Alright man. Apparently we don't agree.Originally Posted by TGS
Alright man. Apparently we don't agree.
Que in the Suited Shootist, Craig Douglas, Tessa of Armed&Styled, and Rhett Newmeyer.
You can dress like a tactical hobo, and if that's your desired aesthetic, rock and roll. Like it or not, social camo is a thing, and working that into the equation can address a lot of "problems" before they become problems.
Tactical hobo me laid down a case of beer on the driver's side of my car when someone made a bee-line to me, and about 5 seconds later that was no longer the route for them. Check mark.
Non-tactical hobo me looks like every other construction worker getting a lotto ticket on pay day, and doesn't draw attention from the same crowd.
Non-tactical non-hobo me lets us live life without said considerations, and are off-target generally because we're both fit and don't look like we carry cash when we're out-and-about.
Multiple ways of de-selecting, and sometimes that carries a higher level than those around us, as posh as that may seem.
Or....maybe it's a mix. The egotistical are ignored or leave, regardless their "title." That applies to the observers as much as the posters.
I did read the whole article. Three times at this point.
I actually agree completely about wearing decent footwear. Besides the sliders I wear in the shower at the gym, I do not own flip flops, sandals, etc. You will invariably find me in Asics running shoes, Rockport dress shoes, or weather-appropriate L.L. Bean boots.
I agree that in the context of non-workplace concealed carry, it is not difficult to carry a full size gun. I sometimes do so. I occasionally do so in my office.
The intent of my posts was to limit extension of those principles to areas where they do not apply, but to which I have seen them applied again and again over a period of years. Too many times, in other contexts, I have seen people post in other forums about how they don't see why someone can't carry a full size gun at work because they were able to do so for 2 hours at the mall with the no guns sign.
I have not had the privilege of meeting SLG in person, but would consider the opportunity to do so to be a potentially enjoyable, valuable learning experience. If we narrow the context of our respective opinions appropriately, it is possible that we are in agreement. Again, I do not know, because I have never met him.
I have pointed out the reasons and experiences that led to my opinions. Everyone is of course free to take them for what they feel they are worth.
In general, this forum probably has more respect for subject matter experts in their respective fields of expertise than the vast majority in which I have participated. At the same time, no one's opinions are immune to appropriate challenge, and such challenges can be healthy.
Any legal information I may post is general information, and is not legal advice. Such information may or may not apply to your specific situation. I am not your attorney unless an attorney-client relationship is separately and privately established.
My actual opinion more mirrors yours for the record
Does this thread mean I should stop carrying my 1994 USP40 in my 1994 DeSantis gunny sack? There are a lot of rounds going back and forth. The simple fact is a 365XL in an enigma is very different from a G17 in a JMCK holster. The physics cannot be denied. Not to mention a J-frame. The clothing for some jobs keeps you from looking like 'the gentleman with the large gun in a concealment holster'. Some jobs....or dress options....not so much. Me; I don't have a badge as a fallback and I am old enough that I don't want to fight over my carry firearm unless cornered. So I am not summer carrying a 1911 the way I did in '93. Otherwise, we should all be packing buntline specials from City Heat. I get what the source article meant, but I missed the part where SLG said 'this is the only way'.
Pretty sure the article can be summed up as "context matters" - as you said.
What does a tactical hobo dress like? What does a non-tactical hobo dress like? What about non-tactical, non-hobot? I was being quite serious about what it literally means to dress like an adult, and what correlation it has to carrying a full-sized gun.
I typically wear a t-shirt or button down shirt, with softshell pants. Essentially, I'm always ready to hit the climbing gym with what I'm wearing. Is that dressing like an adult? It certainly wouldn't pass muster as business casual, nor smart casual, so does that mean I don't dress like an adult? I am certainly able to carry what most here would consider plus-sized gun (many folks have said I basically have a crew-served handgun) in what I would have considered "play clothes", despite being on the scrawnier side (~5' 9", ~145 lb).
To say nothing of trying to carry in informal wear; I can barely hide my phone and my car key fob prints quite a bit, with my build and the close cut of my suits, a Glock 19 would simply non-viable.
And it still doesn't cover the issues that women face. Tessah Booth, AFAIK, does not EDC a "full-size iron", but instead typically carries the Sig P365 and the Glock 42.
To me, the phrasing "dressing like an adult" in the context of the article is simply too vague, and has a tone of condescension. I absolutely get that mode of dress can convey many signals about a person, but there's also a lot of context around that, too, along with simple risk assessment. After all, as many noted in the thread, having a gun in general is already putting most people very far ahead of the typical curve to begin with; the odds of you needing a firearm in general as a normal civilian is tiny, while the odds of a "micro gun" not being enough is a tiny subset of that scenario. Comfort and ease of carrying are absolutely valid reasons to carry a small single stack in lieu of a full-sized duty gun, given most people's actual risk, regardless of mode of dress.
So while SLG never outright came out and said "this is the only way", it's certainly implied that it's the objectively superior way when he ends the article with this line:
So the next time some young interneter wants to show off how well their micro gun setup conceals under their play clothes, you can smile and nod, while comfortably concealing your full-size iron. And look like an adult at the same time.
There's a few interpretations of what a Tactical Hobo is. There's the Classic Walter Sobchak Cosplayer in Shoot Me First! vest. There's the Obvious Training Junkie in the classic 5:11 cargo pants & Shotshow logo polo. I'm sure ya'll can come up with a couple of more.
"You win 100% of the fights you avoid. If you're not there when it happens, you don't lose." - William Aprill
"I've owned a guitar for 31 years and that sure hasn't made me a musician, let alone an expert. It's made me a guy who owns a guitar."- BBI
I read the article, and I’m a little surprised by how much discussion it has conjured up. I think it is somewhat condescending advice (“dress like an adult”) from an individual primarily discussing off-duty/off-work carry in a largely permissible environment (where the law simply requires concealment and may even allow open carry). It’s relatively easy to carry a full-size gun in that scenario. Obviously things become more complex as guns become more impermissible. The career field I’m entering in ~8 months is basically termination on the spot for violating their rules on firearms, and I’ve worked too hard in grad school to risk it. That’s a personal decision, and is the situation many of us are in when it comes to carrying at work.
What is SLG’s actual background? He obviously is getting a lot of deference here on the board and I vaguely remember him posting on the forum years ago, but I don’t remember any specifics about his background other than stuff like “he’s locked on.” I’m just curious about it. I will always defer to subject matter experts and those who know more than me, but I am interested in what his background actually is.
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