By Brandon via concealednation.org
A reader named Adam sent us a picture along with his realization of what was going on with a certain article of clothing, and how it played a part with his concealed firearm. Luckily, he caught the problem while at home and not out and about . . .
Adam writes:
Had a very interesting realization about wardrobe choice. Glad I was only adjusting my pants on the porch at home and not in a draw situation. That little cord hooked under the belt clip could have been a huge time delay. There is no manual for this. Better to figure this one out at home.
That photo above is what Adam had submitted, and you can see exactly what the problem could be. It reminds me of a time a police officer had a negligent discharge while inside a gun shop (see video here) when the exact same type of drawstring got into his trigger guard and depressed the trigger. Yikes.
Let this serve as another reminder of just how important it is to recognize any of these potential hazards on days we carry (that’s everyday, right?). If it looks wrong, fix it. Taking the chance that things will go smoothly when you need your firearm most isn’t the type of preparedness we’re looking for.
Just the other day the drawstring the bottom of my rain jacket got stuck in the car door, now there is no longer a drawstring on the bottom of my rain jacket.
…the drawstring would be the least of my worries. So much ugliness in that picture.
…even out of shape folks like to exercise their right. While I may agree there is room for improvement here, I’m glad to see that he remains cognizant of a clean draw and remedied the obstacle.
The point we are trying to make is that he has still failed to ensure a clean draw regardless of the draw string.
I wouldn’t use that holster to tote my sunglasses.
Start with a better holster. One specifically designed for the gun model. IWB doesn’t mean Inside Your Pants or it would be called IYP holster.
Then, always use caution when holstering gun or mounting holster on belt.
Garments are irrelevant if you take care.
Uhhhhhh, how on earth do you get an IWB (inside the waistband) holster to ride anywhere BUT inside your pants??? I mean I guess you could cut a hole in your pants so the gun goes inside your waistband but then sticks back out but I didn’t think that was a popular method of carry. Care to explain?
Look at that picture and imagine trying to draw that gun. The whole damn thing is ALMOST all the way in his pants. A good holster will hold all of the grip above and clear of the waist band.
Most people knew what I was saying. Sorry the hyperbole tripped you up.
Here’s my only advice, and I really hope people take it to heart.
1. Visualize your reholster. That is, watch your muzzle enter the holster and continue to watch until the weapon is fully seated. Do that every time and make it a part of your reholster process.
2. Never jerk or tug anything to get the gun into position. If it feels wrong, don’t force it. Remove the gun, visualize, try again.
I’ve see a few people accidentally shoot themselves, it’s always been on the reholster, not the draw.
Trying hard to understand how anyone can “visualize” anything behind their back. Reholstering is an art form all its own. I practice, and teach, a fast draw and a very slow, careful reholster. But everyone I shoot with carries their gun on the front of their body somewhere, not behind their back. Never did see any point to that myself. I couldn’t begin to reach or draw a gun in that position. 🙂
I think you answered your own question.
You can visualize something happening behind your back regarding firearms much the same way you can visualize many things that happen behind you because we have other senses that work together. Also the same way you can visualize many things you plan to do but can’t completely see in front of you. Visualizing can be a great benefit to practice, training and learning. Even things you can’t see right in front of you.
For many the choice of how to carry can be limited for many reasons. It is very easy to understand that different carry methods work better for some than others. There are a lot of things that I can’t do but I see no valid reason to claim they are pointless. That is because I understand there are many reasons why someone would choose it over your one option.. Zero mystery.
Didn’t say other methods of carry were “pointless” – I said I saw no point to it personally. Can you actually turn and physically see the muzzle of your gun entering the holster in that position? I most certainly could not.
And visualization of all those other things is obviously valid. A blind reholsterin just seems like a dangerous practice – to me. Regardless, however you carry, more power to you. 🙂
His first mistake is using that shitty Uncle Mike’s holster. I used one for a while and trust me, it doesn’t need to snag on anything to pull itself out. His second mistake is using a holster with such shitty clips. I can tell you from experience there is NO substitute for proper belt loop clips. J hooks end up being more of a pain in the ass than a convenience… especially if you need your gun and pull out the whole damn holster.
His first mistake might be wearing a belt not rigid enough to keep a single attachment holster from sagging into his jeans. I wear a minimalistic strong side IWB with no attachment that’s purely friction lock that does not sag forward or behind with a 5.11 trainer belt. Works for me. He’ll find what works for him while helping others along the way. Good luck, Adam!
One more pro tip:
3:00 carry is great for OWB Open carry. Not so much for conceal and IWB.
It lies on your pelvic bone and protrudes too much. Not to mention it’s not comfortable.
Try sliding it back to 4:00. This has several advantages. The gun is just as accessible with strong hand and now is in reach of off hand by going behind your back. The gun now rest on the softer tissue of your hip rather than the pelvis bone. The pistol grip will lie flush against the hip rather than protrude straight back and away from your body.
Appendix carry also gets the gun off the side bone.
I agree with you about the 3:00 position. After having back surgery I tried my normal 3:00 position. OUCH!!! It cause pain from one side to the other. By simply moving it off the hip bone and to the fleshy part of the hip, the pain went almost away. Another 4 months and the pain will hopefully be completely gone. Thank you Dear Lord.
Ah, the good old days when the shoulders were still functional enough to reach to the opposite side behind the back to draw…
Now drawing firearms with the off-hand requires a firearm carried on the off-hand side. 4:00 and 8:00…
Extremely relevant with regards to the item of clothing in question:
http://loadoutroom.com/3826/jacket-togle-causes-unintentional-discharge/
But but but he is carrying an XD with a grip safety, so he could never have a negligent discharge! /sarc
Probably not, but he could be seriously late to the party in a defensive situation if such a string got in the way of his draw. I considered this possibility in my own case, and discard the draw string on any piece of clothing I have. I find them very annoying otherwise anyway. If I need a closure… I use a button, snap or sewn in velcro.
If you train to only grip the safety when you are going the fire the gun, then you won’t have an ND.
That police officer in the linked video is actually the police chief, not just some newbie on patrol. Nevertheless, that GLOCK/drawstring incident wasn’t his first ND. He’d shot himself in the hand in 1999 while fooling with an entirely different firearm that didn’t come with a GLOCK or drawstring excuse. How many regular guys would retain their carry licenses after the 1st, let alone 2nd, ND? How many would keep their job if it required carrying a sidearm?
If you’re not in control of that firearm every time, at every stage, then you’re just surrendering yourself and the safety of those around you to chance. Everything else is just conversation, and most of that is just excuse making. It’s called a NEGLIGENT discharge for a reason, folks. Wardrobes don’t kill people. People kill people.
Actually, the first incident involved a (now former) girlfriend and anger while cleaning his gun. She caused it, but obviously helped by his lack of safety skills (reinforced about a decade later in this video).
I live close to Connersville.
You’re local to the scene, so I’ll defer to you on the finer details. Still, trouble sure seems to follow this guy around, huh?
Maybe the first one or two Why’s of these incidents differ, but drill down and follow through to the full Five Why’s, and I expect we’ll arrive at just a plain ol’ Officer Dumbass both times.
I’m inclined to forgive finding out you are dating a crazy, but yes, it is embarrassing.
His retirement gift was the epoxy encased bullet from the gun shop by the way. Presented by his officers.
I have removed draw strings since I have seen others during shooting matches shove the string into the holster. Lucky no one has tugged on the string to try to pull it out.
He also needs a better holster. I would lean toward the crossbreed sipertuck, or similar design (hybrid holster).
If you’re a 40 hour a week desk jockey like me, you might have some slight love handles on either side of your gut, which can be very uncomfortable with the beaver tail sticking out from the gun. The thick leather sheet on the hybrid holster keeps the gun from digging into your body, and makes the gun so much more comfortable to carry. It also has two belt clips, instead of just one.
Neither wardrobe nor anything else can cause a gun to harm anyone. Gun injuries are 100% the fault of the one holding it. Every time.
Be responsible or suffer the consequences.
Personally, I really appreciate these kind of tips and my hat’s off to people such as Adam who care enough to share their sometimes embarrassing experiences with the rest of our community.
Frankly, if these things can happen to experienced gun owners such as Adam, they can happen to any of us.
Thank you!
Probably bears repeating that scenarios where a foreign object enters the trigger guard are a prime reason why EDC guns should not have super light trigger pulls. With stock (or near stock) 4.5 lb – 7 lb trigger, you at least have a chance of stopping the re-holstering when you feel resistance. With a 2-3 lb trigger, you are removing that margin of safety & increasing the chance of a ND, especially in a gun without a thumb &/or grip safety such as Glocks & some M&Ps.
I carry a M&P w/o a thumb safety & I re-holster the same way porcupines mate: v-e-e-r-r-y carefully.
Got to ask. Did you graduate from Sullivan HS in Chicago. The yearbook was the Navillus.
No, this isn’t the OFWG you’re looking for.
Imaginative use of your name Mr. Sullivan.
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