Stories like these are a teaching moment.
A 40-year-old man told police he accidentally shot himself with a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun while he was walking his dogs on Cherry Hill east of Denton Road, according to a police report.
The man allegedly told police he had his hand in his coat pocket where he was carrying the gun – and he accidentally pulled the trigger and shot himself in the lower right abdomen when a raccoon startled him.
I’m sure there’s more to this story as far as why I had his finger on the trigger of a gun buried in his pocket and pointed at his gut. What I don’t need to know is HOW he was carrying the gun. He was obviously not using a pocket holster.
Why not? Probably he just didn’t even know of such things. Before I got into guns I assumed a holster was just there to hold a gun. Like that ring on a pair of carpenter’s pants that holds a claw hammer.
Of course once you start reading about holsters they’re not just carrying devices, they’re SAFETY devices. They keep crap out of your gun, and keep that trigger from being pulled before its time. Some holsters keep the wrong person from grabbing your gun.
I’m going to assume he had a S&W J-Frame revolver from the report.
Personally I go with the Desantis Nemesis, which right now is $17.50.
This is SHORT MONEY, and honestly its hard to beat a cheap pocket holster, for the exact reason why this guy didn’t use one in the first place. Pocket holsters don’t retain your gun, your pocket does that. They don’t prevent access, your pocket does. They do conceal the gun a little better by breaking up the image, but their big goal in life is keeping pocket crud out of your gun, and keeping your gun from shooting you in the gut.
How much do you suppose his visit to the ER and lost time at work cost him?
If you carry in the pocket GET A HOLSTER FOR IT!
No exceptions, no discussion, it might save your life!
Uncle Mikes “Inside the Pocket”, that’s where my Model 36 stays ready to pounce.
Why is your link cheaper than what I paid? Damn!
have you given the Nemesis a try? Its a little stiffer and breaks up the print a little better, and I’ve had my DeSantis a little longer than I carried with my Uncle Mike’s and it seems to hold up a BUNCH better. Neighbor’s kid always had designs on being a cop (he starts on the local force pretty soon!) and so he got his carry permit as soon as he turned 21. We were talking shop about carry guns, and he said he mostly carried a GLOCK 23, but liked his model 638 on his bike, but he said it printed in his pocket like crazy. When I asked it turned out, nope, no pocket holster. My Uncle Mike’s got a new home that day. A lot of people just don’t know about pocket holsters, hence why I beat that drum!
+10 on the holster and even when you get one, DON’T carry anything else in the pocket with it for goodness sake.
A pocket holster is a good idea. That being said, I have to wonder if the hammer were cocked. The trigger pull on those snubbies isn’t exactly a hair.
Who knows, but then again there is a reason why we have rule #3. #11lbs feels like a lot when you’re target shooting, but you might be surprised at how tight your fist clenches in a startle reaction.
My recommendation.
Wear it like a big wallet. Mine also fits in the breast pocket of my motorcycle jacket.
http://pocketholsters.com/S-W-Taurus-Rossi__Pocket-Walle/s-w-taurus-rossi__pocket-wallet_holster.html
Strange. That’s local news to me (roughly…it’s in the Metro Area, and in an outer-fringe-suburb that I visit once or twice a month).
And I wasn’t aware of this story until I saw it here. Thanks, Weerd!
I’ll agree: I use a holster for pocket-carry. And a different holster for belt-carry. It’s a good idea.