Thanks,
Mustang380gal, for those zipper-lock links....I completely skipped that part of the OP.
[
Note: Some of the items at Vendor I cited previously also apparently feature locking zippers. Again, my apologies for having overlooked that! ]
M-Quigley, I really don't see
THAT much wrong with off-body carry, only certain concessions that must be made - and let's be honest, there really isn't a single method of carry that's totally concession-free.
A tamper-resistant access to where the gun is physically located in the bag is great, but there needs to be discipline to not only remember to unlock the access when one steps out - but to also realize (I know you do, given your post above, but this needs to be absolutely hammered into the relative who is consulting you for advice) that while one is out and that compartment is unlocked, that unauthorized access can happen "in the blink of an eye" - that purse cannot be left with a child, no matter how briefly. Similarly, one would need to resist the temptation to lock the bag when one "feels safe" (i.e. "I'm in my car now, so I'll lock the bag and throw it on the back seat" or "I'm in the store/restaurant now, so I can lock the bag and leave it on the cart or at the table" - in either case, access to the firearm would be significantly delayed, should there be need).
[ Aside: In all honesty, even with the compartment locked, I really still don't like the idea of leaving the bag. I see the lock only as deterrence. ]
Both
The Cornered Cat and
The Well Armed Woman have excellent articles regarding off-body carry.
I know - it's kinda weird for a guy whose wife doesn't carry to have looked into these options.
Part of it is just the gear-freak in me
, and the other is that at one point in time, I considered off-body carry - for me. To me, while the item housing the gun isn't exactly the same, I feel that the principles are.
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M-Quigley wrote:
One of the suggestions she has gotten so far from other has been to carry chamber empty, or with the magazine in a separate area of the purse (the handgun has a magazine disconnect)
The "magazine elsewhere" idea has a tremendous problem to overcome in sequencing - given that a draw from a concealed-carry purse or bag typically requires both hands, my first thought is that it would take an additional and completely separate action to access the magazine during a violent encounter.
One common theme for off-body carry is - as we see from the articles cited above - that it's more complicated than on-body methods. There's just more things to "work" when effecting the draw.
Adding in a second task, one that typically requires a good deal of practice in and of itself, would be in my opinion very, very detrimental to one's performance when under stress.
Similarly, I also would not be in favor of keeping the gun without a round in the chamber. However, towards this particular argument, I know that there are those who do, simply for the fact that without a chambered round, the bullet cannot be discharged from the gun. That is certainly a valid concession towards safety, but I would urge anyone who is considering this as an ADDITION to the complications of off-body carry to truly practice their techniques and to realistically pressure-cook them, so that they understand just what kind of compromise it is that they are facing.
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SMMAssociates wrote:Allen:
Wrong board
.... I'm the greeter on BFA....
Negative, Sir!
Your welcomes here are consistently warm and fuzzy, too!