If you are like me, you are always looking for a holster that feels just right. Something that is minimal yet works under every situation you throw at it. For an armed citizen, off duty officer or anyone who does not want to outsource their protection, carrying a firearm is a very real situation. A huge topic with carrying is the method and position of your firearm.
Finding your style of carry is only something that can be done via trial and error. The most common holsters are IWB (inside the waist band) and OWB (outside the waist band). IWB holsters ride between your body and your pants while OWB are on your belt and offer more comfort but are less concealable. Shoulder holsters are a little over the top to some, but in specific situations it’s better to be armed than not. The external forms of carry are not my preferred method due to the risk of not having complete control of the firearm, but as I said before, it is better to be armed than a victim.
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Editor-in-Chief’s Note: Due to the recent events in Connecticut and Colorado, like many of you, I’ve been searching for answers on what can be done to prevent these kind of incidents from occurring. While this article is not meant to detract from what we see time and time again, lack of a means of defense against these threats, I reached out to frequent contributor and former IDF (Israeli Defense Force) soldier Uri Fridman for his thoughts on this.
This article was written by Uri and comes from his perspective as a now US citizen who works as an information security consultant. I’ve been very interested in the Israeli model after their procedures for handling airport security have started to become implemented at Boston Logan International Airport. Please join me in welcoming Uri back with his perspective on these recent events. [Read More…]
The Hill People Gear Kit Bag is a platform for concealed carry of a handgun in the backcountry.
Carrying on the waist isn’t an option when you’re wearing a pack with a belt. In order to do its job, the pack belt needs to wrap tightly around the waist, which makes any bulky items between the waist and the pack belt inappropriate. A holster could be mounted to the pack belt itself, but then you drop your gun whenever you drop your pack. If you choose to carry a handgun in the backcountry, you probably want it with you and readily accessible at all times.
The Kit Bag addresses this problem by allowing the handgun to be carried on the chest. It’s supported by its own harness, worn underneath the pack, which allows the user to drop their pack without removing the Kit Bag.
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If you have a concealed handgun permit, or you just like to shoot, then you probably already know that selecting the right firearm is a very personal decision. Determining which pistol would work for best in my situation was no different.
I’ll admit right up front that most of my shooting experience has come from working with Sig Sauer pistols because that’s what Bryan carries and he’s the one who taught me to shoot. I’ve found Sigs to be very reliable and enjoyable to shoot. I’ve shot a few different 9mm options, but chose a Sig P232 a couple of years ago for my first handgun while at a local gun show. It’s a .380 caliber pistol that I thought at the time would work well for me, but once I got it home and started using it, I realized that it wasn’t a good match for me. [Read More…]
We don’t follow the political game much here on ITS, but I feel that the Senate bill, S.2188, is an important one to many of our readers like it is to me.
Essentially, the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2012 is the Senate companion to H.R. 822, which was introduced to the U.S. House last November and passed by a vote of 272-154. There’s been some healthy debate on the merits of such an act, which would allow anyone with a valid state-issued concealed firearm permit to carry concealed in any state that issues a concealed firearm permit, or that doesn’t prohibit carrying concealed for lawful purposes.
Much like a driver’s license from one state is valid in another, the Right-to-Carry reciprocity would allow traveling concealed-carry permit holders the same rights to self defense as they have in their home state. [Read More…]
A few people, including our friends at The Survival Podcast, have brought an issue to our attention that we all need to support and supporters of the 2nd Amendment.
The National Gun Victims Action Council has decided to start a movement for all anti-gun supporters to boycott Starbucks this Valentine’s Day, February 14th, 2012. In response to this boycott, a few bloggers have started a Starbucks Appreciation Day “buycott” to counter the NGVAC’s rally.
To participate in the Starbucks Appreciation Day, the call-out is to grab a few $2 bills (which justly portrays the signing of the Declaration of Independence on the reverse of the $2 bill) and head to Starbucks on Valentine’s Day to buy a few cups of coffee. Even if you can’t source $2 bills from your bank, make your presence known!
How do you do that and why all this pressure on Starbucks? Glad you asked! [Read More…]
We talk about concealed carry quite a bit here on ITS Tactical and are all strong believers in the right to not only carry concealed, but to open carry as well.
As many of you already know, or will come to find out once you start carrying, the laws that govern carrying firearms are incredibly complex and change from state to state.
A fantastic resource for wrapping your head around these laws is Legal Heat: 50 State Guide to Firearm Laws. Available on your iPhone, iTouch, iPad and even in book format, Legal Heat not only gives you a comprehensive guide to concealed and open carry laws for all 50 states, but also easy to reference transport rules and Attorney General contact information.
The coolest feature of the app is the ability to notify Legal Heat of any changes in the law you may come across. Nearly all the changes in the newest update are thanks to this feature, how’s that for listening to customer feedback? [Read More…]
It’s safe to call Lt. Colonel Dave Grossman a legend in the military and law enforcement community. Col. Grossman is the author of “On Killing” and “On Combat.” Arguably two of the most advanced and influential books on the psychology and physiology of the down and dirty business of making the world a safer place.
I had the honor and pleasure of attending one of Col. Grossman’s seminar’s earlier this month; after years of hoping for a geographically reasonable distance for one of his popular training sessions my expectations were high, and I can honestly say they were met and exceeded on every level.
A reasonable review of the seminar is simply not possible in a short post, but I’ll attempt to capture some of the flavor and essence of the subject matter for those who may have an interest in attending one of Col. Grossman’s training seminars. [Read More…]
Following the footsteps of Alaska and Vermont, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed a bill into law Friday, allowing Arizonians 21 and older to carry a concealed weapon without a permit, background check or training class.
Of course you’ll still have to legally be able to own and carry a firearm in order to take advantage of the new law, which won’t take place until the current legislative session ends around July or August.
Required by federal law, a background check will still be required to purchase a gun from a licensed dealer, but that doesn’t apply to sales by individuals that aren’t dealers.
While this is a major step forward in our 2nd Amendment rights, it still raises a few important questions. [Read More…]
If you’ve been following our articles here at ITS Tactical, you’ve no doubt heard my good friend Jack of The Survival Podcast being mentioned.
I was invited by Jack on Monday, to take part in the filming of the Advanced Ballistic Striking DVD Series that he and his business partner Neil are producing. They flew Systema (Russian Martial Art) expert Val Riazanov in from the UAE to film the DVD’s, and I was asked to assist Val during the weapons disarming portion.
Assisting Val basically meant drawing weapons on him, getting disarmed and thrown to the floor. I’ve trained in Systema before, a few years back when I lived in California, but have never trained with anyone quite like Val.
I learned an incredible amount of information in just the few hours I spent with him Monday, and would like to take this opportunity to share some of that knowledge. I’m also going to heavily note the incredible Podcast that Jack put together that prompted me to write this article of the same headline.
I’d like to encourage every one of you to get over and listen to Jack’s Podcast from yesterday. I feel this is one of his best and most applicable podcast’s to what we do here at ITS. [Read More…]
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