Running with a Gun - article

[BadKitty]

Notice: This post is in the Ladies Forum


I just came across this article from Women's Outdoor News about running with a gun. This seems especially timely as, sadly, that young woman from Iowa was murdered after someone grabbed her while she was out for a run. The article talks about some clothing ideas and also how to practice the run and gun.

Read the suggestions here: https://www.womensoutdoornews.com/20...ng-with-a-gun/

[colt11]

Great article!

[WheelGunMagic]

Thanks for posting - some really good, practical, useable tips! I don't run, but I do hike & bike alone in the mountains. My CCW makes it legal, but the 'how to' tips are perfect. With a little imagination & thought, there are a lot of options available!

[californiagal]

Late responding. Good info.

I'm not much of a runner, but the few times I've gone out is with a running group.

Other than that, when I'm out hiking or walking, I'm with my 2 big GSDs and usually another person.

I did have an incident once with the dogs, and a friend, where we were attacked by a pack of 4 loose dogs. My little blackie girl kept the dogs away; she's a princess warrior, but what I realized is that it happened so fast that while juggling 2 leashes and 1 barking, 1 scared dog, I did not have time or a free hand to draw a weapon. It was very enlightening, and I realized that I needed to practice handling that scenario. I'm also training my dogs to be obedient off leash.

[WheelGunMagic]

Late responding. Good info.

I'm not much of a runner, but the few times I've gone out is with a running group.

Other than that, when I'm out hiking or walking, I'm with my 2 big GSDs and usually another person.

I did have an incident once with the dogs, and a friend, where we were attacked by a pack of 4 loose dogs. My little blackie girl kept the dogs away; she's a princess warrior, but what I realized is that it happened so fast that while juggling 2 leashes and 1 barking, 1 scared dog, I did not have time or a free hand to draw a weapon. It was very enlightening, and I realized that I needed to practice handling that scenario. I'm also training my dogs to be obedient off leash.

Californiagal, you make an excellent point & sent us a good reminder. We all need realistic practice that reflects real world conditions. I'm guilty of placing too much reliance on the ideal conditions at the range or in front of the mirror at home.

Although I carry AIWB on my right side, I've seldom practiced drawing while holding a purse, backpack, grocery bag, or my dogs' leashes with my left hand. In practice, I use my empty left hand to lift my cover garment out of the way. That's an oversight I'll have to correct right away.

[BadKitty]

Californiagal, you make an excellent point & sent us a good reminder. We all need realistic practice that reflects real world conditions. I'm guilty of placing too much reliance on the ideal conditions at the range or in front of the mirror at home.

Although I carry AIWB on my right side, I've seldom practiced drawing while holding a purse, backpack, grocery bag, or my dogs' leashes with my left hand. In practice, I use my empty left hand to lift my cover garment out of the way. That's an oversight I'll have to correct right away.

Yes! I've seen classes like FrontSight where they say that you can only draw from the holster at the hip and you must wear a cover shirt. I'm thinking...that's ok and I completely understand that they need to maintain some control and consistency in their classes; but, that is not how most women carry. So, we need to do ourselves a favor and train on our own initiative for alternate carries, outfits and circumstances. Ever try drawing from a purse in high heels and a body con dress? I haven't. I can imagine that my stance would be off-kilter due to the heels. Are you a business professional that wears a suit and jacket? Better try drawing with your jacket on as I can imagine that the shoulders would be restricted when you come up to contact ready. Maybe practice carrying heavy grocery bags, drop them on the ground and draw. Or practice drawing and shooting with heavy bags hanging from your shoulders.

You two gave us good things to think about! Thanks!

[BonnieB]

I've never seen a California rule the you can only draw from the hip when carrying concealed. Or that you need a shirt. (Obviously we're wearing some kind of shirt, or we'd cause a riot...). Just to keep the confusion down to a dull roar, the above may be Front Site rules, but they aren't California rules that I know of.

Women DO have special carry needs, since we tend to curve out, where men are flat or curve in. For me, since I'm old and fat, right side appendix is best. I have this inward curve, like a little pocket, between my belly and my hip bone. REALLY easy to conceal there. With a .380, I can just use a sticky holster and drop it in the pocket of my jeans. (But I'm old and fat now, so no one is really looking...)

BK is right, practice for your real world situation. And especially the Walmart parking lot. Nothing against Walmart but I have been approached more times there than anywhere else in my life. And get some snap caps. You can practice at home every day for different situations (remember its dark out at night so do that too ).

And before we fire up The Caliber War (AGAIN ! ), let me say that shot-placement trumps caliber EVERY SINGLE TIME. A .380 round in the chest is ALWAYS better than a .45 wound in the tree five feet away....

[MJB]

Good for the girls!.....it could save a lot of lives.

[BadKitty]

I've never seen a California rule the you can only draw from the hip when carrying concealed. Or that you need a shirt. (Obviously we're wearing some kind of shirt, or we'd cause a riot...). Just to keep the confusion down to a dull roar, the above may be Front Site rules, but they aren't California rules that I know of.

Oh, just to clarify, I was specifically referring to CCW-type training courses where students are directed on how they are expected to draw regardless of if that's appropriate for the student. I was not making any reference to California laws.

[BonnieB]

I agree that all the CCW classes I have taken have requirements as to dress, holsters, etc. Sorry, I misunderstood.

[Stumpfenhammer]

And...for the lady who won't carry a gun for whatever reason...a fixed blade fighting knife with a 3" blade...and a little training to go with it...is a great equalizer.

This being my favorite example: https://www.headhunterblades.com/hhb...t=653904609324

[BonnieB]

And...for the lady who won't carry a gun for whatever reason...a fixed blade fighting knife with a 3" blade...and a little training to go with it...is a great equalizer.

This being my favorite example: https://www.headhunterblades.com/hhb...t=653904609324

Sorry, S, I disagree entirely. Once you are close enough to a Bad Guy to use a knife, you're close enough for him to take it away from you. And he will.

The idea of intimidating a BG by pulling a knife is dangerous nonsense. A woman would be better served by taking a hand-to-hand self defense class designed for women, if she absolutely refuses to carry.

(And by the way, you are NOT allowed to advertise "for sale" items in any forum other than the "for sale by individual" ones. Someone's probably gonna report you to the moderators and you could get banned)

[urduja]

Thanks for the article.
I do run alone and I do run with earphones in.
I am planning on getting a CCW so that put me on the hunt for a good running holster. I took a look at the one in the article and that led me to the crossbreed belly band modular. I am not ready yet for a holster though, because I have not yet gotten a CCW gun.
The earbuds I use though, has good clarity and I can still clearly hear what is going on around me with both ears in.
Right now, I sometimes run with a knife (better than nothing) and run in well lit closer to home areas when I go in the dark.

[Citizen_B]

Sorry, S, I disagree entirely. Once you are close enough to a Bad Guy to use a knife, you're close enough for him to take it away from you. And he will.

The idea of intimidating a BG by pulling a knife is dangerous nonsense. A woman would be better served by taking a hand-to-hand self defense class designed for women, if she absolutely refuses to carry.

(And by the way, you are NOT allowed to advertise "for sale" items in any forum other than the "for sale by individual" ones. Someone's probably gonna report you to the moderators and you could get banned)

Without getting into the details, I think a knife in a trained hand is better than an equally trained empty-hand. The knife's not meant to intimidate, it's meant to get very specific work done. I agree though that a knife in an untrained hand can be worse than an untrained empty-hand - carrying a knife or a gun by itself doesn't necessarily make one safer. The common thread is training and proper mindset which I think we all agree with. Tim Larkin has some good books on violence.

[BadKitty]

I think Stumpfenhammer's knife-carry suggestion can work for some women in some circumstances. More on that in a minute.

However, in most instances, for "most women", I just kinda feel that a knife is a bad idea. When we consider a face-to-face situation, like a man running up to a woman on the sidewalk, his physical strength is probably going to overpower her enough to gain control of her knife. Plus, he'll probably be pissed that she pulled a knife and it may stoke his aggression. Frankly, men see women as weaker and, physically, we are. Therefore, I'm not confident that a little lady holding a knife out would be much of a deterrent.

Also, we must take into consideration that women, by our nature, tend to not want to hurt people. So, having to stick a blade into someone and slice them is not in our nature. That kind of contact is too personal on a human level. I think that most women would prefer to engage an attacker at a distance via a gun or pepper spray. So, knife training is essential here. Even then, I personally wouldn't want to go "hand-to-hand" in a knife fight with some guy.

That said, I do carry a knife in situations when I cannot reasonably carry a gun. I might have it in my purse (on a date) or in my front jeans pocket while walking in uncertain area. The knife is really more of a last-ditch kind of thing. I have defensive tactics training for how to physically defend against a knife-wielding attacker; but, not training on how to use a knife on an attacker. I personally feel more comfortable using my non-weapon defense tactics against a knife or non-knife holder than knife vs. knife like it's West Side Story or something. That said, a knife could deter the garden variety of homeless bum wanting to steal your phone. A knife probably won't deter the aggressive strong armed robbers that we have walking around the college campus over here.

Take note that I am taller and more athletic/muscular than the average woman. I'm the size and weight of an average man. Plus, I have a warrior/survivor mindset. So, some clown running up to me better be up for a fight. But still....psychologically, I'm not really down for stabbing someone unless I really had to.

The original article/post was related to *running* with a gun. I can't imagine most people would want to go running or jogging with a knife in their hand. They'd have to stop, out-of-breath and attempt to skillfully address an attacker with a knife that's probably sweaty from running with it. For this exercise, I would recommend jogging with a pepper spray. While I was training for my academy, I would go on runs in the evening after I got home from my desk job. It would be dark out and I used to live in a sketchy neighborhood. I had a handheld pepper spray that came in an elastic sleeve with an elastic band to go around one's hand. I could comfortably jog with it in my hand and know that I could immediately spray somebody if needed.

Regardless of which option someone chooses, she should be prepared to train with it and use it. I don't think there's a knife class near me; but, it's something to look into.