The day after Thanksgiving, a young man quickly learned why waistband carry is such a poor idea. Thankfully, no one died, but the boy had a real bad day.

[in_content post=”109254″ alignment=”align-left” /]

According to the Chicago Sun Times, a 17-year-old boy was arguing with a 42-year-old man on the northwest side of the city. After going back and forth with words, the boy, allegedly, got out of his car and tried to pull a handgun from his waistband. Unfortunately for him, the boy had issues getting the gun into play. Also, the man had a handgun, along with a concealed-carry permit, and shot the boy.

Emergency personnel rushed him to the Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he is expected to live. However, police charged the young man with a felony and a misdemeanor — using an authorized weapon and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

No-Go on Waistband Carry

Considering the countless gun holsters on the market, it is hard to understand waistband carry. It just doesn’t make sense. Sure, Martin Riggs made it look cool with his Beretta in the “Lethal Weapon” movies, but that is make believe. Gun owners should not consider movies and TV as viable way to obtain knowledge.

Handguns have hammers, safeties and edges that can easily catch in pants. Also, an unsecured handgun in the pants can easily shift from its desired location. This could prevent access when needed or even cause the gun to fall down, rendering it useless and possibly unsafe.

Personally, I typically carry IWB on the strong-side. Over the years, I have gone through a variety of holsters, from CrossBreed to Galco and many others. I even carried in a Milt Sparks until it wore out after a decade. And while I never thought I would say this, I currently carry my Kimber Ultra Carry in a Kydex holster. I obtained an early version of a Center Mass IWB holster and realized I really liked the way it both held the gun and drew clear.

However, I will carry in other ways. I often carry a backup on the ankle or dropped into a boot with a pocket holster. I will also sometimes carry that same rig in the pocket of cargo pants or shorts when working around the house. That, however, is the only time I will use a pocket holster in a pocket.

Now it is sad that a young man got shot. Unfortunately, he was breaking the law and tried to use a gun in the commission of a crime. The details of the incident weren’t revealed, such as what they pair was arguing about, but man should have tried to walk away, if possible.