I was speaking with a mom who had three children ranging from 3 to 12 the other day. She was debating getting her concealed carry permit. I told her I thought it was a great idea if she was willing to put in the time to train - she was.
Turns out, her biggest concern wasn’t training or having a firearm (the family already has them in the home and has started teaching the kids age-appropriate gun safety). Her concern was that her youngest at 3 would get the gun out of the holster when she was wearing it.
We discussed how tight a holster should hold a firearm and the variety of retention holsters that are on the market. While I didn’t think she’d need the retention holster, she liked the option because she wanted to make sure the little one would never get it out of the holster without her knowing something was up. After our conversation, she signed up for the concealed carry class!
What other questions have you heard from parents about carrying? What recommendations do you give them?
Safe storage at night while still keeping the firearm accessible quickly is a big one. I’m not a fan of biometric locks (as an engineer I’ve worked on designing those kinds of systems and I don’t trust the failure rate on fast access) but there are retention holsters that can be mounted to a bed frame or table or inside a drawer.
Carrying the firearm on-body and carrying a small kid at the same time comes up… safe secure holster and a proper gun belt is usually the solution. Working out the carry position matters… do you carry the gun right and the kid left? That needs a plan.
I have a cousin who got into CC but didn’t want to spend the time to learn about proper/safe ways to carry. On a Christmas Eve she was at the grocery store getting things for _Christmas dinner. Her 2-2.5 year old daughter who is really small got into her purse (off body carry) took out the pistol and was playing with it. Her mom reacted like most of us would have but got shot in the process. Got her right at the base of her middle finger on the palm side.
Months later as we discussed the incident she said that because she was a good shot she thought she knew everything about firearms.
An area of concern I think about, and something I definitely need to work on, is making sure the kids understand what to do in an emergency situation…how if they see you starting to draw, that they need to move back and way out of the danger zone (which will be you once you draw) or how hopefully they’ve already started moving out of harms way based upon some agreed upon code word/phrase for your family.
I’ve discussed it with them in general, but we’ve never practiced as a family. I need to get on that.
Security of your weapon should be equally important with marksmanship. Don’t get me wrong, hitting your intended target is important, but without weapon retention, your gun becomes more dangerous to everyone. There are many types of retention holsters that allow easy removal of the weapon with a little knowledge knowing where to push, twist to cant or some combination. Between adjustable retention screws, straps or snaps, there are a lot of options.
For IWB I like BladeTech and BlackHawk. They are both Kydex but have screws to adjust the grip the holster has on the weapon. I am probably going to pick up a CrossBreed SuperTuck to see how it feels. Spreading it across a larger section of the belt seems like it would be goos and having a leather backing also sounds like a good idea.
Thanks. I really get frustrated by some of the holsters I’ve bought over the years. The one I currently use for my glock 43 slipped off my belt at the movie theater the other night. Luckily I always check before leaving and didn’t end up leaving my gun. It’s cold enough now for me to carry in the inside pocket of my coat but that slows down the draw considerably.
The corollary feature of the Blackhawk Serpa levels two or three is if you need to control retention: by pulling on the weapon, upward without depressing the finger release, it jams keeping anyone from pulling it out. The control tab is forced against the gun’s trigger guard and is unable to move until the upward pressure is removed. When in this situation it is highly difficult if not nearly impossible to press the release and get the gun out.
Physically this is a far easier control for the person carrying than a fight for control by pushing your weapon down while the opponent is trying to pull up against you.
edit:/ 27Oct For @Orpackrat: I carried a long time with the paddle for ease of use. A couple months ago I tried the belt loop mount with a DI belt and like it a whole lot better. Same result and I no longer have to worry about my belt pulling down my slacks or jeans.
There was a woman in Montana who was shot and killed by her 2(?) Year old son, pretty much the same situation… he got in her carry purse, unzipped the gun pocket, and had it out.
Truly tragic, and another reason I’m not a fan of purse carry.
Most common from women have been questions about purse carry.
I’ve pointed out to them I am not a fan of it for several reasons not the least of which is the fact kids have managed to get their hands on a purse carried guy when mom/grandma was distracted or just paying attention to something else like shopping.
The biggest concern I see with parents is proper storage to avoid unauthorized use while still ensuring accessibility in an emergency.
Kevin M. From USCCA did a video on RAW DOG HOLSTERS. I bought one of their IWB holsters. and it does have screws for adjustment on cant and retention. And I like it. And it is the first IWB holster that I’ve found that I can use with some of the mobility issues that I have with my arms. And it was around $36.00.
I personally have made it a point not to let my son know I am carrying. For a couple reasons. If need arose, I didn’t want him tipping my hand prematurely if it wasn’t the best time to draw yet. I also didn’t want him drawing attention to it while going through a store or what have you. Or trying to see it in the holster.
Him and I shoot regularly, and even though he is eleven now, he doesn’t realize I have a gun under my shirt.
I’ve rarely had a woman ask about purse carry, @WildRose. Maybe it’s the temperature difference affecting their clothing choice? In Wisconsin, it’s easier to conceal as the temperature is much lower than it is in Texas a good portion of the year. I will bring it up during the discussion of holsters or gun storage just to make sure everyone in the room knows the importance of keeping the firearm secure from others - especially little hands.
I know a number of men who carry off-body in backpacks too.
Great reasoning, @Andrew37. Have you played any situational awareness type games with him to see if he can spot other things that may be helpful to him in a critical dynamic incident? And I have to wonder, has he ever pointed out someone else who is concealed carrying to you?
You can buy purses that have little locks w/key, but my thoughts on that are it would take too much time to get to it if you needed it. My preference is a holster.
As far as guns and kids in your home. I love the little safe that you can get into quickly. Especially love the Brute by V-Line. A bit pricey but worth it if you want the ease of getting to your weapon within seconds and no battery to worry about.
