June 2010 – Page 9 – Shall Not Be Questioned

What’s In Your Pocket?

I mentioned yesterday Uncle’s review of an interesting holster. There are a number of problems I have with pocket carry, based on all the equipment I prefer to carry. First, here’s some of the gear I’m carrying:

The Apple chicklet keyboard is for scale. I’m not carrying that with me. But starring from left to right is a Kimber Pepper Blaster II, a Kel-Tec P3-AT, Fenix LD10 Flashlight, Sabre Red OC, and a spare loaded mag for the Kel-Tec.Â Not featured is the SOG Aegis, car keys, wallet, nor the iPhone and MultiTool I carry everywhere.

I’m not carrying all these things all the time. I either carry the OC canister, or the Pepper Blaster. Not both. If you look at the pocket holster I carry the Kel-Tec in, I have the flashlight laid out exactly how I prefer to carry it in pocket. Why? Because it breaks up the outline. You’ll see what I mean:

The camera didn’t do it justice, but these are an older pair of jeans that have a gun shape worn in them. Those got worn before I figured out I needed something to break up the outline. Even if I carry a wallet in my front pocket, at least I feel the wear pattern looks kind of obvious. In this picture, the Kel-Tec and holster are in the pocket, so you can see it’s obvious to someone observant that I’m carrying.

The purpose of a pocket holster is to protect the trigger, and to keep the gun upright in the pocket. It does an excellent job of that. But after a while, it doesn’t break up the outline effectively, and needs help. I’m not sure a holster that helps something else ride there is the answer, even thought I said yesterday it might be cool.

First, if I’m carrying a flashlight in that pocket, I go fetch that several times a day. There can’t be a holster getting in the way of that. Secondly, I need to be able to place it back in a pocket, and secure it in place without man handling anything, and definitely without having to remove the holster from the pocket to redo straps or get things in the right position.

Everything’s really a trade off. If we were all cops we could just keep everything on a duty belt, but we’re not. We have to make choices. In summer time, for me that means a pocket rocket instead of a Glock 19. That means a smaller OC canister. After more thought, I think the main piece of gear that would be helpful in this setup is a pocket holster for the Pepper Blaster II, for when I opt to carry that in circumstances I can’t carry a pistol. The original Pepper Blaster had a clip, but for some reason Kimber didn’t do that with the second version. I feel uncomfortable carrying the PB II in a pocket without the trigger guarded. The safety that comes with it is feeble.

If anyone has any suggestions or good stories from their own experience, feel free to chime in.

Quote of the Day

Dennis Henigan is predictably upset:

Itâ€™s now clear that the Democratic leadership in Congress has turned the reins of power over to the National Rifle Association. Is it time to make it official and elect the NRAâ€™s Wayne LaPierre Speaker of the House?

The reality is this is the most Democratic Congress in many years. It’s also the most left-wing Congress we’ve had at least in my lifetime. Yet this Congress has bent over backwards to avoid picking a fight with NRA, and have honestly been willing to do more for us in two years than the Republican Congress did in 14 years. Reid’s been very good about attaching pro-gun amendments to bills that give the White House cover to sign, and sign they have.

The shame of it is I’m angry about nearly everything else this Congress has done. The even bigger shame of it is that after NRA fails to protect many of the incumbents, they could see a lot of political capital disappear overnight. The good thing is the house will probably flip back to GOP. But that might not be the best thing for our gun rights.

One reason I’m not all that sympathetic to conservative groups and Republican hacks complaining that NRA won’t do their fighting for them is that they’ve never really lifted a finger for us when we needed them. Guns have always been a barely welcome part of the Republican coalition. It’s worth noting it was a Republican Congress in 1996 that failed to undo the wrong of the Clinton gun ban. After November, it’ll be time for the GOP to show us things have changed, lest we too soon begin to consider that perhaps the Democrats learned something on other fronts from their 2010 beating.

There’s a new Sheriff in town boys. Best get used to it.

Delco Times Refighting Heller

They aren’t happy Lentz’s reciprocityÂ weakeningÂ bill is being held up:

When it comes to firearms, some people refuse to face facts.

Blindly invoking the Second Amendment, written almost 235 years ago when militias were needed to defend a fledgling nation, they decry any effort to stem the flow of guns to the general public.

Even spurning attempts at compromise, they grouse at any hint of gun control.

How would the Delco Times feel if we said the First Amendment’s right to freedom of the press was antiquated, written almost 235 years ago when we needed a formal press establishment? It seems if it’s there, we ought toÂ respectÂ it, and last I checked the Times didn’t need a license from the state before it had permission to exercise its right. The editorial that follows is completely one sided. I know it’s an editorial, but they sought out quotes from proponents,and their quote from someone on our side was a throw away, meaningless one liner. There was no attempt to convey our concerns about the abuses of Philadelphia’s discretion in issuing and revoking Licenses to Carry. You want to agree that it’s still a smart measure, fine, but don’t give our opponents views credence without listening to us. This is why the dead tree media is going down the toilet.

Interesting Holster

SayUncle is reviewing a combination pocket and in-waist-band holster from The Holster Site. One thing I’d like to see is a pocket holster that can carry a small canister of OC spray or flash light along side it, or a holster for this. I got the Kimber Pepper Blaster II because one thing I hate about OC is it’s difficult to fumble for the right orientation with a round canister. The problem with the pepper blaster is that it’s more bulky, and only gives you two shots. Not sure yet whether it makes sense or not, but I do like the pistol like grip, and if there were a holster for it, it would be quick to get into action. In summer I do a lot of pocket carry, but it’s problematic. I’ll do a follow-up post about this when I get home and can take pictures of the rig.

We’re Winning

The number of people supporting gun ownership continues to rise, according to a new Harris poll. This isn’t too surprising, considering the number of alternate sources of news that don’t have the old media’s bias. Take a look, for instance, at this cracked.com article on movie myths surrounding guns. Lots of non-gun people read Cracked, and now they know silencers are really suppressors, and machine guns aren’t bullet hoses.

Hat Tip to SayUncle for the Cracked article.

Last Word on DISCLOSE

At least until there’s more news, I think this controversy has been about as hashed out as it can be. It’s certainly raised a lot of passion.Â Chris doesn’t hold anything back against GOA, and this post is brutal on the opponents of NRA’s tactic. But I think the final word, and closest to my own view, has to go to Cam Edwards of NRA News:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBceuvInlcs[/youtube]

I think that’s about as well as it can be said. Until there’s new news, it’s time to move on to other issues.

Long Shot to Kill DISCLOSE

Joe Huffman thinks this deal could end up being the long shot that kills the whole campaign finance monstrosity. CountertopÂ thinks that’s exactly what’s going to happen, and notes that this controversy is forcing the media and our opponents to highlight the fact that NRA has a million members andÂ receivesÂ littleÂ corporateÂ funding. Kind of blows a hole in VPC and Brady’s “gun lobby” claims, doesn’t it?Â Van Hollen isÂ having to do some work to keep allies in line. The backlash from left groups appears to be starting. Certainly none of these things are good for the bill, but I’m not sure the Democratic leadership won’t shove it down everyone’s throats anyway.

If the attention this deal is getting does kill the bill, I think it would be giving NRA too much credit to say they planned it that way, but nor do I think anyone at headquarters will shed a tear. No one likes this bill. It’s the Democrats who want it.

The Original Intent Was to Exempt All 501(c)(4)s

We also know that the original proposition floated exempted all 501(c)(4)s:

Could the NRA or other groups succeed in watering down the bill enough to alienate the watchdog groups that now support it? Leonard, of the League of Women Voters, pointed to a proposed amendment from Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.) as a possible deal-breaker for his group. The Shuler amendment [PDF] would exempt any 501(c)4 non-profit that finances election ads using only individual donations, as opposed to corporate money, from the billâ€™s disclosure and coordination rules.

That was from a week or so ago, so we know that was at least tried, but the sponsor was concerned that they’d lose the support of the groups pushing for DISCLOSE:

Looking at it, it would be a mistake to eliminate all [501(c)(4)] organizations from the conversation … That’s why we settled on a provision that said, for well-established C4 organizations that have dues-paying members that aren’t trying to hide from anybody — that would be the test.

So the deal would appear to be the result of the sausage grinder, rather than any purposeful conspiracy to freeze other groups out of the process, or crap on the First Amendment, as NRA is being accused of over at Red State.

Update on New York Microstamping

I’m getting a report that it was tabled in the Senate. I will provide a link as soon as I can.

UPDATE:Â Yep. Jacob confirms it. It’s been tabled. This doesn’t kill it, but it’s off the agenda for now. Doesn’t look like they liked how the vote was going. Good show New Yorkers!

Brady Campaign Against DISCLOSE

They pretty much say it:

I strongly urge House members to reflect deeply upon whom it is they are supposed to represent and protect, and oppose this tarnished legislation. I urge every American who wishes to be heard on the most important issues of our time to contact Congressional leaders and urge them to stop this proposal.

You know, I actually agree with the Brady Campaign on this, and will contact my reps and ask them to oppose the DISCLOSE act, as it stands. But I would note that the Bradys had no position on this legislation until it was no longer going to chain their opponents. I welcome them to the party, but view their interest in this opposition as entirely self-serving, or they would have been on the record sooner.