About a week ago I stopped off at the corner gas station to buy a pair of lottery tickets. Hey, you never know, right? This station is in a prime location, and despite heavy traffic (which is desirable if you own the station) people stop in here to buy road food, junk food, oddities of all sorts including common OTC drugs, and lottery tickets. They don't pay the staff a whole lot, and it shows.
Getting right to the point for a refreshing change, I note the black man behind the counter is late thirties to early forties, is small and wiry, and he keeps looking past me with an ugly expression on his mug. I request my tickets and he asks me if I want the two dollar or three dollar ticket. Just two dollars, I reply. All this time he keeps moving from side to side, looking past me. I turn to see just what is so fascinating behind me, and it's a mixed group of five or so pavement apes. One linebacker, one fat Sapphire, and three or four younger jungle bunnies. Then the clerk says, apropos of nothing, "If the machine don't work, it ain't for sale."
Now the part that bothers me is this. This man works here, he's old enough to be experienced, and by his actions and expression he's evaluated this group and thinks they are trouble. Okay, I didn't spot it, but he did. I'm heeled. My Ruger LCP II in .380 is in my right front pocket in a sticky holster, and it's an easy draw. However-comma I'm too safety conscious to keep a round in the chamber. All of a sudden this doesn't seem like such a great idea to me, because if everything goes sideways in addition to drawing and aiming, I'll have to rack the slide and it isn't an easy pull.
I walked out with my tickets, and a young lady thoughtfully held the door open for me. I'm no longer getting old; I'm old and feeling a little worn out. I thanked her.
So the question is obvious to anyone who's made it this far: Do I change the way I carry and keep one up the pipe, or do I stay the way I am, or do I abandon my LCP II for a lemon squeezer in, say, .38 +p or even .357?
Do you guys think I'm a racist at heart? I do my best to hate everyone equally, but sometimes I worry.
8 comments:
I carry ready to rock, but I don't use a pocket holster, so that may be a consideration. I'm not confident with .380 for defense so I have an LC9, which is not much bigger, but packs more of a wallop with the right loads, but even with that small form factor, I use a pancake style belt holster, or, for more formal occasions a "tuckable" IWB holster.
I've never even really considered pocket carry...I need my pockets for other things. Which is a long way to say, I don't know if it's "unsafe" to pocket carry with one in the pipe or not, but in my estimation, if I'm going to carry for self defense, I'm going to carry it ready to use.
Regarding racism: It is a fact that the majority of violent crimes in this country are committed by members of a particular demographic group. Taking that fact into consideration when interacting with strangers is a valid risk-management strategy. Just keep in mind that no matter the statistics, there are some white criminals out there too so being wary of everyone you meet is an equally valid strategy.
As my Jar-head friends used to say "Be polite, be professional, and have a plan to kill everyone you meet."
If you are not going to keep one in the pipe get a lemon squeezer, 38+p
I carried that way when I started out. But as long as your pistol is drop safe and your holster is high quality enough to fully guard your trigger, you have nothing to worry about with having one in the pipe. Just be cautious once it's free of the holster and you'll be fine. It's a familiarization issue.
Yep. A .357 with a 3” pipe, and a dedicated concealment holster as per Sailor above.
It’s an improper question, Jack. If you don’t agree with everything they say, or have reservations about their demands for reparations, respect, diversity hiring - you are going to be called a racist. If I can be permitted some race realism - usually it’s going to be some woke nigger calling you names too. Or some woke white liberal F-tard. Scott Adams of Dilbert fame spent his life dancing around race realities, trying to be nice to them, only to finally say, “Fuck black people. Stay away from them, avoid them. If you live near them, move away. They’re nothing but trouble.”
You’ve got a proximity issue, not a gun problem…
I always carry one in the chamber. If you can't trust the firearm, get something else. If I recall correctly the Rugers have a heavy pull and in a holster it would be perfectly safe.
From Sailorcurt:
...if I'm going to carry for self defense, I'm going to carry it ready to use.
Nailed it. The real safety is the stuff between your ears, and the common sense gun safety that the Libtards would force us to observe precludes any chance of self-defense.
Regarding racism: It is a fact that the majority of violent crimes in this country are committed by members of a particular demographic group.
Truth, and it's what makes me keep an eye on some groups more than others.
Thanks for the post.
From Anonymous at 9:32 PM:
If you are not going to keep one in the pipe get a lemon squeezer, 38+p
Which is what I've been looking at. A good friend of mine carries one of these in the side pocket of his cargo pants.
From Steffen:
I carried that way when I started out. But as long as your pistol is drop safe and your holster is high quality enough to fully guard your trigger, you have nothing to worry about...
Thanks. My holster covers the trigger, and the pistol is drop-safe, similar to a Glock.
From Glen Filthie:
Yep. A .357 with a 3” pipe, and a dedicated concealment holster as per Sailor above.
My second choice, as it's not easy to conceal. Howsomever, should the fertilizer hit the turbine blades, bigger is better.
If I can be permitted some race realism... you’ve got a proximity issue, not a gun problem.
Probably so. I doubt I'd ever see this situation in Rice Lake, Wisconsin. Moving isn't an option just now.
From Gerry:
I always carry one in the chamber. I recall that the Rugers have a heavy pull and in a holster it would be perfectly safe.
Thanks, and you're quite right. The trigger pull is a long way from a bull's eye special.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
My thanks to all of you. I note that everyone agrees on carrying my pistol with one in the chamber, which I'll begin doing today. The Ruger LCP II features a Glock style operation; no safety catch, no external hammer as the safety is a part of the trigger. My sticky holster keeps the pistol from printing and covers the trigger assembly so there's less chance of an AD.
Which reminds me...
Ex-DEA Agent Lee Paige and His Professional Demonstration
https://youtu.be/vfONckOPyaI?si=aQjn74N12oVOF8jP
I'm not troubled by the .380 caliber. I, for instance, wouldn't want to get shot with one. Frankly, I don't want to get shot at all, thanks.
Some years back I bought a largish pocket pistol, a FÉG (FÉGARMY) PA-63 9x18mm Makarov 3.93" *HUNGARIAN MADE SEMI-AUTO PISTOL*
It's a bit large for concealed carry, but the caliber is right - think .380 on steroids. Having shot it, the pistol kicks like a pissed off Missouri mule, but the stress of the moment would likely cause me to ignore the recoil.
My only other thoughts are the comments from an experienced old west era gunfighter, who said that the man who can win the fight is the man with ice water in his veins. He'll stand and draw a fine bead on his opponent, and that will be that.
My other thought is what happens after the smoke clears. Someone will call the cops, and in Columbus you might as well smoke 'em if you got 'em. The CPD wants the scene settled down prior to their arrival.
My statement to the cops as the shooter is:
I have done nothing wrong.
He tried to kill me.
I want my lawyer.
The only other question I'll answer involves my name, which by law I have to provide. I am not required to answer any other question, including the ownership of the pistol on the ground nearby.
Thanks to everyone for reading.
Sorry I got here late. What should you do? Depends on the end goal and what you're willing to do to achieve it. I think out in the open, loaded or not, is prob 50/50 whether it makes you safer or a target. I'd think wisdom is having it hidden and loaded. You won't be a target, and you won't be useless in a quick pinch...
Where have you been, CW? I s'pose I should drop by your place more often than I do.
I'm carrying concealed with one in the chamber. I tend to stay away from places where I'm likely to get into a gun fight.
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