mechanics of concealed carry & weapon operation.


Quinn Golling

New member
Hi everyone I'm (The Mighty) Quinn. A 32/m in Washington State. I have some disabilities which require the use of a power-wheelchair. Namely, I was born with Spina Bifida & was walking until a car accident in Dec. 2001 in which I sustained a brain injury that paralyzed my left side (like a stroke would.) I have regained gross motor control in my left arm but the fine motor control in my left hand never got fully rehabbed, so, for all intents and purposes I have one good arm/hand with which to defend myself. I recently bought a 9mm Ruger LC9s for concealed carry purposes, I'm still experimenting with ways to rack it efficiently for use in a self defense situation, also with wielding it with both hands. I think I have that part figured out, but I'm hoping someone out there is in a similar situation & has figured out how to quickly chamber a round using their chair for the resistance needed. Any & all information is appreciated.

Slainte,

(The Mighty) Quinn.
 

Keep a round chambered, thats one less rack you have to worry about.

After that, find a rear sight that is not slanted. This will give you a better ledge to place on your chair, belt, table, etc. Attached is a picture of my Jericho, which has very nice rear sight that I can rack the slide on damn near anything.

Sent from my D6616 using USA Carry mobile app
 
I would carry a revolver in your situation.... No racking required. Why carry a firearm that has a higher probability of malfunction when used (limp wrist it and it jams) and requires more manipulation than you MIGHT be able to perform in a tense situation?

Keep it simple.....
 
Firefighterchen made excellent suggestions. The standard sights on the Ruger LC9s look like they are quite slanted, which makes it very difficult to use them for one-handed slide operation. Try to find replacement sights that have a straight edge. I do not know if anyone makes silencer-compatible sights for the Ruger LC9s. Such sights are typically higher and even easier to use for one-handed slide operation.

As for switching over to a revolver, it is an option. With your Ruger LC9s, you have 7+1 rounds of 9mm without reloading. While a revolver eliminates certain semi-automatic handgun malfunctions, it would have less rounds and likely lower terminal ballistics (unless you go for .357 Magnum). The correct procedure to reload a revolver is to hold it with the cylinder open in your weak hand and insert the rounds with a speed loader or from a speed strip with your strong hand.

For one-handed slide operation of a semi-automatic handgun, use a straight edge on your wheelchair. This requires some practice. If you don't want to use live rounds for that initially, use snap caps. Eventually, you have to use your self defense rounds for practice to make sure that you eliminate any feeding problems.

Reid Henrichs on one-handed gun manipulation:
 
There are several 8 round .357 MAG and .38 SPL revolvers available - same round capacity.

Also, don't be too concerned with keeping the gun concealed in Washington state if that will hinder your use of it - there is no requirement to keep it concealed in Washington.

FFChen - that holster looks more like a mask the way it is sitting in the photo :) I was thinking - WTH does he have that mask???
 
FFChen; is it intentional that your holster looks like a spartan helm? Also, regarding keeping a round chambered...i'm concerned the striker fired lc9s would unintentionally discharge...that said, I am not a great fool & understand that, that sort of thing most often happens due to operator error (stupidity). ;)
 
As Axeanda45 suggested, a revolver might be an excellent choice. There are some very good ones out there, and several offer more than just 6 rounds. Simple to operate and far, far fewer malfunctions than semi-autos. Not much downside with that choice with the possible exception that in my experience a revolver is a little more difficult to reload one-handed than a semi-auto. Firefighterchen's observation is exactly right also. If you have a slanted/beveled rear sight it can be very difficult to rack the slide one-handed. You want a rear sight with a vertical edge on its forward side, just like in the picture he provided (cool holster by the way Firefighter!). The Henrich video linked by bofh is a perfect example of how one-handed manipulation of the slide can be done. You can use any edge available to you to do this. I strongly recommend that you practice this with dummy rounds at least a few times before going live, and I recommend you have someone knowledgeable watch you the first few times you practice as well. Good luck, and welcome!
 
FFChen; is it intentional that your holster looks like a spartan helm? Also, regarding keeping a round chambered...i'm concerned the striker fired lc9s would unintentionally discharge...that said, I am not a great fool & understand that, that sort of thing most often happens due to operator error (stupidity). ;)

About that part in bold:
  1. All guns are always loaded. Even if they are not, treat them as if they are.
  2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy. (For those who insist that this particular gun is unloaded, see Rule 1.)
  3. Keep your finger off the trigger till your sights are on the target. This is the Golden Rule. Its violation is directly responsible for about 60 percent of inadvertent discharges.
  4. Identify your target, and what is behind it. Never shoot at anything that you have not positively identified.
Modern firearms, such as the Ruger LC9s, don't accidentally fire, as they are drop safe and engineered to be safe when operated correctly. However, negligent discharges still occur due to operator error. Most negligent discharges have four root causes, in my opinion:
  1. The operator is convinced that the firearm is unloaded and thinks that the firearm safety rules can now be ignored: Violation of Rule 1.
  2. The operator is pulling the trigger without the actual intent to do so, because he/she has his/her finger in the trigger guard: Violation of Rule 3.
  3. The trigger is pulled by an object lodged in the trigger guard (e.g. windbreaker drawstring), because the operator is careless: Violation of Rule 1 in combination with a lack of common sense.
  4. The trigger is pulled by an unauthorized person, such as a Link Removed, because the operator is careless: Violation of Rule 1 in combination with a lack of common sense.
All of these can be dealt with by following the gun safety rules and using procedures that don't violate them. Carry your gun in a decent holster and holster your weapon with care. This eliminates root cause 3 and, in part, 4. Use a gun safe. This eliminates root cause 4. Train to have your index finger always pointed straight (along the slide, cylinder, or receiver) when handling a firearm, except when you have pointed the gun at your intended target. Never pickup a firearm by putting your finger in the trigger guard. This eliminates root cause 2. Eliminating root cause 1 is simple. Follow Rule 1.

A good example on how not to handle a firearm: West Coast Customs - Stallone's '55 Ford - Part 6 - Time 3:47:
  • Stallone picks up a handgun with his finger on the trigger.
  • He then points the muzze at his family.
 
FFChen - that holster looks more like a mask the way it is sitting in the photo :) I was thinking - WTH does he have that mask???

I run the Spartan obstacle courses when they are in the nw, when I do, I do make Spartan masks out of kydex. That though, definitely is a holster.

(cool holster by the way Firefighter!)

Thanks :)

FFChen; is it intentional that your holster looks like a spartan helm? Also, regarding keeping a round chambered...i'm concerned the striker fired lc9s would unintentionally discharge...that said, I am not a great fool & understand that, that sort of thing most often happens due to operator error (stupidity). ;)

Yes, I make holsters, the custom ones are the most fun. Here's some others.

As for negligent discharges, I second bofa, your firearm will not fire unless you pull the trigger.

Sent from my D6616 using USA Carry mobile app
 

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