is not concealable with what is being worn; in such cases I keep a Kel-Tec in a Rosen pocket softie and make every effort to have a larger pistol in a planner or another off-body carrier that fits the circumstances.
I disagree with the assertion that pocket carry is necessarily more dangerous than carrying on the waist or in a shoulder holster. Not with the proper holster and training it isn’t.
I also frown on “shoot me” vests. The only person on whom a vest always looks appropriate is my friend John Farnam; for some unexplainable reason, he pulls it off without a second look from anybody– one of life’s mysteries.