Thoughts On Concealed Carry

Concealed carry is a pain in the behind. There's about a jillion steps needed to start carrying, and that's in a free state, like Florida. First, you need to decide on a firearm. Luckily, I had a good idea of what I wanted, so I actually was able to figure out what I wanted rather quickly. I did have to buy a gun, holster, and a few boxes of bullets, and find out halfway through the first box that that gun wasn't for me. I sold it, along with a box of bullets and a holster, and only lost about $150. On my budget, that hurt. However, I settled on a j-frame next, and fell in love. Next, you need to find a range. I'm not lucky enough to have family with a lot of land close by, so I spend about 200 dollars a year in memberships. Then there's scheduling the concealed carry course. $60. then you have to make an appointment with the state licensing office. $117, and a few weeks waiting. Then you wait on your card. A few more weeks. Then you practice. Ammo costs add up quickly. Not to mention gas to and from your range, which isn't exactly around the corner. Also, you have to modify the way you dress and carry yourself, so as not to display your weapon, and those few extra pounds seem like TONS extra weight to get used to carrying around.

But eventually you DO get used to carrying the weight. And after a few weeks, you start planning bullets and gas into your budget. Carrying begins to seem less like a chore, and more normal. More mundane.

And then you have that experience. I'm not talking the big, earth shattering experience where you have to defend your life. Hopefully that never happens to any of us. I'm talking about walking in that parking garage, or through the bad area of town. You're just trying to mind your own business and get to your car. But there's that guy walking your way, rather quickly. You pick up your pace, and grip the firearm in your pocket. You get to your car, open the door, and step in. The guy continues on, oblivious to your discomfort. You wipe your sweaty palms on your pants legs, and watch the man continue by in your rear view, and you start your car. Maybe you misread the situation. Maybe your instincts were wrong. Maybe your mind was just playing tricks on you.

But you offer a silent prayer of thanks for being kept safe, and now all the money and training doesn't seem such an inconvenience. Because you hope it always ends like this, but you can't be sure.

Hair Thingamajig

My wife has thick hair. Like, I'm afraid of the shower drain thick hair. She has this cute little decorative metal hair holder thing, and her thick hair snapped the wooden dowel that came with it. It just recently snapped the replacement thingamajig that she bought to use in the original's place.

Last night, she asked in a rather exasperated voice if I had 'any heavy duty wood that you can make a stick out of for my hair?'

Today, I was diligently puttering around in the shed, and came across an oak dowel I bought last year. I forgot what I bought it for, so I decided to make a hair thingamajig. I pulled out my Opinel No. 7, and the piece in the photo is the result. At it's thinnest point, it's about as thick as the thickest point of the one my wife recently broke. And it's oak.

I told her if she breaks this one, she's on her own.

MOAS

We took a trip to the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona today. We passed the Daytona Speedwayon the way there.

Also, Elyas rode a Harley. Well, a toy Harley. Still, it was fun.

Awesome museum, by the way. They have everything from ancient weapons, to muscle cars to a planetarium to a hands-on kids museum to vintage coca-cola items to native american cultural exibits, and much, much more. It was a blast. If you're in the area, make the trip.

Thoughts on Concealed Carry

I have a deep-seated respect for cops. My father was a Probation and Parole Officer for 20 years, and currently is a sherrif's deputy. It's safe to say that I understand more about cops than most non-officers. Yes, some can be petty and power hungry, but most I've met are just guys wanting to help their community. The image of the ball-busting asshole highway patrolman just isn't how I see officers. -and yes, I've run into a few of them, but most of my dealings with law enforcers have proven that they are generally soft spoken and curtieous.

Why is it that I now feel on edge when dealing with police officers?

I was at the local playground a few days ago with my son. We were the only ones there, and from certain views into the park, it's probable that a pedestrian couldn't see my son. To them, it would look like a lone guy standing alone in a playground. Creepy-guy.

After a half hour or so, a bicycle cop pulled up under the pavilion, and I waved and said hello. He smiled and responed with a 'hello', and stepped off of his bike. He was approximately 40 feet away from me, and he keyed his radio, saying something to the effect of 'guy playing with his kid'. He drank a sip of his water, climbed on his bike, and pedaled away.

Now, don't get me wrong. I have a son, and I'd rather get questioned a dozen times than NOT have someone call in some random guy hanging out in the playground. Better safe than sorry. But I also noticed something about myself.

When dealing with cops, now that I carry every day, I tend to get a small adrenaline spike. I don't expect them to hassle me, or give me a hard time, but I know that I have something in my pocket that isn't normal for most citizens. I know that if an officer decides that I need to be questioned, I have a responsibility to that officer to let him know that I'm armed. It may not be required by law, but I feel that officers deal with enough shit on a daily basis. They deserve, when dealing with an honest citizen to know all the angles. It keeps him safe, it keeps me safe, and it avoids misunderstanding. But what if he gets froggy? What if he wants to place me in cuffs, and I have my son nearby? Honestly, if by myself, I'd have no problems with the officer detaining me in cuffs. I know I won't do anything to warrant an arrest, and anything that diffuses a situation an makes the officer feel safer until the situation gets sorted out, I'm all for.

But I carry a gun, and I am often with my son, and I want him to be safe. So my adrenaline spikes, in response to my wondering: what type of officer will I get? A cool, collected officer that just wants to solve a situation, or a hothead, who gets froggy when something out of the norm gets thrown his way, and who doesn't take the time to hear all the facts before reacting.

And so, even though I try to shake the hands of officers and thank them whenever I see them in a restaurant or gas station, and even though I grew up with an officer for a parent, I find myself on edge when dealing with them now.

Is this a normal side-effect of carrying?

Light Blogging Ahead

My computer's on the fritz. I have a friend fixing it, but I'm without an actual computer for the next few days. All my webernets use will be via my phone, so please understand if posts are sporadic and I don't reply promptly to emails and such.

Sorry, and thanks for bearing with me!

Red Beans and Rice

I soaked a bag of Red Beans last night. I put them on at about 9am, and they've been bubbling happily ever since. Threw in some Tony's, 2 mmedium onions, 2 large bell peppers, a heaping tablespoon of minced garlic, and a pound of smoked sausage around 11am. Added a roux about 1pm. It should all boil down to a thick consistancy by 5pm. I'll cook some white rice to serve it over, and maybe a pone of cornbread for a side.

It's been too long since I made a proper pot of Red Beans and rice. I'm looking foreward to it.

For Nancy R.

I spent my time in the carpenter's shop this weekend making this utensil set. It's carved from one block of maple.

I got into the blacksmith's shop for an hour and forged the blade out of mild steel, as it's just a table knife. It's plenty sharp enough to cut a steak, but I didn't worry with using high carbon steel, as it likely won't see HEAVY use.

Nancy, you said if I ever wanted to get rid of some treen wear to let you know. Shoot me an email at j (dot) dezendorf001 (at) gmail (dot) com, and the set is yours. It'll be a week or 2 before I get it in the mail, but I'll shoot you an email and let you know when it goes out.

Haircut

I lowered the boy's ears this morning. Ain't that a fine lookin' little man?

Thoughts on Concealed Carry

That's a Safariland shoulder rig. It was made for 4" barrel S&W K-frames. My father carried his in it for years, but it got left behind when he moved in with his then-fiancee (Now the world's best step mother), so I acquired it for myself. Now, a Taurus 627 is the same size as a S&W K-frame, except the Taurus has a full barrel shroud. I have a few K-frame holsters, and my Taurus 627 fits them all as if made for them. This holster is no different. It fits perfectly.

That being said, I decided to try shoulder carry for the first time today. It's a comfortable, low humidity day, and I felt comfortable about layering, so it seemed like a good day to try. I am overweight, so my button-down shirts aren't fitting anyway, therefore they make a good over-garment. I wore an undershirt, put on my shoulder rig, and went to run errands. It was quite comfortable! I was out for over an hour, and had no discomfort at all. In fact, the grip tucked nicely right over my love handle, and my elbow naturally kept the gun tucked in tightly. It was a great way to carry. If I were to carry this way frequently, I'd need to get a pair of wooden grips, as the Taurus Ribber Grips grab the fabric of the over-shirt and don't allow it to move naturally, but that wouldn't be a big problem unless someone is actively studying you.

My biggest problem came as I was walking up the steps of my porch. The Taurus FELL OUT of the holster! It has a floating firing pin, and as it's a 7 shot I usually leave the chamber under the hammer empty to reduce the chance of accidents, and it was on a wooden step that it fell, but assume it fell on concrete and I didn't take safety precautions, and it had a fixed firing pin. I shudder to think!

So, Dad, did you ever experience you firearm coming out with this holster? I'm definitely doing some more thinking about this before shoulder carrying again.

*EDITED TO ADD*

This isn't the first post I've had with this title. I think I may start a weekly Thoughts on Concealed Carry. We'll see how it goes.

Lint

It's amazing at how much crud one of these little snubbies can collect when you pocket carry every day.

This Is What Happens When I Get Bored At Work

Eighteenth Century Spork! Heh! I crack myself up.

Curios

While antiquing a week ago, I came across this coin. It's a Louisiana Luxury Tax Coin, and it dates to about 1930. What was it doing in a coin display rack in an antique store in northeast Florida? Got Me. I did know that for $2.50, it was coming home with me, though.

I went and bought some black cord for a buck, and now the little piece of aluminum is a mighty fine necklace. And conversation piece.

9/11

Remember.

Tasty Frozen Goodness

Ya know what I miss?

Eggnog. Not just any old eggnog, though. Eggnog from Maggio's Package Liquors, in Natchitoches, LA.

It tasted like vanilla ice cream blended with rum, and sprinkled with nutmeg.....

Man, I want some Maggio's Eggnog.

Progressive Quiz

Your ideological score is:

144/400

This makes you very conservative

The average score for Americans is

209.5

I honestly feel more 'middle of the road'..... I guess I'm more conservative than I thought. Of course, they were primarily asking questions concerning business and government. If they would have hit on guns, they would have focused on the only issues that I feel more conservative-leaning about.

The Shed

I just spent the better part of two hours cleaning out my shed. It had gotten so bad that there was only about 2 square feet of free space to move in. My shed is a solid 16x10....

At any rate, I now have a good 10x10 area cleared out to work in, with just a few feet on the back wall holding stuff, and a few feet on the near wall with stuff bound for the garage sale. I've had lunch and a shower, and I'm whooped. Time to relax.

Gumbo

I made the first gumbo of the season monday. I had half a dozen friends over and we ate gumbo, drank beer, and told a few lies. A good time was had by all, and now, 2 days later, I'm still enjoying left-overs.

It just keeps getting better and better.

Beer Glasses

I was outside trimming the hedge today when a box arrived via the USPS. It was addressed to me, so upon thanking my mail carrier, I took the box in and opened it. My brother had sent me a set of six glasses from the Boston Beer Company. They are designed by Jim Kotch to give the best flavor presentation of botique beers.

Talk about a great gift. Thanks, Matt!

Prosit!