By the time you read this, the following new laws will be in effect in the Commonwealth of Virginia:

1. HB 505: Valid concealed carry permit holders are now able to carry concealed in establishments that sell alcohol for on premise consumption as long as they are not drinking alcohol. This is a very good law and it has been a very, very long time coming. At least fourteen years by my count ;)
2. HB 885: Any person may carry a concealed weapon in a motor vehicle or boat as long as the container is locked. You don’t even need a CCW permit for it, as long as you’re legally able to possess the firearm. An example given was a glove box in a car, but this would apply to my locked top case on my motorcycle as well. Interestingly, the spirit of the original bill was to allow CCW holders to leave their firearms in their cars when they go to work. The legislation as passed means that you can travel with a handgun in a private vehicle as long as the container is locked.
3. SB 3: Concealed carry permits are now renewable by mail. I don’t really like this one very much, but I admit it’s convenient. I would prefer more intense certification programs for concealed carry permit holders in exchange for wider reciprocity. Ideally, the program would mimic the drivers license system in the USA, except instead of a driving practical you’d have to undergo a shooting practical. Unfortunately most states are trending away from a shooting practical portion of their CCW certification and just do law/safety only.

Congratulations to the Commonwealth of Virginia for entering a more logical age in regards to firearms legislation, and thank you to the legislators that made these changes possible.

Anti-gun group the Brady Campaign has attacked Starbucks for allowing citizens to legally carry inside of their stores. Starbucks is “carry neutral,” and upon being interviewed by the NRA has no interest in throwing their hat in with a pro- or anti-gun movement.

However, the Brady Campaign is urging people to write to Starbucks and ask for them to ban concealed carry. Some stores like Best Buy have rules barring concealed carry on the premise. This puts legal concealed carry permit holders in a legal and ethical quandary. They can either leave their weapons in their vehicles (the #2 place handguns are stolen from), or violate the store’s policy and carry inside. If caught, they can be charged with trespassing (at least in Virginia). Now all of sudden a law-abiding individual is committing a crime due to a store policy.

Anyway, let’s not let this happen at Starbucks. Whether you like iced venti decaf five shot skim white chocolate mochas or not, we all need to stick together to keep America a safer and pro-carry country. Please do the following:

1. Go to the Starbucks.com contact page.
2. Select “other” in the “my question/comment is regarding … “
3. Fill out your name and email address.
4. Copy and paste this into the “comments” box, changing the particulars to fit you:
   

   I want to thank Starbucks for allowing valid concealed carry permit holders to exercise their legal rights within your stores. I have been a long-time Starbucks customer, and spend an average of $600 – $1000 a year in your stores buying coffee drinks and coffee beans. The issue of concealed carry is very important to me, my family, and my friends. Thanks again for allowing legal permit holders to lawfully carry inside of your stores should they so choose.

It only takes a few seconds, and will help let Starbucks know that concealed carry permit holders are thankful, loyal, peaceable customers.

I like getting the most bang for my buck — and as such really like my 1911 handguns from Rock Island Armory. I own both the 5″ barreled Government model (my review), and the 3.5″ barreled Officer’s model (my review). I like the Officer’s model so much that it replaced my trusty Glock 27 as my routine concealed carry piece.

It’s been a little over ten months since I bought the Government model, and I bought the Officer’s model seven months ago. While not a long term test by any means, I thought you’d like to know how the Rock Islands have been holding up.
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I’ve had two of these before, but the first one was via an online quiz service that seems to have deleted my pictures. So anyway, here’s the game:

I post pictures of myself in clothes I would normally wear.

You tell me if I am carrying a weapon or not, and if so where it is.

If you know me, no fair using your bias to suss out the answer!
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I have owned my Rock Island Armory 1911 Government model handgun for about three months now, and I still love it. It feels great in my hand, is accurate, and is built like a truck. I was always curious about 1911s since firing one when I was very young, but now I understand why they still have a cult (Colt?) following almost 100 years later.

The problem with the full-size Government model is that it is, well, full-sized. I am six foot tall and fairly slender. I could conceal the Government model while standing, but as soon as I sat down I literally had the barrel in my pocket. I tried wearing the Government in “appendix carry,” which is inside the pants on the left-hand side. I got a lot of attention from the ladies (and a few dudes, I take what I can get), but it was downright uncomfortable while sitting.

I spent the next twelve weeks trying to track down the shorter 3.5″ barreled Officer’s model. It seems like everyone knows about the Rock Island 1911s and supplies are limited on the budget shooting iron of choice. I checked in with my local gun store several times — I had purchased my other RIA there — and they said it would be nigh impossible to order one or keep it in stock. I tried Bellshire Guns on Gunbroker.com on the advice of one of my readers, but ran into another problem: my employer was set to lay off 1500 staff, and I wanted to keep as many pennies in the piggy bank as possible.

I wasn’t laid off, but now that I felt good about spending money again the compact Officer model was sold out everywhere. I wrote to Phil over at Bellshire, and he suggested waiting until late March or early April. I scoured the rest the dealers on the Internet — they were either out of stock or were charging up to a $200 premium. Sarco is the main supplier of these, and when I called to place my order they informed me there was a 600 handgun backorder. Looks like I would be waiting until the end of March.

Phil made good on his suggestion, and I picked one up from him via Gunbroker.com. The handgun was easily transferred to my local shooting range, and the next thing you know I was launching ash trays at paper targets.
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I’ve written about the SmartCarry deep concealment holster a few times before on Gibberish. I affectionately refer to it as my “assault diaper,” and I have found it to solve a problem other holsters cannot.

I was cleaning my Kel-Tec PF-9 and noticed that the color was fading from the front of the SmartCarry holster where the barrel and front sight rest against the fabric. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that there was some wear on the edge of the holster. I don’t think there is any structural danger, but it does make me wonder how long the SmartCarry is going to last.
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I wrote about the SmartCarry deep concealment handgun holster in June of 2008. I had worn it around a few times, and while it was comfortable enough, I still couldn’t get the hang of living with it on. It really is an “assault diaper,” and fits very snugly around my waist, with the pistol right over my groin. This requires some changes in my usual behavior, especially using the restroom. One of my big complaints about my SmartCarry review was how to use a urinal without either spraying myself or appearing like a pervert.

This write-up is not intended to show you how to sneak a gun into some place you’re not allowed to carry. It’s not intended to help you break any laws or company policies. If you choose to carry some place you shouldn’t, that’s on you. Here are some of the pros, cons, and lessons learned after wearing the SmartCarry for a longer period of time.
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I am fortunate to live in a state where I am able to legally carry a concealed firearm. I have possessed a permit for just a touch over twelve years, and I have carried daily the vast majority of that time.

I have written about living with a concealed handgun here before. Part of the phrase is concealed handgun, and daily life presents challenges in our endeavor to keep our weapons out of sight. These challenges may be minor or significant, but they can be overcome with preparation and experience. I would like to talk about a few things I’ve learned or tried to embody these last dozen years, and hope you may consider living by them, regardless if you carry a weapon for defense.
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I’ve held a concealed carry permit for a dozen years come this August. I have owned a ton of holsters over that time period (see DeSantis Nemesis, Fobus IWB, Fobus E2 Evolution reviews). I have decided there is no one perfect holster for all situations. There is a triangle of comfort, accessibility, and concealment that can never be perfectly balanced. The E2 Evolution holster is king for accessibility and okay for comfort, but not so great on concealment. The Uncle Mike’s nylon belt holster I have for my Glock 27 is super comfortable and has decent accessibility, but if I reach too high with my right hand my piece may show.

I soon realized that concealed carry is a lifestyle as much as it is a means of self-defense. There are certain times that you absolutely, positively do not want anyone to know you are carrying a handgun. It might be for political/social reasons. It might be for work-related reasons. It might be for legal reasons. I bump into the first two on a regular basis. It’s legal for me to carry at work, but against corporate policy. If my piece falls out in the middle of a meeting I’d be fired. I certainly don’t want to lose my job, so what’s a guy to do?

The SmartCarry holster makes a big claim: that their unique holster keeps a weapon concealed and undetectable by anyone. I plunked down about $50 and waited for the postal carrier to arrive.
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