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I went shopping today by myself (no baby, no mom, no friends) at a local mall. I especially like my gun to be easily accessible when crossing mall parking lots. I wore my gun at 4 o'clock IWB, and had a spare magazine in my opposite pocket. When I got inside the mall, I transferred my gun to my backpack purse in the RR (separate compartment from my wallet) since I would be trying on clothes, but left my magazine in my pocket.
While trying on clothes, my magazine fell out of my pocket. I heard it hit the ground. By the time I left the dressing room, I thought I had picked it up, but didn't.
I didn't realize I was missing my magazine until I had finished all my mall shopping and was in my car. I knew immediately that it was in one of the dressing rooms at Macy's in the junior dept. I drove my vehicle to a Macy's entrance, quickly walked to the area, and looked in the dressing room first. I was honestly not expecting to find it, but it was in the dressing room. It had hit the floor, but was sitting on top of the dressing chair. Evidently, someone had found it on the floor, but simply picked it up and left it on the chair rather than turning it in.
I had prepared myself to ask the cashier, but was wondering if I would have gotten any hassel from the store management or security over this. Obviously, I was legally carrying my weapon and magazine. However, I can see some people being alarmed at a magazine being turned in to the lost and found. I'm sure the first thought that would enter some merchants' heads is if this belonged to someone with the intent to rob a cashier. I'm not sure if they run across enough CHLs or even LEOs to keep their minds from going to the worst case scenario first.
I paid nearly $30 for the magazine five years ago. I wasn't just going to cut my losses; I planned to seek out the lost-and-found if necessary.
But I'm curious--what would some of you have done?

First, thank God that an obviously gun friendly person found the magazine. Otherwise, what you did and were prepared to do. We talk a lot about test cases and what not here, but I would hope we're not afraid of the "what if" hassles faced by chasing down your property.

I'm glad you found your magazine I'm nutzo about mine. It doesn't matter what I paid for a particular mag if it works 110% in my gun then I want to hang on to it.

Have we learned anything from this little faux pas?

Magazine pouches are our friends.

I would have done the same. I'm glad it worked out for you.

What sort of legal trouble could you get into if someone called the cops about a dropped magazine?

I can't imagine you could have been in any trouble. It would mostly have been a situation for you. I am not sure how easy it would be for you to have a mag carrier, but I would look into it. There are several really good ones that are IWB. This necessitates having yet one more piece of something stuck in your pants, so it may exceed your comfort level. I use a OWB carrier right now, and it works fine for me.

RJ

74novaman wrote:What sort of legal trouble could you get into if someone called the cops about a dropped magazine?

You could always get a overzealous police officer that tries to get you for "disturbing the peace" or something. Maybe there's some obscure law about mishandling explosives?

I was in the Buon Giorno coffee shop in Grapevine, carrying my 3" Kimber IWB and a spare magazine in a clip type IWB mag carrier, in the small of my back. I guess I slumped in the chair a bit, and unknown to me, the clip of the IWB mag carrier got lifted up off my belt, leaving the mag carrier on the seat of the chair. I never felt it come loose. We got up and left eventually, and when I got home, I realized that I no longer had the mag carrier. We only live a few blocks from the coffee shop and they know us pretty well. Anyway, I phoned the store and told the guy behind the counter that "I'm pretty sure I accidentally left 'a little something' on or under my chair when we left." The guy answered, "Yeah, I've got it." I drove back over there and walked up to the counter. I grinned. He grinned, and the guy handed me my mag carrier, with the Kimber magazine in it, and all rounds accounted for. I left.

I've been more careful ever since.

Wait... you've had a baby and can still shop in the junior department?
God bless you!

“Attention In the Store, Attention in the Store.. Will the owner of the automatic handgun clip filled with cop killer hollow point bullets please come to the customer service counter.. Thank you”


I would have done what you had planned,, did a quick search of the likely spots it dropped, if no luck then went to lost and found, registered a request to have my property returned should it be located…

As for the “disturbing the peace” charge?? Pffffft, most of the sheeple will not even recognize what a mag is, if left sitting on the floor or table, as they walk by.

Great deal you found your MAG and returned it to the proper place…. I’ve been CC for about 22 years now, off and on when I’m in the US.. and never lost a mag, had it come free from the gun, nor had my gun hit the ground in a public location.. But it’s bound to happen at some point….

Funny…. I did have my gun hit the commode once with a very LOULD metal on ceramic clank. .. When done, and washing my hands… the guy at the sink next to me was grinning.. and said “Hate it when that happens” LOL

I used to throw a spare mag in my left cargo pocket...

One fine day my brother and I were in Starbucks on 6th Street in Austin and I tripped. Coffe went everywhere, mag flew out of pocket and skidded across the floor..without my realizing it. In my embarrassment I left in a hurry. An hour or two later I realized I didn't feel that familiar knocking of the mag against my knee and went back to see if it was still there. Ended up asking the manager and he brought it to me holding it between his forefinger and thumb like it would explode!

I bought a mag carrier the next day at GTDIST.

While getting started & before I was able to afford mag carriers, I used a cell phone case. Yet I dumped 2 on the floor in Lowes. No one around so just picked them up & wen about business as usual. Probably more of us than folks think have doned it.

Today you may over it but ten yrs from now you will about it.
LT

I've considered mag carriers, but they really only work for me when I'm at the range. Pockets usually do fine, but I was trying on clothes, which is why I had the gun moved to the purse anyway. Next time, I will move the magazine to the purse as well while in the mall, then just do the switch just before leaving like I do with my gun.

Crossfire wrote:Wait... you've had a baby and can still shop in the junior department?
God bless you!

Just the L or XL sizes. And I only look through the racks when I think there is an item of clothing that a 30-something can pull off. A few years ago, they were selling clothing that looked more like underclothing and lingerie, so I passed on it.

bronco78 wrote:“Attention In the Store, Attention in the Store.. Will the owner of the automatic handgun clip filled with cop killer hollow point bullets please come to the customer service counter.. Thank you”

I was concerned about this attitude more than anything, and getting hasseled over it or, at worst, detained for awhile. Considering that I'm legally carrying, and the magazine cannot (by itself) cause immediate harm, I don't see how any laws were broken. However, I was hoping to avoid any delays getting home. My mother was watching the baby, and I wanted to get home before she woke up from nap and gave my mother any grief.


I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one that has left my personal [self-defense] effects somewhere.

I wear a belly band under my scrubs. While at a riding lesson for my daughter I had an interesting thing happen. The band has 2 areas to hold the side arm and 2 small adjacent pockets for an extra mag depending upon which direction/cant/handedness you want to carry. I must have missed putting the mag in the opposite "pocket" and put it in the opposite "holster". The pockets have bottoms, the holster is open on the bottom. I guess while sitting, getting up and down, etc during the lesson, the extra mag had released the top round and wandered through the hole at the bottom. I was standing there talking with the instructor and another parent or two while my daughter un-tacked her mount. I feel something small and warm crawling down my left leg! Then I hear a faint sound like a ball bearing hitting concrete lightly and thank goodness I click - the nicely warmed cartridge had trickled down and fallen out the bottom of my pants. I stood on it until there was a point I could lean down and pick it up. No one noticed, nor did they notice as I walked off the entire mag started down my pants leg as it had worked its way out of the holster bottom. I leaned down pretending to tie my shoe, let the mag fall into my hand and pocketed it.

This taught me to be VERY careful which opening I was putting my mag into

When I go into dressing rooms I typically carry IWB and want to know if the pants will be comfy with my side arm. I lay everything on the bench or chair in the room and unholster, put everything on with the new pant candidate for fit, and then put everything back on when I am done. I am with you though, when I do have to carry off body in my purse, I like to try to have my extra mag on me if possible, don't want to have to fish through my bag for it if the need should arise.

So glad all turned out well! Mags are too expensive to lose on, and with SD rounds being 1 - 2 bucks or more each that is an investment as well!

Many people would probably not recognize what it is. Once I was working at a job site on some electronic equipment where I was lying under some racks doing some wiring while lady from the office was standing there chatting away at me. When I stood up, a .45 cal magazine slide out of the pocket of my cargo pants and clanked very loudly on the tile floor, the lady looked at it and almost stooped to pick it up, but I was closer and just swooped it up and back in my pocket. She did not not even bat an eye, nor did she pause in her conversation. I could tell she had no idea what it was and just figured it was a tool.
Since then, I picked up a Fobus dual clip holder and have never had another issue. I don't carry loose magazines in my pocket anymore.