I need help coming up with a strategy for concealed carry

I have lost pocket knives and poflashlights in a bathroom and picked up a measuring tape.

bos19 said:

I bought one like that. The safe doesn’t fit under any of my seats because they all have a bar underneath and I can’t find a console safe for my car. Putting gun in my trunk is not feasible. I’m also concerned about shooting myself by accident if I’m fiddling around reholstering in the car. Keeping my gun in the holster in the glove box seems to be the only feasible solution besides finding a more pro-gun workplace.

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If you are driving alone in the car, you can wedge the gun in the holster between the passenger seat and the console. Cover it with a baseball cap or towel when you're not in the car.

bos19 said:

So I'm planning on starting to conceal carry soon for the first time, but am not sure how to go about it. I've been struggling to come up with a strategy for my average workday, as I work a 9-5 type job at a company that is not gun-friendly. The employee handbook says no guns in the building and I'm not looking to get fired, but the issue is since work takes up so much of my week, I don't know how to work around not being able to have a gun on me at all times. If my friends want to go to the movies right after work or I have to go to the store, mall, etc. I don't want to have to drive out of my way to go home and get my conceal carry gun. My workplace is in a very nice location and I am very tempted to just keep the gun in my locked glovebox in my car only when I'm working, even though I know it's not ideal. There are literally thousands of other cars at my workplace, so the chances of my car being broken into on a secure campus with cameras everywhere outside that are actually used are small. Thoughts?

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Get something small and carry it anyway, just make sure it's well hidden and nobody will know, I've done that everywhere it says "No Firearms". Unless you work for the government, that's a whole different story and you'll probably go to jail haha

I strongly

bos19 said:

I'm thinking about it. My state is very gun friendly state, so legally I am fine, but I am worried that the day I decide to conceal carry, I'll walk through a door and a hidden metal detector will go off or something like that and then I'm fired haha.

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Sounds like you need training to be comfortable around guns. What office is having metal detectors around there doors? Do you need to take off your belt when you go to work?

In those years that I decided that my life is more important than a job I carried either a PPK or Jframe or, later, Kel Tec P11 in a pocket holster or Thunderwear. Mostly I wore suits and since the jacket always came off in the office I needed to be really low profile. It was very non-permissive. It really became evident that I was philosophically correct when a client went into a Merrill Lynch office close to my office a killed his broker and the branch manager. That client was on the witness protection program and used a Smith .357 Mag.
If your mode of dress isn’t “skinny suits” then I’d go with a G43 sized gun (Kahr, XDs, J frame, etc) in the Thunderwear/smart carry because most people don’t look at your “junk”.

bos19 said:

I'm thinking about it. My state is very gun friendly state, so legally I am fine, but I am worried that the day I decide to conceal carry, I'll walk through a door and a hidden metal detector will go off or something like that and then I'm fired haha.

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Give it time and training like Evangelist Cowboy suggest... As time goes by, you won't be so, for the lack of a better word, so paranoid when it comes to carrying and being around firearms... For right now and for a man in your position, I suggest you leave your firearm at home or in your car.

On the rare occasion that I have had to leave a firearm in my vehicle for a long period of time (concert with metal detectors, political rallies, sporting events, etc), I usually will put it in a cloth pouch or something else inconspicuous, I'll lift up the floor of the trunk of my car, and then will hide it under or behind my spare tire.

bos19 said:

How does one go about getting proper training for concealed carry? I know a lot of ranges will offer concealed carry courses, but I'm not interested in spending time and money on something where I'm just going to be shooting at paper targets repeatedly for half the day.

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There are lots of good trainers out there. Do your research into the instructors background and reputation. If you care to post your location, someone here may be able to recommend someone. And in any good shooting class, you'll spend plenty of time shooting at paper targets, probably more than half the day.

What bearcreek said.

SharpDog said:

If you are driving alone in the car, you can wedge the gun in the holster between the passenger seat and the console. Cover it with a baseball cap or towel when you're not in the car.

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And you can watch the gun go flying if you ever get in an accident.

untactical, totally innocuous holster but if deep inside a building there may be enough time to bring it into play. a small, reliable, lowly 22lr in the hand beats anything else not with me, when cornered by a predator .

jstert said:

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untactical, totally innocuous holster but if deep inside a building there may be enough time to bring it into play. a small, reliable, lowly 22lr in the hand beats anything else not with me, when cornered by a predator .

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Might want to up gun to .22WCF (might be better than .32ACP). Need to find reliable ammo as some of them rimfire have fair amount of duds present.

Spats McGee said:

Your situation is similar, thought not identical, to mine. Employer's policy forbids handguns in the office and in courtrooms. Technically, each judge gets to decide who may or may not carry in his or her courtroom, but I don't think the judge's permission (even if I had it) would trump policy. Maybe I couldn't be prosecuted for carrying, but I could be fired. In theory, I could carry. I'm currently a prosecutor, and we're allowed to go around the metal detectors. I wear a suit, so a cover garment (suit coat) is expected year-round. With all of that said, as soon as I get to work, my gun goes in a gun safe, which is cabled to the car & hidden, like this one. I put holster and mag pouch in my desk, and put the gun back on as soon as I get back to my car.

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I’m in a similar situation. I am a lawyer in court 10-15 days a month. In the past I’ve seen inmates wrestle with corrections officers to the horror of everyone in the court room. The occasional sovereign citizen types are creepy, but they are present for the most part only on criminal docket days. Who knows how bad it might get on a civil docket. It’s going into and leaving the court house that spooks me. I’ve even seen close calls in the parking lots after domestic cases. For what it’s worth, our probation officers are armed as well as all of our judges (except one). So I leave my gun in the truck each day and take my chances. It’s scary, but the reality of my daily life.

It's really a hard call , gun free zones are easy pickens. What ever you decide keep it to yourself .

Styx said:

I'd leave my firearm in the car too if I was in your profession. It's probably against the law in your state, there are metal detectors at the entrance, and there are usually armed bailiffs and L.E. in the courtroom or in the vicinity.

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While true, courthouse security can be a joke. I fear the walk to the parking lot more than most, as I’ve seen a few domestic cases spill over to the parking lots. On more than one occasion a deputy has had to escort a pissed off guy who just lost custody of his kids out to his 1989 Jeep Cherokee to make sure he didn’t have a rifle. It’s the places you least expect trouble that you may find it.

Palolosj said:

Might want to up gun to .22WCF (might be better than .32ACP). Need to find reliable ammo as some of them rimfire have fair amount of duds present.

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im not a fan of 22wmr out of anything shorter than a ruger single six, too much flashbang even with handgun specific ammo for too little improvement over 22lr. my defense 22lr ammo is always the good stuff, but even so, the naa is a last ditch, cornered animal gun. i’m confident that more than two rounds will work.

When I worked a job that forbade guns or when I visit my wife at her work I unclip my single clip holster and lock it in the car.

Goes back on when I get in the car, not too hard to put a single clip back on in the driver's seat after some practice. Though I'll often just do it standing by the open door if noone is around, only takes a few seconds.

I just leave my gun in the truck when I’m at work, I’d like to carry it but I’m 100% sure I’d get fired if caught. Leaving it in the truck is basically the only option I see available, so that’s what I do. Not really a big deal.

Great question. If you’re carry a semi auto (which by the question you are), you have to have one in the chamber for the moment that God forbid you need it. Look at videos by reputable people on the internet about this. You’ll see that there really isn’t an option but to carry with a round in the chamber if you want to live. The opportunity created to mishandle the firearm in the heat of the moment and the length of time to charge the firearm preclude carrying on an empty chamber. If not, I would remove the “carry” ammo (almost always hollow points) as it’s expensive and load full metal jacket practice ammo. You can load one into the chamber while you’re going to the range so you have something to protect yourself. If your range allows you to concealed carry into it, then no issues at all. I also have a couple of older or used magazines that I use for practice only and new ones that are designated as “carry only”.

bos19 said:

Random question...If I decide to keep one in the chamber with my carry gun, should I be keeping the gun loaded until I go the range and not unloading it under any circumstances before then? My understanding is unloading a loaded gun can cause issues.

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Keep a round in the chamber.

Don't unload your gun unless you're shooting it or cleaning it

Change out your carry ammunition at a minimum once a year.

bos19 said:

Random question...If I decide to keep one in the chamber with my carry gun, should I be keeping the gun loaded until I go the range and not unloading it under any circumstances before then? My understanding is unloading a loaded gun can cause issues.

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Biggest advice: Practice as much as you can and look for good training classes so as to improve your familiarity and comfort with your chosen firearm.

bos19 said:

Random question...If I decide to keep one in the chamber with my carry gun, should I be keeping the gun loaded until I go the range and not unloading it under any circumstances before then? My understanding is unloading a loaded gun can cause issues.

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Unloading a loaded gun doesn't cause issues unless the person unloading it does something negligent. It's pretty basic really. Don't pull the trigger when the gun is loaded. At some point you'll at least need to unload it to lube and/or clean it.

And carry a round in the chamber. Even if you get blazing fast at chambering a round on the draw, it's quite common for your other hand to be busy with something else.

I agree with two sets of mags - one for carry and one for the range. The carry mags don't need to be emptied except for the annual replacement of carry ammo for fresh ammo. Just eject the mag and then clear the chamber (in the car) before entering the range office and you're good to go. Reverse the process before driving out of the range parking lot.
I think that it's a correct assumption that a lot of the NDs happen during unloading of reloading. Personally my carry gun(s) are always loaded. No reason to unload at home except for cleaning/maintenance. If your family situation requires you to secure the gun, then LOCK IT UP. Does not need to be unloaded. At the range unload just prior to entering the range office as I stated above.

Probably against company rules to even have a weapon in the car. I can't give sage advice but let's just say I've only complied with the no gun rule when I was a School Bus Driver or School Custodian. I figured that I would rather be crucified than victimized. My particular carry was always an NAA which can be hidden anywhere and at times my M&P340 which I bought specifically to wear on my ankle. If you choose to leave it in your vehicle then get a safe bolted in or a large hasp padlock which I used to lock the unloaded guns trigger housing to the car seat lever. Be creative in your thinking, if you have an office buy a door jamming device for example. Maybe buy a cane sword.
I truly empathize your dilemma. I cannot fathom hiding under a desk hoping a rampaging maniac doesn't see me ala Columbine. I want to emphasize the difference between breaking a Law and breaking company policy, Laws I rarely broke, company policy I just ignored. I also want to emphasize one last thing, when carrying is against company policy even a Mini NAA will feel like a Ruger Redhawk, you want something really really small, like a P32 in the pocket, pocket carry is the least obtrusive and the most secure method. Put the P32 inside an old cell phone cover and no one will be the wiser.