Isn't It Sad That Permits Are Needed?
Trekon86:
Yes our government is great at making one jump through a lot of pointless hoops. I am of the same opinion as you in that regard. They purposely do it so the average person simply gives up before the drawn out process is complete.
I was married when I got mine. Both the wife and I applied at the same time. One morning, the phone rings. It’s for me, and it’s the county sheriff’s office telling me I’ve been approved. I answer, “Ok, can I pick it up today?” The woman on the other end says, “No, wait three days.” I said “Ok,” hang up and I lay back down. About 30 seconds after I hang up, the phone rings. It’s for the wife, it’s the county sheriff’s office telling her that she can come in and pick up her license to carry concealed. She asks if she can pick it up today, and the woman tells her yes. We both go down and pick them up. Strange story huh?
My experiences:
The biggest question you’ll probably deal with is that once people learn that you’re armed, many will feel the need to ask you why you need it and openly attack you. Women will imply that you have some genital deficiency. I used to try to answer that question, but after a few years, I simply told them that if they had to ask that question, they wouldn’t be able to understand the answer. In the end I just told them, “I carry because I can, and I think it’s unconstitutional that I have to get a permit to do it.” or “It’s me, the same person you’ve known for years and now suddenly I’m different in your eyes because I carry a firearm?”
The omega of the aforementioned crowd was the Glock freaks and or high capacity crowd. They picked on me because I only had a 8+1 1911, and 7+1 with some clips. Many people suffer from morephenism, it’s best to just let them think that their gun is better than yours.
I haven’t a clue what the laws are today. I’m not an attorney. The NRA is probably a good place to start. The police are not here to give you legal advice, so don’t ask them. You’ll probably not get an honest answer.
Vehicles:
At the time, I had two trucks, so before I went into prohibited buildings, I simply stuck my 1911 underneath the seat in a cheapo foam nylon holster that I’d clipped to the underside of the seat springs. That way somebody could fish around under the seat and find nothing because it was out of sight and off of the cab’s floor. My trucks sat high enough that I didn’t have to get down on my knees to do it.
I always left my truck unlocked. Experienced thieves will just defeat the lock and amateurs will smash a window. Locks only keep honest people honest. If it’s not hidden it can’t be found… Hence, they look through my truck, figure that there’s nothing there. No radio just a plaque that says FORD, everything’s open and in plain sight, the glove box only has my insurance and registration papers. They look under the seat, nothing there. Flip the seat forward and look in the back, and nothing’s there. I kept the inside of the truck clean and devoid of clutter. That way it only took a potential thief a split second to scan the truck and see that there’s nothing here. I never had gun stickers on my truck or any stickers that would lead somebody to think, “Hey this guy’s a gun nut, let’s see what he left behind.” I’m sure that some clever thief may have thought to look up inside the underside of the seat, but it never happened to me. I guess my point is, don’t look like an obvious target. It’s all about camouflage and concealment, ie, blending in. Hence, don’t use any stickers on your vehicle. Leave the self imposed placarded autos to hippies, soccer moms, and other types of overzealous people. Even a bushcraft sticker says, “Hey! I’m here! I potentially have some expensive gear! Break my window and have a look!”
Like brionic pointed out in post #10, a concealable lock box in a not so obvious location that's securely mounted to the vehicle is good advice. Situations will occur where the firearm must be left in the vehicle.
You’re going to get a million answers on the holster. I either crotch carried or used the small of my back. I wore tight fitting jeans at the waist, and didn’t use a holster. I did the same with the small of my back. I then just wore a bulky shirt over it. It also worked with shorts. Going to the bathroom will sort itself out. Just use a stall…
Get a dedicated carry gun. I had two. 1911 5 inch and 1911 3.5. I used the 3.5 the most because it is obviously the most comfortable to carry. I used to envy the wife with her little 5 shot 2” 38 Special. The few times I carried it, it felt like nothing compared to my 1911s. I carried daily, and in short order, I wore a lot of the bluing off. Lint collected in all sorts of areas as well, but especially in the muzzle. I carried a spare clip or two in my back pocket and the hollow points would deform quickly after repeated carry. Hey, I guess that’s why people use holsters… As I look back on it, I wish that I’d have just gone with a stainless steel revolver like the wife had. It was light, handy, and felt like I was carrying nothing. There was no bluing to wear off, and perspiration on a hot humid Pennsylvania summer day didn’t cause it to rust. The little revolver she had tucked away just about any place.
Situational awareness is the most important skill that needs to be honed. It takes precedence over a firearm, knife, and the like. Considering how long it takes to draw a concealed firearm, situational awareness is the most important tool you possess. The best fights I was ever in were the ones I avoided.
Good luck.
Cheers,
C&S
