Posted on 12/28/2012 6:27:23 AM PST by afraidfortherepublic
I carried a gun in New York City for more than a decade -- back when there were thousands of murders a year and the Bronx led the nation in killings. On at least four occasions, that gun saved my life, and in a couple of instances, the lives of people who were with me at the time.
For 13 years I had a New York City full carry permit.
For a number of years I concealed and carried a gun in my son's grammar school as well.
I don't think the world would be a better place without me, and it is indisputable that my Beretta 92FC is responsible for my presence today.
The FC model is the compact version of the full size 92, which takes a 15 round magazine and has a 5" barrel. The FC has a shorter grip, accommodating a 13 round magazine, and a shorter barrel at 4 ½".
My regular means of carry was usually a horizontal shoulder holster. This type of holster provides the easiest access in time of need, because the gun rests parallel to the ground and when drawn, comes out in one motion, level and in theory, already on target.
Later on, I also used a fanny pack with a tear-away Velcro compartment. The gun rests next to your body, with a normal fanny pack as a disguise in front. Pull back the front of the pack to draw the weapon, also held parallel to the ground in its compartment, and you were again on target.
The pistol, even though it was a compact, weighed 4½ pounds, which was difficult to carry for a slim boy from the Bronx. On TV there is always a hero or a bad guy running after someone while carrying a weapon -- forget
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
ping
4.5 pounds! Talk about ‘packin’ heavy’!!
That’s what you get when you have a gun made of steel instead plastic, polymer etc.
FTA:
Besides, you don’t run with a gun. If you are lucky enough to control a life-and-death situation without having to kill anyone, you don’t pursue. You drop to your knees and thank God you are not dead and didn’t have to kill anyone to stay that way. You let them go — I know I did.
I never shot or killed anyone, and except for the tens of thousands of rounds I put through my gun practicing, I never had to fire my weapon either, despite the fact — as I mentioned — it saved my life on several occasions.
I won’t tell you where I went for target practice, even though the store has long since closed, because I bent the rules considerably during my weekly shooting sprees. For years, I went every Tuesday and put anywhere from 100 to 300 rounds through my gun.
It was all about combat shooting for me. I would hit the range early, around 8 AM, before the range officer started, when I was assured to be the only shooter. I always set up several targets, all within 10’-20’ in 3 or more stalls. I would load the gun with one in the chamber and have a spare magazine, sometimes 2, held in the holster (gun under left arm, mags under right). I would set the targets, usually depictions of criminals holding hostages, at different distances, changing the distances with each iteration.
With one spare magazine, I had 27 rounds, 13 in each magazine and one in the chamber. With 2 spare magazines, I had 40 rounds, 13 in each magazine, and one in the chamber.
I set up, my back to the targets, drew my weapon, turned and started firing, rapid fire, changing targets and booths as I did. 27 rounds would take less than 10 seconds — 40 rounds would take perhaps 5 seconds longer.
Although I could barely hit a target at 50 feet, I was really efficient at less than 20 feet. I was extremely skilled for the type of situations I was anticipating and practicing for.
It was New York City, in the 1980s, the murder capital of the nation.
He’s writing about NYC in the 1980s. He wasn’t using plastic guns.
If you read this whole article, I cannot imagine living in NYC, or trying to do business there!
Good God but I'm tired of hearing that crap!
Two NYC cops who hose down Time Square, wounding three innocent bystanders, to take down a fashion designer, in the same week one little old man in Florida successfully stops two armed robbers at an Internet Cafe, are NOT examples of "the finest police force in the world."
I grew up in Northern NJ in the 80s and worked construction in NYC to pay for college and grad school. It was as bad as the author is saying. I had to go to the Port Authority bus station to get back to Jersey. It was an intense few blocks. I am a pretty big guy-especially back then when I was a gym rat-and I always wore my tool belt coming back so I could grab a hammer and a screw driver in a split second. Usually I was left alone because there were easier targets but on quite a few ocassions the hammer came out to protect myself or others that were weaker and needed help. Not saying I ever hit anyone but.....it was a very rough scene. I know Guiliani is persona non grata on this forum and I barely survived the great FR Rudy fan purge of 2008, but he did an AMAZING job of turning around that cesspool. I actually am comfortable bringing my wife and kid there now.
It was probably early 1985 before the Glock was available here, I bought mine in 1986.
4.5 lbs maybe with 3 or 4 extra full mags. Way to heavey for that gun and one mag.
“He’s writing about NYC in the 1980s. He wasn’t using plastic guns.”
Back in the 1980’s I, too, worked in the South Bronx at the Conrail freight yard there.
I guess most of the NYPD officers were still carrying revolvers at the time.
We had a Conrail cop assigned to that location. One day, he walks in with a brand new Glock — must have been just after they came out with them here. He was beaming — he said “Wait until they see THIS at Central Booking!’
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