If You're A Minuteman, Everyday Challenges

Not everything is peaches and cream when you carry stuff everyday

As has been made plenty clear, I carry every day. Not just a concealed firearm, but also a pack full of stuff that is convenient and/or lifesaving when I’m out of the house. Usually, my life is pretty chill. I work from home except when I’m traveling to a client or company HQ, which isn’t very often. I do the grocery shopping for the most part, since my wife is a full time school employee. I also frequent the local pub to take in a baseball game and have a beer, go to the gym every morning, and run the other household errands.

Left to right, leaving the house, my normal EDC pistol, my daypack, some of the stuff I carry

And naturally those scenarios lead to some interesting challenges for the prepared Minuteman. Especially given that I have said that I carry when I step out the door of the house.

• What happens when nature calls and I can’t get home first

• What if I want to drop in the pub for a beer?

There’s plenty more situations, but I’m going to cover off on the two that I find most common. Let’s work through how to deal with them.

Nature Calls And I Have To Use A Public Restroom

Fair warning: No pictures :-D

Probably the most challenging, and the one folks may not think about enough, is what to do when you are out and about and nature calls. You’re at the grocery store, the mall, having lunch at McDonald’s, whatever the case may be.

Well, if you are a guy and you just have to pee, it’s not too bad. You should be conscious of the fact that you are potentially exposing a firearm and make sure you do not. Stop being macho and just use a stall and close the door and then you don’t have to worry about it.

Okay, now for when you have to sit down on the porcelain throne, which is women in pretty much all cases and men when they have to poop. Your firearm is about to be exposed as you put your pants, skirt, shorts, or whatever down. If you happen to use a Phlster Enigma, your pistol is going to stay up at your waist, but may pose other problems. Not sure, since I don’t use the Enigma system.

For those who carry IWB or OWB, you are going to be lowering that pistol to the ground and need to think about its security. Rule #1 do not unholster the gun. This is a super bad idea. Let’s start with, you don’t want to forget your piece in the John and be this guy. Second, but more important, drawing or holstering your firearm is a huge opportunity for a negligent discharge. Especially in this situation. So, let’s not do that.

First, choose a stall where your pistol can be up against a wall, not be exposed by the stall wall that doesn’t go all the way to the ground. Next, hold your firearm/holster rigid against your waistband and holster as you lower your pants. Once on the ground, flip your underwear over the butt of your gun. This does two things. One, it stabilizes the gun so it doesn’t tip over and hit the floor and everyone realizes you have a gun. Two, it covers the gun so it isn’t casually visible to others. Trust me, there’s weirdos peeking under stall doors, so make sure they can’t see.

When you’re all done, you reverse the process. Again, please, don’t unholster the pistol and lay it on the toilet paper holder or toilet tank or whatever. This is a great chance for a negligent discharge or negligent loss of the pistol.

Stopping By The Pub For A Beer

In most states, the law prohibits carrying a firearm into a bar. Even if you can bring a firearm in a bar, the law most likely prohibits you from carrying a firearm while drinking in a bar. If you are fortunate enough to live somewhere that trusts you to make responsible choices, just skip over this section!

In Washington state I cannot legally carry a firearm, whether open or concealed, into a bar. Meaning an establishment, or portion of an establishment, that is licensed to sell beer, wine, and alcohol, and prohibits anyone under age 21 from entering. If I decided to ignore the law and then used my firearm in what would otherwise be a legal self-defense situation, I would be committing a felony and likely would lose my ability to argue self-defense. So, I don’t take a firearm in a bar. I do carry my day pack in with me, though.

But I still LEAVE my house with a firearm. And then I remove the firearm … holster and all …. in my car and store it in a safe that is installed in my console between the front seats. You do take the firearm on and off your body IN the holster, right? That’s how you avoid that negligent discharge situation. Administrative drawing of the firearm in your car is just asking for trouble.

So, I have this safe in my car. I bought it from Console Vault. You can get similar safes on Amazon for quite a bit less. However, they are Chinese knockoffs made with crappy materials. Do you really want to trust the security of your firearm to a crappy Chinese knockoff? So, go to Console Vault, use your military/LEO/First Responder status for a 10% discount, and get the real thing. They are on my If You’re A Veteran, Shop Like One post.

Console vault installed in the console of a 2020 Toyota Camry.

This has enough room in it for a full size Sig P320 or 1911 in a holster.

You need to practice the maneuver from pistol/holster combo on your body into your safe until you have it down and you feel safe and comfortable. Do it at home with your firearm clear and safe, just like you do for dry fire. Incorporate this into your dry fire training at home. I do it once a week.

Here are two different pistols, in holsters, in the safe. One is a Springfield 1911 EMP Ronin 4” (ie compact size gun) and the other is a Kimber Custom 1911 (ie full size gun).

This also works for other situations where you can’t carry. If you have to go into one of those prohibited places, like a police station or courthouse, for example.

There you have it. How to deal with two very common situations while you are out and about and carrying your everyday gear.