Bullseye: Off-Duty Carry
and require some planning. Are there signs prohibiting firearms in those areas? Does your state allow off-duty LEOs to carry in spite of these signs? Laws vary from state to state and it’s our individual responsibility to be aware of them. That being said, one moment of unprepared- ness in an off-duty encounter can last the rest of your life.
You truly can carry whatever size pistol you choose if you wear the right clothing. As a more youthful and less middle-heavy fellow, I concealed a full- size Beretta Model 96 pistol for several years in an IWB (Inside the Waist- band) holster from Bianchi. I learned to buy my T-shirts one size bigger to accommodate my EDC.
Practice
An M&Pc disappears with the proper holster and cover garment, even when the offi cer concealing it is of less than average size.
I am a dilettante runner and go once or thrice a week. I’ve had stray dogs chase me on more than one oc- casion. I’ve successfully used OC in these situations and have never regret- ted having this option. My family and I were attacked by an elk during a hike at a national park. Not a bear. Not a bison. An elk! The entire quasi-come- dic saga was documented in the Sept/ Oct 2013 issue of The Police Marksman in the article, “Carry a Big One.” It goes to show that not all attacks are by two-legged animals.
27 The Police Marksman Mar-Apr 2015 Every Day Carry
As stated above, there is a lot of stuff on the modern cop’s duty belt. I won’t rec- ommend that you lug all of that gear to that weird shop in the mall with all of the smelly soaps and bath stuff where your spouse drags you on your day off. What I will recommend is that you, at the very least, consider carrying a firearm when not on active duty. While it’s true that it does make life a little more inconvenient, it’s a small price to pay. Everyday activi- ties like going to the doctor, a concert or a sporting event become more complicated
Whatever you decide to carry for an off- duty pistol, it’s equally important that you practice with your chosen equipment. I probably spend more time at the range and at home practicing my draw stroke from my concealed-carry holster than I do from my duty gear. If you decide on a loose T-shirt as a cover garment, you must practice pulling up the shirt with the weak hand while acquiring the pistol with the shooting hand. After both are clear, the hands come together into a firing position as they normally would. With a jacket or vest, the gun hand must brush away the cover garment and then quickly acquire a grip before the material comes back in the way.
Legendary lawman and 20th-century gunfighter Delf “Jelly” Bryce used his weak hand to reach around the back of his jacket and pull his sport coat away from his holstered firearm for quick access and a lightning-fast one-handed draw. I’ve experimented with this technique and it is not without merit, though it was origi- nally invented for use in a one-handed draw and shoot. So, the support hand has a long way to return in order to take its proper two-handed position. Bryce was in many armed encounters, but died peace- fully in a hotel room later in life. So, there is something to be said for anything he considered successful.
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