concealment

Surveillance, On Foot

Most of us have have seen foot surveillance.  At least, on the big screen…

Not too much in the movies – because it’s boring!  Notice, they rarely film foot surveillance scenes outside of congested city centers.  That’s because it’s next to impossible.  If you are the only two persons on the block, it’s bound to be obvious.

Back in the day, I was tasked to perform surveillance on a residential home in central Phoenix.  A couple blocks South of a main street, in the middle of town.  Nice, older neighborhood.  Built in the 40s and 50s – I know, not old for you New Englanders!

The problem was, with little or no automobile traffic, scant foot traffic, and many folks at home during the day, parking near the home was a big red flag.  You were bound to have someone call the police on you if you were just sitting alone in your car for any length of time.

My solution was to park a block away, at a business (hoping I wouldn’t be towed!) and walk by the residence, every 45 minutes or so.  First one direction, then the other.  Changing sides of the street.  And taking breaks in my car between walks.  Not exactly as exciting as Bullitt or The French Connection.  To an outside observer, it would have looked odd or silly.  I felt odd and silly.

No one came out of their house and confronted me.  No one called the cops.  The subject never left his home for me to follow on foot or by car.  Eight boring hours.

Thank the gods I was paid hourly!

Woulda been more fun if I’d walked as in The Ministry of Silly Walks.

h/t You Tube

Advice to Cops

Maddened Fowl links to an article in PoliceOne.com, which gives advice at length to law enforcement professionals with regard to encounters with persons carrying weapons legally concealed.

You should go and read the whole article.  While positive in tone, it does show cops how to spot someone legally carrying concealed, and could be used to invoke probable cause if a citizen is on the edge with regard to a violation.  Like if they are carrying concealed with a permit, but in a non-permitted area.  (e.g. Arizona permits carrying in bars without warning signage if one is not consuming alcohol.  Sometimes permitees cross this line.  Some other States do allow consumption.)

In part:

Philosophically, I support the right to carry for anyone who can exercise the responsibility for proper care and awareness. I have found, by and large, that citizens who do carry concealed are very pro-law enforcement and would be very willing to come to your aid if you were in the middle of a fire fight. This can be good and bad but I try never to forget that they are supporters of law enforcement, not felons. This is a BIG difference.

• People who have gone through the process of getting a concealed carry permit are, in general, law abiding citizens, not felons.

• Do not expect them to know the letter of the law or the interpretations of the law in various districts—they will have a general idea what the law states

• IF THERE IS PROBABLE CAUSE to treat someone who may be carrying a concealed weapon as an armed criminal, by all means do so — however, when you make a contact with a CCW, proning them out wouldn’t be my first option without digging a little deeper

This is followed by a whole litany of fashion ideas civilian CCW’ers seem to cultivate, as opposed to the average felon or gang-banger.

Very educational, both for cops and for civilians who carry with discretion.  I suspect ganstas won’t see the article – or can’t even read.

How many rounds should you carry?

Mike, of Mike’s Spot does a rather succinct mathematical analysis of exactly this question.  Most ‘regular’ CCW folks I know carry a minimum:  one speedloader, one spare magazine, one speed strip.  The math would suggest TWO be the minimum.

I know, we’re mostly all about convenience.  If we could carry a Wondernine 5000 with 14 spare magazines holding 30 rounds each, AND have body armor with built-in GPS calling the police and ambulance service as soon as there was bullet contact all completely concealable and no extra weight, we’d do it.

But the real world is quite different.  Hey, it’s 114 today, I’ll carry the snub instead of the 1911, and maybe one five-round speed strip.  In a lighter caliber with magic bullets.  There!

Mike’s last line got my attention, after all the analysis:

Always keep in mind though, if ever you need to defend yourself with a firearm, KNOW that if you can’t get some good COVER, not concealment pretty early on in the fight, or your family will be reading a eulogy in your honor with a big emphasis on bravery.

Massad Ayoob Bring the Question…

…or at least A question…

Do you ever find yourself putting the modern, high-efficiency firearm back in the safe or the gun case, and heading out to the range or the field with something more “traditional” instead?

After months of carrying one or another Glock, I recently went back to my old favorite 1911 .45 for a while, if only because I missed it.  It’s not just about tradition and nostalgia.  It’s about habituation, too.  I’ve been shooting Glocks off and on for 25 years…but I’ve been shooting 1911s for more than half a century.  A hoary cliché seems appropriate here: “It fits like the handshake of an old friend.”  -  Mas Ayoob

When I worked part-time at the gun store, I’d a small collection and would chose something different to carry every Saturday.  Because I could.

After the burglary, my choices became more severely limited, making the choice about comfort and concealment in hot weather versus being ‘Joe Cool’ in the gun store open carrying.

So what do you guys think?

h/t Backwoods Home Magazine, Massad Ayoob

Stainless, Electroless Nickel, Rostfrei, plated, white finish…

I’ve never been involved in a self-defense shooting.  Statistically, while many of us train to be able to stop an armed assailant @ 25 yards (or greater), most self-defense shootings happen at arm’s length, or not much greater.

So, is dismissal of a lighter (‘white’/silver) firearm finish really all that necessary to show one is ‘tacticool’?  Or is it just a gun culture meme that dark blue/black firearms look cooler, not as much like the childhood cap guns of yore?  If one is properly concealing one’s sidearm prior to the event, does rapid presentation of a shiny weapon signal our intent sooner than we would like the potential target to discern?  Or is this a pointless discussion?

Speaking only for myself, while I prefer a dark shiny (or a dark mat) finish for esthetic reasons, stainless and electroless nickel have served me well.  My perspiration has the properties of hydrofluoric acid, and a couple of blued firearms have been damaged because of it.  Even with daily maintenance and oiling.  (sigh)
I did own a SIG P-226 in 40 S&W, with a black (Nitron) stainless steel slide.  But in the short time I had her never carried her concealed.

I have had good luck with the Tenifer finish of the Glock products, and Robbie Barkman of ROBAR coated my NM 1911 with Poly-T.  It is wearing off a bit around the edges, but, it has been almost 20 years.  And I’ve owned and carried many Smith & Wesson stainless revolvers.  The factory electroless of my S&W 442 is getting a little rough.  But, she’s been living in my Kramer pocket holster for much of the past 17 years.

It is important to remember stainless does not mean rust free, in spite of the German translation – rostfrei.

And I don’t plan on waving around a shiny metal object long enough to get negative attention of any bad guy.  No matter what color it is.

Glock, Kramer, S&W, Colt and SIG have given me nothing but pleasure.  Look elsewhere FTC – or just stop looking!

h/t Whipped Cream Difficulties

Ankle Carry

Wilson of wilsonblog seems to have started a pesky meme. (Just kidding!)

“Do you have an ankle holster and do you use it? I bet most gun owners that carry have one, or eventually will buy one, but never use it much.”  – Wilson

Well, sadly, with my disabilities, using an ankle holster just won’t work.  I carry in my pocket or my waistband.  But with the increased interest in concealed-carry, along with the firearms manufacturers finally getting on board with smaller, lighter, flatter .380s, and even 9mm pistols, the ankle holster was bound to resurface.  And there’s still the ubiquitous J-Frame!

I did address a newly-developed draw (1970s) in a previous post (The Maddock Step-Down Presentation), but what about gear?  When I worked at John’s Uniforms (and Police Equipment) we stocked a locally manufactured ankle holster.  All the plainclothes guys swore by it.  But, they seemed to have production problems and I was told they went out-of-business.

Not true!  I did some Internet searches and found out Renegade Holsters are still locally-operated and still in business!

BTW – there seems to be a ‘truth’ regarding ankle rigs – that one usually carries a .25 or .32, something tiny and light, as a tertiary back-up gun.  One of the Scottsdale detectives I knew while working @ John’s carried a Colt Commander in his ankle rig!  Of course, he was 6’5″ and 300 pounds, and it was a custom holster.
No one gives me anything for saying this – certainly not an ankle rig I cannot use!  Go away FTC!

h/t Wilson, Renegade Holsters

Elephant A** Carry

legs attach directly to the back - straight up

I used to know a guy who christened me Elephant A**.  Not because we were both built alike – he was big and rotund and large and tall.  And his rear end had ‘substance’.  (an aside – I remember Groucho speaking of his (adopted) sister, Polly.  He said, “She was attractive, but her rear end stuck a-way out.  You could play Pinochle on her rear end!”)  Like that.
Me, on the other hand, I was big and rotund and large and a little less tall.  But, my rear end was/is, uh, AWOL.
If you’ve ever seen Hank Hill on that King of the Hill episode, he and I share the same affliction.  No buttocks to speak of, nothing on which to sit.  Flat ass.  Whether my weight is up or not.  (My weight appears – and sometimes disappears – from just above my belt line).  Metal folding chairs are painful.
Which brings me to the subject.  Carrying-on-the-person.
My friend likes an IWB holster, like his Milt Sparks Summer Special, well behind his strong-side hip bone.  The mass of the gluteal muscle substantially hides the holster and pistol.  They disappear!
OTOH, if I were to attempt CCW in that fashion, I would appear to have a vestigial tail!  It just doesn’t work for me.
I prefer strong-side, right at my hip bone.  Grip frame just above the belt line-so as to obtain a full purchase.    Very little cant or rake* is necessary.  I’m thick enough to conceal a full-size service pistol (Beretta 92 variant or 5″ 1911) in this manner.  I just must make certain my over-shirt or jacket is large enough to hide everything.
Wouldn’t want to ‘show something’ or ‘print’ and be an a**!

*cant – muzzle angled rearward / rake – muzzle angled forward

Be Polite – The Guy has a Badge!

Sharp as a Marble links to The Minuteman, with a story of discretion being the better part of valor.  Or political protest.

It all distills back to that O.C. vs. CCW thing, and public perception.  We shouldn’t have to change anything if we are carrying lawfully, but it’s those nasty ‘OMG – he’s got a gun!’ folks that screw it up every time.

In short, there’s a time to demand your civil rights, and a time to keep your mouth shut, and to appreciate the politeness and discretion of the constabulary.  Your choice.

h/t Robb Allen, Barron Barnett

Shot Myself Where?

Mike’s Spot links to Legions of Fate pontificating all about the dreaded appendix carry.  Or the loved appendix carry.  Pick one.
People seem to have strong opinions either way about it.  But, I’m with Mike.  While I have carried this way in the distant past, and given certain physical limitations I have, this may be a good choice for me.
But, I choose not to use it, currently.  I carry front pocket (J Frame) or strong-side IWB (1911).

Go to the link and see his in-depth analysis.  Food for thought.

PS – there ARE additional illustrations therein.  The one below shows the femoral artery is NOT compromised in this position.  Other regions of potential compromise are also addressed.
YRMV

h/t CTone, Mike’s Spot

How to hide a gun in a suit…

Guns & Coffee has a link entitled How to hide a gun in a suit.
Obviously, this assumes one is having a suit tailored.  But, the article is in a website that sells suits, not a holster, gun or firearms-related retailer.

So clothing issues are addressed.

If you have the means to afford tailoring, this is good information.

If not, it’s still interesting.

Attn FTC – not getting anything for linking to this article, as if you’d ask…

h/t RTB, Guns & Coffee