In the universe of pocketable semiautomatic pistols . . .

[jmort]

If I lived in Denver I would feel safer with a 12" spliff
Two pocket guns are easy and balance each other out

[GhostHawk]

Well I live in Fargo ND, and mostly I don't feel the need to carry at all.

However, since the state was good enough to let all us law abiding decent citizens carry concealed without having to go through classes, spend hard earned $$$$ on fees I have been considering it.

I recently found a H&R 732 in .32sw long and I did recently buy a small IWB holster for it.

I tried it stuck in my pants on my left side. I do favor cross draw a bit.

It was mostly out of the way, dropped a speed loader in my right pocket to help balance.

I had no issues with it. Carried it most of a day, never dropped it, never felt like it was out of control. Cooked in the kitchen with my wife for half an hour before showing it to her. She never knew it was there.

I guess if I have a hang up, it is this. I don't like to accept that I have to conceal carry to feel safe where I live.

Now I do believe in having a gun in case unloaded in the car. But setup in such a way that it could be gotten too, and readied for action pretty quickly. But I don't have to think about it. It is there if I need it, and out of mind until I do.

Nice IMO to have the ability to CC at a moments notice though.

I am just not sure if I can see myself as the person who needs a gun to go to walmart.

[44MAG#1]

"I am just not sure if I can see myself as the person who needs a gun to go to walmart."

You are right. Wal Mart is probably the safest place one can go.

[35remington]

“I am just not sure if I can see myself as the person who needs a gun to go to walmart.”

Most people probably don’t either.....until they do. On two occasions in the last two years I am glad I had a pistol on me. I still behaved as if I did not, and probably partially because of that nothing came of either event, but making proper personal choices does not guarantee someone else will do the same. In both of those instances other people were acting either very suspiciously or had very clear ill intent. Since I had no control over that (I had to go through the area they were occupying) it occurred in my immediate vicinity with little chance of avoidance until events began to clearly unfold.

At that point I made sure to gain some distance as best I could, but to have options in case I was not allowed to remove myself from the situation made me feel better about it. Hopefully that was as far as it will ever go.

Never in my life did I expect my mother (in the aftermath) to ask me, “you do have that pistol on you, right?”

You never know until you know.

[FergusonTO35]

I primarily carry a gun because I want to and it makes me happy. That's really the best way I can explain it. Yes, it is a great self defense tool and the mere sight of it usually causes a miscreant to reconsider their actions. But, that is not the main reason I carry a gun.

Back on topic, I think I need another Kel-Tec P32. I had one for a few years and am totally set up to cast and load for it. I sold it to pay off bills awhile back, and thought that I wouldn't miss it. But darn it, I do miss that little pocket rocket and I'm just going to havr to get another one.

[Mr_Sheesh]

I'd carry because I WANT to usually.

Only place I've really gone when I'd need to be armed was downtown Bremerton by the ferry docks - Arrived at 1AMish, missed the last ferry by a couple minutes. SO had to wait till the next one arrived. Shrugged and the guy I was with and I (both EDCing 1911s) walked down to a local bar to get a beer and a burger, on the way there had a couple guys who did NOT look like they had offering us good deals on yard work or the like walling parallel to us. I made sure they saw that I saw them, and didn't really CARE - If you learn how to "carry" energy and can go into the energy that a lame tiger would have, when a dear runs across the trail in front of it and trips and drops DRT in front of it - Go into that energy (Chi) and then look at a couple would-be predators. It makes them decide "Uh, NOPE let's go somewhere ELSE NOW!" They no likie

I could have done that even if not armed, but as I knew I was going by there and so on, chose to. Bremerton has all too many guys who like to "roll" the sailors who are staggering back to the ship, drunk as lords, after their time off. Not the best sort of people to meet unarmed, but if I was unarmed I'd use leverage and ruin their day, pistols just give you a way to "reach out and touch them" at more distance.

You folks and your .32's. Never even shot one here. Now I may have to go play with one. You lot're SOOOO BAD!!! :P LOL

[35remington]

The mindset that there are places you “need to be armed” and “don’t need to be armed” presupposes you know beforehand what is going to occur.

Bad things happen in good parts of town as well. Carry whenever and wherever possible legally. Anything less is crediting yourself with powers of future vision you do not have. One of my incidents was in the “good” part of town.

Mr. Sheesh, most places prohibit the consumption of alcohol while carrying and the carrying of concealed firearms in bars. I would suggest you behave differently in the future. You have more than one type of mindset that needs correction.

[44MAG#1]

The mindset that there are places you “need to armed” and “don’t need to be armed” presupposes you know beforehand what is going to occur.

Bad things happen in good parts of town as well. Carry whenever and wherever possible legally. Anything less is crediting yourself with powers of future vision you do not have. One of my incidents was in the “good” part of town.

You sir, are the most correct person on this thread. I wholeheartedly agree. At my age and my out of shapeness I am not going to try to brain wash myself into thinking I can out psych, out fight or out run any creep. Especially one that may be on mind altering substances and may not be in tune to the psych hooey.
Now onto areas. Who is to say that some creep won't be in a relatively safe area. But I guess that is impossible to happen. Right?

[Mr_Sheesh]

There're "Bad" and "Better" behaviors; None of us is perfect. I'll point out again that this is by the Bremerton Naval Shipyard, it was at 2AM, and the chances of seeing any LEO people is only slightly higher than seeing Bigfoot playing basketball there - The reason those little minded hyenas try rolling drunken sailors there, is that there *ARE NO LAW ENFORCEMENT PEOPLE THERE AT ALL* - I don't understand WHY, if I was running that place there'd be plenty of MPs out there every 2-3 blocks and local PD cars in between until the lowlives "got it" that this was a bad place for then to go recreate at...

A couple cops I know had a double wedding, for SOME reason (must've been an accident) both were armed during the wedding, after it during the reception, and probably till shortly after the official Honeymoon festivities started... I don't suspect either of them drank zero boozeahol during the above. There were ZERO problems. Most of the people attending were also armed. And I suspect that, even if the law's "against you", if you BEHAVE WELL and don't massively overindulge, that there won't be any problem, usually... As they said, "Nope, no lowlife I put away years ago is going to shoot at me, unanswered, during my wedding." It's that "Better to be tried by six" thing - One beer (that's 12 Oz. not 128 Oz., OK? LOL) isn't a huge amount of ethanol. Laws usually exist because of that ONE idiot who cannot resist saying "Here, hold my beer", then drinking 4 MORE beers, and proceeding to injure themselves and 8 other people in spectacularly stupid ways, seems to me? If you refrain from being an IDIOT it helps

Also - I said "Only place I've gone where I'd NEED to be armed"; If you read that, you don't see me saying that was the only place I WAS armed... Just that the only place I could have felt "endangered"... But - Criminals are akin to Jackals, they're cowardly little snots for the most part, if you are living as a HUMAN and you face them, they will rarely stand up to you. (If they're on PCP or the like, that's not bravery tho, that's being LOONEY.) The weapon or martial arts training or whatever are for the rare occasions when they choose unwisely.

[44MAG#1]

Now alcohol is introduced into the equation. If you carry you don't drink. Not saying a glass of beer with a pizza or a meal will impair anyone that chooses to do so. The one beer guy wouldn't be as bad as some high strung Pepsi drinking nut.
There are going to be many variables that we could introduce and most of us know them. The subject is that no one knows what may happen all the time as far as where creeps will be or how they will react. I would rather have a gun with me as not have one. I wish I was as mind capable as some.

[35remington]

Sheesh, stay away from bars and alcohol while you are carrying. Modify your behavior for you own welfare. If your friends are drinking while carrying as well there is reason to question your judgement.

Going for a beer and a burger in a bar when carrying or consorting with a drinking bunch who are armed at a wedding is not clear thinking for anyone involved. Irresponsible as well as illegal are words that likely apply.

There is no way to come off looking good either morally or legally if such behavior occurs. Beware. A legal team would have a field day with you if any incident occurred while you were carrying and any amount of alcohol was in your system. Reasonable belief that some level of impairment was involved will give you problems.

[Mr_Sheesh]

I think the last time I was in a bar was about 25 years ago. This was just the "The heck with it, there are NO LEOs out there, even though they know there are predators picking on the sailors - It's the wild Northwest, and I'm sore and cranky" occasional beer with a meal. I'm 6'5" tall and - trust me - 1 beer is not going to put me in DUI territory nor impede my judgement to any real extent; Think of it as following the spirit if not the letter of the law. Also this was 30 years ago, when you are in your 20s you DO behave differently than when older. Some'd say "old enough to know better" but I just watch how THOSE folks behave and am dubious. They seem to behave far worse than I do!

The guy with me was NOT at said wedding. This was not carousing and chasing women, this was "Truck's broken, have to jackleg repair it then limp it back home then repair it." Long day, backed knuckles, sore muscles, and general grumpiness.

The cops that were at that wedding, well, let's just say they "Had Enemies" - If you had someone trying to kill you monthly, and were getting married, and were a cop, would you - what - Just call 911 if they showed up and started killing guests? There isn't really a force of Mormons who hire out as a group to attend weddings and so forth and guard the attendees so they can enjoy. I suspect a number of the attendees didn't drink, I just also suspect that a number did - Probably not to "too much" excess. Law is absolute but the real world isn't - What do you call a driver who never goes over the speed limit? Probably "ROAD HOG!" with the bird or the like included.

[35remington]

Sheesh, think about it. You’ve said enough already. Keeping quiet about indiscretions is almost as important as not committing them in the first place.

[EMC45]

Everywhere I go - I carry. Pocket auto, small revolver...Whatever. It rides and hides just fine and no one is the wiser. I follow all laws and conduct myself appropriately when out and about.

There have been several times where one of my kids or wife will ask "you have your gun right?" I just kind of snicker because I have it on me for sure.

I don't carry at work due to Fed policy.

[Gray Fox]

I'm fortunate to have a wife who knows I'm carrying, and is herself. Her usual comment is, "Let's keep going, I've got your back." Army trained and daughter of a judge, she has a pretty active view of her surroundings and life in general. GF

[Mr_Sheesh]

35remington - Is it somehow not OK with you if I participate, my way? The deal is, that in return you can participate your way.

You can assume that I still do things I did long ago, "might not" be an accurate assumption though.

Myself - I'd rather be around folks who will honestly state what's happened - and what they LEARNed from it - than never acknowledge that they've EVER done anything wrong, that anything they've done that wasn't PERFECT, seen them sell themselves that they are indeed perfect, and start trying to control everyone around them (Who better for that job, since they're perfect?) Family member had, I am pretty sure, a severe case of narcissism - I won't go there, bleah!

Not accusing you on that, I am just all too aware that there are people who will happily pretend to have never made a single mistake nor done a single wrong nor said a single unkind word EVER - And then run around telling everyone how THEY should run their own lives; Family member doing that doesn't come across as honest, genuine, or caring - It comes across more as an interrogation, which is a BALONEY default way to treat people. They don't seem to be learning though.

[35remington]

Sheesh, you are just not helping yourself talking about it further. It is time to quit already.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

0!

[35remington]

Whoever decides they need to carry a primary piece and a backup gets no argument from me.

These days it is trendy for those that carry 15-odd shot pistols to declare they do not need a spare magazine, and nobody has reloaded in a CCW type shooting incident. Maybe so, but having an empty or mostly empty pistol after such an event occurs and before the police arrive does not strike me as a good thing. Sorta would give me a bad feeling.

My carry autoloaders all have safeties on the same spot on the pistol so operation is very similar for all.

[Mr_Sheesh]

35rem - If a MOD wants me to change what I do, they know how to reach me and discuss it with me. Otherwise - NO.