imported post
While I type this I am well aware that I am not just speaking to everyone reading..... I am also pointing a finger directly at myself.
When we carry a sidearm in plain view it is us.. and only us.. who is responsible for keeping that sidearm secure. It is us.. and only us.. who is responsible for keeping our awareness level high enough to be aware of anyone, child or adult, who comes close enough to be able to reach out and touch or grab our sidearm. And it is us... and only us.. who needs to have practiced retention techniques to deal with someone reaching for, or actually touching/grabbing, our sidearm.
Now... should a child be treated to the same retention technique as a bad guy? Of course not... yet that child should have been treated with the same amount of awareness we would have if we had noticed a shady character close to us.
We, all of us, are human and tend to assess values of threat levels... and a child isn't ordinarily considered a threat. Well, ordinarily a child has no evil intent... just lots of curiosity... yet a child who actually does get ahold of a sidearm can cause as much damage out of ignorance of what to do with a gun... as a bad guy can out of evil intent. But the potential for damage is still there.
What to do? Be aware of who is close to us first. Take steps to keep the sidearm protected by covering it with an elbow (as someone else said earlier) or by turning it away from the person/child (as someone else also said earlier) ... and by being ready to use the first step of retention of pushing the hand/gun down into the holster while turning... and then, if a child, give a stern but gentle admonition... if a bad guy well.... do what ya gotta do. But, we should already know if that hand belongs to a bad guy or a child .......
I said that I was speaking to myself... yep, it is my responsibility to know who is around me and how they are behaving.. and how that might affect me... and my sidearm.
And standing in check out lines in stores makes me very uncomfortable because I know that my attention will be distracted when it comes time to pay for my purchases.