A story about how trying to "guess right" can bite you

[mojo84]

I don't know anything about this person other than what little bio info he provided at the bottom of his blog post. Hope this serves as a good reminder to all.

http://www.legallyconcealed.org/blog/il ... w-minutes/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

“I’ll only be out for a few minutes.” That’s what I said when I exited the house and jumped in the truck and realized that my firearm was still sitting on top of my office desk. Sadly, this wasn’t the first time I have said this, but this day would prove to be the last time I ever use that line as an excuse to not be armed . . .

Unlike most excuses for leaving a firearm behind, my excuse was different. It wasn’t because I felt that carrying a firearm was a burden or uncomfortable. It’s quite the opposite. My method of carry was too comfortable. So comfortable, in fact, that I often don’t even feel that it’s there on my body—or not.

I had removed the firearm from my in-waistband holster while working on some designs and it was late in the day. I wanted to stretch a little and never thought to re-holster the firearm once it was removed. (snip)... As he approached my passenger-side door, he mutters some words about cigarettes, but then like a strike of lightning, he reaches for the door handle. Alarmed, I gave him a stern look and right when I was about to give a reactionary verbal lashing, I felt the back of my neck start to tingle. Something was very wrong.

At that very moment, a sixth sense kicked in and I was compelled to turn to my driver-side door. As I turned to my left, I watched as another male had successfully opened my door.The one thing I vividly still remember is the knife coming towards my face and the focused look on the attackers face. I remember deflecting the knife hand with my left hand and grabbing his hand and forcing it up to the cab of the vehicle.

In one smooth motion, my right hand sweeps up my shirt and motions towards what normally would be a GLOCK 23 at the ready at the 3 o’clock position. Instead, I was greeted by the cold hard reality of an empty holster.I’m pretty sure I blurted out an angry four-letter word at that moment. At first my mind was confused, but in an instant I replayed the exact moment I had removed my firearm earlier in the day.

Worth a read and some contemplation.

[LAYGO]

*MULTIPLE LOUD EXPLETIVES HERE (from me as I'm reading)*

Dang it, that has my blood boiling. I'm almost shaking reading that. It really spooks me because twice in the last week or two, I've rushed out of the house w/o my pistol in my pocket. I have a 2nd pistol in a lock box in my car, but no other means of safely carrying it (ie, holster or otherwise). I've got 2 other holsters on order from Alien Gear, just waiting.

Not that having the 2nd pistol would do any good either in that situation, unless they came back. It is chambered though.

[jmra]

To me (assuming this is not a work of fiction) this has less to do with leaving a firearm at home and a lot more to do with a total lack of situational awareness and common sense.
I simply don't drive anywhere with my doors unlocked (in fact my doors lock automatically on both of our cars when put in drive) or my windows down. If anyone approached my vehicle that I didn't want near my vehicle there is this thing called the "gas pedal". You push it and the person approaching your car is left behind watching your car drive off into the distance.
A firearm is a great tool, but an engaged brain may well keep you from needing that great tool.

[mojo84]

Jmra, others had similar comments. He addressed them somewhat at the end. I think there is always multiple takeaways from incidents such as this.

[C-dub]

Me too. Windows up and doors locked unless I'm exiting or entering the vehicle.

However, I have another issue. Maybe some of you all have gotten to this point, but I have not. Have any of you become so comfortable wearing your firearm that you can't tell when you have it on or not? I know many have said that it is so comfortable that they sometimes forget they are wearing it, but to not know or to think that you have it on when you don't? Really? I am definitely not to that point yet.

[patterson]

Me too. Windows up and doors locked unless I'm exiting or entering the vehicle.

However, I have another issue. Maybe some of you all have gotten to this point, but I have not. Have any of you become so comfortable wearing your firearm that you can't tell when you have it on or not? I know many have said that it is so comfortable that they sometimes forget they are wearing it, but to not know or to think that you have it on when you don't? Really? I am definitely not to that point yet.

I haven't gotten to that point either but I carry a full size 1911 so I may not get to that point

[jmra]

Me too. Windows up and doors locked unless I'm exiting or entering the vehicle.

However, I have another issue. Maybe some of you all have gotten to this point, but I have not. Have any of you become so comfortable wearing your firearm that you can't tell when you have it on or not? I know many have said that it is so comfortable that they sometimes forget they are wearing it, but to not know or to think that you have it on when you don't? Really? I am definitely not to that point yet.

I'm not anywhere close to that point and I doubt I ever will be. But, I think knowing at all times what I do and do not have at my disposal is part of maintaining awareness that may be critical to my family's safety. That's not something I'm likely to become comfortable or complacent with.
ETA: I never take my firearm out of my carry holster and leave it laying somewhere. It is always loaded and thus the trigger is always covered. So, I would never find myself wearing an empty holster.

[esxmarkc]

Has anyone but me here ever read "The Gun That Wasn't There" ?

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I found the book (which chronicles a true story penned by a retired Texas Police Chief who turns out to be quite an excellent author) to be a really great, vividly-detailed story set in the rough West Texas ranch landscape. I guess promoting it on this thread is a bit of a spoiler alert (as well as the title).

The book will have you a packin 24/7 I promise ya.

[EEllis]

Me too. Windows up and doors locked unless I'm exiting or entering the vehicle.

However, I have another issue. Maybe some of you all have gotten to this point, but I have not. Have any of you become so comfortable wearing your firearm that you can't tell when you have it on or not? I know many have said that it is so comfortable that they sometimes forget they are wearing it, but to not know or to think that you have it on when you don't? Really? I am definitely not to that point yet.

There was a time that I was. I wore it at work and for years was armed pretty much 24 7. I had to go inside a secure area of an airport and locked my pistol up. On leaving I just plain forgot to get it. Had to turn around and come back.

[jimlongley]

One of the reasons why I would like to see open carry. There have been a couple of times when I decided not to holster up because I was only going for the paper or some such trivial thing. There have been a couple of times when I found myself wondering why I didn't bother to bring my "crime extinguisher" with me.

[Grillmark55]

I rarely go out without my EDC. And in the few rare instances that I do, at some point I find myself thinking "I hope I didn't mess up by not carrying." I think I'll make it a point to go back and put it on when I find myself thinking that.

[LAYGO]

I've been carrying for just a year and I'm fairly comfortable with it on my hip. I have laid down taking naps with it on, including up to laying on my holster side. It is an M&P Shield (single stack 9), fairly light, but I do occasionally carry my M&P 45 compact or M&P 40 Mid (15rnd mag). I carry my Shield more often out of convenience, but after reading some of the stories wishing for more ammo, I've carried my 40 more often when I can dress casually. As of right now, my 40 is on my buddy's hip until his holster arrives.

I don't forget I'm wearing it, but I can get comfortable wearing them.

[VMI77]

I feel naked when I'm not armed. Even if I'm on my own property I like being armed for snakes, if nothing else.

Edited to add:

My personal vehicle automatically locks the door when in gear but unlocks them in park. I always manually relock after shifting into park. My company vehicle doesn't automatically lock and sometimes I don't remember right away to lock the door but I usually check when I get stopped in traffic for some reason. I haven't left without being armed but I did really screw up once by failing to check that my gun was loaded. I had shot and cleaned the gun and then gotten side tracked and forgot to reload. I discovered when I got home that night that I'd been carrying an unloaded gun around all day. I don't forget to check anymore.

[VMI77]

Me too. Windows up and doors locked unless I'm exiting or entering the vehicle.

However, I have another issue. Maybe some of you all have gotten to this point, but I have not. Have any of you become so comfortable wearing your firearm that you can't tell when you have it on or not? I know many have said that it is so comfortable that they sometimes forget they are wearing it, but to not know or to think that you have it on when you don't? Really? I am definitely not to that point yet.

I have, and sometimes find myself touching the grip to make sure.

[BigGuy]

Me too. Windows up and doors locked unless I'm exiting or entering the vehicle.

However, I have another issue. Maybe some of you all have gotten to this point, but I have not. Have any of you become so comfortable wearing your firearm that you can't tell when you have it on or not? I know many have said that it is so comfortable that they sometimes forget they are wearing it, but to not know or to think that you have it on when you don't? Really? I am definitely not to that point yet.

My first pistol for CHL was a Ruger LCP. I love that little gun, but eventually was persuaded that I needed more punch in an EDC. I bought my Ruger SR9c that I wear at 4:00 IWB. But I decided to keep the LCP as a BUG and carry it in a pocket holster on my right hip. Mixed messages at my work place* mean that I remove the 9MM as soon as I get to work and place it in my brief case. But I leave the LCP in my pocket. I truly forget it's there. To the point that I sometimes wonder if I'd remember it when I needed it. Even sitting on my BUG, I feel unarmed without the 9MM. My fear is forgetting it sometime on a trip to the post office, or some other restricted place.

* Explanation of the mixed messages if anybody cares:
Back in 1988 when I started there was a different philosophy on firearms at my work place. A passage in the employee handbook states that possessing a gun at work is prohibited and a terminable offense. Every employee has to sign the last page of the employee handbook acknowledging that we have read it and will abide by it. Since then things have changed some. Our present General Manager has said that he will not punish anybody for carrying under a valid CHL, and has even made it know that he has a gun in his office. But that is at this location. A change to the employee handbook would require going through corporate, and that has not happened. I still have a 26-year-old signature out there in which I agreed to abide by that passage prohibiting carrying of a gun. That's where I decided that concealed is concealed. The nature of my work (IT) has me crawling under desks, laying on the floor with arms extended over my head, standing on ladders with arms extending over my head, etc. My empty holster has been called out more than once. This is a newspaper, and many of the reporters are quite ... unh .... let's just say, "not conservative." There are several who might well make a big fuss, going over the GMs head to corporate. I'm not sure how it would go from there. I'd just as soon not find out. The little LCP has never been called out.