What and how do you carry at funerals?

[Biff Tannen]

It's almost hard to ask because it's such a personal subject, but I'm very curious....
What do you carry and how do you carry it at funerals, and what is your reasoning in your decisions?
Personally, I carry an NAA mini .22 deringer in my suit pocket, it stays invisible and I carry because all my loved ones are with me.
What's your M.O.?
Thanks, stay safe, and God bless!

[DannyB1954]

If I am going to a situation where there may be a lot of hugging or touching, I prefer to pocket carry a Diamondback DB9.
Not everyone needs to know that I carry, so I like to stay away from people asking what is that hard bump on your hip?

[SansSouci]

Biff,

Why would you carry at a funeral?

[Biff Tannen]

Sans souci:
I carry at a funeral for the same reason that I carry while walking a block to the store... One never knows. And with all my loved ones there, all the more reason.

I feel that self-defense reasons like that are good justification to carry.
Don't you?

Plus, haven't you seen "Night of the Living Dead"?

[sgms]

I usually carry a S&W mod. 642 or a Keltec P-11 in a pocket holster. Reload in off side pocket.

[dayman]

I imagine I'd very the same thing I do whenever I dress up - sa xds. But, I'm not much of a hugger, and I rarely go to funerals, so I may not be a great base line.

[Bob Wright]

I find that I'm going to more and more funerals lately, or at least visitations.

I wear my Sunday clothes, so my Ruger Blackhawk is on my hip.

And at these events, there are very few folks there who don't know I carry. In fact, most expect me to. And those who don't know got no business hugging me.

Bob Wright

[bedbugbilly]

Why would you carry any differently than you would anywhere else?

Personally, I wouldn't . . . it would be left in the car . . but that's me.

If the funeral is in a church . . . in Michigan . . you can't carry in a church unless you have written permission from the church . . . only exception is LEO or former LEO waiver. I'm sure that the laws varies from state to state in regards to that.

I just find this a really "odd" question . . . if someone is paranoid enough that they feel they have to carry at a funeral . . maybe they ought to stay home . . . . or question why they feel the need?

[oldandslow]

bt, 12/21/13

Good question. I go to a fair number of funerals, maybe one a month and always carry. For those that question the need remember that no place or event is completely safe including hospitals, churches etc.- places that were thought of as being perfectly safe. Being prepared means that you carry every place you can legally because you can't predict when you'll encounter a problem, even at funerals. If you could predict then most of us would avoid that place.

merry christmas- oldandslow

[Cheapshooter]

Why would you carry at a funeral?

Because you have to get there, and get home. I don't leave a gun in my vehicle unless there is no other option.
As in any situation where the highest degree of concealment is required, I would carry my LCP in a DeSantis Memisis pocket holster.
Ruger LCP, the gun you carry when you can't carry a gun.

[JimmyR]

If I am carrying in dress clothes, I am generally going to ankle carry my Beretta Tomcat, while keeping a full size 9mm or 45ACP in the trunk of my car if needed.

I find ankle carry especially convenient if one is spending much of their time sitting (funeral, driving, etc.).

[Psychedelic Bang]

I can see how NAA makes for great funeral carry

[Charlie1947]

Folks,
I carry a 9mm Smith in a IWB holster. The same thing I carry anywhere else.
BTW, how does a person know where to carry is the right place? Just askin'?

[Jay24bal]

For the actual funeral service, mine is required by law to be in my car as it is illegal to carry in a church without permission from the pastor/head of the church.

For visitations ("wakes" depending where you are from), or before/after being in the church, I carry the same way I do every other day, IWB carry of a compact 40 S&W at 4 o'clock. I see no need to carry it any other way. If they do feel it during a hug or other embrace, I have never had a single person ask what it is.

[MoGas1341]

If I absolutely had to, I guess I would strap an S&W .38 Bodyguard to my ankle. Prior to this question being posed, I never really gave it much thought... Then again, I don't know how I would feel about carrying into a church...

[SansSouci]

Biff,

I have been able to carry a handgun for over thirty years. I rarely carry one. I do live in an extremely safe city. I do not go to high crime areas unless I have to & then I'll take a handgun. I have been to funerals, and have never brought a handgun.

I do take a handgun when I take my kids fishing in the Sierra Nevada Mountains for protection against bears & lions.

[45Gunner]

Funeral or Wedding, makes no difference. I always carry my Kimber .45 Stainless Pro Carry. I have a right to self protection and someone may try to violate that right in almost any conceivable place. I want to be prepared. I have no qualms about being the last man standing.

[Biff Tannen]

Bedbugbilly:
You asked why I'd carry differently at a funeral than anywhere else...
Reason being the dramatic wardrobe change, most folks I know wear a suit to a funeral, but jeans and flannel / teeshirt, etc to a blue collar job.
And so, when te wardrobe is different, it may alter your draw technique, your conceal ability, etc.

[Theohazard]

Originally Posted by SanSouci

I have been able to carry a handgun for over thirty years. I rarely carry one. I do live in an extremely safe city. I do not go to high crime areas unless I have to & then I'll take a handgun. I have been to funerals, and have never brought a handgun.

A handgun doesn't do you much good if you don't have it with you. If you don't want to carry a gun that's fine, but don't act surprised at those of us who carry everywhere we go.

A carry gun is like a seatbelt: It's only helpful when you actually have it on you. Hopefully you're never going to need it, but it's pretty hard to know when exactly that's going to be, so it makes sense to just have it on you at all times. Do you decide not to buckle up because you're just taking a leisurely drive to the grocery store? Do you only wear your seatbelt when you drive on a busy highway? Probably not.

Most people are never going to need to use their gun, and for those that do it will probably be only once. So if you're actually serious about armed self-defense and you're trying to be prepared for that one time you might need your gun, why in the world would you only carry it some of the time? That makes no sense to me at all.

[Mike Irwin]

Shotgun, Beretta 9mm, and a Katana.

You never know when the zombie apocalypse is going to hit, and if you're already at ground zero, you want to be prepared...

[jimbob86]

Most people are never going to need to use their gun, and for those that do it will probably be only once. So if you're actually serious about armed self-defense and you're trying to be prepared for that one time you might need your gun, why in the world would you only carry it some of the time? That makes no sense to me at all.

+1.

Carry when and where you can.

[TailGator]

I carry at funerals because I carry everywhere that is legal. The reasons have been discussed adequately. I carry the same at church, funeral homes, and so on as I do in other situations - G26 IWB.

[Tactical Jackalope]

Same as I carry on a regular occasion. Last year I carried a SIG P226 strong side.

[reloader28]

I dont go ANYWHERE without my pistola. I dont care where it is. Even schools and banks and places I'm not supposed to. The banks we've talked to are more than happy anyway.
Its better to take the extreme slim chance and get caught with it, than to need that gun because some POS just shot my wife and daughters and they are screaming in pain. It is on my belt at all times, unless its hidden in a pocket somewhere. If its concealed, then nobody knows its there and there is no one thats going to tell me when I can and cant defend myself.

I live 40 miles from town and had 3 neighbors shot in cold blood in their own house about 3/4 mile behind me. It can happen ANYTIME and ANYWHERE so be ready.

Biff, I use a pocket holster, but ankle carry sounds pretty good for that.

[lee n. field]

What and how do you carry at funerals?

Why do you ask?

Either a funeral is just like any other occasion, or it's not. If it's like any other occasion, carry what you carry anywhere else, depending on circumstances.

I maintain that a funeral is a special occasion, in that it is the one place and time where you cannot avoid dealing with mortality. So much of our culture in these days seems dedicated to metaphorically plugging our ears and humming real loud and not facing death and eternity. Even, sadly and strangely, churches and funerals. See Funerals from Hell Where Have All the Graveyards Gone?.

It's almost hard to ask because it's such a personal subject, but I'm very curious....
What do you carry and how do you carry it at funerals, and what is your reasoning in your decisions?

See Post #10 above. Which is all, here and now, I will say about the matter.