Editor’s Note: Be aware of your local and state as well as federal laws and how they apply to carrying firearms and self-defense. This article does not represent training advice/guidance. Please seek training from a professional firearms trainer for your self-defense needs.
Violence directed toward others unfolds in many forms and can range from simple street muggings to active shooter events where multiple people are endangered. In order to maintain our personal safety, we should first consider the most likely sort of scenarios we could get caught up in. If you were targeted as a potential victim of violent crime, more than likely it would unfold during one of your routine activities where you are confronted by one or two assailants. There may be some forewarning, but proximity and the surprise nature of such an event may catch you off-guard.
The fact that you have chosen to carry a firearm suggests that you take personal safety seriously and acknowledge the world isn’t always a warm and fuzzy place. Hopefully, you have come to terms with the fact that a positive mindset along with a keen sense of situational awareness is just as important as skill. And if you are confronted with a threat of violence, you are willing to employ the appropriate measures to maintain your safety, including the use of force if there are no alternatives.
The nature of street crime has not changed for centuries. Quite simply, the assailant picks the time and the place where he feels you are most vulnerable and he has the greatest chance of success. Very often there will be some sort of subterfuge allowing them to close the gap such as asking for directions or spare change before making their true intentions known. Noting someone changing direction in a dark parking lot to walk your way should set some bells off and put you on high alert.
Unfortunately, in modern society it’s not always so cut and dry and if you live in any sort of urban or suburban area, you will often find yourself in close proximity to all sorts of unknown entities. Should an unavoidable and deadly threat arise, you have only a few seconds to size it up and take action.
You Have a Gun, But…
A response with a firearm will not be appropriate for every sort of conflict. In fact, in many instances introducing a gun into the equation is not the right response. If possible, leave the area. Perhaps an empty hand response or employing a less-lethal tool is the correct course of action. But assuming a firearms response is justified, why do people fail when they have a means to survive at their disposal?
One reason might be is that they didn’t size up the situation fast enough to take corrective action. Many of us are familiar with Cooper’s Color Code and states of awareness. Ideally, when going about in modern society we should stay switched on in a perpetual state of Condition Yellow and be totally aware of what is going on around us at all times.
We might think we are but in reality, we all have mental lapses. Have you ever been out shopping when a friend or neighbor called out your name and took you by surprise? Clearly, they spotted you before you knew they were there. Sorry pilgrim, but at that split second in time you had lapsed into Condition White.
What we want to avoid, of course, is getting into a similar mental state where there could be an element of danger nearby. Recently, I was riding the subway and I noted that something like 18 out of my 20 fellow passengers were focused exclusively on their cellphones. Clearly, that might be one location where you want to have the radar up and running.
When walking back to your car outside the cinema, do you note that individual changing direction and moving toward you? You should! If something doesn’t look right, there is a pretty high probability it isn’t. Lock onto that potential threat and get a plan together.
Consider that a potential deadly threat has closed the distance and has initiated an attack. How fast can you get into action? Sure, you can pull off that 1.5 second draw on the range when you know you are about to receive some sort of shoot stimulus, but how about in the unforgiving, real world? Let’s consider holsters and clothing and how we might speed up our response.
Holster Considerations
For speed into action, a belt holster accessible for a dominant hand draw is best. This could take the form of an outside-the-waistband holster worn on the strong side hip or inside-the-waistband holster worn behind the hip or in the appendix position. Clothing worn along with the size and weight of the gun all figure into our formula for success and what sort of holster might serve us best.
For most of us, something smaller than a full-size service pistol will probably be used for everyday carry and more often than not a compact, subcompact, or micro-size pistol will be utilized. I’m a pretty fair-size guy, and casual outdoor-style clothing helps me conceal a compact size pistol very well three seasons of the year. Others may not have that flexibility and have to go with a much smaller firearm in order to remain discreet.
Without question, smaller pistols with abbreviated grip frames are tougher to get into action quickly, so holster selection becomes even more critical. Your holster should be comfortable, be as low-profile as possible, and allow you to get a positive shooting grip as soon as you make contact. I also favor rigid leather or precisely molded Kydex holsters that facilitate a one hand return and aid retention during vigorous physical activity.
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What if belt carry doesn’t fit into your lifestyle? Are there alternatives? Indeed, there are and all being a distant runner up to belt carry. Personally, I don’t consider ankle carry a good choice for a primary weapon. Sure, it’s faster than running back to your car and retrieving your handgun from the glove box but when you consider the nature of most attacks ankle carry is far too slow.
How about pocket carry? With a small handgun and the right holster, it could work. Dropping a hand into the pants or coat pocket and getting a grip on your gun will not set off any alarm should you sense an element of danger. Getting a handgun into action can be very fast using this technique and I sometimes go with pocket carry when traveling to non-permissive environments where I’m legally armed, but want to be as low-profile as possible. You will be limited to a small handgun and be sure to use a firm holster that covers the trigger guard. Avoid placing loose change, car keys, or other small items in the same pocket as your pistol.
To my thinking, shoulder holsters are for special applications, specifically when a belt rig won’t work. One such application is cold weather when multiple layers of clothing are worn. By keeping the top of your outer garment partially unfastened, you can draw fairly quickly from a shoulder rig and in some instances it may be more efficient than belt carry when heavy clothing is worn.
[Don’t miss Massad Ayoob’s demonstration on drawing a pistol from a shoulder holster.]
Into Action
If you are serious about personal defense, drawing from concealment should be part of your practice regimen. If this isn’t allowed because of range rules, practice at home with an empty gun along with the holster and type of clothing you actually wear when going about in polite society.
Minimally, our handgun will be concealed under a loose shirt or jacket. Covering garments might be best described as either open front or closed front. What might be an open-front garment in relatively mild weather could turn into a closed-front garment when the mercury drops and you zip up to the neck. This would certainly slow down your response to a fast-breaking attack and be something you need to be tuned into when carrying a concealed firearm.
An unbuttoned sport jacket is a prime example of an open-front garment. The draw stroke with an open-front garment begins with a sweep to move clothing out of the way. This should be a pretty dynamic move to get your jacket well clear of the holster in order to draw as efficiently as possible. If that flag goes up and you feel you might have to produce that handgun, is your jacket fastened or open?
Closed front garments such as a baggy, hooded sweatshirt are a little more complicated to draw from. A commonly taught technique is to reach down to the bottom of garment with the support hand and lift while the dominant hand goes to the gun. That’s all well and good, but in extreme close quarters it may be problematic if the support side arm is needed to block a club or edged weapon. In that case the support side arm performs the block while the dominant hand lifts the garment and quickly goes back to get a grip on the gun. It’s probably not a bad idea to practice both techniques.
Bear in mind that many attacks begin inside of personal space and it may be impossible to immediately go for your holstered firearm. Familiarity with some basic empty-hand techniques is essential to buy you some precious time so you can respond with your superior weapon. You don’t have to have years of martial arts experience to make this work and it may not be pretty, but this something you need to have in your toolbox.
Other Tools
In addition to a firearm, many practitioners of personal defense often carry other tools such as a folding knife or a small flashlight. I remain a big believer in carrying a small flashlight on my person whenever I leave the house. Flashlights are double duty tools that are most often used for utility tasks but can also be used to disrupt the night adapted vision of an aggressor, as a shooting aid, or as an impact weapon. It can also be used to sort out certain situations to determine if there is a threat to your personal safety.
Unlike a firearm, a small flashlight can be carried just about anywhere and nobody gives them a second thought. A small light clipped to the top of the pants pocket can give you a very real advantage should you get yourself in a tight spot.
Knives are a very touchy topic and laws relative to carrying them vary widely from state to state. In some jurisdictions where you can legally carry a firearm, there are restrictions on auto-opening knives, blade length and even locking systems.
Left to my own designs, for personal defense I favor fixed blades over a folding knife. Folders are low profile and convenient to carry, but getting them open and into action quickly is another story. If you go this route, get some training and comply with the law.
Another consideration is a small canister of OC sometimes referred to as “pepper spray”. As indicated earlier, a firearms response is not appropriate in every sort of conflict you might find yourself in and having a less lethal option readily available can be a big plus.
My law enforcement experience tells me that OC is not “karate in a can” but can be effective in changing the mental focus of an aggressor, allowing you time to escape or use other force options. Small belt pouches for carrying OC are available from a number of different manufacturers. Like a small flashlight, having your OC projector in hand before things hit critical mass can give you an advantage.
Final Thoughts
Having the right equipment on your person is great, but it is of little value if you can’t get to it in a timely manner. Your clothing, holster, and firearm have to be in harmony should you have to exercise your high-end force option. Having your other tools readily accessible completes the picture.
By all means, practice that draw from concealment. Failure to do so when performing live-fire practice remains a wasted training opportunity. Stay tuned to your surroundings, particularly when traveling through environments where there is a higher risk. You may in fact get a much clearer picture when you see things through an aggressor’s point of view. If the roles were reversed, how would you attack?
Avoiding conflict remains the best defense, but circumstances may arise where you have to take immediate action. The bad guy has already formed his plan, and you need not only to catch up but to overwhelm him if it comes down to a conflict. The key to success is having your firearm and other critical gear readily accessible. In a fast-breaking attack, access can make all the difference.
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