Open Carry v. Doofus Carry
A video is circulating on the Interwebz now about an unfortunate situation in which a man’s gun was snatched from him in a gas station. He chased the thief and was subsequently shot with his own gun.
Although I am not a fan of Open Carry, let’s analyze the situation in a little more depth. The proximate cause of the snatch was that he simply stuck his gun in his back pocket unconcealed and then walked into a crowded environment where a bunch of lowlifes were coming and going.
As a result, a ne’er-do-well nonchalantly walked up behind him and simply grabbed the gun out of his pocket.
The carry technique the man was using is more correctly described as “Doofus Carry,” having two parts. There’s no back story to the incident but it wouldn’t be surprising to find that his usual carry technique is in the side door pocket of his car. If so, then when he pulled into the gas station and saw a bunch of lowlifes going in and out, he decided to stick his gun in his pocket when he went in. He probably didn’t stick it in the front of his waistband because he had a striker fired gun and was concerned about ‘shooting his junk off.’
Sticking a gun in a back pocket is not the same thing as having it in a proper holster attached to the belt.
If my hypothesis is correct, it leads more credence to something the late Pat Rogers often said:
“Your car is not a holster.”
To reiterate, I’m not advocating Open Carry. But, if you’re going to carry a gun, at do it right. Have a decent holster and belt. Use it all the time when you leave home. If it’s uncomfortable and you don’t like wearing it, get a better holster or consider getting a more comfortable gun. “Your gun should be comforting not comfortable” is possibly the most ridiculous statement that’s ever been made about firearms.
The one good piece of advice in these retellings is that if your gun does get taken from you, Let it go. https://www.patreon.com/posts/let-it-go-107811846 The thief is now armed and you’re not. Chasing the felon means you’re going unarmed to a potential shooting. That’s a Serious Mistake. Don’t be foolish and assume the thief isn’t familiar and experienced with guns. As this incident shows, that’s the formula for a Negative Outcome.
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Pushing The Limits of Smaller Guns
#LCPproject
Pushing The Limits of Smaller Guns is my October 2024 article in Shooting Illustrated.
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/pushing-the-limits-of-smaller-guns/
I shot the entire program with my Ruger LCP Max, which I bought with my own money. The gun is stock out of the box.
The results contradict the myth that smaller guns as being suitable for only “arm’s length” encounters. Pictures tell the story of the results of the three courses that were shot.
Kansas Concealed Carry License Qualification
Twenty-five hits out of 25 shots. Pass.
Shootist’s Challenge
All hits inside the square, two hits on the stamp. ‘Good’ by Wild Bill and fellow Shootists’ standard.
Bakersfield Police Qualification
Bakersfield Stage Times
- 2.01
- 2.27
- 6.96
- 2.78
Bakersfield Scores
- 10 point (A) zone – 7 70 points
- 9 point (C) zone – 2 18 points
- 6 point (D) zone – 1 6 points
94 points total – Pass
It’s only an “arm’s length gun” if you’re don’t know how to shoot it.
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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – August 2024
The August edition showcases mindset and tactics. This month, I’m including some supplemental incidents that came to light after the initial post.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/good-bad-and-111172309
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – August 2024
The Good
Robbery suspect pepper-sprayed Norwalk store owner, who shot him
Just because you start out behind the Power Curve, that doesn’t mean you can’t regain the initiative. Keep your wits about you and fight through it.
The Bad
DC man who said he shot 13-year-old boy in self-defense convicted of manslaughter
In military terminology, if you go outside, you have turned a Defense, in which you have a 3 to 1 advantage, into a Movement to Contact, in which the odds are, at best, even and possibly against you. In legal concept, the odds definitely turn against you. Maintain your advantage, don’t squander it.
The Ugly
Suspect shot by Bystander during Attempted Carjacking
The original incident is a candidate for the Good. But the comments on the Yahoo article are Ugly.
Enjoy!
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https://www.patreon.com/TacticalProfessor
The GBU isn’t drawn from The Armed Citizen column of the official NRA Journals but the August edition of The Armed Citizen is attached. Rather than an obsessive interest in ‘the worst case scenario,’ it shows what the vast majority of Defensive Gun Uses really look like.
Some relevant incidents from August surfaced later.
Good
SELF-DEFENSE: Boy who killed Cape Coral mother’s boyfriend will not be charged
“Police say when the brother got to the home, Mess Jr. was standing outside with a solid wooden rod and brass knuckles.
Detectives say Mess Jr. started beating up the brother in front of the young boy.
According to police, the boy got a gun and pointed it at Mess Jr. as a warning. However, police say the man kept beating the boy’s uncle.
‘At that point, the son was in fear for his uncle’s life,’ police said.
The young boy fired multiple shots, killing Mess Jr.”
Sad that the boy had to kill the man but Good that the facts of the case vindicated him.
Bad
Cincinnati area smoke shop manager sentenced for role in fatal shooting during break-in
“CINCINNATI (WKRC) – The manager of a Delhi Township smoke shop was sentenced to eight to nine years in prison for firing on a group of burglars during a break-in.
Thacker opened fire immediately and kept firing while the burglars were running and driving away.”
https://local12.com/news/local/cincinnati-area-smoke-shop-manager-sentenced-role-fatal-shooting-during-break-in-delhi-township-tony-thacker-vip-travis-johnson-amontae-carter-crime-accomplice-prison
Chasing criminals and shooting at them after they have broken contact places a righteous defender in a very precarious legal situation. Once they remember they’re late for their root canal, let them go, lock the door if you can, call the POlice, and get your gun out of sight. Preplan and mentally rehearse your post-confrontation actions just as much as your actions during the confrontation.
A 2-year-old accidentally shot and wounded his mother’s boyfriend, police say
“According to a preliminary investigation, the man was getting ready to leave the house Monday morning and had put the gun on a nearby chair when the toddler accidentally fired the gun”
Firearms are relentlessly unforgiving of even the smallest lapse of attention, such as putting a gun down on a nearby chair.
‘Smart and loving’: Colerain family mourns teen killed by friend in apparent accident
“My friend has a .2 long rifle. [sic] There was a bullet in, right, and you need to shoot it to prime it, and I didn’t know it was primed, and I had it, and I accidentally pulled the trigger.”
Rule #1 – All guns are always loaded
Ugly
Detective: Liberty Township grandmother said ‘sorry not sorry’ after shooting 6-month-old granddaughter
“I asked her, ‘Why her grandbaby?’ And she said, ‘That was not my grandbaby.’ And at one point she said, ‘Sorry, not sorry,'” [the detective] said.
She pleaded guilty to felonious assault last month.
https://www.fox19.com/2024/09/17/grandma-pleads-guilty-after-shooting-5-month-old-grandchild-2023/
I have no words.
tacticalprofessor 
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