So with the SC overturning the NY concealed carry requirements

[Jmp63]

Congrats on being able to pursue concealed carry! Glad to see places starting to respect some more of our rights.

I’ll echo a couple of the above points.

Dry fire practice is extremely beneficial in becoming proficient with your self defense firearm!

Dummy rounds are great for at home for everything mentioned above and dry fire training as well. They are also great for causing malfunctions while live fire training at the range, to practice clearing those malfunctions working that muscle memory!

I’ve also found the tap rack training aids great for dry fire training! You can find them at a couple different places. But they look like these:


Hope this is helpful!

 

[nortac]

Something that would concern me, is to start off unchambered with plans to potentially switch to one in the pipe. If you build that muscle memory and train to rack the slide when drawing, then it might become more of a challenge to break the habit if you decide to switch to chambered.

I think this is a very valid concern. Take the time to develop the manual of arms as @OkieStubble mentioned with dummy rounds. The potential of flubbing the racking of the slide under stress cannot be underestimated. Creating a double feed or other malfunction while drawing your weapon in a life-or-death situation would really, really suck! If you are not confident in carrying AIWB with a round in the chamber, then perhaps you should consider another carry mode.

 

[OkieStubble]

I think this is a very valid concern. Take the time to develop the manual of arms as @OkieStubble mentioned with dummy rounds. The potential of flubbing the racking of the slide under stress cannot be underestimated. Creating a double feed or other malfunction while drawing your weapon in a life-or-death situation would really, really suck! If you are not confident in carrying AIWB with a round in the chamber, then perhaps you should consider another carry mode.

Great advice.

In my personal experience of teaching others how to use a pistol, it’s not the people who worry or are hypersensitive to the idea and fear of having a negative discharge with their pistol such as the OP has stated. It’s the beginner’s who think they already know everything and have no concerns at all of chambering a round and not using any caution to temper their over confident cockiness, who are the ones who carelessly pull their pistol’s triggers and blow body parts off.

While the OP’s concern’s seem overly cautious’, to the rest of us, (which they are). The very fact that he shows his cautiousness at all, shows me he is going into it alert and considering every detail.

This already puts him way ahead of the game and insuring his odds against an accidental discharge, long before he even has attempted to carry a pistol.

As a beginning concealed pistol carrier, the more he practices with his pistol in the bedroom mirror with harmless inert dummy rounds, the more comfortable and confident you will become and the realization of knowing that you can ‘relax and trust’ yourself with it.

Once you actually ‘go thru the motions’ of feeling it on your hip and seeing how the holster securely covers the trigger guard and seeing for yourself that there just isn’t anyway to set off that gun ‘accidentally’ if you are paying attention and not purposely and intentionally pulling the trigger to the rear.

You have the right frame of mind going into this. We can all give great advice, but sometimes? You just have to see it and experience it for yourself your own way at your own pace.

Which is exactly how it should be done…. For you.

I have been carrying a gun for over 33 years. While the OP might practice with dummy rounds to obtain the proper skill necessary to carry a pistol, I still practice with dummy rounds to maintain my skills in order to still carry a pistol. After 33 years.

Hopefully, you will come to realize what I realize for myself; if it ever comes a time for me to put down those dummy rounds and never practice? It’s probably time for me to put down carrying a pistol also.

Best of luck with your new carry pistol.

 

[OkieStubble]

That insurance is smart, no matter where you live IMO

True dat.

 

[nortac]

Another thing occurred to me with regards to empty chamber carry. Having to rack the slide to chamber a round upon presentation of the pistol robs one of any stealth and if the pistol is not to be immediately discharged, the action could be perceived as "brandishing" a weapon. I could imagine where one would want the pistol in hand ready to fire but held out of sight if a potential threat is perceived but the "black flag has not gone up" yet. Then if violence does not ensue, one would want to discretely re-holster the weapon. If one had racked the slide, you could not be discrete, and you would have to either holster a now loaded pistol or go through the process of unloading the pistol in front of God and everybody. Most awkward to say the least.

 

[OkieStubble]

Very good point and observation.

 

[nortac]

And yet another observation/mental exercise. What if your assailant has closed on you before you are aware of the attack, you would not be able to rack your slide if the situation required you to fire from a retention position. Just about any worst-case scenario could/would foul your ability to rack your slide, even if you were to practice the Israeli technique to where you could clear leather/kydex and place a shot in the "A" zone on the square range in 1.2 sec., try it after you have been knocked to the ground and are on your back and about to be stomped to death. Of course, no matter how you carry, the worst-case scenario could make any draw impossible, but why reduce your odds by adding an extra step?

 

[FarmerTan]

My intention was to "graduate" up to a 1911 platform after the State of Michigan "granted" me my right to carry (say what? Thought the US Constitution gave me THAT right!)

But all these years I have just been carrying revolting revolvers, and I think I will just stay with what I'm comfortable.

To @Quaznoid : I hope you don't have any other threats materialize since your first one seems to be gone. But I have never been 100% accurate in clairvoyance!

I just find it easier to assume that someone is out to ruin my day.

 

[nortac]

To @Quaznoid : I hope you don't have any other threats materialize since your first one seems to be gone. But I have never been 100% accurate in clairvoyance!

I just find it easier to assume that someone is out to ruin my day.

^ This. Mr. Murphy is an unforgiving instructor!

 

[Whisky]

As a beginning concealed pistol carrier, the more he practices with his pistol in the bedroom mirror with harmless inert dummy rounds, the more comfortable and confident you will become and the realization of knowing that you can ‘relax and trust’ yourself with it

This +1000. Before you carry the pistol out of the house practice drawing it and making ready to fire. If you have snap caps or other dummy rounds use them. After you get comfortable drawing while standing still do it while walking, running, crouching, jumping, and falling down. The chance that you’re going to draw on a threat while standing still in a perfect shooting stance are about 0. Once you get the drawing and make ready to fire part down start pulling the trigger after your got the sights on your “target.”

Another good thing to do is practice malfunction drills. Go to the range with about 5 mags. Randomly insert 2 snap caps somewhere in your mags while you’re loading them then start shooting. At some point you’ll get a click instead of bang. Practice your tap, rack, bang over and over until it becomes second nature.

 

[Whisky]

I have a concealed carry permit and am strongly pro-gun, HOWEVER, I wonder where or in what environment some of these cc fellows live to require instantaneous defensive gunfire? If I lived there, I would move somewhere else.

I’ve never understood this mentality. If you stay in your house and never leave then you’re probably ok. Going to the grocery store these days carries a risk that you may run into someone intent on harming others. And it doesn’t have to be with a gun, knives are just as deadly.

Indianapolis, where I live, isn’t usually on anybody’s radar as a violent city but this past July a gunman opened up in the food court of a local mall. He was shot and killed by a CC holder. I understand that the risk of something like this happening is minuscule, but I’d rather be prepared than a statistic. I’m not a vigilante, I’m carrying to defend myself and my family, period.

Random violence occurs on a regular basis, and it is usually followed by people saying/thinking “I never thought it would have happened here/there.”

 

[FarmerTan]

I’ve never understood this mentality. If you stay in your house and never leave then you’re probably ok. Going to the grocery store these days carries a risk that you may run into someone intent on harming others. And it doesn’t have to be with a gun, knives are just as deadly.

Indianapolis, where I live, isn’t usually on anybody’s radar as a violent city but this past July a gunman opened up in the food court of a local mall. He was shot and killed by a CC holder. I understand that the risk of something like this happening is minuscule, but I’d rather be prepared than a statistic. I’m not a vigilante, I’m carrying to defend myself and my family, period.

Random violence occurs on a regular basis, and it is usually followed by people saying/thinking “I never thought it would have happened here/there.”

And let's not forget: that good guy with a gun saved more than a few lives that day, most likely. It was a heck of a shot, apparently well thought out, in a relatively short amount of time.

 

[Acmemfg]

@Quaznoid
Watch the Atlanta local news. May help to answer the question you posed earlier regarding environment (post #12)
”Condition 1, 2, 3, 9, 65?”
I have no time for such matters.
If I am not totally familiar with the sidearm or the environment in which I may have to deploy it, I go old school.

 

[Whisky]

And let's not forget: that good guy with a gun saved more than a few lives that day, most likely. It was a heck of a shot, apparently well thought out, in a relatively short amount of time.

Unfortunately I think 3 people died and 3-4 more were injured. The CC holder did what he was supposed to do. 15sec after the shooting started he fired 10rnds from 40yds with 8hits, whatever it takes to stop the threat.

I don’t think people realize how fast things like this go down. It’s like to saying “when seconds count the police are minutes away.” I don’t mean that a slight to our LE folks here, but unless there is an officer literally at the scene when it starts it takes time to get there, exit the vehicle, figure out where the bad guy is, and get to them.

 

[Whisky]

Texas does not require a CCL, but I got one anyways. It could help you in court (you were trained, not just some yahoo running around with a gun),

This is my main issue with “constitutional carry.” I understand the right to carry without a permit and support that. But, I worry about some yahoo that has put a total of 20 rounds down range in their life deciding that they are going to carry.

 

[Toothpick]

I carried for about a week when a crazed ex-client was trying to kill me. When that threat passed, I never carried again

So you went through all the trouble of getting a CCW and carrying for just one week instead of simply moving? Interesting.

 

[ctr]

My intention was to "graduate" up to a 1911 platform after the State of Michigan "granted" me my right to carry (say what? Thought the US Constitution gave me THAT right!)

But all these years I have just been carrying revolting revolvers, and I think I will just stay with what I'm comfortable.

To @Quaznoid : I hope you don't have any other threats materialize since your first one seems to be gone. But I have never been 100% accurate in clairvoyance!

I just find it easier to assume that someone is out to ruin my day.

The Bill of Rights recognizes the right to carry. Citizen's rights pre-exist the government. Important foundational concept of our government.

 

[ctr]

Unfortunately I think 3 people died and 3-4 more were injured. The CC holder did what he was supposed to do. 15sec after the shooting started he fired 10rnds from 40yds with 8hits, whatever it takes to stop the threat.

I don’t think people realize how fast things like this go down. It’s like to saying “when seconds count the police are minutes away.” I don’t mean that a slight to our LE folks here, but unless there is an officer literally at the scene when it starts it takes time to get there, exit the vehicle, figure out where the bad guy is, and get to them.

Folks also don't understand the thought process and extreme level of violence predators bring with them. Why should they because fortunately they haven't had any experience. But the downside is many won't survive the first encounter with a predator and those who do will likely be impacted for life.

 

[OkieStubble]

Unfortunately I think 3 people died and 3-4 more were injured. The CC holder did what he was supposed to do. 15sec after the shooting started he fired 10rnds from 40yds with 8hits, whatever it takes to stop the threat.

I don’t think people realize how fast things like this go down. It’s like to saying “when seconds count the police are minutes away.” I don’t mean that a slight to our LE folks here, but unless there is an officer literally at the scene when it starts it takes time to get there, exit the vehicle, figure out where the bad guy is, and get to them.

FBI statistics show, that in an active shooting situation, someone is shot or killed every 17 seconds.

If one does the simple math, it shows that a large casualty count can happen in just a few minutes. The Amazon worker in California, who probably will be fired for carrying a pistol at work against Amazon policy, shot in the parking lot and prevented a jealous boyfriend of one of the female Amazon workers from getting inside the warehouse and going active shooter on everyone.

Think about how many unarmed people were in that ‘gun free zone’ of a warehouse. The first Police Officers would have responded in 3-7 minutes to be on scene, but if he would have made it inside it would have taken them another 3-7 minutes to get inside, follow the sound of gunshots and locate and engage the shooter.

So doing the simple math again, 6 minutes on the low side and 14 minutes on the high side, that shooter would have had free reign inside a ‘target rich’ environment.

If you just took the low side of 6 minutes of a perfect police response time? Every 17 seconds? That’s 102 on the body count. Let’s not even imagine the high side of 14 minutes?

But the middle ground of 10 minutes between 6 and 14 is probably the more realistic number of responding to the scene, making entry, and tactically locating and engaging the shooter.

It doesn’t take the mathematical skill of a rocket engineer in order to say; that hero Amazon worker who stopped the guy? Probably saved 160 lives.

His reward? Employment termination for breaking the gun free zone policy of his employer.

Bet you won’t see that on the news.

Again; just simple math and plain facts, no politics intended.

 

[OkieStubble]

I carried for about a week when a crazed ex-client was trying to kill me. When that threat passed, I never carried again

Where is that crazed ex- client now?