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Thigh Holster

jimwyant

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There have been several references to thigh holsters here, but no thread dedicated to the subject that I can find. I own one, and like it, but I am concerned about the impact that wearing it in public may have. We encourage each other to dress and act extra professionally when OC'ing (gun on, pride off), because we want to present a positive image to the general public. Is there a good chance that there will be more negative reactions as a result of OC in a thigh rig? Would this be likely to cause more businesses to ban guns on their premises, or worse, spur the anti's into stepping up their fight against 2A?

Many of the comments I have read here have been along the lines of "might not be a good idea because of the chance of negative reactions". Is this the general consensus? Is thigh carry really a bad idea? Thoughts?
 

zoom6zoom

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There was a thread on these at one of the other forums, can't remember which at the moment. Basically the jist was that the reasoning for drop holsters isn't that the grip is right at hand level, but to get it down below body armor to eliminate interference. I'd be fine with using one out in the fields, but for "in-town" carry it would be just too tacticool.
 

norahc

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Washington, Washington, USA
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With a thigh holster, you really have to be concerned about weapon retention also. If you're OC'ing in a waist or shoulder rig and someone tries to snatch your weapon, all you have to do is clamp down with your elbow and turn your body. Kinda hard to do with a drop rig.

As far as appearances go, which scenario has a better impact on the public?
a) A guy walking down the street with slacks and a polo shirt with a gun in a thigh holster
b) Same guy, same outfit, with his gun on his waist

Thigh holsters are good for the range or while out hunting, but I definately would not want to wear one in an urban environment.
 

jimwyant

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norahc wrote:
With a thigh holster, you really have to be concerned about weapon retention also. If you're OC'ing in a waist or shoulder rig and someone tries to snatch your weapon, all you have to do is clamp down with your elbow and turn your body. Kinda hard to do with a drop rig.

As far as appearances go, which scenario has a better impact on the public?
a) A guy walking down the street with slacks and a polo shirt with a gun in a thigh holster
b) Same guy, same outfit, with his gun on his waist

Thigh holsters are good for the range or while out hunting, but I definately would not want to wear one in an urban environment.

I'm not trying to argue here, just bringing up a couple more points for discussion. As for the retention question, my thigh rig is a Safariland 6004, and unless you're familiar with the "hood" that retains the weapon and how to release it, you won't remove it. Your point is well taken, however, since the weapon is in a location that makes normal weapon retention techniques much more difficult.

As for your scenario, I agree that the thigh rig appears less professional, and definitely wouldn't look right with the polo shirt and slacks. However, substitute clean BDU pants and a pro-2A t-shirt in the scenario with the thigh rig. In your opinion, would it still be inappropriate for situations in which the BDUs and t-shirt would otherwise be acceptable attire? I don't own enough nice pants to always dress so nicely when OC'ing. Even so, I agree that the most positive presentation is best, hence my original question.
 

longwatch

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A positive impression is important but at the same time we have to keep pushing the envelope a little bit. Whats outrageous now could be normal next week but only if someone has the courage to do it. You know a thigh holster wouldn't look so out of place if you are around other people open carrying. Why not try it out at a meetup, see what the reactions are?
 

norahc

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jimwyant wrote:

I'm not trying to argue here, just bringing up a couple more points for discussion. As for the retention question, my thigh rig is a Safariland 6004, and unless you're familiar with the "hood" that retains the weapon and how to release it, you won't remove it. Your point is well taken, however, since the weapon is in a location that makes normal weapon retention techniques much more difficult.

As for your scenario, I agree that the thigh rig appears less professional, and definitely wouldn't look right with the polo shirt and slacks. However, substitute clean BDU pants and a pro-2A t-shirt in the scenario with the thigh rig. In your opinion, would it still be inappropriate for situations in which the BDUs and t-shirt would otherwise be acceptable attire? I don't own enough nice pants to always dress so nicely when OC'ing. Even so, I agree that the most positive presentation is best, hence my original question.
As far as the retention device on your holder, I would like to impart some words of wisdom that I heard a long time ago..."Murpy was an optimist."

As to the second part of your statement, I'm going to play devil's advocate here. Please understand this is only in the interest of discussion and not to flame anyone here.

We, as responsible firearms owners, are fighting a battle. It is a battle to protect our God given and Constitutionally given rights to bear arms. Our enemies in this battle are numerous, and range from the uneducated to the zealous anti's. We combat disinformation, emotional appeals, and downright lies with truth, logic, and facts.

We all know the catch phrases that are used, so I'm not going to dignify them by posting them here. My point is that appearances are very important, at least at this stage in our battle. We still have resposible, law abiding citizens having unfavorable encounters with law enforcement because of the "man with a gun" call placed by those who don't know better, or those who think they do.

My fear is that the apparel you describe (BDU's and pro-2A shirt) will be twisted into the terms "gun nut" or "military style swat gear" (similar to the way they use the term "assault weapon") by the anti zealot that calls the police. This could set our battle to educate the public back several years.

I hope that in the not too distant future, OC'ing will be recognized for what it should be...a person exercising their rights, not subject to government regulation or interference. The only way that is going to happen is to educate the public by exposing them to law abiding citizens OC'ing.

Make no mistake, appearance and attitude have tremendous bearing on how the public views you when OC'ing. If you're dressed respectably and act like it's no big deal for you to carry a gun, for the most part people will assume that it is okay for you to do so. If you're dressed inappropriately or are acting like you're breaking the law while carrying, the public will pick up on that and react. When I talk about inappropriate dress, I'm including any type of policital statements on your clothing. If you choose to wear that type of clothing, someone who may have ignored your OC'ing will decide that they don't like you and call the cops just because they don't like your viewpoint.

Is it right? Nope, but that's the way it is and the way it will continue to be until all of the following happens:
1) Everyone realizes that criminals cause crime, not firearms.
2) The 2nd Amendment is an individual right placed their by the Framers to ensure that the other rights are not screwed with
3) AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, people must realize that just because they don't like something, they DO NOT have the right, resposibility, or authority to tell other people how to live their lives.
 

jimwyant

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I appreciate the discussion on this topic. Beyond my property, I have only carried once on my thigh, mostly for the reasons norahc just posted. I will mow my grass while wearing my confederate flag t-shirt and my H&K on my thigh, but I won't go shopping similarly dressed, because I don't want to encourage anyone to make some noise that may end up costing me my right to OC and/or speak freely.

At the same time, longwatch makes a good point about pushing the envelope. Not too many years ago, OC in most any locality of any state would have gotten a significant negative LEO response, even in the absence of any broken laws or abnormal behavior. Now, we've made progress on that front to the point that 90+% of OC experiences are non-events. I want to keep this progress going, not set it back. I started this thread to gauge the reactions here instead of in public and perhaps damaging our cause.

This is off the subject a bit, but related. What about carrying two guns, one on each hip? Is this just as likely as a thigh rig to send the locals into a frenzy, or somewhat less so?
 

murphyslaw

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May 21, 2006
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Anchorage, Alaska, USA
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someone said:
"Murpy was an optimist."

Why thank you


the problem with politics is they are familiar with murphyslaw of hyarchy(sp?)

" A man that smile's when things go wrong, has thought of someone to blame it on".

just thought i'd be optimistic for a second.
 

TrueBrit

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May 10, 2006
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Richmond, Kentucky, USA
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This whole question of thigh rigs is, perhaps, a matter of individual preference and taste, much like the open versus concealed carry debate.

Personally, I do not even like to see cops looking tacticool or paramilitary, they are NOT soldiers, merely civilians with special responsibilities.

One step at a time is the way to go, if we wish to "normalise" open carry,and perhaps a more discreet rig, initially, is better than a guy looking like a refugee from Special Forces, SWAT wannabee or Soldier of Fortune.

This is merely a personal opinion, of course, and in no way would I actively discourage a guy from wearing such a rig. He has an absolute right to do so, provided that he is prepared to accept the extra attention that such a rig will possibly generate.

I could well be way off base here, and will be interested to learn how the Doc gets on with his thigh rig. Although I would not be seen deadat acock fight wearing such a rig, I admire the Doc's style and spirit for pushing the envelope. Best of luck, Sir!

TrueBrit.
 

longwatch

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What kind did you choose Doc? I think this discussion does require knowing what rig we are to judge. Truebrit makes a good point, the paramilitary look may be a little too mall ninja for our purposes. However I think a holster can look more civilian and for all practical purposes accomplish the same job. I think some of the low slung western rigs look really good but do the same thing as say a Blackhawk holster. On the other hand a Kydex OWB or anything black and a couple of magazines could be too much by some peoples standards.
 

VApatriot

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May 8, 2006
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Burke/Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
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TrueBrit wrote:
,and perhaps a more discreet rig, initially, is better than a guy looking like a refugee from Special Forces, SWAT wannabee or Soldier of Fortune.
Ionly really have oneopinion on this topic. If our Special Forces and SWAT teams use thigh holsters, don't you think that there is a real tacticle advantage to using them. Those guys are the best of the best at what they do and they almost always chose to use thigh holsters.
 

VAopencarry

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VApatriot, SF, SWAT etc have different needs then Joe Citizen carrying on his way to the library. Body armour and a host of other items carried around their waist.

With that said, I like thigh rigs and would wear one if not for the fact I believe it would cause a lot of negative attention and 911 calls.
 

robbiev427

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Jun 16, 2006
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VAopencarry wrote:
VApatriot, SF, SWAT etc have different needs then Joe Citizen carrying on his way to the library. Body armour and a host of other items carried around their waist.

With that said, I like thigh rigs and would wear one if not for the fact I believe it would cause a lot of negative attention and 911 calls.

Seconded on that. One of the main reasons "elite"police groupscarry tactical holsters is because of all the other gear that would be in the way if the gun was carried on the waist.

I'm in the group that thinks wearing a thigh holster is a little to paramilitary looking for the average Joe, but, as others have stated, it's generally within your rights to wear one, so I would never tell anyone else not to.

However, they do look really cool. I wear one when I go to a particular range for a shooting match. It'sa military training range mostly, and many of the guys there wear them for the match. I never wear one any other time.
 

presbyreformed

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Sep 21, 2006
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Stafford, Virginia, USA
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norahc wrote:
As far as the retention device on your holder, I would like to impart some words of wisdom that I heard a long time ago..."Murpy was an optimist."

As to the second part of your statement, I'm going to play devil's advocate here. Please understand this is only in the interest of discussion and not to flame anyone here.

We, as responsible firearms owners, are fighting a battle. It is a battle to protect our God given and Constitutionally given rights to bear arms. Our enemies in this battle are numerous, and range from the uneducated to the zealous anti's. We combat disinformation, emotional appeals, and downright lies with truth, logic, and facts.

We all know the catch phrases that are used, so I'm not going to dignify them by posting them here. My point is that appearances are very important, at least at this stage in our battle. We still have resposible, law abiding citizens having unfavorable encounters with law enforcement because of the "man with a gun" call placed by those who don't know better, or those who think they do.

My fear is that the apparel you describe (BDU's and pro-2A shirt) will be twisted into the terms "gun nut" or "military style swat gear" (similar to the way they use the term "assault weapon") by the anti zealot that calls the police. This could set our battle to educate the public back several years.

I hope that in the not too distant future, OC'ing will be recognized for what it should be...a person exercising their rights, not subject to government regulation or interference. The only way that is going to happen is to educate the public by exposing them to law abiding citizens OC'ing.

Make no mistake, appearance and attitude have tremendous bearing on how the public views you when OC'ing. If you're dressed respectably and act like it's no big deal for you to carry a gun, for the most part people will assume that it is okay for you to do so. If you're dressed inappropriately or are acting like you're breaking the law while carrying, the public will pick up on that and react. When I talk about inappropriate dress, I'm including any type of policital statements on your clothing. If you choose to wear that type of clothing, someone who may have ignored your OC'ing will decide that they don't like you and call the cops just because they don't like your viewpoint.

Is it right? Nope, but that's the way it is and the way it will continue to be until all of the following happens:
1) Everyone realizes that criminals cause crime, not firearms.
2) The 2nd Amendment is an individual right placed their by the Framers to ensure that the other rights are not screwed with
3) AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, people must realize that just because they don't like something, they DO NOT have the right, resposibility, or authority to tell other people how to live their lives.

norahc,

This is well written and you make good points here. I commend you for the time and thought you put into your response.

I agree with the general consensus here that we want to go easy with pushing this envelope of OC. We must keep in mind that the laws we worked so hard to enact can be abolished much easier next year. We cannot assume that this new right given back to us is set in stone.

I've talked to a couple of Stafford's finest about OC and their general comment is that they don't mind it, but they would advise against it due to the public's reactions. They hate getting those hysterical calls from people about a guy with a gun, even if they have to explain the law to the hysterical sheep.

Reading these posts here and on the Restaurant thread have encouraged me to start carrying open. I have a permit for concealed, but would like to help in the effort to gently nudge the sheep into acceptance of OC.

Remember, what we want is for the public to be comfortable and feel safer with us armed,not for them to feel threatened and bullied.

My 2 pennies....
 

docwatson

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Woodbridge, Virginia, USA
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I've worn the thigh holster out a couple of times but no big deal or negative response. Keep in mind, I'm also usually wearing my Victory Base Polo and my ball cap with all the interesting Velcro patches on it (IR tape, IR flag, 'No PEN' and 'O POS').

The thigh holster is fine except that it has a tendency to drag or flop. I bought the belt version of the same holster and like it better. I actually got more looks with that than the other. Go figure. :)
 

longwatch

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Thanks for the report. Its good to see that your experience is just the typical non event.
 

expvideo

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Lynnwood, WA, ,
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How about as a fashion statement? Here's a look at the GQ page of the future

IMG00031-1.jpg
 
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