What To Do When You Can’t Carry Your Firearm: There are a select few of us that work in places where it is against the law to carry any firearms on the premises. I am not talking about working for a woke company that says it’s against company policy, I am talking about those of us who work in the Federal workforce where it is a felony to be caught with a firearm on your person or in your vehicle, even if it is registered with the location. This could be a school, a government building, or a military installation.
Some don’t see this as a problem, because a lot of those locations have armed security at the perimeter and may have their own police force to respond. However, as we saw at the Naval Base shooting in Norfolk, the Fort Hood massacre, and the Capitol baseball field shooting, armed guards were not enough or arrived after the carnage started, whereas someone carrying could have ended the situation quickly. This can also be seen in situations like the Aurora movie shooting where the shooter specifically chose that location because it was posted to not carry on the grounds.
So what do you do if you are in that location?
The government has pushed out for a while now “Run, Hide, Fight” meaning that you should try and run from the shooter, hide and fight as a last resort…but I can tell you from personal experience, that is a pipe dream in most locations. In places I have worked, there are open buildings, parade fields where mass formations are held, and soft targets everywhere that pose serious potential threats.
First, I am not a lawyer, or advising you to break the laws or regulations that are in place. That is a decision that each individual needs to make. If I am headed to a non-Federal location and it says you can’t carry, that location doesn’t get my money (looking at you Dicks Sporting Goods, Target, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chipotle….). The second option for that location is to do like Eli Dickens did in Indiana and carry anyway and end the shooter’s rampage and let the police/jury decide. That is an option.
If you are in a location that would result in a felony in not too nice of a place like Leavenworth Penitentiary, there are still options. Several locations don’t have issues with less-than-lethal means, such as mace or pepper spray. If they do, I have yet to see a place that has a regulation on heavy-duty bear spray…think of pepper spray but able to shoot 10 yards as an option. Just be advised in a closed environment you will likely get yourself, but stinging eyes beats a sunken chest wound of a 9mm variety.
I have become a big fan of other options like retractable clubs/batons as of late as they are generally not too noticeable (they are small) and again not many regulations on them. The biggest advantage I see is if you are in close proximity, it does give you some distance and can be very effective if used in conjunction with a surprise. The downside is you are well under the average shooting distance of 7 yards for most engagements.
The last option is edged weapons, such as knives. There are a lot of places that are regulating them writ large, and I am not a fan because unless you know how to fight with a knife they are just as dangerous to you as to the person you are defending against. The only benefit is they are very concealable and if used in conjunction with surprise could be very effective in neutralizing the potential shooter.
Bottom line, none of these are great options, and I personally think that these locations put the populace that works or lives there at much greater risk than me carrying a firearm does. That said, you do what you feel comfortable doing to protect yourself regardless of where you are going.
And always make sure that you have a comfortable, versatile holster that can also be used as a car gun holster – our magnetic retention holster will definitely do the trick – check out JM4 Tactical for your holster needs!
Author: Ian Bolser