Relax

[Tanzer]

New CCW folks;
I was in the bathroom at the local wholesale club last night when I saw a guy fidgeting with his belt at the 4:00 position with the classic look on his face; "Someone's gonna notice. Should I use the urinal, or the stall"? I don't make a habit of butting in, but he wasn't doing a good job (yes, people in the know do notice). I was quite sure he wasn't a BG, since I saw him in the store with his wife & baby, so I said with a smile; "Just use the urinal & be careful not to flip over the waistband so it doesn't fall out". Well, Mr. Newbie wasn't exactly rude, but he didn't like the comment either. He gave me a look & headed into a stall. Then almost on cue; Clunk, Clunk, "SH*T"! & out slid a 9MM Sig. I guess it bounced off the rim then hit the floor. Luckily it stayed dry. It came to rest about three inches from my foot. I was at the sink.
Out came Mr. Newbie with a forlorn look on his face. Not wanting to rub it in, I said; "Don't worry, they're pretty tough, but check the front sight to make sure it stays tight". He replied; "Thanks, and I see what you mean about the waistband". Reply; " Maybe you should leave it uncocked until that's a thing of the past". It wasn't cocked, but I thought I'd throw it in.
Luckily, we were the only two in the bathroom at the time. The point:
1) You need an initiation period, but keep it short. Don't go on a three hour tour at Wally World until you've been to the convenience store a few times.
2) Wear it around the house for a while to get used to the feel. You'll need to adjust for butt pinch when sitting. When going to the bathroom - Use your zipper or, weird as it sounds, practice. Especially with IWB and even with a thumb break. MEN- you have to let go of the pants to take aim and you can't hold it by the holster with the other hand. You'll leave with a wet spot. Learn to keep the waistband from turning over. A good belt helps here.
3) Adjust it when getting out of your car - not at the door to the store. Wear plenty of cover (windbreaker on top of a sweatshirt etc) until you're comfortable. It's better than walking around looking at the store cameras and tugging your belt. Invite your anti-gun sister-in-law over. If she doesn't notice, you're doing fine.
4) Try as you will, until you've done it for a while, ex and off-duty cops, old salts at CWP, and military guys will notice. Relax! 99 out of a hundred are okay with it, and have one of their own. If they're not okay with it, as long as you're legal, they can go pound sand.
So, Relax and be safe.

[BikerRN]

Good advice and very well said. +1[/b]

[tuna]

Good job, thanks for the info, Tanzer.

And to newbies, don't freak out when someone who knows better offers free advice.

[jayspapa2002]

I am all ears when it comes to advice concerning this topic. I worked as a welder most of my life and taught several guy how to weld after they got out of college welding classes and thought they knew how to weld. Anytime someone can tell me a different way of doing something and make it better , I am ready to listen. I have already learned a bunch from this site and hope to learn much more. Thanks to all!!!!

[Tanzer]

One reason I posted it was in the hopes that other old salts would add some input. Thanks to those who have.
Not long ago, a fourth-grader outed me :oops: . I was at the supermarket (I'm a fourth-grade teacher) when one of my students mugged me from the potato chip aisle. She blind-sided me. "Mr. G!" Wham! Two little arms right around my waist in a big hug. Then a little eyebrow flare. She didn't need to feel around it, I could tell she recognized it. "Mr. G, my daddy's a policeman, are you one too"?
One thing I've learned over the years; NEVER LIE TO A KID - THEY'LL CALL YOUR BLUFF. A little quick stall tactic; " <name> Do you think I could work a second job after working with little maniacs like you all day? Hey, I need to talk to your mom or dad". Luckily, dad was there & knew me from the October '"meet the teacher" open house. Better yet, he practices at my gun club (whew). I flipped open the wallet & he smiled; "Her mom's a cop too" he said. I started to ask, but he stopped me; "Don't worry, she won't spread it around, she knows better with two cops for parents, & I can explain it to her, so relax" (there's that word - relax).
The point: Some things are out of your control, and you can't un-ring a bell. Act profesionally and confidently, and RELAX. It's not a crime (yet).

[Bill of Rights]

Never lie to a kid. Heh. Good advice and very true. I like your "stall". It also speaks volumes that those two little 9-year-old arms wrapped around you like that- In my years in school, I only had one teacher I would've wanted to hug like that, but it had less to do with her teaching skill and more to do with... well, you get the idea. She was, to use the phrase, "very easy on the eyes". :wink:

Of course, that also means, considering she was my teacher in sixth grade, that she's probably nearing retirement age now. God, getting old's a b!tch!

Blessings,
B

[DAN]

Good topic! Experience does not mean expertise. I have seen "professionals" with 20 plus years leave the gun on the roof of the car, the bumper, on the tank in the toilet. I have seen Sigs, colts and everything else skip acoss the floor when they fall out of the holster.
Old salts have a tendency to build up corrosion.

Complacency lowers your chance of survival in any conflict. It is like shooting at the range at flat targets and not from concealed clothing or shooting while standing not moving or on your back.

Train as you fight and you will fight as you train!

[Tanzer]

Bill of rights,
It's one of the hardest parts of being a male teacher. You don't want to give the appearance of, well, you know... But you gotta love kids to do the job. I just put my arms up and let them hug me (many are needy and could use a role model - this girl is just super sweet). I let THEM hug, & I just give a little pat on the shoulder. That way, nobody gets any false ideas.
Dan,
Spot on! I'm more likely now to leave it in the garage after changing oil in the car than I was years ago. Luckily, I have the semblence to remember it after five minutes or so.
Hey guys! Going to Maine to open up the summer place! Spring Vacation. Let's see...357, Check, 270WSM, Check, Mossberg, Check... See you in a week!
Bless you all & stay safe!

[BDonald]

This is some good advice. I should have my permit by the end of the month, and should have my IWB next week. I plan to wear it around the house to get used to it first. Unfortunantly, I will have to by the next size up waistband pants (after being able to downsize with 40lb weight loss). Luckly the Haggar comfort waist band pants I like to wear are great because they have the expandable waist.

[nodaywithout]

to add to the bathroom thing, you so not need to undo the belt to piss, if you have to tuck your button so that you can loosen the pants up some more so that you can do what you need to do.

i do not recommend this to everyone but when it is time for #2 the toilet paper holder at walmart is perfect for to set my glock 30 on. it is about 6-8 inches wide by 12 - 18 inches long. in stall's that do not have this type i will (during the colder months) take my coat or jacket off wrap my gun inside of it then stick the coat between my feet.
in the warmer months i lay in inside my jeans.

i also try and take the stall closet to the stall.

like i said i do not recommend this to everyone but it works for me.

[calmp9]

New CCW folks;
I was in the bathroom at the local wholesale club last night when I saw a guy fidgeting with his belt at the 4:00 position with the classic look on his face; "Someone's gonna notice. Should I use the urinal, or the stall"? I don't make a habit of butting in, but he wasn't doing a good job (yes, people in the know do notice). I was quite sure he wasn't a BG, since I saw him in the store with his wife & baby, so I said with a smile; "Just use the urinal & be careful not to flip over the waistband so it doesn't fall out". Well, Mr. Newbie wasn't exactly rude, but he didn't like the comment either. He gave me a look & headed into a stall. Then almost on cue; Clunk, Clunk, "SH*T"! & out slid a 9MM Sig. I guess it bounced off the rim then hit the floor. Luckily it stayed dry. It came to rest about three inches from my foot. I was at the sink.
Out came Mr. Newbie with a forlorn look on his face. Not wanting to rub it in, I said; "Don't worry, they're pretty tough, but check the front sight to make sure it stays tight". He replied; "Thanks, and I see what you mean about the waistband". Reply; " Maybe you should leave it uncocked until that's a thing of the past". It wasn't cocked, but I thought I'd throw it in.
Luckily, we were the only two in the bathroom at the time. The point:
1) You need an initiation period, but keep it short. Don't go on a three hour tour at Wally World until you've been to the convenience store a few times.
2) Wear it around the house for a while to get used to the feel. You'll need to adjust for butt pinch when sitting. When going to the bathroom - Use your zipper or, weird as it sounds, practice. Especially with IWB and even with a thumb break. MEN- you have to let go of the pants to take aim and you can't hold it by the holster with the other hand. You'll leave with a wet spot. Learn to keep the waistband from turning over. A good belt helps here.
3) Adjust it when getting out of your car - not at the door to the store. Wear plenty of cover (windbreaker on top of a sweatshirt etc) until you're comfortable. It's better than walking around looking at the store cameras and tugging your belt. Invite your anti-gun sister-in-law over. If she doesn't notice, you're doing fine.
4) Try as you will, until you've done it for a while, ex and off-duty cops, old salts at CWP, and military guys will notice. Relax! 99 out of a hundred are okay with it, and have one of their own. If they're not okay with it, as long as you're legal, they can go pound sand.
So, Relax and be safe.

Using the public rest room is a big deal. I agree that practice is necessary. Right now, I am using a Desantis Speed Scabbard and a Comp-Tac CTAC. I practice using the bathroom at home all the time. It's important to to do that.

I think the reason why the guy was not receptive to your suggestion was that you outed him. He's trying to conceal and you bring that up. You were right to do it, but he must have been disappointed that someone found out after trying so hard.

[Tanzer]

clamp9 wrote;
I think the reason why the guy was not receptive to your suggestion was that you outed him. He's trying to conceal and you bring that up. You were right to do it, but he must have been disappointed that someone found out after trying so hard.
Could be, which would bring up a more ominous problem; cockiness.
I've no proof he was new to CCW - Just giving the benefit of the doubt.

[calmp9]

clamp9 wrote;
I think the reason why the guy was not receptive to your suggestion was that you outed him. He's trying to conceal and you bring that up. You were right to do it, but he must have been disappointed that someone found out after trying so hard.
Could be, which would bring up a more ominous problem; cockiness.
I've no proof he was new to CCW - Just giving the benefit of the doubt.

That could very well be. There's always somebody who thinks they know it all. If they're into firearms, they're in for a rude awakening. This is an constant learning process that involves an evaluation of our firearms handling skills and safety. If I were to think that I didn't need to learn anymore, this cockiness would eventually cause me to cut corners on safety. I refuse to let that happen.