Concealed firearms

[richard]

I turned 21 on friday, and saturday my Utah Concealed Firearm permit arrived in the mail (took the class, sent in paperwork earlier in the month)

I'm now looking at the possible problems with carrying on a bike.

I know there are many of you who aren't in places where carrying is allowed, and probably many more who don't believe in it (or are violently opposed to it), but are there others on this board who carry while riding, and if so what motorcycle-related tips and tricks have you learned?

Specifically, I'm wondering if there are particular places to carry that work really well while on a motorcycle, if anyone has come up with a way to mount a small "gun safe" or anything to the bike for when you go places you can't carry, etc.

I've considered trying to get a hard bag for the back luggage rack of my bike, and put a lockbox in there that I could store it (disabled, disarmed, and locked, naturally) when I go into federal buildings, ball games, etc.

Am I the only one here who has thought about any of these things?  Just wondering.  :dunno:

[Briggs]

Where do you plan on going with a motorcycle that you need a gun? Wrap it in cardboard and put it in you belt. Haha

[denman]

if you have a ccw cary it on you.   i dont cary but i have and love guns.  down home i kept a shotgun in my truck 24/7.   it was my right to have it. see ya.

[Wrencher]

I would recommend something like Uncle Mikes pancake (aka paddle) holster. Its worn inside your jeans/gear and its really not all that noticeable unless your doing something stupid like trying to carry a .44 mag.  Look for something that has as many safeguards as possible to keep the gun in the holster though. A back strap with velcro and a snap is ideal. Whatever you choose, make sure you can wear it in the small of your back. Hip holsters get in the way and wouldn't be pretty if you go down. Forget ankle holsters also, they very much in the way.

Lets not kid ourselves here either. Wearing a gun while ridding a motorcycle is a VERY dangerous proposition. I am not going to try to talk anybody into or out of it, but be honest..... if/when you wreck, whats going to happen to the gun? Guns are not really designed to be subjected to that sort of abuse without malfunctioning. Think in terms of WHEN are you wreck and shoot your self, not are you going to.

I am waiting for an opening in the class and am going to get a CCW very soon. Will I carry on a motorcycle? I can't say I never would, but its something I would personally try to avoid.

Whether you carry on the bike or not, or off the bike for that matter, please go shoot the gun you are going to/considering carrying. At a minimum put a full box through it once a month. This may be preaching to the choir and I am sure they said as much during your class, but better safe than sorry.

[dgyver]

Never carried on a bike. Check what your state laws are regarding how it is to be concealed. I have several holsters... a custom hiking fanny pack with a soft holster sewn inside; a Galco fanny pack; a Desantis pack that can be used as a belt clip or a shoulder pack; and a Galco holster that fit inside the pants clipped to your belt. My smallest (Beretta Tomcat) will fit in my pants pockets (front or back).

The easiest and probably the most comfortable on a bike (as well as the easiest drawn) would be a shoulder harness under a jacket. If you can not access it quickly, then there is no reason to have.

As for guns discharging during a crash...you have the wrong gun. All 3 of my Beretta's will only fire when the trigger is pulled.

[snapper]

I would worry about the dent it would make in your body, not discharging.  "Ouch" comes to mind. Course "Ouch" comes to mind for crashing too.

[Wrencher]

As for guns discharging during a crash...you have the wrong gun. All 3 of my Beretta's will only fire when the trigger is pulled.

Guns can and will fire without your finger on the trigger. Safetys can be bumped, triggers can be jostled, etc. Even inside a leather or kydex holster a gun is going to undergo some rather extreme conditions between you and pavement at 60mph.

As your sig says, Expect the Unexpected.

[mrslush50]

no, dgyver is correct.  contrary to popular myth, modern firearms cannot and will not simply "go off".  Even under extrem conditions.  However, as someone put it, the "dent in your body" would be a serious concern for me, and I don't think I would consider carring a gun on my person while riding.  I would think that a tank bag would be a good place to carry, for safty and quick access.

[Turkina]

As for guns discharging during a crash...you have the wrong gun. All 3 of my Beretta's will only fire when the trigger is pulled.

Guns can and will fire without your finger on the trigger. Safetys can be bumped, triggers can be jostled, etc. Even inside a leather or kydex holster a gun is going to undergo some rather extreme conditions between you and pavement at 60mph.

As your sig says, Expect the Unexpected.

I'll raise my hand to that... I've seen a couple of well kept guns fire when dropped, trigger untouched.  And there was a crappy .410 that almost took my head off cause I didn't unload it while I was trying to get myself untangled from some thorn bushes while hunting Very stupid thing I did...
Now, of course I could see transporting gun and magazine separated.  Padded aluminum lock-box, and I think there are lockable mounting racks.  Eh, I wish I could tell you where though.

[vtlion]

I've carried several times with the bike.  I packed in a side pocket on my tank bag.  Only short trips, and I have always carried without a round chambered.  It's easy enough to give the slide a whack and advance a round.  In fact, it can be a good attention getter.  I have a Glock32C, one of those guns that can "never" go off without squeezing the trigger    .  I don't trust it.  Engineering fails regularly.  I think Judd Nelson said it best back in the 80's... "Screws fall out all the time, the world's an imperfect place".  

The few times I have packed on my bike, I have had a good reason to.  Other than that, I don't carry because its not going to be easily accessible if it is secure... and the last thing I want is to wake up in the hospital and wonder where my Glock ended up.  

It's good to see that you are thinking about this and taking the prospect of carrying a weapon seriously.  Too many with permits don't think about the contingencies of carrying a weapon.  Let us know what you decide to go with.

[Wrencher]

Prediciting mechanical failures is a bit off the topic and obviously opinions vary.

Carrying while on a motorcycle is a unique problem and does have its own set of responsibilities.

I would say if you got the permit just to have the option and you are carrying just for the sake of carrying then leave it at home while on the bike. You have to weigh your own need for the gun and the hassles involved and decide if its worth it.

[john]

I carry a little .25 cal in my pocket when I go to unsafe areas.  Never had a problem.

[tkm433]

As to why you feel the need to carry a gun I can not figure that one out but I guess that is just me??

I am a gun owner and I have no problem with right to own one or many as I do but I still do not see the need to carry one unless you are doing so to go to a gun range or maybe as a side arm while hunting or camping where you are not on top of the food chain.

As for how safe a gun is it depends on the gun.  If you are worried about it going off then if it is a semi-auto type then do not chamber a round while in transit.  I personal view is to never transport a loaded weapon but again that is my view.

Again why do you feel the need to carry a firearm?  It is not going to do you any good locked up in box in the parking lot and what happens if some steals your bike?  Then maybe you will need a gun since you just gave another bad guy a gun and when you see your stolen motorcycle going down the road now you and the cops have to worry about the nice new gun that the guy riding your bike might have in his pocket???

[jake42]

I was thinking of mounting a .50 cal to the front of the GS but was worried about the excess weight on the already mushy forks.


jake.

(just had to be a smartass...sorry)

[spotswood_suzuki]

Another reason to upgrade to Progressive Springs :lol:  :lol: !

Wayne

[gitarman]

I can definitely see the benefits of carrying a firearm while riding. Imagine you are out riding and your bike breaks down out in the middle of a highway. Its late, the bars just left out and a bunch of half-lit delinquents in a pickup truck see you parked by the side of the road. They decide they need ur bike more than you do and stop by to "help out".We like to imagine nothing is going to happen, but this isn't a perfect world.

A semi automatic pistol carried with no bullet in the chamber will absolutely never go off. if the bullets are in the magazine there is no firing pin or any sort of protrusion to impact the primer.

As far as comfort I'd have to go with a leather shoulder harness, and would never leave the gun on my bike.

[jake42]

Another reason to upgrade to Progressive Springs :lol:  :lol: !

Wayne

Haha... that's after the progressive install. If I decide to go with the bike mounted mrotar launcher I'll have to get cartridge emulators.

Jake

[jabbajosh]

i would buy a holdster with the shoulder straps so you can put it under your arm in your jacket so you will have a less of a chance of landing on it, and so long as you dont have a round chambered most holdsters wont let you chamber a round so long as it is still in the holdster

the tank bag idea is always a good idea

also a holdster that attaches to your calf would work too

[litestuf]

[Hi-T]

Now- If I remember right- Richard's main mode of transport is his bike...
and if you carry a CW you know that 1) you commit to it- it's something that you always do- It's not a "feel like it" thing.  2) It does need to be easily accessable.  And 3) it always needs to be concealled.  All this has been said.

But there are places that you can not leagally carry and that's where it gets scarey.  I don't know how you can honestly leave it securely with your bike.  If you could leave it securely- how do you get it off and on, in/and out with out broadcasting that it's a gun?

My advice- carry it on your person and make sure you plan your trips...  Good luck-