Surprise, mother-muggers!

7 Responses to Surprise, mother-muggers!

1. David Dyer-Bennet says:

   February 18, 2011 at 6:36 pm

   I’m still pretty doubtful about off-body carry. And this slogan neatly points out one reason why — since I think you have a fairly strong obligation NOT to let your guns get into the hands of bad guys, you’ve taken on a pretty strong obligation to defend your bag. And since many purse thefts are snatches, you may find that hard to do.

   (Yes, some bags have cut-proof straps. And you should be careful not to use those in environments where people snatch bags through the windows of moving cars.)

   Many arguments I’ve heard boil down to “preferred style of dress”. I’m personally doubtful that preferred style of dress is a good enough reason to mess with important safety gear.

   (Everybody, of course, gets to make the final decision for themselves, and everybody has a different situation.)
   • Oleg Volk says:

     February 18, 2011 at 6:41 pm

     For some people, on-body carry is a physical impossibility. Others keep a small pistol on body and a larger one in a bag. Bag-snatching seems to be more of a European and Near East fad to me in general, but I may be wrong on that.
     • Robert S says:

       February 18, 2011 at 10:10 pm

       Yep, you’re wrong 😉 — my wife has a six-inch scar on her arm, where a mugger in Houston TX used a box-cutter on a run-by to deprive her of her purse. Almost cut the main nerve that handles the elbow down.

       The problem with purses, fanny-packs, and the like (briefcases, day-scheduler-folders) as gun-carriers is that they really are targets of theft themselves. In cases where body-carry is simply not an option, they are better than nothing, but only by a little bit — but you may actually be increasing personal risk by doing so.
2. vvova says:

   February 18, 2011 at 7:13 pm

   ну в такую сумку можно и чего побольше и пострашнее засунуть:) а вот что для мамочек лучше револьвер или пистолет- вот вопрос
3. nexy jo says:

   February 19, 2011 at 12:42 am

   i carry in three different ways, and none of them are optimal. women’s clothes are simply too tight to manage iwb, so i use an ankle holster for my s&w 637, otw for my m&p9c or 3913ls, or most commonly, any of those in my maxpedition active shooter bag. lately, i’ve been going with the maxpedition, but i very much like the styling of the urban shoulder bag.

   while purse snatchers are a concern, i think i prefer that method over the ankle carry because of the limited access, and owb carry, which could also be argued to be open to theft, and not always practical.
4. JBranch says:

   February 19, 2011 at 2:38 am

   I’ve been pondering this myself. I’m looking at a Kel Tec P32 for my wife to carry, but I don’t think purse carry is the answer. My mother used to carry a Raven Arms .25. Back in the ’70s some goon snatched her purse. The strap broke as he grabbed it off her shoulder, the purse fell to the ground… she snatched the .25 and unloaded the clip as he ran away 🙂 Didn’t hit him, but I’m sure he filled his shorts as he sprinted away. Of course, that was a different time and place, you couldn’t get away with that today, the perp would be suing you in court and you’d be up on charges. Anyway, funny story aside, I don’t think purse carry is what we’ll go with. Purse-snatchings are still commonplace, and THEN you’d have a perp who has your purse AND your gun. No good. Luckily enough the P32 is a teeny little thang and is easy to carry.
5. LauraB says:

   February 20, 2011 at 10:10 pm

   I bought their large Hobo to carry my 1911 when I am not able to carry it on my hip (which is my preference). Women are often forced to carry in their bag – or not at all – by attire. Trust me, figuring out cover shirts that don’t look like you put on Dad’s oxford is difficult.

   I found that their Hobo Sac managed the size and weight of the .45 pretty well. There is some deformation over time, of course. And it IS mighty heavy on the shoulder after a few hours…I sling it cross-body, then.

   As for snatching, I keep a very good situational awareness, generally. In the car, I keep it out of the bag. And while I have been tempted to look at something smaller for concealed carry, I simply prefer the .45 for its no-doubt functioning and its lethality. Even if I only manage to get one round on target it will do damage.

   The Maxpedition bag was, I found, more comfortable for carrying but it sure did announce “gun! gun! gun!” to all and sundry. Still, it had a place for everything. It just got a lot of looks at the uber professional office.

   All the above points to the need to work on Open Carry laws where possible.

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