So Do You Feel Safe With That Thumb Snap Holster.?

[TGS]

I think you're reaching a bit.

There's nothing in that horribly blurry imagery for you to be able to say it was a thumb break holster. Could also just be an open top holster of any variety, which are more common than not in 2024.

[JT007immy]

"Thumb Snap Holster" or not , things happen .. could be worse ..!!
That's why I'm not a fan of open-carry .. just me

[walker2713]

I think you're reaching a bit.

There's nothing in that horribly blurry imagery for you to be able to say it was a thumb break holster. Could also just be an open top holster of any variety, which are more common than not in 2024.

Could be…..just didn’t think it at all likely a LEO in a facility open to the public would carry that way.

George

[SoCalDep]

The holster did not have a thumb snap.

[walker2713]

The holster did not have a thumb snap.

OK….thanks.

[DDTSGM]

I have often been tempted to snatch the pistol out of an open carry guy's POS holster. Usually standing in line behind them at a store and they are blissfully unaware of how easily their pistol could be snatched.

Retention or not, a pistol can be had if the officer is not alert to that possibility.

I would guess that this officer is either habitually unsafe in that respect or simply let his guard down because he didn't feel the girl was a threat. I really didn't see from the video if she appeared distraught.

Two guys have saved a lot of officers lives over the years - Jim Limdell (KCMO PD) and Bill Rogers. Jim Lindell introduced the first 'you don't have to be a martial artist' weapon retention system and Bill Rogers is the developer of most retention systems used on LE holsters today.

Weapon retention tactics and retention holsters can definitely keep the officer safer, but the real safety in the officer's situational awareness and willingness to practice the basic rules of the profession.

Here's an Ayoob article about Bill Rogers, last most stuff he has written, it is an easy read: https://americancop.com/safariland-bill-rogers/

[Lost River]

I was a weapon retention instructor.

Major points are being overlooked.

How and where you wear your holster are critical. Sometimes it is less about what security feature it may or may not have, and more about how you react to prevent the weapon from being taken. I went rounds about this with a couple administrators until finally I said "lets go to the mat room".

The genius admin had purchased Serpa belt holsters. I had warned that they were not only unsafe due to the whole using the trigger finger to initiate a draw. I won't get into all that, it is extremely well documented what a cluster fluck that design idea was. But the problem was the admin/detective version was so flimsy if someone did a grab, they may not get the gun out of the holster, but what they would do was they would rip the entire holster away (with gun still inside) from the belt attachment piece. Then they simply drew the gun. I broke a couple during weapon retention instructor school, but when I brought it up, it fell on deaf ears and was scolded for breaking holsters. I was not the only person to break the Serpa belt rigs during this instructor school BTW.

Anyways, I had to take a couple people from the chain of command to the mat room and actually show them just how simple it was to take their gun from them.

At the same time, we had a policy about holster levels of retention, IE no "level 1 holsters, such as a holster with no retention like a typical friction fit leather holster. I explained that a good tight fit holster that required that you draw straight up, combined with good retention techniques actually was more secure. I had one of our large guys try to remove a gun from my holster, a Sparks 55BN. I simply pulled the bottom of the holster into my body with my offside hand and used my strongside hand as a shield to prevent the grab on the gun handle. I got taken for a pretty violent 60 second ride, but he never got the gun out. The point was made.

While they were pissed that they were now going to have to spend money on new admin holsters, they at least acknowledged that we needed them.

I always tried to get guys to wear their guns so the elbow (or arm, depending on body shape and size) would rest naturally right behind the magazine in a position to protect the gun. This allowed them to also know where the gun was in a tactile manner. They did not need to see it, they could feel their gun and know both on a draw and a holster, exactly where the gun needed to go at all times without ever looking as it was something that was felt. Plus it set them up to protect it in the event of a grab.

[DDTSGM]

At the same time, we had a policy about holster levels of retention, IE no "level 1 holsters, such as a holster with no retention like a typical friction fit leather holster. I explained that a good tight fit holster that required that you draw straight up, combined with good retention techniques actually was more secure. I had one of our large guys try to remove a gun from my holster, a Sparks 55BN. I simply pulled the bottom of the holster into my body with my offside hand and used my strongside hand as a shield to prevent the grab on the gun handle. I got taken for a pretty violent 60 second ride, but he never got the gun out. The point was made.

Back in the day when the Lindell System was widely taught, there was a story making the rounds about a smaller statured KCMO female officer who got in a fight with a much larger male. At one point he went for her revolver. She secured the revolver in the holster with a front cross grip and at some point was able to get a rear grip on the holstered revolver with her strong hand.

The story is that when back up arrived she was literally off the ground and being shaken by the holster in the bad guy's grip. She had taken a couple hits from the bad guy's free arm during the fight, but that's better than being shot.

Retention in the holster is much better than having to try ninja stuff to get your pistol back.