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Hi, I'm new! Please don't shoot if I posted this in the wrong place. :)

I'm patiently waiting for my plastic to make its merry way to my mailbox. So, in the meantime I've been trying to mentally prepare myself for when I start carrying. I've been working on my situational awareness and taking self defense classes...I'm going to start out with purse carry. I know it's frowned upon but I want to get used to carrying then eventually switch to on body. Now I don't think this is really considered a "purse"... It's a very small coach cross body messenger bag, it won't fit much more than my glock 26! Anyways, I was just randomly thinking through scenarios and what my best course of action would be and this one just kind of got to me.

Let's say I'm carrying in my very accessible bag that would be resting on my hip. If I were to be held at gun point, wouldn't showing my gun automatically get me shot? In the past, I was robbed while bar hopping in downtown Dallas and I had thrown my bag in the opposite direction and ran for dear life in 3 inch heels and ended up with a stolen Louis and a broken ankle.

I know you're probably shaking your head after reading that but this was when I was 21 (25 now) and I thought I was invincible to everything! My situational awareness used to be terrible, I only hope now that with paying more attention to my surroundings I won't be put in that situation to where the bad guy gets the advantage on me.

Thanks for reading, I appreciate any feedback you may give :) Sorry it took so long to get to the point!

My wife also wanted to purse carry (still does on rare occasion) until I showed how easy it was to lose her weapon before she had a chance to even draw just by coming behind her and grabbing her purse without her knowing I was there. She now carries "on body".

If I were you, I would take this time waiting to try different methods of carry to see what works best for you and then get comfortable carrying in your home as much as possible. Just my .02

Also would have to worry about purse etc being stolen with the weapon inside and then you have even more problems.

RPBrown wrote:My wife also wanted to purse carry (still does on rare occasion) until I showed how easy it was to lose her weapon before she had a chance to even draw just by coming behind her and grabbing her purse without her knowing I was there. She now carries "on body".

If I were you, I would take this time waiting to try different methods of carry to see what works best for you and then get comfortable carrying in your home as much as possible. Just my .02

Off body carry should be your last option as a choice when carrying. Sometimes it is hard to avoid, and is better than nothing, but leaves too many chances for a purse to be grabbed or for you to forget (even for a moment) your purse, clutch, dayplanner or whatever. Then the offbody carry is sitting where you left it, with a loaded gun inside, just waiting for someone else to come across it. If you carry on your person, the firearm goes where you do no matter what.

LadyLightening wrote:Hi, I'm new! Please don't shoot if I posted this in the wrong place. :)

I'm patiently waiting for my plastic to make its merry way to my mailbox. So, in the meantime I've been trying to mentally prepare myself for when I start carrying. I've been working on my situational awareness and taking self defense classes...I'm going to start out with purse carry. I know it's frowned upon but I want to get used to carrying then eventually switch to on body. Now I don't think this is really considered a "purse"... It's a very small coach cross body messenger bag, it won't fit much more than my glock 26! Anyways, I was just randomly thinking through scenarios and what my best course of action would be and this one just kind of got to me.

Let's say I'm carrying in my very accessible bag that would be resting on my hip. If I were to be held at gun point, wouldn't showing my gun automatically get me shot? In the past, I was robbed while bar hopping in downtown Dallas and I had thrown my bag in the opposite direction and ran for dear life in 3 inch heels and ended up with a stolen Louis and a broken ankle.

I know you're probably shaking your head after reading that but this was when I was 21 (25 now) and I thought I was invincible to everything! My situational awareness used to be terrible, I only hope now that with paying more attention to my surroundings I won't be put in that situation to where the bad guy gets the advantage on me.

Thanks for reading, I appreciate any feedback you may give :) Sorry it took so long to get to the point!

Attempting to draw against an already drawn gun is not a recipe for long life. Even in the unlikely event you are able to get a shot off first, the bad guy will almost certainly get one or more off as well. Being the loser in a gunfight is not good, and ties aren't much fun either.

You're doing the right thing in working on your situational awareness, which if practiced consistently, will help you avoid the confrontation by seeing it starting to develop in the early stages and allowing you to take avoidance action or, if necessary, to take cover and draw to place the assailant at the disadvantage.

Drawing from a purse is slow, so your plan will need to account for recognizing danger really early having enough time to respond successfully.

Your past incident tactics of throwing the purse in one direction and running in the other wan't a bad unarmed response to the situation at all. However, if you ever find yourself in that situation again, I'd suggest ditching the heels to make the getaway a lot faster, more agile, and less painful.

Thanks for all the feedback. I ordered a few different holsters this week so I will be trying a bunch of different techniques. As far as ditching the heels, the only thought going through my head at the time was to get away.

I forgot to add that I wouldn't ever consider drawing if there was one pointed at me, I just don't know what the reaction should be. I know I'm thinking too much into it but in my situation it wouldn't hurt not to. A "stalker" is my reasoning behind getting my CHL and taking self defense classes. Police won't do anything until it's physical and with this guy it's not if but when. Every incident is being called in for a trail and I'm also written down dates and times. Not looking for anyone to feel sorry for me, just looking for advice. If it helps, I don't personally know the guy. I was introduced to him through a friend's friend and he had tagged along... Hope that makes sense.

Also, I noticed you said you were drinking the first time you got held up. Perhaps using a knife as a last resort if you need. Of course if you're drinking, you can't carry. Not even a sip.

Hopefully nothing happens when you're out and about having a fun night!

Stay safe!
Cheers.

LadyLightening wrote:Thanks for all the feedback. I ordered a few different holsters this week so I will be trying a bunch of different techniques. As far as ditching the heels, the only thought going through my head at the time was to get away.

Understood, and my suggestion was not criticism.

Each situation, whether our own or another forum member's, is a learning opportunity and a chance to add another refinement to our repertoire of things we may want to do next time because it's really hard to think creatively in the middle of an incident.

LadyLightening wrote:I forgot to add that I wouldn't ever consider drawing if there was one pointed at me, I just don't know what the reaction should be. I know I'm thinking too much into it but in my situation it wouldn't hurt not to. A "stalker" is my reasoning behind getting my CHL and taking self defense classes. Police won't do anything until it's physical and with this guy it's not if but when. Every incident is being called in for a trail and I'm also written down dates and times. Not looking for anyone to feel sorry for me, just looking for advice. If it helps, I don't personally know the guy. I was introduced to him through a friend's friend and he had tagged along... Hope that makes sense.

If I understand the above to indicate that this individual is following you around and giving you attention you don't want, that can lead to a potentially serious situation.

You might consider asking the folks in the introduction chain to tell him to cease and desist.

If that doesn't work you might also look into getting a restraining order.

Excaliber wrote:

LadyLightening wrote:I forgot to add that I wouldn't ever consider drawing if there was one pointed at me, I just don't know what the reaction should be. I know I'm thinking too much into it but in my situation it wouldn't hurt not to. A "stalker" is my reasoning behind getting my CHL and taking self defense classes. Police won't do anything until it's physical and with this guy it's not if but when. Every incident is being called in for a trail and I'm also written down dates and times. Not looking for anyone to feel sorry for me, just looking for advice. If it helps, I don't personally know the guy. I was introduced to him through a friend's friend and he had tagged along... Hope that makes sense.

If I understand the above to indicate that this individual is following you around and giving you attention you don't want, that can lead to a potentially serious situation.

You might consider asking the folks in the introduction chain to tell him to cease and desist.

If that doesn't work you might also look into getting a restraining order.

What do you mean by introduction chain? I had a hearing for a restraining order the first week of October and it wasn't in my favor. Since then it's gotten worse so that's why I'm documenting EVERYTHING this time. It's to the point where I'm not even comfortable in my own house. I don't want to keep crashing at my parents house so I've installed a 8 camera security system with motion activated cameras that alerts me on my phone when they're activated... Haven't had anything on those yet but they've only been on for 3 days! Other than that,
I have a German Shepard who's pretty good at knowing when someone steps only property and a big brother 5 minutes away.

I'm going to take a stance that's against the general agreement here on this board. I don't think there is necessary anything automaticly wrong with bag carry. Heck I've done it and know several cops who do so regularly. The thing that counts is how carried not in what. My brother uses a maxpedition pack that works great for him especially in the outdoors or during strenuous activity. I don't consider it any different than a fanny pack and while ugly those work well. The key is that none of those things are worn in a way that makes them easy to separate from yourself. What is most important is having a method of carry that allows you to keep a gun handy and with you. Ease and speed of access are a important factor but you should never have to rely on a fast draw.

EEllis wrote:My brother uses a maxpedition pack that works great for him especially in the outdoors or during strenuous activity. I don't consider it any different than a fanny pack and while ugly those work well. The key is that none of those things are worn in a way that makes them easy to separate from yourself.

I'm going to take a wild guess that your brother isn't someone who would be easily knocked over by a 150lb tweaker who grabbed his maxpedition bag.

LadyLightening wrote:

Excaliber wrote:

LadyLightening wrote:I forgot to add that I wouldn't ever consider drawing if there was one pointed at me, I just don't know what the reaction should be. I know I'm thinking too much into it but in my situation it wouldn't hurt not to. A "stalker" is my reasoning behind getting my CHL and taking self defense classes. Police won't do anything until it's physical and with this guy it's not if but when. Every incident is being called in for a trail and I'm also written down dates and times. Not looking for anyone to feel sorry for me, just looking for advice. If it helps, I don't personally know the guy. I was introduced to him through a friend's friend and he had tagged along... Hope that makes sense.

If I understand the above to indicate that this individual is following you around and giving you attention you don't want, that can lead to a potentially serious situation.

You might consider asking the folks in the introduction chain to tell him to cease and desist.

If that doesn't work you might also look into getting a restraining order.

What do you mean by introduction chain? I had a hearing for a restraining order the first week of October and it wasn't in my favor. Since then it's gotten worse so that's why I'm documenting EVERYTHING this time. It's to the point where I'm not even comfortable in my own house. I don't want to keep crashing at my parents house so I've installed a 8 camera security system with motion activated cameras that alerts me on my phone when they're activated... Haven't had anything on those yet but they've only been on for 3 days! Other than that,
I have a German Shepard who's pretty good at knowing when someone steps only property and a big brother 5 minutes away.

By "introduction chain" I was referring to the "friend of a friend" who brought you into contact with the person you're concerned about. They didn't do you any favor there, but they may have some influence with the other party that might be leveraged to deescalate the current state of affairs.

Although you haven't made clear if any direct threats have been made, it's clear that you're very concerned about this person and are taking prudent precautions to manage the situation. Situational awareness is key - early detection at a distance gives you lots of options.

Cameras and other equipment are helpful, but an adult german shepherd is a huge asset - no one who intends harm to you will approach undetected while the dog is close to you, and folks who try to take on those dogs generally do not fare well in the encounter.

my wife either carries in her purse, or does not carry.
She will not consider on-body carry and really only carries when I push her to.

She does always have her Kimber in her car though.

My feelings are if it is off body carry, or no carry, off body is still the better choice, even if it is not considered ideal.