Now here is a post I didnt think I would write - Restrooms and Handguns

[sfmedic]

I just posted on the losing your ccw permit - The OP brought up something that I never thought about till now

Depending on my Holster and type Gunbelt I do different things while using a public restroom.

If (best case scenerio) the stall has a square top toilet paper dispenser I put my handgun on it. If I have a good holster that locks the belt and gun i just let it hang.

Has anyone invented a toilet roll dispenser for handguns yet? If not Im going to invent one and make billions and billions of dollars and get out of the training business (evil laugh)

maybe go high tech and buzz if there is any weight on it and the door is opened for those of us with Alzheimers.

 

[Bob Wright]

Generally I use the toilet paper dispenser or top of the commode tank.

The coffee shop I frequent hs a unisex facility, one person at a time with secure locking door. And the owners have graciously provided a cabinet and mirror.

And the nice thing is that above the mirror they have those funeral home type lights designed to make a corpse look good. This lighting really enhances the looks of my old Ruger .44.

Bob Wright

 

[Bob Wright]

Every time I'm faced with using a public restroom, I think back to my R&R in Tokyo, Japan.

There the toilet is flush with the floor, so you sort of squat over it. Makes you check you pockets before flushing!

Bob Wright

 

[Alabama Shooter]

If (best case scenerio) the stall has a square top toilet paper dispenser I put my handgun on it. If I have a good holster that locks the belt and gun i just let it hang.

I would discourage you from setting your hand gun down while you use the lavatory. Occasionally I hear of people forgetting one and other people finding it.

 

[BfloBill]

Regardless of whether I have an IWB or OWB holster, I always just tip the gun (still in the holster and attatched to my belt) into the crotch of my pants, with the muzzle pointed to the back of the stall. If you never take it off you can't forget it, and if you are not taking it out and reholstering it you can't have an accidental discharge in public. Muzzle orientation probably doesn't matter that much since it's not going to magically discharge by itself while holstered, but muzzle discipline was something that was drilled into my head endlessly when I was young and old habits die hard. ( And good old habits should never die at all)

 

[pax]

If your holster does not hold the gun securely, get rid of it and get one that does.

Guns falling out of insecure holsters in public restrooms:

• Man hurt when gun blasts toilet
• Man could be prosecuted for endangerment after dropping gun in restroom, which fired and narrowly missed another man using the urinal
• Woman hit by stray bullet while sitting on toilet

Note that all of these are just the ones where the gun fired and made the local paper. I have literally dozens more in my files, all equally tragicomic. I have even more stories that I've heard personally from talking to people who dropped a gun that did not fire and that did not make the news.

Guns left behind by people who took their guns out of the holster:

• Handgun left in McDonald's restroom
• Gun left in airport bathroom
• Gun left in Panera Bread bathroom -- another left in WalMart bathroom
• Gun left in restroom of children's hospital
• Gun left in grocery store bathroom
• Secret Service agent left gun in Romney's airplane bathroom
• Gun left in restaurant used to kill someone a few hours later

Bottom line: if you have an IWB or OWB holster that does not hold the gun securely, it’s time to upgrade to one that does. Who wants to be the next headline? Not I!

Oh, as an aside? If you ever do drop a gun, let it fall. Never reach for a falling gun! That's because modern, quality firearms cannot fire when they strike the ground, despite what the headlines above might imply. All except one of the above shots were almost certainly caused by someone reflexively reaching for the gun as it fell, and unintentionally grabbing the trigger. Let it fall!

 

[Deja vu]

I went to pocket carry and now dont have to worry about this!

 

[Hook686]

Another good reason to pocket carry a J-Frame.

 

[sakeneko]

You must have bigger pockets than I do. My usual carry is an S&W Model 60-10, a 3" stretch snubby J-Frame. I don't think the pockets in even my London Fog trenchcoat would hold it.

+1 on having a holster that holds the gun securely. Three and a half years ago, after I got my permit and the S&W M60, I ordered one of Simply Rugged's Silver Dollar pancake holsters. They're custom made for your specific gun model, and are *solid*. I paid $45 for it. I think it was the smartest $45 I ever spent.

 

[JimmyR]

I keep a variety of holsters for my guns, mostly IWB, and most do very well keeping my gun steady. I especially like my Crossbreed Supertuck, and I am gonna try an Old Faithful holster for my CZ

 

[Rainbow Demon]

Shoulder holster or inside jacket pocket and no such worries.

Occasionally I hear of people forgetting one and other people finding it.

I hope simply taking a dump never taxes my brain so much that I'd forget and leave a handgun laying around unattended. Maybe when Alzheimers has struck, but not before. If my brain ever deteriorated that much I'd be carrying in a custom made diaper by then and not be bothered by pitstops.

That's because modern, quality firearms cannot fire when they strike the ground, despite what the headlines above might imply.

Never say never when it comes to any sort of mechanical malfunction.

Andrew Seals entered a bathroom stall about 1 p.m., at a Walmart at McKellips and Greenfield roads, and began to sit down when his Ruger .357-caliber Western-style revolver fell out of its holster and fired a round, Mesa police Sgt. Ed Wessing said.

Doesn't say whether or not this Ruger has the transfer bar, older models didn't have it and you could send them in to have one retrofitted.

One story does not ID the type of handgun at all, and the other says that the Khar should not have gone off when dropped.

That said I have posted of having rendered first aid to a man who had let his cocked revolver slip from his lap when his car hit a speed bump (saw potential carjacking situation), he did trigger the gun accidentally when he grabbed for it.
After that he never carried with a live round under the hammer regardless of the type of pistol he carried just in case.

 

[TheNocturnus]

I am guilty of leaving my CCW piece in the bathroom, but it was at my own house. I try not to use public restrooms if possible. When I have to, my guns stay in their holsters.

 

[flotter390]

It's tuff when you carry in the small of your back!!

Fred

 

[Brian Pfleuger]

You should need to handle your firearm when you holster it in the morning and when you put it away at night. In between, you shouldn't be messing with it unless you're about to USE it.

I carry a Glock 33 in a Crossbreed Supertuck. It has no retention except for a slight indentation in the kydex that the trigger guard has to slide past. I have no troubles with leaving it in the holster during any normal "activities".

I would not use a holster that required me to remove the firearm during a normal day.

 

[Tactical Jackalope]

Oh boy..where do I start?

Ok, well depends how you're using the bathroom. As a man obviously, one way is a lot easier than the other. Don't need to go into specifics.

The more difficult way for both men and women, is sitting down.

I do NOT think it's wise to leave it out of arms reach. But sometimes you just have to.

If the stall goes really low, to where you can't see anything under it. It can stay in the holster. If it is about 1 foot of clearance from the ground..I know this sounds crazy. It's like fire and water. Also goes against my "within" arms reach of the gun at all times. But...

In the sink wrapped in paper until you're done to reholster. I know...crazy.. I for one, always wash my hands. So I'll know it's in there and won't forget it. 2 birds with one stone.

I'd never leave it hanging from the door or anything of the sort. People snatch things that way, the trigger could get caught in the hook. etc. Just a bad idea.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

I just leave my pistol in the holster and pull my boxers down over the holstered pistol as I sit, in case someone gets the sudden urge to peek underneath the stall. It keeps the pistol concealed while leaving it in its holster and prevents me from walking off without it as long as I remember to put my pants back on.

 

[0351A]

This is why I like wearing a nice suit. I've never liked stuff at my waist anyway.

 

[Don P]

(best case scenerio) the stall has a square top toilet paper dispenser I put my handgun on it. If I have a good holster that locks the belt and gun i just let it hang

Armed guard working for Loomis left a firearm in the stall. Found by an employee. Manager called the office, guard fired for being stupid

Drop the firearm in the crotch of yer pantaloons while sitting upon the throne. If you should forget it or lose it from that spot then you should NOT own/carry a firearm.

 

[Tactical Jackalope]

Drop the firearm in the crotch of yer pantaloons while sitting upon the throne. If you should forget it or lose it from that spot then you should NOT own/carry a firearm.

lmao...what he said is pretty darn smart too.


I don't see how someone could forget their gun out in public? In condition yellow...Boggles my mind.

 

[h2otoo]

We all have to drop our draws at one time or another. That's why I like a thumb break with my IWBs. The one I have for my 1911 I've had about 30 years now, so I think I am use to that type by now.

Bob