22 Apr 19

“Discreet” Concealment!

Carrying pistols concealed in public as you go about your daily business is serious business!

A careless moment that inadvertently exposes an otherwise concealed pistol may garner the unwanted attention of a nearby criminal who is eager to forcible wrest the gun from you, or the attention of a snoopy bystander who is eager to report you to the police.

Happy outcomes are unlikely, either way!

Last week in MD, a fifty-ish man (a retired state corrections officer), who was legally carrying a concealed pistol in the waiting area of a medical facility in the middle of the afternoon, was forcefully confronted by local police.

Without warning, the man was physically grabbed by responding officers, thrown to the floor, and restrained.

After viewing the man’s ID, including his state-issued CCW license, and interviewing bystanders, the officers released him, apologized, and departed without further incident.

The man was not taken into custody, nor charged any crime.

The man involved has subsequently threatened to sue police and the town where the incident took place, but his “injuries” do not appear to be more than superficial.

Here is the important learning point:

“Man-with-a-gun” calls to police can become greatly exaggerated as they are relayed from the complainant(s), through the System, and ultimately to the officers who actually respond to the call.

In this case, a woman who was also in the waiting room noticed at least part of the man’s “concealed” pistol inadvertently exposed as the man walked to a restroom.

The woman nervously informed the receptionist, who in turn, quietly called police.

By the time the information was re-translated to responding officers, it had metastasized to “… a-crazy-man-threatening-others-with-a-gun!”

Which is what triggered the officers’ aggressive response.

The man in question, of course, did nothing of the kind!

This kind of “story inflation” is not uncommon, particularly when guns are involved.

Our inherently-dishonest, sensation-oriented, hyper-ventilating, gun-phobic media is responsible for much of this.

Knowing all this, it is imperative that Operators, who routinely go armed, understand and acknowledge the criticality of selecting legitimate concealment methods that make the foregoing unhappy narrative extremely unlikely!

Concealed pistols need to be continually out of sight, and out of conversation!

A “casual approach” to this issue will yield unhappy outcomes, as we see!