“You were flagging everyone on the line with your OWB pistol”

[Oldherkpilot]

Just heard this from a guy at the SnipersHide Precision rifle class I just attended (highly, highly recommended). The pistol was a Glock 48 in a Raven Perun.

I laughed and said something like “well, then all concealed carry is unsafe, then.” Homeboy didn’t say anything the rest of the class and I damn sure didn’t stop carrying, no one else said anything.

I got nothing, feels like I ran into a Fudd, but he was at least 10 years younger than I.

Forgive me, but it needs to be asked: were you break dancing or maybe pole dancing? If "yes," then said complaint might be valid.😁

[DDTSGM]

I'm not particularly muzzle averse, I've literally had dozens of pistols inadvertently pointed at me by students while coaching/correcting problems, but I still don't enjoy looking down a muzzle.

One night at a meeting of my local gun club I had to get up and move because the President of the club, who insisted on wearing a flight suit and drop leg holster with leg strap to meetings, was muzzling most of those in attendance as he chaired the meeting.

So, I'm kinda on the Fudd's side.

[LittleLebowski]

Muzzles in holsters cover body parts regularly -- however there is a difference between my muzzle covering my body, and my muzzle covering your body.

Consider these two examples. We all know "a holstered pistol and slung rifle is safe." A guy bends over to pick up a magazine and his slung rifle's barrel covers your leg. That is considered bad style where I shoot. Sit down to dinner at home and have a pistol in a holster on the table. Do you orient the muzzle so it covers you or your guest, or avert it.

I believe that rule 2 is the single most important of the four safety rules, and while holstered handguns are generally safe, I do my best to keep muzzles from covering myself but especially others. In the example in the OP here, the guy behind should have taken a step either way so that a prone LL wasn't muzzling him.

He wasn’t behind me. We were running one string of shooters, there was tons of room on this range.

[Clusterfrack]

Interesting responses. What you don’t see can’t hurt you?

If a holstered gun is on a table, any number of people are “swept” as they walk by. When you’re on the second floor of a building, the people below you are “swept” by your holstered gun. If you consider these violations of safe gun handling, I’m at a loss for how to address this.

When the trigger guard is covered securely by a holster, I consider the gun safe to be pointed in any direction.

Edit: if a particular firearm is at risk of firing from a holster, that is an entirely different problem.

[UNM1136]

IIRC Dave Lauck had the same issue...

pat

[revchuck38]

Kidding aside, I don't want to be covered by someone else's muzzle. I have no idea the condition of the pistol, what mods were done to it, and the interaction between pistol and holster.

When I was deployed during OIF/OEF, horizontal shoulder holsters were quite popular for M9s. Even though carrying in Condition Three was required inside the wire, I spent a lot of time being uncomfortable in staff meetings and when in line at the mess hall and what passed for the PX. It wasn't a problem outside the wire because nobody wanted to re-adjust the straps to fit around their battle rattle, they just used the issued belt holster.

[WDR]

When the trigger guard is covered securely by a holster, I consider the gun safe to be pointed in any direction.

I wouldn't go that far, personally, but I don't freak out about muzzles of loaded guns covering things that wouldn't otherwise be covered, if they are in a good holster, and not being screwed around with. As Tamara like to say if its a "sub-$20 nylon sausage-sack" or "gun bucket"... I'd be a bit more concerned. Quality Kydex or leather, I'm meh. Full on Safariland retention holster = nearly zero fornications given. I suppose its a matter of acceptable risk.

Guns, generally, don't go off by themselves. They mostly seem to go off when someone is futzing with their pistol. Unless LL was futzing around on the line, I don't see the big deal. Some people are waaaaaay to stuck in square range mindset. Same folks probably wouldn't know how to conduct themselves on a "hot" range.

[pangloss]

I think about this issue frequently at church. Often I shift a few degrees so that my pocket-carried (in a pocket holster with well-covered trigger guard) G43 isn't pointed at anyone.

I've taken one rifle class where I carried AIWB. I do not recommend it.

EDIT: I think the question to consider here is "what is best practice?" If we are going to carry pistols, they will inevitably cover items we don't wish to destroy. A properly designed and functioning pistol carried in a good holster that usually orients the pistol toward the ground represents "best practice." At least that's my opinion.

Sent from my moto g power (2021) using Tapatalk

[GyroF-16]

the President of the club, who insisted on wearing a flight suit and drop leg holster with leg strap to meetings, was muzzling most of those in attendance as he chaired the meeting.

Okay, that’s just weird.
Speaking as someone who has been armed while in a flight suit plenty… but never stateside and off-duty.

[Warped Mindless]

Interesting responses. What you don’t see can’t hurt you?

If a holstered gun is on a table, any number of people are “swept” as they walk by. When you’re on the second floor of a building, the people below you are “swept” by your holstered gun. If you consider these violations of safe gun handling, I’m at a loss for how to address this.

When the trigger guard is covered securely by a holster, I consider the gun safe to be pointed in any direction.

Edit: if a particular firearm is at risk of firing from a holster, that is an entirely different problem.

This is how I feel too.

If someone is so paranoid that they can’t be comfortable around a holstered pistol (assuming its a decent holster), perhaps they should take up other hobbies such as knitting.