I was sent THIS STORY by a Facebook follower who wanted to get my take on it.
First let me say that I trust news reports just about as far as I can throw them when it comes to details. That being said, we know a few things to be fact:
1) A woman and her toddler were shopping for school supplies at Staples in North Carolina.
2) The woman had a carry permit and her gun was in her purse.
3) She ended up shooting herself in the hand.
My take is that women need to wake up to the realities of purse carry.
If you watch the short news video in the above link you will find yourself giving yourself a double palm strike to the face. First when you hear about the woman shooting herself in the hand and again when you hear the eyewitness who is also a gun owner speculate that the discharge was due to a firearm having an external hammer.
(Don't believe me? Go watch the video.)
No, I don't know exactly what made that firearm go off but I have serious doubts it had anything to do with the firearm being hammered vs hammerless. I know guns well enough to know that the trigger being pressed is the #1 reason for discharges of any kind. #2 would be things getting inside the trigger guard that were never supposed to be there in the first place (which, when you think of it, is merely an extension of #1).
External hammer or not something got to that trigger. Period. End of story. Full Stop.
Every year I read a slew of stories like this. And every year I want to go shake some women.
If we women want to stop the stereotype that we don't know what we are doing when it comes to guns we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard and stop doing things that are irresponsible, dangerous and neglectful.
Yes. Leaving your gun in your bag where your child can access it is irresponsible. It is dangerous and it is neglectful.
Not having your firearm properly secured within that bag so that objects and fingers can't get inside the trigger guard is irresponsible. It is dangerous. It is neglectful.
And trying to shift blame onto something like an external hammer shows a lack of working knowledge of firearms that is, quite frankly, alarming.
I hate being overly harsh to people who have gone through tragedy when it comes to firearms. This woman is likely looking at a long road of recovery for herself and my hope is that her hand will heal with not a lot of lasting damage. She'll have to live with the scar as a reminder and be grateful that it wasn't worse, that her child is safe and no one else was injured.
Ladies, don't waste this story by ignoring it. Woman up and carry your gun on your body in a quality holster made for that firearm.
If you cannot or will not do that (for whatever reason). Get a gun purse. Get a holster for your gun that fits that gun purse and secure your firearm properly.
Then, keep that bag on your body and away from your children.
Stop being irresponsible. Stop being dangerous. Stop being neglectful.
What would be your recommendations for a gun purse?
I carried in a purse for about 6 months, before I realized on the body carry was easier. I bought a purse with a gun compartment & locking zipper, from Coronado Leather. It was very expensive to me, but worth it. I never left my purse unattended, anywhere. Knowing that I was responsible for my gun, kept me thinking about what I was doing with my purse at all times outside my home. As soon as I got home, I secured my gun.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't know how your gun functions, and can't be responsible with it at all times, then you should not be carrying.
I like the Coronado Leather ones. I was given the opportunity to try one out and then demo it for a class I was taking. There's a video of me somewhere on the internet doing that demo and shooting from that purse.
DeleteI don't push purse carry but I know it can be done right and those purses are great for how they are designed.
Galco makes some good ones, too.
I agree with you though. You should know how it functions and be responsible with it.
Men are not any better. How many men pocket carry without a pocket holster. Irresponsible, dangerous, and neglectful.
ReplyDeleteThat's true. Just because it's called a "pocket pistol" doesn't actually mean you can just drop it in your pocket. :)
DeleteBoth fortunately and unfortunately men get away with it because it's on body and usually a little more secure than a firearm being lose in a purse. A pocket holds the gun a little more snugly so it doesn't flop around like a gun.
DeleteBut you are very right. It's a bad habit. Get a pocket holster if you're going to pocket carry. Period. It's a small purchase for such a big responsibility.
As a long-time instructor... I have acquired two concealed carry purses and three fanny packs I use for demos in class... but my recommendation can be summed up this way... "ON-BODY CARRY IN A QUALITY HOLSTER THAT COVERS THE TRIGGER"...
ReplyDeleteDann in Ohio
I'm still trying to get a GOOD purse for demo in my classes. Right now all I can do is show pictures. I have my Maxpedition bag that I will show as it does have a compartment for firearms but it's not like the coronado gun purses or galco. I'm seeing more interest in them from my students so I need to knuckle down and buy one.
DeleteI recommend on-body carry to all my girlfriends considering CCH. It's always fun to ask this question: "How long does it take you to find your keys in your purse?". They usually grin sheepishly and see the issue immediately.
ReplyDeleteThe challenge comes in finding a way to carry on-body successfully. It is a wholesale change to how you dress, walk and sit until more holster manufacturers cater to the way a woman needs to carry.
I have (and am truly excited about) the Femme Fatale thigh holster, but have yet to find a holster that works for upper body carry (not wearing a skirt) for my small frame. I DO NOT feel comfortable carrying in a purse. Nor do I care to give up looking like a woman in order to carry. But I want to carry.