Anyone else's lifestyle NOT mesh well with carrying?

[zahc]

I'm all for CC and all. I'd do it occasionally, (as it is now, despite being old enough to live on my own I cannot even posess a handgun in this wonderful state) but I cannot see myself ever carrying on a regular basis.

I mean if I did, not only would it be impossible to keep the gun concealed but I also realize that I would end up getting hurt falling on it or end up breaking it. I can't imagine attempting to live with a chunk of metal and plastic strapped to my hip. I would be taking it off and on so much it would be pointless. I don't even carry my leatherman because it's too heavy.

I can see myself carrying maybe at work or during certain times but there is just no way I could ever CC every day.

 

[Amish_Bill]

If you think you're leatherman is too heavy to leave on your belt, you're not cut out for carrying a gun there.

... or do you wear those flimsy little dress belts that will droop between the loops if they're not snug enough? Rule #1 of carrying things on your belt is to have a real belt.

 

[zahc]

I don't wear anything on my belt.

 

[MICHAEL T]

How would you fall on it and break it and why couldn't you keep it concealed I can't belive you think a leatherman is to heavy. Can you fill in those blanks?

 

[Dot_mdb]

If you don't want to carry, that is a personal decision that you make for yourself. Some people never carry and some people only carry occasionally. I don't think that the weight of the gun or the size has anything to do with your decision. People carry all types of stuff, wallets, keys, pictures, cosmetics, watches etc. Have you ever picked up a woman's handbag and felt how much that weighs? So if you are not comfortable with carrying or don't have the need to carry a weapon, that is fine, but don't blame it on the weight of the weapon or the difficulty in concealing it.

Bill

 

[zahc]

How would you fall on it and break it and why couldn't you keep it concealed I can't belive you think a leatherman is to heavy. Can you fill in those blanks?

I lead a very active lifestyle that includes running and cycling at random points in the day. I would seriously not want to ride strapped. Also my summer job is on the lake where you plan to get wet on any given day.

I constantly carry a spyderco clipped in my pocket and a dragonfly in my waistband.

I do indeed think a leatherman classic is too heavy, to wear and run/jump/ride/swim if necessary.

I don't think that the weight of the gun or the size has anything to do with your decision.

It has everything to do with it, it's the only thing that would stop me.

 

[carebear]

Have you actually tried?

I can carry my Taurus .38 titanium (at 15 ounces more or less weightless) in almost any loose pocket, it (like most firearms) is more or less weather and water "proof" (need to clean it regularly of course) and can be slipped into a small fanny pack if a pocket isn't available.

I carried a personal .45 concealed (in violation of reg's) during most of my Marine Corps career when in the field. Between jumping, rappelling, patrolling and water ops, that was about as rough as any lifestyle I've ever heard of. Never broke the gun or hurt myself. YMMV.

There's lots of folks who have similar sounding jobs/lifestyles to yours that carry daily with no problem.

If you have decided you can't, you probably won't. if you decide you might, you can typically find a way that works for you.

The technology is really the least of the problem, it is mostly mindset.

But of course it's your choice in the end.

 

[Kaylee]

with guns like the little Kel-Tec .32 on the market, weight is not an excuse for not carrying some matter of firearm, should you desire to do so in the first place.

That said, I don't carry as often as I used to... wardrobe (and for a while, really tight cash) had more to do with that than weight. Hrmm.. I've *got* to look into those belly band things at some point.

-K

 

[MICHAEL T]

Sounds like a ready made job for the Keltec at 10oz ? or a light weight revolver.
If you fall off your bike that much where you got to worry about hurting yourself or a pistol ,maybe you should walk
Do you carry a cell phone weights about as much as a small pistol. If so how many of them have you broke?

 

[zahc]

If you fall off your bike that much where you got to worry about hurting yourself or a pistol ,maybe you should walk

indeed. It does however suck to have metal things strapped to yourself to fall on.

Do you carry a cell phone

not any more

how many of them have you broke?

2

 

[Cyanide_357]

May I ask what you mean, that given your state (OH, where I reside also), you can't possess a handgun...? I'm 20, and I have 6. If you are 18, you can possess a handgun; you just can't buy one from an FFL. Given that until you are 21, they will either have to be gifted or a person to person transfer/purchase.

Cyanide

 

[zahc]

It has been my understanding that a person under 21 cannot be in unsupervised possession of a handgun in Ohio. In fact I remember a thread about a guy that got busted for possesion a while back.

just to be clear, I only said it was not legal

from packing.org

In addition, no person shall sell any firearm to anyone under 18 years of age, or any handgun to anyone under 21 years of age. Section 2923.21(A)(1), (2). Furnishing (but not selling) a firearm to such a person is permissible for lawful hunting, sporting or educational purposes if that person is under the supervision or control of a responsible adult.

Where 'adult' apparently doesn't count 20 year olds.

 

[countertop]

I work in DC, thats the only thing that keeps me from carrying all the time. That might change real soon though, as it looks good that I'll land a job with DOJ and with that comes the opportunity to be deputized.


As for the original poster - I'd say he needs to get a better belt and find himself a nice leather holster.

 

[entropy]

A fanny pack would be an option for carry, and as Kaylee pointed out, A Kel-Tec .32, .380 or even the P-11 9mm, would be comforatble in it. If you are training, consider it extra drag for training, kinda like when male swimmers grow body hair out for training, then shave it off for competition. Where there is a will, there's a way. Keep looking; a nudist has a legitimite lifestyle vs CCW gripe. Yours seem more like concerns about convenience.

 

[El Rojo]

My lifestyle does keep me from carrying as much as I would like. I used to work in a federal prison. No guns on site, period. So I couldn't carry on the way to work and most certainly not at work.

Now I work at a public high school. I might be able to lawfully carry to and from the school, but I don't think it would be good for job security to have one on campus.

So I can't carry mainly because of dumb rules more than a physical sense of the activity. I have been packing a Glock 27 around just about everywhere other than work for the last 5 years. Rarely is it ever a problem. Once you find a comfortable way to carry, it becomes second nature. It is just like having a wallet. It is always there and when it isn't you notice.

 

[roscoe]

Kel Tec P32 or P3AT. They fit anywhere. I have even clipped my P32 to my running shorts for runs of up to 6 miles and it never bothers me, and no one sees it.

Don't worry about the caliber thing - I took out a Cape Buffalo at 50 yards with my P32.

 

[sm]

Lifestyle not mesh with CCW...

NO.

Understand I have some personal beliefs , some may not agree. Understand I was raised in a certain time...I was born in '55.

I made that personal decison of "carrying" at a young age.Keeping one handy at a young age. We didn't have permisson papers back then either. So as a kid , a natural thing for me to carry my gun wherever I went, whenever I could. I had in the car as a wee kid when mom would take us kids to the country, to the park, even to the grocery store - "just what you did". I was not even of teenage years mind you.

Good Belt and holster have always been the key. Cooper phrased it as "comforting not comfortable".

This day and age , I am an older returning college student. Our state says no CCW on Campus. I don't park on Campus. Adapt, Overcome and Improvise...something else I was raised with...

My point is , if there is a will - there is a way. We have so many more choices of firearms and holsters than when I was growing up. Folks back when I was raised managed to carry ...granted some of the ideas today are the same of old.

There is other stuff besides my responsibilty to self as to why I carry and do as I do.

A Declaration of Civil Disobedience

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34976&highlight=civil+disobedience

It is a personal decison that each individual must make for themselves. Once made - there should be no faltering or turning back.

 

[landon74]

Maybe you haven't found the correct carry piece yet..... My always gun is a scandium S&W, it's either in a pocket or IWB. It weighs 1 pound loaded, you can just about forget that it's on you.....

As for my lifestyle not meshing with CCW, I am responsible for the safety and well-being of my family at all times, so I found the carry piece and rigs that allow me to comfortably carry all the time.

 

[duck hunt]

I can sympathize. As a 5'2 female, carrying concealed isn't as easy for me as it is for my husband. When I CCW, I can't wear clothes as fitted or as revealing as I might if I weren't carrying. (For the record, I carry a PA-63 and I have an inside-the-waist holster, but I can't wear it without wearing a loose/long enough top to cover the telltale lump). I'm not comfortable with a smaller gun, and I'm not comfortable carrying off the body, in a purse or such, so when I wear clothes I can't conceal in, I just don't carry.

Also couldn't carry when I taught. Obviously couldn't carry when I belly danced. Life happens.

 

[HungSquirrel]

I've started carrying my 1911 unloaded IWB around the house to get a feel for it. The 1911 is by no means a small or light gun, but it has gotten to the point where I forget it's there.

There are holsters and concealment devises for many sporting/athletic activities. There's the good ol' fashioned fanny pack and many others. Aren't there small bags that strap to the frame of a bicycle that are large enough to conceal a weapon? I know there are devices designed to be worn over a jogger's chest that are designed to holster weapons in a convenient cross-draw position. It would still hurt if you fell over forward. Just watch where you're going and hope you don't fall!

 

[Dave R]

A couple of observations...

As other have pointed out, if you can carry a wallet, you can carry a mouse gun like a P-32 or a P-3AT or equivalent. In a good pocket holster, its about the size, shape and weight of a wallet.

Most people I know who carry regularly DID have to change their lifestyle or wardrobe to accommodate full-time carry. Better holster, better belt, different clothes. They dress to carry.

Last, yes, I firmly believe that some people's lifestyle does not mesh with carrying. For example, people who drink shouldn't carry, just like they shouldn't drive. (Hmmmm, should you party with a 'designated carry-er?')

Its an individual decision whether to carry, how often, and how far you're willing to alter your lifestyle or wardrobe to carry.

 

[280PLUS]

S&W Model 432PD

.32 H&R Mag, hammerless, 6 shots, 14 oz. loaded in a loose pocket or fanny pack. I forget it's there and noone has spotted it yet.

 

[TheDutchman]

I drink at bars too much to carry

 

[phoglund]

There is indeed one lifestyle which precludes concealed carry at all times...the lifestyle of the Nudist!

 

[priv8ter]

Yeah

I guess I can answer yes to this question. As a federal employee, I work on a Military Base, and carry is a no-no.

So, if you figure than about 75% of my free-time is spent doing erands on the way home from work, you could say my lifestyle doesn't mesh well.

Even when I'm not at work..I never feel comfortable carrying. I just never get used to the feel of the gun, and I am constantly fighting the urge to adjust things, even though my wife assures me I am not printing.

This has caused me to drop all the way down to a Taurus 731 UL to find a gun I am comfortable carrying. I would love to be one of these guys that can carry a full-size 1911 and three spare mags, but I just can't pull it off.

greg