Tag: concealed carry

Stupid Gun Modifications: Finger-Grip Base Plates

Posted by Mostly Genius – November 25, 2008

grip_extension If you are carrying a sub-compact gun, presumably it is because a compact or full size gun is too large for your application. Adding a finger-grip base plate will in crease the size of the pistol in the most difficult dimension to conceal: the grip length. Adding a base plate to a Glock-26 gets you a Glock-19 with a shorter barrel and sight radius AND lower ammunition capacity.

Probably one of the smarter gun modifications I have seen was a Glock-17 with a grip cut down to Glock-26 size and carried with a standard Glock-26 magazine, and Glock-17 reload. This gives the concealabilty of the smaller gun, but the accuracy of the full size.

The Self Defense Knife

Posted by Mostly Genius – November 24, 2008

The old saw about “don’t take a knife to a gun fight” is a lot more glib than it is practical. There are any number of reasons why a knife is a perfectly practical self-defense tool with long history of service in this role. There really isn’t a “knife vs. gun” argument any more than there is a “hammer vs. screwdriver” screwdriver argument. They are different tools for different applications.

Knives perform a different role than firearms. The primary role for firearms it so to defend yourself against threats that are at distance, where as the role for a knife is to deal with threats that are at contact or grappling distance. It becomes very difficult to access, draw and employ a firearm once the wrestling match has commenced.

Firearms do not function very reliably in the clench. If anything comes in contact with the slide while it is in motion it can convetr a high-capacity semi-auto into a single shot firearm. It is very easy to “limp wrist” a firearm when trying to shoot at an odd angle that might be necessary in a grappling situation, inducing a stoppage.

Safe Backstops can be pretty hard to find. One the wrestling match starts it can be tough to find a place to shoot the assailant where path of the bullet doesn’t intersect with some part of your body or a bystanders.

Knives are very hard to disarm. Generally speaking any part of the knife not being held by the operator is dangerous, where as firearm is only dangerous on the muzzle end. Most of the martial arts demonstrations you see are disarms of either somebody who is ‘threatening’ with a knife or is making a large committed strike. What you do not see too much of is somebody who can take away a knife that is making quick, rapid motions. Disarming a knife from somebody who is willing to cut you is a difficult proposition.

The knife defends the handgun. Defending against any sort of protracted gun grab become much easier if you can put a knife into your hand. While there are a number of elaborate handgun retention systems, generally if you lock down the gun and start cutting you will retain the firearm.

Knives are very easy to use. The basic instruction for defending yourself with a knife is to get your knife out and cut anything that comes toward you. As long as you are willing to do so, it takes a high level of skill for an attacker to mitigate that.

Knife vs. knife is consensual behavior. There are few circumstances where an assailant is going to have a knife and give you the opportunity to get your knife into the fight. If he was immediately willing to cut you he would have already been doing so. The point at which you have a knife duel is the point at which you are willing participant in a contest rather than a person defending themselves.

Knives destroy bio-mechanical structure. A solid cut from a knife is capable of penetrating clothing, skin, muscle, tendons and arteries. A good cut to an arm can disable a hand. A good cut to leg can prevent the leg from supporting any weight. Handguns can puncture arteries and destroy tissue, but targeting the extremities is not a very reliable way to do this.

Knives have a different set of legal restrictions. Depending upon the jurisdiction, the carrying of a knife may be more permissible than the carrying of a firearm. Both are deadly force tools and the employment of a knife still requires the same deadly force standard before it can be used. While a jury might be biased against knives, a competent attorney should be able to make the case that using a knife in a situation where a firearm could be used is pretty much the same thing.

Category: equipment, skill
Tags: concealed carry, handguns, knives, self defense
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Firearms in the workplace

Posted by Mostly Genius – November 23, 2008

Let us begin with a scenario:

The receptionist at the office has a stalker ex-boyfriend. The receptionist says that he has made threats against her life, and that he has a criminal record for violent offenses. She is afraid of him and has gotten a restraining order.

Now as the employer the practical, yet immoral (and possibly illegal) thing to do is to get rid of the receptionist. You certainly don’t want an incident at work and additional security is probably not in the budget. Another option for the employer is to simply ignore the problem. Hopefully there won’t be an incident, and if there is it will probably only involve the receptionist. Maybe the employer already has some kind of in-house security and they can be notified of this heightened threat. Beyond this there isn’t much that a typical employer can do. All of these options are little comfort if you happen to be the receptionist.

It is entirely too common for an employer to have a “no weapons” policy in the workplace. Their argument is that this makes the workplace safer for their employees or customers, but in reality it is simply a measure to reduce their liability. If fist fights between coworkers are rare then there is no reason to believe that permitting firearms would suddenly have employees shooting it out.

It is important to remember that a corporate policy prohibiting firearms is not a law. Assuming you have the legal ability to carry a firearm (such as a concealed carry permit), and your workplace is not a prohibited area (like a federal building) then you are not breaking any laws for carrying a firearm to work. Your employer may fire you on the spot and demand that you leave immediately should you be discovered.

Firearms are not all-purpose self-defense tools. Less than lethal threats are not appropriately addressed with a firearm so other skills and tools are probably more applicable normal self-defense issues. With that being said here is how you carry a firearm at work without the blessing of your employer:

Concealed means concealed. Nobody needs to see that you have a firearm. Nobody needs to be told. Carrying a firearm is not an exercise in ego, it is preparation for the possibility of a dangerous confrontation. Ensure that when carrying the gun it doesn’t print through clothing, or become exposed.

Secure means secure. You must restrict access to the firearm at all times so that it is only available to you. Generally the best method is to keep the gun on your person, but some circumstances might prevent you carrying the gun undetected. In these cases a locked briefcase or drawer are your only other options.

Consider the situation where the firearm will be used. If you work in an area that the general public doesn’t have access to it is probably not paramount that the firearm be instantly available. Should a disturbance occur you might well have a few seconds to access the firearm. If this is the case optimize for concealment and security. If this is not the case then the only solution is to conceal the firearm on your person.

Consider other options. A firearm will only help in the face of deadly threats. Pepper spray and combative skills are useful in dealing with less than lethal threats. Verbal deescalation skills may be sufficient in some circumstances.

Make use of all security precautions made available by your employer. Lock your office door, have security escort you to your vehicle, etc. Consider changing the hours or location that you work in if possible.

Make use of all legal and law enforcement precautions available. If you have a specific threat get the police involved. Get a restraining order against the person threatening you. Make sure that you are follow all of the laws regarding your firearm.