Appendix Carry – Why Clipdraw is Superior

One question to consider when conceal carrying your weapon is how you plan to carry it.

Will you carry inside your waistband, behind the hip?

Or in a shoulder holster?

As you think through your options, you might also want to consider an appendix carry with Clipdraw.

What’s Appendix Carry?

Thinks of every cowboy and action movie you’ve ever seen. Sure, the cowboys carry a weapon in a thigh holster, the action heroes behind their hip in their waistband.

But when they are in a pinch? They tuck that handgun into their waistband in front. That’s appendix carry.

With your gun tucked in the front, it’s easily accessible and quick to draw. It’s also fairly well concealed under an untucked t-shirt, polo, or button down.

However, this has been a polarizing topic. Proponents strenuously defend the method, while others claim it isn’t safe or comfortable. We’re here to look at the truth.

Clipdraw Pistol Draw Demonstration

Is it Safe?

Critics of appendix carry often talk about how it’s not a safe location. And it’s true that, should your weapon accidentally discharge, the damage done could be significant.

This position points your holstered weapon at your thigh, and as any student of human anatomy will tell you, the thigh is where you keep one of the biggest blood vessels in your body – the femoral artery. This large artery supplies blood to your legs, and damage to it can be fatal.

We have to remember, however, that anywhere you carry your firearm, if not handled with care and safety, can be dangerous to you or someone in your immediate area.

The measure of safety of a carry position is in how you handle the weapon.

For instance, an accidental discharge of the weapon can be prevented in any carry position by following the rule to keep your finger away from the trigger until your gun is pointed down range.

This falls under proper handling and eliminates one of the factors that could cause your weapon to go off unintentionally while carried in the inside front of your waistband.

Concerns around the trigger being pulled while holstered is also a matter of common sense gun safety. Using a trigger guard or lock will prevent the trigger from accidentally being pulled.

Is it Comfortable?

The answer to this question is different for everyone and has largely to do with body type and how much you plan on sitting or bending over while your gun is holstered.

Most people who find appendix IWB to be comfortable are those that don’t have a lot else taking up space in their waistband. Or, to be blunt, the more slender you are, the more comfortable this carry position is for you.

But waist size isn’t the only component to consider for comfort.

Given where the weapon sits in a front carry position, many find sitting uncomfortable and bending over – say, to tie your shoes – downright painful.

The only way to know if this position is comfortable for you is to try it.

1911 Draw Demonstration

Benefits of Appendix Carry

The biggest question, of course, is why would you consider holstering your weapon this way at all. Carrying your weapon in the front of your waistband has several advantages.

The jury is divided when it comes to draw speed. Detractors of the carry style say that moving your clothing to pull from the waist slows you down.

Supporters claim that the gun is easier and quicker to grab, especially in tight quarters.

There is also a protection factor. It’s easier to protect your firearm from someone trying to grab it when it’s in front of you than when it is situated behind your hip.

The usefulness and comfort of IWB carry is largely a personal choice. If you’ve tried it before and found it to be uncomfortable or inconvenient, you may want to give it another try with a holster specifically designed for front of the waistband concealment.

You might find that with the right equipment, appendix carry lets you enjoy the multiple benefits it offers.

Helpful Guides:

• Clipdraw Selection Guide
• Clipdraw Models

The article Appendix Carry – Why Clipdraw is Superior originally appeared on Clipdraw

Enhanced Carry Permit Allows Guns in Arkansas Capital, Bars, and Churches

New enhanced concealed carry permits became available in early 2018 in Arkansas, allowing permit holders to carry on university campuses, churches, bars, and the state Capital building.

What is especially unique about the permit process is it makes Arkansas the first state to require active shooter training as part of the process. Requirements for the enhanced permit include a course that includes instruction on what to do in an active shooter situation as well as a live-fire exam.

The license training was designed by the Arkansas State police, with the intent of preventing a permit holder from increasing the chaos at the scene of a shooting. With the training, responsible permit holders wouldn’t create a more confusing scene for responders.

Speaking about the thoughts behind the development of the enhanced training, Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler said, “The licensee must be able to egress from the active shooter situation and not necessarily become someone who is going to act as a law enforcement officer might.”

The active shooter classes can only be attended after achieving a 70% hit accuracy on a stationary paper target in a live fire exam. In the six-hour training class, students are instructed to understand that, even during an active shooter situation, their weapon is a last resort.

Nathan House, an enhanced permit instructor, told applicants in classes this year that they should concentrate first on running and help others escape. “Make them come to you,” House told the class. “If that active shooter decides that they want to come into that room where you are at, then you are prepared to defend yourself.”

Some privately-owned buildings have been designated “sensitive places”. These include bars and churches. The owners of these establishments have the option of not honoring the law. If a church decides that a permit holder can’t carry in their building, the gun owner must follow their wishes.

Republican state Representative Charlie Collins sponsored the bill that passed last spring that allows for the enhanced permits. He strongly believes that Arkansas will be safer with guns in the hands of the right people. In the event of an attack, Collins says “You have the potential for one of these enhanced concealed-carry holders to literally be on scene, and to be able to draw a weapon and shoot back.”

The article Enhanced Carry Permit Allows Guns in Arkansas Capital, Bars, and Churches originally appeared on Clipdraw

In Wisconsin? Be Aware of Recent Safe Transport Ruling

If you’re a resident of the state of Wisconsin or will be traveling to or through there with your firearm under a reciprocity agreement, you need to be aware of a recent controversial Wisconsin State Supreme Court ruling.

Gun rights advocates used the 2014 arrest of Brian Grandberry to draw attention to potentially conflicting wording between two laws in the state – the Concealed Carry Statute and the Safe Transport Statute.

Grandberry was stopped while driving in Milwaukee. He was asked at the time if he had a weapon and indicated that in the glove compartment there was a loaded .45 High Point. According to the Safe Transport Statute, a handgun may be transported loaded and uncased. Other weapons must be unloaded, or in the case of a bow, unstrung, and transported in a case.

He also informed the officers that he had a concealed carry permit. However, the officers were unable to find a record of Grandberry’s permit. He then admitted that he had taken the appropriate course but hadn’t applied for the permit yet. He was convicted of a misdemeanor for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit.

Gun advocates, however, encouraged Grandberry to appeal the ruling. Because the Safe Transport Statute allows for having a loaded, uncased gun a vehicle without specifying the need for a concealed carry permit they argued that Grandberry was within his rights to have the gun in his glove compartment.

Grandberry argued that because he was following the stipulations in the Safe Transport Statute and wasn’t actually “carrying” the weapon, he was in compliance with the law.

Unfortunately for him and for other gun advocates, the appeals courts and the Supreme Court of Wisconsin agreed with the lower court’s ruling, but not without controversy.

The majority ruled that the two statutes were not in conflicted and that Grandberry could have complied with the law by putting his gun out of reach or by completing the process to obtain his CCW permit. However, there was both a concurring opinion and a dissenting opinion filed with the ruling.

In the dissenting opinion, Justice Rebecca Bradley stated that the application, in this case, was unconstitutionally ambiguous. As a result, she felt that Granberry’s conviction should have been overturned.

In the concurring opinion, Justice Daniel Kelly said the court came to the correct ruling, but that the two statutes created a gray area that was unnecessary.

The outcome means one thing for gun owners, though. If you transport your weapon in Wisconsin and you don’t have a CCW permit that is recognized by the state, you’re better off complying with the letter of the law and not the spirit.

The article In Wisconsin? Be Aware of Recent Safe Transport Ruling originally appeared on Clipdraw

Teachers Around the Country Are Participating in Concealed Carry Classes

Given recent events, it’s not surprising that educators across the country are looking for ways to protect themselves and their students. This week we round up stories throughout the United States about teachers and concealed carry.

Free Concealed Carry Classes for Teachers

A number of states have seen gun ranges offer free concealed carry training classes for teachers.

In Illinois, On Target Range in Crystal Lake, located in the northern suburbs of Chicago, is offering their two-day course for free to teachers. The range announced the offering on Tuesday, March 13^th. According to On Target’s director, Thomas Dorsch, 50 teachers signed up in the first 24 hours.

“It’s a telltale sign of what the teachers want,” he said. “They want to protect themselves and they want to protect their kids.”

The Armory KC in Missouri has also offered up a free class for teachers. The class teaches firearm safety, defensive techniques, and instruction on the carry laws as written for the state. Graduates from the course receive their concealed carry certification.

But despite announcing the free course on their Facebook page a month ago, only one teacher has signed up. Store co-owner Chad Reed believes that may be because teachers are prohibited from carrying in the classroom.

“Right now, federal law prohibits them from carrying in the classroom. But I suspect we could see that change in the future,” said Reed. “And when it does, I want them to be ready to do that.”

The Orem police department in Utah also offered a free class to teachers and administrators. The class concentrates on gun safety, but Orem officers said they would like to offer a class about active shooter tactics in the future.

New Bill to Allow Concealed Carry for Teachers in Louisiana

A controversial bill is being drafted in Louisiana that would allow teachers and other school employees the ability to carry a concealed weapon on school grounds and in classrooms.

Allowing armed teachers would be up to the school board for each district. The educators would be held to the same concealed carry standards as other citizens, including annual eight-hour tactics and safety class.

While some lawmakers were against the bill, others were willing to consider it under certain circumstances. East Baton Rouge School Board President David Tatman felt teacher and educator training would need to go further than current concealed carry training does. “I think it’s got to be a specific type of training, that how do you handle that situation on campus,” he said.

The article Teachers Around the Country Are Participating in Concealed Carry Classes originally appeared on Clipdraw

Albuquerque Woman, Daughter Rescued by Armed Bystander

On February 18^th, 2018, Albuquerque hotel owner Xiao Gong was driving her 20-year old daughter to the airport when her vehicle was struck by another car while at an intersection.

It was no accident Qian Ming, 66, ran into Gong’s truck. Ming, Gong’s estranged husband, intended to stop the vehicle so he could attack the women inside it.

Once stopped, Ming exited his car carrying a gun and shot at least once into the truck with the women in it, striking the daughter in the shoulder. Ming then pulled his daughter from the car and began brutally beating her in the head and face with his gun.

Witnessing the incident was a 34-year old Uber driver who stopped to help. The unnamed man, a 12-year National Guard veteran, approached Gong’s truck with his own gun and order Ming to stop the attack.

Instead of stopping, Ming turned his weapon on the man, who then shot and killed Ming.

The bystander cooperated with police when he was taken in for questioning and was later released. The guardsman stated he was in fear of his life when Ming turned his weapon from his daughter to the bystander, and that he was also concerned for the welfare of Gong and her daughter.

While the district attorney will have the final say, the police are not charging the man at this time, instead hailing him as a hero how may have prevented a more serious incident.

“In my 19 years of experience, I would say that those two females would have been dead if he hadn’t stepped in and took action,” Police spokesman Simon Drobik said. “To say the least, this guy prevented possibly a double homicide. That’s what we could have on our hands tonight.”

The mother also acknowledged the seriousness of the situations. “He saved our lives,” Gong told investigators at the hospital, according to Drobik.

The article Albuquerque Woman, Daughter Rescued by Armed Bystander originally appeared on Clipdraw

Concealed Carry Owner in Utah Saves Officer – Without Firing a Shot

If there was ever a need for a textbook example of how to help an officer in danger, Derek Meyer has given us one.

While driving in Springville, Utah on Saturday, February 3^rd, 2018, Meyer witnessed an incident in progress that made him turn his car around.

A Utah police officer confronted a man whom he witnessed rummaging around in a local donation bin. The unidentified officer confronted Paul Douglas Anderson, who exited the donation box but refused to remove his hands from his pockets at the officer’s request.

When Anderson finally complied, he is reported to have balled up his fists and began beating the officer, punching him repeatedly in the face. It was this physical altercation that Meyer saw.

Meyer admits that he owns a gun and his concealed carry license for the purpose of protecting other people.

“I carry a gun to protect me and those around me, but primarily I carry a gun to protect my family first and foremost,” Meyer said. “Outside of that, if I were to use my gun to protect anyone, it would be law enforcement or military personnel.”

Meyer arrived on the scene as Anderson was continuing to pummel the officer about the face. Meyer exited his car, aimed it at the assailant, and ordered him to stop. Anderson did, but also took the opportunity to run. Meyer did not shoot and did not pursue.

Several local agencies assisted in the search for Anderson, who was found roughly 30 minutes later hiding under a flatbed trailer. He was transported to jail and charged with assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, burglary, theft, and failing to stop at the command of an officer.

The officer was treated at a local hospital for lacerations on his face and a fractured eye socket. Cpl. Cory Waters of the Springville PD acknowledged that Meyer’s rapid response may have saved the officer’s life, and certainly prevented more extensive injuries.

“Had he not been in the right place at the right time, who knows what would have happened,” Waters said. “But he definitely stopped the attack from continuing and becoming much worse. He might have even saved either one of their lives. It could have gone really bad, even for the suspect.”

Meyer’s didn’t do it for the attention, just to help the officer. But he is sharing his story as an example. “There aren’t enough good stories from responsible, gun-owning people,” Meyer said.

The article Concealed Carry Owner in Utah Saves Officer – Without Firing a Shot originally appeared on Clipdraw

Arkansas’s Opens New Enhanced Concealed Carry Instructor’s Exam

Last Wednesday marks the first day that Arkansas instructors could take the new state test required for teaching the class needed to obtain a concealed carry license.

Passing this new test will qualify these instructors to teach the enhanced permit classes, needed to carry weapons previously restricted, such as college campuses, churches, and other public buildings. They cannot teach the enhanced class until they have passed the new exam. However, the test will be required for all instructors in the state to continue to provide classes for all concealed carry levels.

Dozens of instructors came to the Arkansas State Police Headquarters on January 24^th to take the new test. Some instructors wanted to be able to offer the enhanced class to their students sooner, while others wanted to get the test out of the way, knowing they would eventually be required to take it.

“I wanted to go ahead and get it done so I’d be able to offer this sooner than later,” Instructor Elka King said.

The new enhanced license will have greater requirements, and the state’s true-false test is meant to help those teaching these skills show their knowledge in these areas.

To begin with, the new class has increased shooting training and competency requirements. Applicants must fire 50 rounds each at targets at 3 yards, 7 yards, and 15 yards. There will also be active shooter training included as part of the enhanced licensing requirements.

“There’s training that’s going to be required on emerging events that’s really geared around active shooter, active shooter threats and how you manage that,” instructor Jody Box said.

Instructors have until July 1^st to take the new test. “The law says if you’re going to remain an instructor you have to take the enhanced conceal carry test and you have to offer enhanced training,” Instructor Carl Burdine said.

Failure to do so means their instructor certification will not be renewed. Those taking the test must score at a 40 on the 50-question exam, getting at least 80% of the questions correct, to pass.

The article Arkansas’s Opens New Enhanced Concealed Carry Instructor’s Exam originally appeared on Clipdraw