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Old January 22, 2007, 08:51 AM   #1
Boriqua
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A real life CCW Question

Ok .. most of the discussions revolve around one stop shots, Multiple assailants, speedy reloads when you are being oh so tactical leaned over the hood of your car and fighting it out on the streets of America...... but I have a less lethal dilema.

Ok so you have your concealed weapon either in the waist or outside in a pancake holster and Nature calls. Yup your clenching your butt cheeks and you have to go now. So you step into the cubicle but as you know they only have partial hight walls and there is some 16-18 inches betweeen the floor and the wall.

What the hell do you do with the weapon that is on your pants!?!?!?!

Alex

Last edited by Boriqua; January 22, 2007 at 10:23 AM.
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Old January 22, 2007, 08:56 AM   #2
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You stick that holster in your mouth, and bit down real hard. That's when you don't want a 500 Mag revolver, OR dentures without the glue!
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Old January 22, 2007, 08:58 AM   #3
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That would be a good time to be wearing a shoulder holster..........
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Old January 22, 2007, 09:31 AM   #4
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Hello Boriqua,

There are some interesting and often humorous discussions about restroom strategies on some other forums. I might have seen them on THR, GlockTalk or elsewhere, I'm not sure.

If there is a toilet paper dispenser that has room to place the weapon on top, then do so and drape pieces of toilet paper over it. Though hardly secure, it will certainly withstand a casual glance through the sometimes large cracks in public stalls around the door jams, etc. It might look a little strange, but at least whoever walks by doesn't see a firearm there.

To the scenario you mentioned: If you are completely out of luck and there is no such flat platform at mid-height, take the holster and gun off your body while you are standing, suspend it with your thumb and forefinger down inside your pants and keep it there as lower them around your ankles. As you sit down on the seat and the pants (and weapon) hit the floor, there should be sufficient height to the crumpled pants to provide a place for the gun to be hidden from view. When done, do the same in reverse order.

It does require some discretion when taking the holster/gun combo off and putting it back on--make sure the strong side is turned away from the stall door and the inevitable huge cracks next to them.

But, properly executed, this technique should do the trick.
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Old January 22, 2007, 11:56 AM   #5
whitedemon89
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good question

that is a really good question. rather than remove the holster, draw the gun, and hold it (the gun that is) while you do your business. that would be a good time to make sure your gun is in good shape, ie loaded, safety on, mag fully in, etc.
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Old January 22, 2007, 03:01 PM   #6
BillCA
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The question is not as funny as it sounds to some. It's a serious problem for police officers and those who tote a gun on a daily basis.

The typical response is that you unsnap & unbuckle your britches and then withdraw your firearm carefully before sitting on the throne. Once seated, put the firearm in your shorts between your legs. You may want to pull the pants up closer to your knees to prevent someone from spotting it under the stall panels. This way, you can't leave it behind in the stall when you leave.

Women, however, have a more difficult issue. A woman wearing a skirt or dress does not have the added support/concealment of trousers around the ankles. Likewise, a woman's underwear is frequently not sturdy enough to support the firearm (whether it's the material or the cut of the material). Women carrying can take a purse into the stall and put the gun in there, but should also keep it off the floor since female thieves can reach under the panels to steal another woman's purse. Hanging it on a coat hook on the back of the door is less likely to be stolen, though sometimes that happens too.
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Old January 22, 2007, 03:09 PM   #7
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Here's more information on the subject.
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/...d.php?t=235012

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Old January 22, 2007, 03:10 PM   #8
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Bill ~

Actually, the skirt or dress is no problem; you don't have to unbuckle your belt or move the holster around to go potty wearing a skirt, you just pull the skirt up.

Carrying IWB in jeans, I've never really had a problem in the public restroom with this. Simplest method for me has been to lower my pants, rebuckle my belt loosely around my knees, and keep a little tension against the belt to hold the holster & gun in place just barely below my knees -- which is usually above the stall door & thus unseen.

Tips:

1) Never, ever, ever, EVER take the stall next to a small child. Small kids look under stalls, and are prone to comment (loudly) about what they see.

2) If possible, take an end stall -- preferably a stall with the wall on your right side, assuming you carry on your right side. This puts the gun up against a solid wall where folks are less likely to spot it if they glance through the doors to see if the stall is occupied.

3) Don't be furtive. Be matter-of-fact. People notice furtive. You aren't breaking the law; you're a good citizen doing something perfectly legal.

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Old January 22, 2007, 03:24 PM   #9
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I usually take the firearm from the holster and sit it inside my dropped pants between my ankles. That way it is safe and secure and I cannot pull my pants back up and leave without out putting it back where it goes.

I have seen too many stories of cops leaving their firearm behind in restrooms because they pulled them out and sat them on the TP dispenser or something.
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Old January 22, 2007, 06:32 PM   #10
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hhhhhmmmmmmmmm, never thought about that one. "Houston We Have A Problem"..............................
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Old January 22, 2007, 06:37 PM   #11
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...I'm gonna catch me a beatin' on this one...

...but carrying my wee-tiny mousegun (Taurus PT-22) in my wee-tiny galco pocket holster allows me to drop a deuce in the exact same manner I would without a gun...only my pants want to head south faster than usual.

Point for mousegun here.
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Old January 22, 2007, 06:53 PM   #12
Boriqua
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wow ... Although I said it tongue in cheek it was a serios question I didnt think to worry about until recently..... See I am pretty regular

But I think the pants solution is just the thing and didnt think about it. I would up going in the stall designed for handicapped persons becasue it is larger and my right side was to the wall so no one would see my gun hanging off my belt at my ankles.

Alex
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Old January 23, 2007, 12:12 AM   #13
greyson
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I always use a stall. I never hit the urinals anymore. If I have the choice, I will use the handicap stalls. It seems like they will always have a banister, baby changing table, small metal shelf, or hooks to use.

Usually, I can get away with using the top of the toilet if the back of it is a flat square.

But I have to admit, I never thought about covering it up on the floor with pants. Good idea.

Regards,
Greyson
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Old January 23, 2007, 12:38 AM   #14
James K
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You can take off the gun and holster and set them on top of the toilet tank. Then we can read the newspaper article, "Cop Leaves Gun In Restroom; Chief Suspends Veteran Officer."

Seriously, I just let it all fall, and made sure the pants dropped over the holster. If it is not right at the partition, it is hard for anyone to see it anyhow, and no one is really looking. (Well, they shouldn't be looking, and if they are, the sight of the gun will cause them to stop looking.)

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Old January 23, 2007, 12:51 AM   #15
teejhot.40cal
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I always go to the bathroom in a stall. If I have to drop a bomb, so to speak, I put the gun on the toilet paper dispenser. That way the gun is always in front of me and I can grab it if I need to. Just kidding, the main reason that the gun is in front of me is so I don't forget it.
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Old January 23, 2007, 02:20 AM   #16
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I carry with IWB. I just draw the weapon and when I sit, I place it inside my pants that are around my ankles...no problem. When I first carried in IWB, I went to the bathroom, dropped my pants, sat on the toilet and my holster kind of flipped over and my gun partially fell out and could have easily been seen by a person in the next stall...fortunately there wasn't anyone there. Lesson learned.
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Old January 23, 2007, 10:57 AM   #17
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Just hold your piece in your armpit.
If they see a holster but no gun. They can't really be shore what they've seen.
I also don't take craps at public rest stops or restaurants. I've been that way since high school. I'd wait the eight hour of class to go take a dump. Only difference is if I'm at work or I'm sick, it's a whole nother story.
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Old January 23, 2007, 11:22 AM   #18
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I carry IWB, often a full size 1911.

I find that if you loosen the holster/belt combo you can lay the holsterred gun inside the crotch of your lowerred pants. Then lower your underwear over them and don't drop your pants all the way to the floor (keep a "Bowl").

I do not like to take my gun out of my holster unless I am going to use it or unload it and lock it away. I certainly do not like the idea of a loaded gun left out of a holster in my arm pit or in some other non-gun carrying intended place.

For an OWB you can do pretty much the same thing as for the IWB but you will have to roll the pants in some. I always prefer to leave the gun in the holster where it should be impossible to have the trigger pulled by accident (like in a slip/drop and reflexive grab).
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Old January 23, 2007, 04:45 PM   #19
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it sounds stupid, but could work....

a simple handkerchief to cover the gun and holster. it could also be used for many other things as well.....
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Old January 23, 2007, 05:10 PM   #20
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Just be like me and refuse to crap in public places... haha
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Old January 23, 2007, 09:09 PM   #21
Don H
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This seems to be a popular topic and was recently discussed here:
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/...d.php?t=235012
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Old January 23, 2007, 11:00 PM   #22
Jacobie
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i put it in m pocket while im syanding up, no chance of forgeting it.
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Old January 24, 2007, 12:16 AM   #23
Blackwater OPS
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Quote:
The question is not as funny as it sounds to some. It's a serious problem for police officers and those who tote a gun on a daily basis.
Actually while in uniform the problem is much easier to deal with, just take off the pistol belt and hold it.
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Old January 24, 2007, 01:35 AM   #24
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Just don't do...

what a Michigan State Trooper did. In March of 2006, stopped @ fast-food place west of kalamazoo, used the head and left his off-duty firearm on the TP holder and walked out. Manager comes in for shift and uses the head and IMMEDIATELTY closed the head anad calls the Sherriff.
They come and secure the sidearm and run the S/N (Michigan has registration disguised as safety inspection) contacts the MSP post and the Commander confirms and contact the Super trooper, who forgot he left it.
Search archives Kalamazoo Gazatte for story and note how quick it died.
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Old January 24, 2007, 09:21 AM   #25
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I just checked this thread for the first time today after my original post, and was amazed to see how often people mention the fear of "forgetting" their sidearm if placed on the paper dispenser, tank, etc.

Seems like the first thing you'd notice would be the startling absence of that weight and bulk, whether inside or outside your pants. Though it isn't a real pain to cart around, I can't imagine forgetting it--ever.

Maybe y'all have got too comfortable carrying where you live. Feel free to migrate up this way and treat yourself to a dose of MA insanity and the paranoia it breeds .
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