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January 9, 2020, 01:21 PM | #1 |
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Join Date: November 15, 2019
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Beach, gym and pool - CCW ??
Hello, fellow firing line and legal conceal carriers, I have a question for you.
Although I am a long time owner of firearms, I only started conceal carrying 18 months ago. Now I conceal carry AIWB every time and every place where it is legal. However, there are two places for which I do not know what to do: the beach and the gym. I flew with the fam to Miami for a 4 day trip to the beach. I concealed carried while in Miami, but I didn't know what to do when visiting the beach, and in those occasions I ended up leaving the gun at the hotel. I mean, the only point of going to the beach is to swim, and what do you do with the gun then? Leaving it unattended is an absolute no-no. The gym is more or less the same: I am not going to AIWB carry while I do heavy squats or deadlifts, so I don't know whether or not leaving the gun locked away in the gym locker is safe or if I should instead leave it in the car (again, unattended). What do you do? I'd appreciate some opinions and advice. Cheers, Pistolero |
January 9, 2020, 01:51 PM | #2 |
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Hello. I've lived in Miami Florida all my life. Hope it treated you well.
I carry in a 5.11 MOAB 6 while at the gym. A lot of people at my gym have those loud bags anyway. So it stays in there inside the breakaway Velcro pocket. It's a full-sized HK P30L or Glock 17. The beach or the pool? It's in my less conspicuous Vertx EDC Ready Bag. We make sure there is always someone from our pack attending to our things. The last time I've been to the beach was years ago. I'm jaded.... I've always had it. But that's how I carry in said places. When I go running, jogging, hiking, biking, kayaking, it's carried the same as always in my T5 HitchHiker holster appendix. I usually never have it off of my body as I do not believe in that method of carry. I don't pool or beach much if ever and the gym, I frequent 4-5 times a week. The only other time it's off me is when I'm asleep or taking a shower. Even then, it's 2ft away from me. |
January 9, 2020, 01:57 PM | #3 |
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there is nothing that I would recommend.
pool=Chlorine, an extremely corrosive substance beach= sand (abrasive)+ salt (mild corrosive) in that situation the only option for carrying at the beach I can recommend to have have a designated fuddy, who doesn't go into the water and watches everyone else's valuables. you could leave your weapon with them, then after you have chance to wash off sand and salt water put the gun back in. gym/pool is easy enough, lock the weapon in a locker.
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January 9, 2020, 01:58 PM | #4 |
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I've gone to the beach many times without getting into the sharks food bowl, my dogs like walking on the beach.
I'm wearing cargo shorts and a shirt, so concealment is not a concern, neither is having a chunk of my body bitten off. If you are actually getting into the ocean past knee deep then concealed carry may not be an option. With gym type shorts a Smartcarry might work, or you could do those squats & deadlifts while wearing cargo shorts.
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Strive to carry the handgun you would want anywhere, everywhere; forget that good area bullcrap. "Wouldn't want to / Nobody volunteer to" get shot by _____ is not indicative of quickly incapacitating. |
January 9, 2020, 02:03 PM | #5 | |
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January 9, 2020, 02:08 PM | #6 |
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At the beach I keep a staff on the beach near my towels and bags. Is it ideal? No. However the only time I have had an issue at the beach was two individuals who insisted their aggressive dog was a "service animal" and was exempt from the "no dogs" signs. The guys were "clowns" and when I didn't back down from their aggressive posturing looked again, decided it was time to leave, and did.
At the gym. Who is dumb enough to attack someone at the gym? Is it possible you will find yourself unarmed and someone is targeting you at a specific time? Its possible. But if unarmed means helpless you should look into that a little bit. |
January 9, 2020, 02:11 PM | #7 | |
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Quote:
I suppose it depends on the neighborhood and the gym, uh? |
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January 9, 2020, 02:14 PM | #8 | |
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January 9, 2020, 02:18 PM | #9 | |
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Quote:
What I have done is take my gym bag to the crapper, close the door to the stall and change into gym clothes there, put the holstered gun in the gym bag. After getting out of the stall, lock the gym bag in the locker. I think that this is safer than leaving it locked in the car, which on the other hand would be easier. |
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January 9, 2020, 02:21 PM | #10 |
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<<Huh? Happened in the mall where my wife works. I'm talking feet away.>>
talk about "roid rage"! Hey Tactical Jackalope, with T5 HitchHiker holster appendix, going to the bathroom, do you have to take the whole thing off? I carry AIWB too but I carry my pistol and extra mag in separate holsters so the pistol is at 1 o'clock and the mag is at 11 o'clock. I just unbutton the pants and the pistol side open to the right, the mag side to the left. I have looked at holsters like the T5 HitchHiker because they look like they are comfortable and they stay securely in place, but the only concern that has stopped me from trying them out is the logistics of going to the bathroom. Forgive me if this question is getting too personal, but how do you manage with the T5 HitchHiker? Last edited by Pistoler0; January 9, 2020 at 02:29 PM. |
January 9, 2020, 02:45 PM | #11 | |
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Join Date: December 5, 2010
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Quote:
#1, obviously, no issues. #2, it's the same way you do it with the holster and mag holder on the opposite side. Which is how I had it for many years prior to the sidecar designs. What I do when I take the browns to the superbowl, is undo the belt loop on the gun side and the belt / button / zipper are free. Also, if you're serious about T5, DM me. I may or may not have some advice and possibly a discount code pertaining to my user name. |
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January 9, 2020, 03:01 PM | #12 |
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the gym is easy enough, something like a Kel-tec in a pocket unless you're wearing leotards or spandex like jane fonda. the beach or pool or bathtub.... no gun is waterproof. you can put a Kel-tec in a zip lock baggie in your pocket, again unless you're wearing a speedo like greg Louganis.
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January 9, 2020, 03:02 PM | #13 |
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If I were to swim recreationally, I would probably leave it secured in the car, and if I had no car, then the hotel room.
At the gym or martial-arts dojo or whatever, it could work to keep it in a bag next to me or secured in a locker, or the car. I carry nearly all the time, but I wouldn't go to absurd lengths just to be armed those few times when it is very impractical. There are technical solutions to allow for carrying a handgun, not necessarily the one I normally carry, concealed in a wetsuit and so on, but I am better off acknowledging that I have limited resources of time, money, and attention to focus on personal protection and directing those resources toward "most likely" things rather than "worst case" outliers just makes more sense. |
January 9, 2020, 03:29 PM | #14 |
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I carry almost everywhere. Aquatic activities are the exception. Even if you could find a practical way to carry and still enjoy those activities; things like salt, sand, or chlorine can be pretty rough on equipment.
I'd recommend a reasonably resistant knife of some kind, not just for defensive emergencies but also the more likely case that you have to cut something. |
January 9, 2020, 03:37 PM | #15 |
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This may sound crazy, but I have done it before in a bag... A food saver bag with the quick rip tab.
Nothing will get in. |
January 9, 2020, 03:55 PM | #16 |
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January 9, 2020, 07:16 PM | #17 |
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Dunham’s sports by me sells waterproof, heavy duty bag like compartments for electronic devices geared towards hikers and kayakers. You could easily fit a snubbie or LCP in them
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January 9, 2020, 07:22 PM | #18 |
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I sweat too much in either location. The day I have to carry while I am in the gym working out is the day I find another gym. Same for the beach
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January 9, 2020, 07:34 PM | #19 |
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Ill tell ya how I look at it:
I spent the first 21 years of my life traveling all over the nation and all around the world while being unarmed. Now-a-days I am armed often but not always.. I think I can manage it. I certainly do not carry a gun while at the gym or the beach, or the hottub or to the dentist, Dr's office. I'm just not one of those guys.
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January 9, 2020, 07:38 PM | #20 |
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I'm not a beach person, so I can't speak to that situation. However, I do carry to our fitness center, which has both a weight room and a pool. While I am actually in the pool or otherwise working out, my XD9 is in my gym bag, which is in a locker secured with a padlock. I don't think anyone has even noticed when I transfer the gun from holster to gym bag and back again. Even if someone were to see, Alabama is an open carry state, and the facility has no "target-rich environment" signs.
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January 9, 2020, 08:26 PM | #21 |
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tell us what gym and beach you frequent so we can leave our guns elsewhere too. how about what church and department store you don't need to carry a gun?
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January 11, 2020, 11:01 AM | #22 |
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I swim with a Glock 26 in a Galco pocket holster and swim trunks/fishing shorts with a zippered pocket. I can’t say it applies to every modern pistol; but Glocks are quite corrosion resistant and I imagine many other modern pistols are as well but I don’t have as much personal experience there. You do still need to wash them down with fresh water and relubricate after every swim though.
FWIW, back in the 80s, GIGN used to use S&W Model 66s for swimming. I don’t know what extra maintenance that entailed; but I’ve watched a guy pull a model 66 from underwater, raise it, and shoot with no issues. My big concern would be obstructing the bore with mud or incompletely drained water when swimming with a pistol. |
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