by Peter Wheeler
Reference a comment left by Frank Sharpe on our recent story about the Appendix carrier who suffered a negligent discharge and bled out.
I’ve “solved” the problem in my life by employing a VanGuard II holster. It requires me to snap it over the trigger guard before I can slip it into my waist band – thus, I’m not holstering a gun with an exposed trigger. I carry one gun appendix in this manner. It’s obviously not convenient to practice 100 drawstrokes with out on the range, but for daily carry it might actually be “safer” than normal IWB/open top holster carry anywhere else on the waist.
That being said, I waiver on the fence with this method of carry when used with an inside the waistband holster. I haven’t banned it, but I strongly encourage new students NOT start there. So far I haven’t had a student not take my advice in their first class with us. We’ve also changed our doctrine to include: There is NO rush to re-holster – take your time, look if you need to.
One statistic that I’ve never seen compiled is the type of ammo most people shoot themselves with when they experience a negligent discharge. We know that most range accidents with handguns happen on the re-holster, but my guess is that almost 100% of those are with ball ammunition. I’d suggest that if those shooting themselves in the ass were doing so with expanding hollow points, we might be seeing a higher number of fatalities/severe damage, as expanding and fragmenting bullets will take turns and experience odd penetration patterns when they contact meat and bone.
There are potential problems in life with everything we do – some reach a risk/reward tipping point that results in us choosing not to engage in that activity. On the other hand, sometimes we make adjustments and solve problems in order to reap the benefits of the activity. I don’t want to shoot myself at all, and I especially don’t want to clip an artery, so, I chose a holster that can only go on my body when it has been pre-installed on my pistol.
As far as the adrenalin/excitement factor with the police arriving, set the pistol on the ground, the car hood, or drop it and step on it. The police are going to disarm you and confiscate your gun anyway.
I agree with Frank Sharpe in general. However, some newbie shooters are determined to make the decision to use an AIWB (Appendix inside the waistband) holster and gamble on their fate.
With that said, as an instructor I feel compelled to offer a bit of advice.
I strongly suggest to start out using a ‘Blue safety gun’ because they’re extremely close to weight, balance and detail with the model of the gun you already own.
With your brand new AIWB holster, before you put your gun in the holster put the safety gun in. Then start carrying as you would with a real gun, and in your house at all times continue for at least a couple of weeks. This will accelerate to becoming acclimated with your holster while you draw and re-holster it. You want look for anything that will develops into a BAD habit. Do this no less than a dozen times or more each day. Then as you start using your real gun be VERY careful!
Typically, the “blue guns” are used as a training tool by firearms instructors. They are a little pricey but they can be an invaluable tool toward saving your life or somebody you love or care about. However, it’s a small price to pay considering a real possibility of having a very bad.
Generally, “Rings” seems to be the standard used at firearm schools and instructors. Of course there are many other manufacturers out there so hit the Internet.
Good luck and stay safe by practicing safely every time there’s a gun around you.
Darwin will watch over you if you use appendix carry.
No more than he will if you own a gun and don’t store, handle, operate, train with, and clean the correct way EVERY time.
I’d rather have an angel looking over my shoulder…
Yes – just what the world needs – a gun owner counting on an invisible helper to make sure they don’t mess up.
How about we be adults and take responsibility for our actions?
Look over your own shoulder.
Invisible and make-believe, right?
I think the gist of what he’s saying is that it’s better to not have a (probably) fatal or near fatal consequence to a ND, as opposed to the normal risks associated with a ND for those of us who don’t AIWB.
Thankfully, most ND’s don’t rupture a major artery or there would be a lot fewer gun owners out there.
John
Well, truth be told, most ND’s result in damage to extremities when the person is “just cleaning their gun and it went off.” Right thigh/left arm or hand for the right handed person. And the thigh injury is just as potentially deadly as the apex ND, but we just don’t have very good stats on any of that.
Most ND’s are not holster related in any way – range accidents not withstanding.
But, let’s look at what we know – we may be able to find one (maybe two, but this was the first one I’d heard of) death attributed to the femoral being clipped during an apex re-holster this year.
Last year, we know at least one woman was killed because she chose to carry her gun in her purse.
I’m not saying any of those accidents are acceptable, I’m just wondering at what point we might be over emphasizing a risk factor…
I don’t have an answer, just throwing it out there.
My $0.02 on AIWB carry of my snub-nosed revolver, in a holster (reserved for those short local trips when I don’t feel like carrying a gun): As John mentioned, some of us defend the practice by NEVER re-holstering on-body. Never. Ever. The gun goes in the holster, then the whole assembly clips into place.
I echo his concern of somebody messing up under stress and trying to re-holster AIWB. That’s why I’ve never re-holstered on-body, even in practice. With the blue gun replica, or practicing the draw from under various clothing and jacket options … I never get lazy and re-holster in the 1 o’clock position. That holster needs to come out.
Every. Single. Time.
Keeping my “muscle memory” pure on this is a safeguard against getting confused under stress. On-body re-holstering has only ever been done for holsters at 3 or 4 o’clock.
When the cops come after a defensive shooting and I’m under effects of body alarm re-action? It gets set on the deck.
Although I’m risking the AIWB still, I applaud everybody here for highlighting the risks and dangers so people can make educated decisions. It does require the utmost level of attention, consideration, and proper training.
“JC” covered my main objection to the “I always take the holster out, reholster the gun, then reinsert the holster”, which is that you’re not going to do that after you’ve shot someone, when your hands are shaking and you’re trying to get the gun out of sight before the responding officers mistakenly shoot you. But I don’t think he’s being realistic. In the first place, you won’t do it unless you’ve practiced it. Has he ever practiced putting the gun “on the deck” after a shooting?
In the second place, there may be good reasons not to leave a functional firearm out of your control, e.g., a hostile crowd. If the gun is “on the deck,” even if you’re standing on it, it’s not under your control.
The best thing is still to reholster the gun, and AIWB makes reholstering, in my opinion, a very dangerous proposition.
Sure – lots of things can happen, and I can’t predict how anyone’s fight is going to go, nor the aftermath.
Make your choices and go forth boldly. I have.
I never said he shouldn’t do it (although I don’t). I said that he should consider some apparently hitherto unconsidered factors. Judging from his reply, he saw my point.
I agree with your statement, “Make your choices . . .” The fact that I disagree with your choices doesn’t mean I’m against your making them.
Still coming down on side of convenience and comfort for quick trips when I’m “not carrying a real gun”, but I totally understand and respect your position on this.
I appreciate the thought about crowd situations, but where I live – if I’ve popped somebody it’s pretty unlikely I’m going to be standing in the middle of a hostile/unpredictable crowd when the cops arrive. And thanks for the tip – I will add “place it on the deck” and step on it to my dry fire / blue gun practice sessions!
[For the record, 9 out of 10 times I’ve got the semi-auto at 3 o’clock … so overall I’m still okay w/ my odds on this, given my consideration and strict focus]
Best Regards
Good man.
We rehearse dealing with arriving officers in our courses.
We’re not perfect, nor will we ever be. But we are pretty damn thorough in the time we have with our students, and an attempt is made to work through such issues, if in no other way than giving the students pause to think about each choice they make and what the ramifications of those choices are.
We’re all students – so keep thinking and keep learning!
Appendix carry violates one of the primary rules: Don’t point the muzzle of a loaded firearm at anything you don’t want to shoot (destroy) – e.g. your femoral artery, groin, knee, foot, etc. This argument should have been over ages ago. Rotate the damn holster to the side. Geez.
That’s really not true. If the trigger guard of a pistol is covered, it’s considered cased. No different than your loaded pistol sitting on the passenger seat of you car, in a case, pointed at you. And, depending on body type, it is actually possible to re-holster appendix without pointing the muzzle at yourself. The simply act of having the pistol holstered in that position does not violate any of the 4 rules. Getting it in and out of that position can under certain circumstances…same with any holster.
Truth be told, most people who wear an IWB holster anywhere on their waist point the muzzle at a small portion of their hip or ass when they re-holster. It takes a lot of attention and technique to avoid that. And if that weren’t true, there wouldn’t be all those accidents where people shoot themselves in the ass, leg, or calf working from standard holster positions, e.g. Tex Grebner.