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Anyone carry TWO?

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OldGrunt said:
I am seriously considering it. Most of the time my EDC is a J-frame, with a speed strip or two for a reload in my pocket. Maybe in the near future I will pick up an exact duplicate of what I carry so I have a second one on me.
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Been carrying two guns for many years. In this photo EDC is SA Echelon now EDC is an Sig P-220 Legion SAO 45acp S&W J-frame in ankle holster, Tops Knives dagger, extra mag and Surefire Tactician light. Not shown is speed loader for the little Smith.
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BarryinIN said:
I have aā€¦ I donā€™t knowā€¦ call it a thought exercise for everyone.

As you go about your day tomorrow, at random times, ask yourself ā€œIf I needed my carry gun right this second, how easily can I get it?ā€

Do this from the time you get up until you go back to bed. All day long. Think about this while driving to the store, or watching the grandkids at a sporting event, doing yard work, or just sitting at home watching TV all day. Be fair about it, and donā€™t do things like second guess it by thinking ā€œBut why would I need my gun now?ā€, just do the exercise.

Iā€™ll check back.
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Why did i post that?
This may get long.

Those who do carry a second/third/whatever can come up with plenty of reasons to rationalize it. I'm one who carries a spare, and I can probably come up with 50-60 reasons why.

And four or five of those actually make some sense!

But those who don't carry a second gun almost always come up with variations on the same TWO reasons why they don't.

The first reason is they don't want to deal with, or can't deal with, the weight and bulk of more than one gun.
I get that. I understand.

The other reason I always see is some variation on: They see no need for the "firepower". They don't expect to fight a war/they stay away from gang areas, etc.

This second reason I don't understand, but not why you might think. I don't understand it because it implies that must be the only reason a second gun might be used.

And that's why I posted the above. One of the best reasons I can think of for carrying a second gun is to ensure I CAN ACCESS ONE. I wanted to to watch that throughout the day.
Once I started watching, I saw there was no ONE good place I could carry a gun so I could always access it easily. Like a lot of people, I carry IWB at 3-4 o'clock, which works great until I'm sitting in a car or in a restaurant, or any of several cases. That's just everyday functions.

As a non-LEO, if I need a gun, its in RESPONSE to immediate threat to life. Something has very likely already happened. I can't draw a gun as a precaution except in a very rare case. We are probably starting from behind.

So the first I might need a gun is when I'm lying on the ground on top of it...with a broken wrist on that same side. Or if simply pinned against a wall. You can have the best situational awareness in the world, and still start out on the ground bleeding.

My idea was to get people looking beyond just firepower as a reason. Having a second gun in a different location has nothing to do with not being able to get the job done with X number of rounds.. Or looking to get involved in running gun battles... Or simply so you can shoot more.
It has to do with having the worst day of your life and wanting to make sure you have more than Plan A and only Plan A to help with it.

That's only one reason. Want more?

Guns break or simply fail. No, mine nevvvver do. No, not mine. But I sure see it happen a lot to those other guys in classes, matches, and body cam videos.

Guns get taken away. Can't happen to me, either. Except in the disarm classes where the gun is gone in a heartbeat even when you know it's coming.

Guns get dropped. What? What kind of idiot drops his gun? The idiot who is doing everything right, but he had to make his draw while being beat on with a piece of lumber. But that wouldn't happen in any scenario where you'd need to pull your gun.

Lots of reasons.

As a wise man says: Everyone has to work out their own salvation. But don't disregard backup guns without plenty of fair thought first.
 
BarryinIN said:
Why did i post that?
This may get long.

Those who do carry a second/third/whatever can come up with plenty of reasons to rationalize it. I'm one who carries a spare, and I can probably come up with 50-60 reasons why.

And four or five of those actually make some sense!

But those who don't carry a second gun almost always come up with variations on the same TWO reasons why they don't.

The first reason is they don't want to deal with, or can't deal with, the weight and bulk of more than one gun.
I get that. I understand.

The other reason I always see is some variation on: They see no need for the "firepower". They don't expect to fight a war/they stay away from gang areas, etc.

This second reason I don't understand, but not why you might think. I don't understand it because it implies that must be the only reason a second gun might be used.

And that's why I posted the above. One of the best reasons I can think of for carrying a second gun is to ensure I CAN ACCESS ONE. I wanted to to watch that throughout the day.
Once I started watching, I saw there was no ONE good place I could carry a gun so I could always access it easily. Like a lot of people, I carry IWB at 3-4 o'clock, which works great until I'm sitting in a car or in a restaurant, or any of several cases. That's just everyday functions.

As a non-LEO, if I need a gun, its in RESPONSE to immediate threat to life. Something has very likely already happened. I can't draw a gun as a precaution except in a very rare case. We are probably starting from behind.

So the first I might need a gun is when I'm lying on the ground on top of it...with a broken wrist on that same side. Or if simply pinned against a wall. You can have the best situational awareness in the world, and still start out on the ground bleeding.

My idea was to get people looking beyond just firepower as a reason. Having a second gun in a different location has nothing to do with not being able to get the job done with X number of rounds.. Or looking to get involved in running gun battles... Or simply so you can shoot more.
It has to do with having the worst day of your life and wanting to make sure you have more than Plan A and only Plan A to help with it.

That's only one reason. Want more?

Guns break or simply fail. No, mine nevvvver do. No, not mine. But I sure see it happen a lot to those other guys in classes, matches, and body cam videos.

Guns get taken away. Can't happen to me, either. Except in the disarm classes where the gun is gone in a heartbeat even when you know it's coming.

Guns get dropped. What? What kind of idiot drops his gun? The idiot who is doing everything right, but he had to make his draw while being beat on with a piece of lumber. But that wouldn't happen in any scenario where you'd need to pull your gun.

Lots of reasons.

As a wise man says: Everyone has to work out their own salvation. But don't disregard backup guns without plenty of fair thought first.
Click to expand...
Guess some of us could come up with, What If Situations, where a 2nd gun could possibly save our lives. Got into many fights and wrestling matches in my LEO years was lucky never had my gun taken or dropped. Also back then carried the j-frame in an home made boot holster. Really don't care what others think I'll continue carrying two till I'm on the wrong side of the dirt.
 
As a retired person, I have concerns. However, not in LE and no longer go out to the city or places with lots of people or places that serve alcohol. Covid BS changed our behavior a lot. In other words, no stupid places at stupid times with stupid people doing stupid things. These days, we stay home most of the time other than going to the range or meeting for dinner with friends. But to your question, we both carry but when is enough, enough?
 
BarryinIN said:
Why did i post that?
This may get long.

Those who do carry a second/third/whatever can come up with plenty of reasons to rationalize it. I'm one who carries a spare, and I can probably come up with 50-60 reasons why.

And four or five of those actually make some sense!

But those who don't carry a second gun almost always come up with variations on the same TWO reasons why they don't.

The first reason is they don't want to deal with, or can't deal with, the weight and bulk of more than one gun.
I get that. I understand.

The other reason I always see is some variation on: They see no need for the "firepower". They don't expect to fight a war/they stay away from gang areas, etc.

This second reason I don't understand, but not why you might think. I don't understand it because it implies that must be the only reason a second gun might be used.

And that's why I posted the above. One of the best reasons I can think of for carrying a second gun is to ensure I CAN ACCESS ONE. I wanted to to watch that throughout the day.
Once I started watching, I saw there was no ONE good place I could carry a gun so I could always access it easily. Like a lot of people, I carry IWB at 3-4 o'clock, which works great until I'm sitting in a car or in a restaurant, or any of several cases. That's just everyday functions.

As a non-LEO, if I need a gun, its in RESPONSE to immediate threat to life. Something has very likely already happened. I can't draw a gun as a precaution except in a very rare case. We are probably starting from behind.

So the first I might need a gun is when I'm lying on the ground on top of it...with a broken wrist on that same side. Or if simply pinned against a wall. You can have the best situational awareness in the world, and still start out on the ground bleeding.

My idea was to get people looking beyond just firepower as a reason. Having a second gun in a different location has nothing to do with not being able to get the job done with X number of rounds.. Or looking to get involved in running gun battles... Or simply so you can shoot more.
It has to do with having the worst day of your life and wanting to make sure you have more than Plan A and only Plan A to help with it.

That's only one reason. Want more?

Guns break or simply fail. No, mine nevvvver do. No, not mine. But I sure see it happen a lot to those other guys in classes, matches, and body cam videos.

Guns get taken away. Can't happen to me, either. Except in the disarm classes where the gun is gone in a heartbeat even when you know it's coming.

Guns get dropped. What? What kind of idiot drops his gun? The idiot who is doing everything right, but he had to make his draw while being beat on with a piece of lumber. But that wouldn't happen in any scenario where you'd need to pull your gun.

Lots of reasons.

As a wise man says: Everyone has to work out their own salvation. But don't disregard backup guns without plenty of fair thought first.
Click to expand...
I donā€™t know ā€¦. I donā€™t carry my spare set of car keys everywhere I go with me. I donā€™t carry two phones. I donā€™t carry another pair of sunglasses. I donā€™t wear two wristwatches. I donā€™t carry two pocketknives either.

Youā€™ve got me thinking Iā€™m at risk ā€¦ one is none and two is one ā€¦
 
Musashi said:
As a retired person, I have concerns. However, not in LE and no longer go out to the city or places with lots of people or places that serve alcohol. Covid BS changed our behavior a lot. In other words, no stupid places at stupid times with stupid people doing stupid things. These days, we stay home most of the time other than going to the range or meeting for dinner with friends. But to your question, we both carry but when is enough, enough?
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Iā€™m with you there šŸ‘. We are in our 70s and like you, Covid changed our lifestyle big time, we donā€™t go many places now out of habit and we donā€™t drink alcohol. Road rage incidents around here are also high. When I carried a 1911 for 20+ years I always carried a j-frame, but after moving to Glocks in 08 I find less of a need for a back up gun. I have had over a dozen Glocks and never had one fail to feed or fire, so that also adds to the decision for a second gun.
That said, depending on where people live, a second gun can be a prudent choice. When I was younger I was always armed to the teeth, sometimes carrying three guns, knives, pepper spray, and a sap. As I have gotten older, having to arm up like Rambo every time I leave just seemed wrong, maybe itā€™s an old age thing šŸ¤”, but that mentality is uncalled for with the places I go now. My carry now is some kind of 9mm in various capacities, extra high capacity mags, and pepper spray. I do carry a self defense cane and know how to use that, but that is as far as I go nowadays. The one thing I thought would never happen was the need to carry at church, what a sad šŸ˜” state of things, but it is also the sign of the times we live in.
 
Anchorite said:
I donā€™t carry my spare
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Interesting analogy. You are not wrong in your assessment. I do carry spare glasses. I can see well enough without them; but why not when its so easy to stuff last years set in my bag. I dont carry a spare set of car keys but I do have a spare house key hidden on the property (locked myself out one time too many). I dont carry a spare pocket knife but I do have a Leatherman in addition to my knife. You got me on the spare phone or wristwatch; but how many devices do we have that tell the time?
1canvas said:
Road rage incidents around here are also high.
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Hmmm, that sounds like an excuse for a rifle ;)
 
Anchorite said:
I donā€™t know ā€¦. I donā€™t carry my spare set of car keys everywhere I go with me. I donā€™t carry two phones. I donā€™t carry another pair of sunglasses. I donā€™t wear two wristwatches. I donā€™t carry two pocketknives either.

Youā€™ve got me thinking Iā€™m at risk ā€¦ one is none and two is one ā€¦
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Whatā€™s the worst that can happen if you lose any of these things?

But even at that, I do know people who have a spare car key tucked away somewhere. A lot of people wear a watch in addition to having a clock on their phone. Iā€™ve known lots of people who keep two knives on them. And when looking for something in her car, Iā€™ve learned my wife seems to like having several backup pairs of sunglasses!!!
 
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BarryinIN said:
Whatā€™s the worst that can happen if you lose any of these things?

But even at that, I do know people who have a spare car key tucked away somewhere. A lot of people wear a watch in addition to having a clock on their phone. Iā€™ve known lots of people who keep two knives on them. And when looking for something in her car, Iā€™ve learned my wife seems to like having several backup pairs of sunglasses!!!
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All good points Barry, but to each their own.

Iā€™m not finding my particular lifestyle choices warrant that I start carrying two guns or a life jacket or sat phone or fire extinguisher or a life raft or firewood, or a space blanket all in my daily driver ā€¦ ā€œjust in case.ā€

No one ever regretted being overly prepared, thatā€™s for sure. But mission dictates load out and I think KISS is as important as using the six inches between your ears. Avoid bad places and bad decisions and keep situational awareness and live to fight another day. We each have to work out our own salvation, right? Survival is as much a mental skill as a physical skill.

Lots of folks go out every single day into the back country of North America or get on the water for an extended period of time.

Both places where the *environment* alone can kill you.

There are limits to what one can do to both prepare and carry in the way of gear. One must choose wisely and within the scope of the trip and their individual skill sets.
 
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