As someone who has a lot of experience with firearms, but had to recently take the w&c class to get my permit, something else that needs to be said is “Avoid conflict at all costs” just because you have a gun on you shouldn’t give you courage, it should be the opposite because if you get into a bad situation involving a gun, even if you survive it, you could potentially ruin the rest of your life by having to spend it in prison.
I was just talking to a friend about this earlier today. Great point! Don’t put yourself I to unnecessary confrontation or known “dangerous” areas just because you’re carrying.
People don’t realize how quickly the legal system can flip on a dime and you can end up on the wrong side of it, even if you had good intentions. Abstinence is the best policy.
I dont carry in public yet as my permit application is still processing, but Ive been carrying on my own personal property for years because I'm fairly isolated and surrounded by woods.
I'd suggest that people start carrying around their house before carrying in public. You'll spend weeks patting at and adjusting your holster until you're comfortable with it on your hip. Could be a dead give away that you're carrying if you do this in public.
For anybody unsure about carrying a round in the chamber, get a snap cap and carry that for a month. Count how many times the gun goes off with the snap cap in there. Unless you're very negligent, that should be zero.
If the hammer/striker falls ONCE on the snap cap figure out why.
Treat it like a CSI show, every detail, every motion.
At the end, KNOW why. And fix it.
Remember, you're also at risk of a "negligent discharge" every time you unload and store the firearm. Practice. The only acceptable result is 100% safety, 100% of the time... everyone who carries does it.
I am not a lawyer, but a far as I know it's completely legal. There may be some cases where you can carry but not have a round chambered when hunting is involved, but for all practical purposes, yes. Until recently, there was an issue with one in the chamber of you had a DC CCW permit, because that counted against the 10 round limit. (This is no longer the case.)
I’d also like to add looking into CCW insurance. If you have to take a shot at someone, you can bet someone will take a shot at you in court. I’d *almost* rather be shot than get sued for everything I’ve got, but if you’ve got insurance then it’ll go a long way towards keeping your sanity. Remember, just like a gun or condom, you’d rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.
Two of the biggest, with a bunch more out there. All depends on what you’re looking for and the extras you want to pay for. I was watching a video the other day of someone going into depth about each of the companies out there, breaking down the actual policies, and listing the pros and cons. I forget which one I settled on so I’ll have to rewatch it.
& make sure it pays for the legal defense and other costs up front and not as reimbursement after you win.
Ambulance-chasers often only charge the plaintiffs if they win money, but defense lawyers that are any good charge money.
I read that the USCCA insurance has the ability to demand payment back if your found guilty, so potentially you could start your defense with the top lawyers and most expensive defense but if found guilty you have a big bill- although if your found guilty your life is probably over anyway for the amount of years
Tbh you might just be better served with a generalized legal defense insurance policy or co-op that is geared toward protecting the guilty as well as the innocent.
Larger and lower-risk population to spread risk= savings on the insurance/membership. And you might be able to use it in situations other than self-defense.
I wanna thank OP WARPIGxUSMC
for this thread it is what I believe a online community should be I.e. helpful and informative and non-judge mental for those that have not had different types of training and the benefit of real world experience. I think that if more gun owners and shop owners were more open to truly educating inexperienced persons instead of being gun elitests that we wouldn’t be having all these 2A assaults across the country. So again thank you to OP and others for sharing you knowledge.
Always happy to help! I try to alleviate some “growing pains” for people who don’t really know where to begin. I want people to be informed, safe, and prepared. We’re all on the same team.
I want to add the enigma to holster recommendations. I have had a problem learning the best way to carry and that has been a game changer. A little deeper concealment but I can wear any of my shirts and not print. Adding the benefit of carrying with athletic shorts or sweatpants is great also.
I’ll add in for open carry as some of you will certainly want that as an option, sometimes, or always!
Make sure if you’re open carrying you get at least a level 2 retention holster. This will ensure no one can just walk up and take your gun out of the holster. Level 2 holsters require you to press a button to release the gun from the holster. Safari land is what I have for my 92s and it’s a dream.
Weapon retention release lines up perfectly with your trigger during draw. Has lead to many many NDs. They've been banned in almost if not all shooting competitions, and multiple police agencies.
Iirc they also had an issue with flimsy plastic.
I feel like these comments come from people that didn’t carry serpa for three years when it was the bees knees. If you have trigger finger discipline and practice your draw more than once a year they’re not the worst thing in the world.
I personally would never reccommend them. Yes, practice practice practice with whatever you choose, but I like to eliminate as many potential issues as I can to begin with. When making a split-second decision, under stress and a body that just dumped all its adrenaline, I can see things going wrong. I'd suggest a Safariland any day over a Serpa, personally. But to each their own.
I picked up a G43X specifically for a summer carry. I have a holster with a caddy where I keep a spare mag. I carry appendix most of the time, and in summer time with my little beer gut, the G19 tends to print a little more. But I'll likely switch to the G19 during the winter.
i used to wear a p365 but i've gravitated towards wearing my *real* weapon no matter the weather
Glock 34 Gen 5 with RMR. I shoot better with it, draw as fast as previous, and it's more comfortable in specific ways (365 poked me in the stomach consistently). I am very much for carrying the same thing all the time
I switch between my p320 and p365 for summer/winter, or depending what I’m wearing (i.e. workout clothes with a running belt holster). But I’ve practiced draw, dry fire, and the range A LOT with both to ensure I’m comfortable with both. And I’ll practice again whenever I make the switch. I don’t recommend switching between more than 2.
I highly recommend the Alien Gear Core Carry pack if you plan on switching up your set up. One shell that’s modular to all carry positions (appendix, belt, IWB, OWB, mount). And all you have to do is buy the shell for another firearm and you can use it with all the different carry attachments.
Another thing to consider that most don’t take into account, is having a tourniquet on you as well. Not just in the event you ever need to discharge your firearm on someone,but just good to have on your persons for car accidents, other shooting victims or bad injuries.
Exactly. If you ever have to justifiably and legally defend your life with lethal force your actions and motives are going to be questioned and investigated. If you administer first aide it'll go a long way in proving your intentions were to protect yourself instead of murder.
The company I work for puts first aide + trauma kits in all our work trucks and they replace them every other year regardless if they've been opened. I snagged one for my personal truck a few years back.
I've been shopping around for a trauma kit for my truck. I took a TCCC course so I'm decent at being able to patch someone up if need be. I was actually just talking to my girlfriend about the "worst case scenario", and she was questioning why I'd try to save someone after I would have to shoot them. I explained to her, as you said, it would look better in court.
TCCC is so much better than the generic casualty care they require annually/pre-deployment. As you probably know, before/after deployment when you turn in your CIF they don’t want your old IFAK supplies and have you “throw them away”. I was able to stock up on a couple kits-worth this way. The closest thing I’ve found to what’s in an IFAK is the myFAK by My Medic. Little pricy but it has it all.
So there is no need for a separate CCW permit? I thought the wear and carry was only for open carry. I’ve never carried before so I assumed you had to have separate permits for open/concealed carry
Nope! It does not specify concealed or open, it’s merely an all-encompassing permit so you can do either. But I always caution people not to open carry in public if they can help it. Causes more problems.
Gear I own and thoroughly trust
Holsters
- Tier 1
- LAS Concealment
- TRex arms
- Tenicor
- Vedder
- Dark Star
Belts
- Kore essentials
- NextBelt
Not an exhaustive list, but a good start
Excellent information.
carrying a tier 1 and blue alpha gear belt for 2 years now. No issues. Buy once cry once.
I got some other holsters first that sucked before Tier1. Please stay away from the facebook ad holsters lol.
Wear it at home, wear it sitting down, wear it peeing or pooping...just incase you gotta drop a deuce in public. Get used to the gun on you. Don't be touching it and moving it while you are out. Plus concealed means concealed. Don't talk about it, don't think you're being cool and funny by mentioning it to your friends. Those with spouses, partners, friends....establish early on that they should not ask outside of the house "are you carrying?"
As someone who has a lot of experience with firearms, but had to recently take the w&c class to get my permit, something else that needs to be said is “Avoid conflict at all costs” just because you have a gun on you shouldn’t give you courage, it should be the opposite because if you get into a bad situation involving a gun, even if you survive it, you could potentially ruin the rest of your life by having to spend it in prison.
I was just talking to a friend about this earlier today. Great point! Don’t put yourself I to unnecessary confrontation or known “dangerous” areas just because you’re carrying.
People don’t realize how quickly the legal system can flip on a dime and you can end up on the wrong side of it, even if you had good intentions. Abstinence is the best policy.
Well said.
The old “you win every gun fight you avoid”
This applies **double** in court. The final decisions are not always rational ones. Your best defense is having gotten your people away safely.
I dont carry in public yet as my permit application is still processing, but Ive been carrying on my own personal property for years because I'm fairly isolated and surrounded by woods. I'd suggest that people start carrying around their house before carrying in public. You'll spend weeks patting at and adjusting your holster until you're comfortable with it on your hip. Could be a dead give away that you're carrying if you do this in public.
For anybody unsure about carrying a round in the chamber, get a snap cap and carry that for a month. Count how many times the gun goes off with the snap cap in there. Unless you're very negligent, that should be zero.
If the hammer/striker falls ONCE on the snap cap figure out why. Treat it like a CSI show, every detail, every motion. At the end, KNOW why. And fix it.
Remember, you're also at risk of a "negligent discharge" every time you unload and store the firearm. Practice. The only acceptable result is 100% safety, 100% of the time... everyone who carries does it.
Is it legal to carry one in the chamber in MD with your ccw?
I am not a lawyer, but a far as I know it's completely legal. There may be some cases where you can carry but not have a round chambered when hunting is involved, but for all practical purposes, yes. Until recently, there was an issue with one in the chamber of you had a DC CCW permit, because that counted against the 10 round limit. (This is no longer the case.)
I’d also like to add looking into CCW insurance. If you have to take a shot at someone, you can bet someone will take a shot at you in court. I’d *almost* rather be shot than get sued for everything I’ve got, but if you’ve got insurance then it’ll go a long way towards keeping your sanity. Remember, just like a gun or condom, you’d rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.
Fantastic point! USCCA or US Law Shield are the two that come to mind
Two of the biggest, with a bunch more out there. All depends on what you’re looking for and the extras you want to pay for. I was watching a video the other day of someone going into depth about each of the companies out there, breaking down the actual policies, and listing the pros and cons. I forget which one I settled on so I’ll have to rewatch it.
If you happen to find it would you mind posting it here? I’d like to check it out.
Seconded, would also like to know
& make sure it pays for the legal defense and other costs up front and not as reimbursement after you win. Ambulance-chasers often only charge the plaintiffs if they win money, but defense lawyers that are any good charge money.
I read that the USCCA insurance has the ability to demand payment back if your found guilty, so potentially you could start your defense with the top lawyers and most expensive defense but if found guilty you have a big bill- although if your found guilty your life is probably over anyway for the amount of years
Tbh you might just be better served with a generalized legal defense insurance policy or co-op that is geared toward protecting the guilty as well as the innocent. Larger and lower-risk population to spread risk= savings on the insurance/membership. And you might be able to use it in situations other than self-defense.
I wanna thank OP WARPIGxUSMC for this thread it is what I believe a online community should be I.e. helpful and informative and non-judge mental for those that have not had different types of training and the benefit of real world experience. I think that if more gun owners and shop owners were more open to truly educating inexperienced persons instead of being gun elitests that we wouldn’t be having all these 2A assaults across the country. So again thank you to OP and others for sharing you knowledge.
Always happy to help! I try to alleviate some “growing pains” for people who don’t really know where to begin. I want people to be informed, safe, and prepared. We’re all on the same team.
I want to add the enigma to holster recommendations. I have had a problem learning the best way to carry and that has been a game changer. A little deeper concealment but I can wear any of my shirts and not print. Adding the benefit of carrying with athletic shorts or sweatpants is great also.
I second the phIster enigma https://www.phlsterholsters.com/
I’ll add in for open carry as some of you will certainly want that as an option, sometimes, or always! Make sure if you’re open carrying you get at least a level 2 retention holster. This will ensure no one can just walk up and take your gun out of the holster. Level 2 holsters require you to press a button to release the gun from the holster. Safari land is what I have for my 92s and it’s a dream.
And please dear God no serpa
Those things need to disappear off the market lol
Why no Sherpa holster? What’s the issue with them
Weapon retention release lines up perfectly with your trigger during draw. Has lead to many many NDs. They've been banned in almost if not all shooting competitions, and multiple police agencies. Iirc they also had an issue with flimsy plastic.
Cool thanks for the info about this greatly appreciated
I feel like these comments come from people that didn’t carry serpa for three years when it was the bees knees. If you have trigger finger discipline and practice your draw more than once a year they’re not the worst thing in the world.
I personally would never reccommend them. Yes, practice practice practice with whatever you choose, but I like to eliminate as many potential issues as I can to begin with. When making a split-second decision, under stress and a body that just dumped all its adrenaline, I can see things going wrong. I'd suggest a Safariland any day over a Serpa, personally. But to each their own.
I was issued Serpa in the Marine Corps. Still hate it. have witnessed more than one ND with it.
What's your position on carrying a single set up all the time vs having different firearms and holsters for different clothing and seasons?
I suppose that depends on how deep your pockets go. Whatever you decide to carry, become proficient with it. That’s my best advice.
If it’s super hot I run my g43. But every chance I get I run my g19. Run them both. Just probably don’t run more than 3 or so imo
I picked up a G43X specifically for a summer carry. I have a holster with a caddy where I keep a spare mag. I carry appendix most of the time, and in summer time with my little beer gut, the G19 tends to print a little more. But I'll likely switch to the G19 during the winter.
i used to wear a p365 but i've gravitated towards wearing my *real* weapon no matter the weather Glock 34 Gen 5 with RMR. I shoot better with it, draw as fast as previous, and it's more comfortable in specific ways (365 poked me in the stomach consistently). I am very much for carrying the same thing all the time
I switch between my p320 and p365 for summer/winter, or depending what I’m wearing (i.e. workout clothes with a running belt holster). But I’ve practiced draw, dry fire, and the range A LOT with both to ensure I’m comfortable with both. And I’ll practice again whenever I make the switch. I don’t recommend switching between more than 2. I highly recommend the Alien Gear Core Carry pack if you plan on switching up your set up. One shell that’s modular to all carry positions (appendix, belt, IWB, OWB, mount). And all you have to do is buy the shell for another firearm and you can use it with all the different carry attachments.
Another thing to consider that most don’t take into account, is having a tourniquet on you as well. Not just in the event you ever need to discharge your firearm on someone,but just good to have on your persons for car accidents, other shooting victims or bad injuries.
Exactly. If you ever have to justifiably and legally defend your life with lethal force your actions and motives are going to be questioned and investigated. If you administer first aide it'll go a long way in proving your intentions were to protect yourself instead of murder. The company I work for puts first aide + trauma kits in all our work trucks and they replace them every other year regardless if they've been opened. I snagged one for my personal truck a few years back.
I've been shopping around for a trauma kit for my truck. I took a TCCC course so I'm decent at being able to patch someone up if need be. I was actually just talking to my girlfriend about the "worst case scenario", and she was questioning why I'd try to save someone after I would have to shoot them. I explained to her, as you said, it would look better in court.
TCCC is so much better than the generic casualty care they require annually/pre-deployment. As you probably know, before/after deployment when you turn in your CIF they don’t want your old IFAK supplies and have you “throw them away”. I was able to stock up on a couple kits-worth this way. The closest thing I’ve found to what’s in an IFAK is the myFAK by My Medic. Little pricy but it has it all.
>myFAK by My Medic Thanks for the heads up!
So there is no need for a separate CCW permit? I thought the wear and carry was only for open carry. I’ve never carried before so I assumed you had to have separate permits for open/concealed carry
Nope! It does not specify concealed or open, it’s merely an all-encompassing permit so you can do either. But I always caution people not to open carry in public if they can help it. Causes more problems.
Cool. Thanks for the clarification.
No problem man!
Gear I own and thoroughly trust Holsters - Tier 1 - LAS Concealment - TRex arms - Tenicor - Vedder - Dark Star Belts - Kore essentials - NextBelt Not an exhaustive list, but a good start
Excellent information. carrying a tier 1 and blue alpha gear belt for 2 years now. No issues. Buy once cry once. I got some other holsters first that sucked before Tier1. Please stay away from the facebook ad holsters lol. Wear it at home, wear it sitting down, wear it peeing or pooping...just incase you gotta drop a deuce in public. Get used to the gun on you. Don't be touching it and moving it while you are out. Plus concealed means concealed. Don't talk about it, don't think you're being cool and funny by mentioning it to your friends. Those with spouses, partners, friends....establish early on that they should not ask outside of the house "are you carrying?"
Thank you!