I was in Walmart, picking up some things, and at the checkout, a local LEO was wearing a nice button up shirt, khaki pants, etc. He was wearing a nice leather shoulder holster, Glock inside. My good friend and coworker are both gun guys, and I asked..." I know it is holstered, but is that guy muzzle sweeping us"? Again, I know it is holstered, but these things are mechanical pieces. Anything can happen. It was awkward getting swept every time the guy moved, so I popped over to the next self check out and 2 minutes later, I was checked out. Just an interesting thought. What are your thoughts?
muzzle sweep or not? Whats your take?
- Thread starter mopar92
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Loosedhorse
member
In the holster is fine.
Glock makes a lot of hoopla about it's triple-safety "Safe-Action." But all of those are easily defeated when the gun is handled; gun in the holster is safe.
Not sure I would have stood there staring into the barrel either, though.
Glock makes a lot of hoopla about it's triple-safety "Safe-Action." But all of those are easily defeated when the gun is handled; gun in the holster is safe.
Not sure I would have stood there staring into the barrel either, though.
Cosmoline
Member
"Anything can happen" is not a principle of gun safety. It's irrational fear. If it's holstered in a proper holster, it will not go off.
Maybe we need to rephrase the rules of safety so people understand they are about the PERSON, not the firearm.
Maybe we need to rephrase the rules of safety so people understand they are about the PERSON, not the firearm.
scaatylobo
Member
LOL, then for all the times your "swept" and dont know it ?.
Guess you had better make sure that no one ever has their back to you,if they have their shoulders covered.
Might be a holstered gun under that arm pit.
BTW, never,never,NEVER heard of an AD from a shoulder holstered gun.
Guess you had better make sure that no one ever has their back to you,if they have their shoulders covered.
Might be a holstered gun under that arm pit.
BTW, never,never,NEVER heard of an AD from a shoulder holstered gun.
SentinelStrategic
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+1Cosmoline said:
If someone truly understands and knows guns, there should not be this concern and fear. I walk around with a gun on my hip all night long, and I probably muzzle sweep my right leg over 100 times per night. Still haven't had an issue with my leg getting shot.
Averageman
Member
The reality is it is safe.
As safe as we would like to be Life has no guarentee's. You can move over a lane and then get ran over in the parking lot.
That gun is much safer than a WalMart parking lot.
As safe as we would like to be Life has no guarentee's. You can move over a lane and then get ran over in the parking lot.
That gun is much safer than a WalMart parking lot.
Searcher4851
Member
I reckon it's more likely that an anti-gun lawyer type would be thinkin of it as a muzzle sweep (and he would be wrong, but they don't really know anything about guns).
ColtPythonElite
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Not.....Even though, I will admit I always get a nervous feeling when I look down the barrel of a gun in one of those rigs... I wore a Miami Classic when I first got into LE. I was issued one the day I was hired and give my duty weapon. They wanted me to carry a gun, but had no uniforms or duty gear for me wear, yet. I wore a coat, tie, and shoulder holster before I even went to the academy.
JustinJ
Member
Unless its on an automated turret a gun is not being pointed at someone if not being held in a hand. Othwise it would be theoretically unsafe to ever set a gun in any position but barrel down.
BADUNAME37
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When I have one of a number of pistols on me, just my sitting, bending, and any other typical body movements could very easily make my holstered gun(s) sweep any manner of objects and persons.
As long as the holster is made for the gun, and the holster properly fits the gun and as long as I am not fiddling with the safety, keeping my hand off the weapon and my finger off the trigger, nothing is going to happen. In my opinion, the gun could sit there a thousand years and rust itself all together, cocked, and still never go off.
That is precisely why holsters are an important part of carrying a gun, and not just any holster, but one that is unmodified in any way and fits the gun, including covering the entire trigger and most of the internal part of the trigger guard.
When we are around others and the weapon is in our hand, whether it be a pistol, a long gun, or whatever, is when we observe all the safe ways of carrying and handling a gun. Anyone who just tucks the gun into his waist without any kind of holster, in my opinion, is asking for eventual trouble.
As long as the holster is made for the gun, and the holster properly fits the gun and as long as I am not fiddling with the safety, keeping my hand off the weapon and my finger off the trigger, nothing is going to happen. In my opinion, the gun could sit there a thousand years and rust itself all together, cocked, and still never go off.
That is precisely why holsters are an important part of carrying a gun, and not just any holster, but one that is unmodified in any way and fits the gun, including covering the entire trigger and most of the internal part of the trigger guard.
When we are around others and the weapon is in our hand, whether it be a pistol, a long gun, or whatever, is when we observe all the safe ways of carrying and handling a gun. Anyone who just tucks the gun into his waist without any kind of holster, in my opinion, is asking for eventual trouble.
Chris Rhines
Member
The four rules are rules for handling a gun, not carrying it in a holster, nor in a case.
-C
-C
HorseSoldier
Member
To be fair, if you're flagged by the guy's holstered pistol muzzle and he's hit by lightning there's a small possibility the pistol might fire . . . 
Loosedhorse
member
Never been tolerated at any gun class I've attended, or that I've run. Loaded or unloaded. ("Unloaded"--what's that mean?
)Fred Fuller
Moderator Emeritus
I was taking a class with ... one of the premier firearms instructors in the country ... a few years ago. He was wearing a compact .45 in a horizontal shoulder holster with no cover garment at the time. It was interesting to see the reactions of my classmates who scurried out from behind him every time he turned. I tend to be something of a fatalist to a degree about this sort of thing (though not to an extreme, I think), so I just stood still and watched, but I could sympathize with those who felt uncomfortable enough being in front of a muzzle to move away.
We have Filas as family pets, and before we got our first Fila puppy a good many years ago I started attending Fila-oriented field events (working weekends, etc.) in order to learn more about the breed. It helps when being around Filas that don't know you to stay relaxed, as Filas are generally very good at 'reading' people, and while they do not like strangers at all, a Fila that is properly socialized will generally behave properly in the presence of a nonthreatening stranger who is merely chatting with said Fila's person and who knows better than to be physically demonstrative in the presence of a strange Fila. The only way I know of to be relaxed around a couple of dozen Filas who don't know you is to accept the fact that you might possibly get bitten by one of them, and to decide in advance not to worry about it if it happens.
That learned and practiced attitude helped me in dealing with the shoulder holster in that class... not that the instructor cared, more than likely.
fwiw,
lpl
We have Filas as family pets, and before we got our first Fila puppy a good many years ago I started attending Fila-oriented field events (working weekends, etc.) in order to learn more about the breed. It helps when being around Filas that don't know you to stay relaxed, as Filas are generally very good at 'reading' people, and while they do not like strangers at all, a Fila that is properly socialized will generally behave properly in the presence of a nonthreatening stranger who is merely chatting with said Fila's person and who knows better than to be physically demonstrative in the presence of a strange Fila. The only way I know of to be relaxed around a couple of dozen Filas who don't know you is to accept the fact that you might possibly get bitten by one of them, and to decide in advance not to worry about it if it happens.
That learned and practiced attitude helped me in dealing with the shoulder holster in that class... not that the instructor cared, more than likely.
fwiw,
lpl
Steve in PA
Member
Ever walk up the stairs behind someone? Depending on the cant of the holster, if they are carrying OWB, the gun is pointed at you. The person bends over, its pointed at you.
Al Thompson
Moderator Emeritus
No big deal - it's when it's in hand that muzzling is a serious issue.
Otherwise, I'd be low crawling into my favorite gun store.
Otherwise, I'd be low crawling into my favorite gun store.
Nushif
Member
Yup. We probably should.
Guns that are cased or holstered in a proper case or holster that protects the trigger are exempt from the muzzle discipline rule.
Otherwise there's no way you could carry a firearm in a vehicle. Where's the safe direction inside a vehicle?
You wouldn't be able to wear a gun in a conventional holster on any floor other than the bottom floor of a multi-floor building or you'd be sweeping those on lower floors.
Otherwise there's no way you could carry a firearm in a vehicle. Where's the safe direction inside a vehicle?
You wouldn't be able to wear a gun in a conventional holster on any floor other than the bottom floor of a multi-floor building or you'd be sweeping those on lower floors.
Did they do the same thing when he had his cover garment on? You should have asked them if they play the "avoid the muzzle game" when they visit a gun shop full of glass cases with guns pointing toward the customers?
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