by John Boch
I’m no fan of appendix-style carry.
Yeah, it’s fast to draw from. Yeah, it conceals well. It’s a great place to have the gun if you’re sitting down and need it in a hurry. It’s even comfortable for some.
It can also be fatal with a momentary lapse of judgement. And that’s why we’ve banned it at GSL Defense Training classes.
Furthermore, I explain to the enrollees why we recommend against practicing appendix carry in their everyday lives: If you’re reholstering and you’re momentarily distracted you can have a negligent discharge. Look at where you are pointing the gun while re-holstering… Everyone thinks “jewels” but a more significant anatomical feature is the femoral artery.
Yeah, some people say, “Well, I take the holster out to re-holster.” Yeah, I’ve never – not once – seen that happen in a practical application (translation for those in Rio Linda: real life) in my nearly 20 years of firearms training.
Your dog might be peeing in the corner, your spouse could be annoying you, your kid could be getting in trouble, or you could simply be tired, distracted or upset.
The bottom line is the distraction doesn’t matter If you make a mistake, you’re likely to blow your femoral and die. Do you think someone will be handy to apply a tourniquet promptly and get you to an emergency room PDQ if that happens, even if you’re at home? What if you’re at the range in he middle of Egypt where there’s lousy cellular coverage?
What if you just shot someone in defense of innocent life and the sirens are approaching. You’re body is addled with all sorts of adrenaline. You’re scared. You’re nervous. You’re freaked the heck out. You going to try to reholster now? It would be a damn shame to survive a violent, predatory attack only to do yourself in trying to holster your gun before cops arrive with guns drawn and their own adrenaline rush.
I know I’m not going to win a lot of love from some guys whose confidence isn’t their short suit. I’ve seen time and time again how a lot of peeps vastly overestimate their shooting skill sets. Those skills might have been sharp back in the Spanish American War era, or they might never have been there at all. It doesn’t matter if you’re Chris Costa. You screw up and you’ll have the rest of your life to regret your choice in carry positions before it’s lights out for you.
In the end, it’s just not worth it and today’s story is a case in point why… A young man paid a high price for his final selfie.
MILWAUKEE (Fox) — A 22-year-old Milwaukee man died during surgery at Froedtert Hospital after he shot himself in the thigh Friday morning, August 21st.
Timothy Phonisay was pronounced dead around 1 a.m. Officials say he accidentally shot himself in the right thigh in his home near 44th and Keefe.
According to the Medical Examiner’s report, Phonisay was apparently posing with a handgun and when he went to holster it, a round was fired and entered his right groin area.
Bob Owens at Bearing Arms sums it up nicely:
Mr. Phonisay shot himself while reholstering his pistol, and the fact that he shot his femoral artery on the right side of his groin confirms he was attempting to reholster a gun carried in the appendix position.
We do not know, and are likely to never know, is if Mr. Phonisay still had his finger inside the triggerguard of his pistol and accidentally depressed the trigger with his finger, or if the firearm’s trigger snagged on an article of clothing or the holster itself causing it to fire. What is known is that something depressed the trigger while he was reholstering, causing the gun to discharge.
Mr. Phonisay had only owned this hand gun for three months. It is probable that he did not have much training beyond that mandated to obtain a concealed carry permit in Wisconsin, and he almost certainly had no formal instruction in how to use an appendix carry holster.
Use of a proper appendix carry holster and proper technique ensures that you will not point the firearm at your femoral artery. Unfortunately, it is obvious that Mr. Phonisay didn’t follow correct technique, and the gun pointed towards his body, ensuring this negligent discharge would become a fatal one.
AIWB is a wonderful carry position. It is very comfortable and secure, and fast to draw when needed. Like every carry technique, however, it requires some training and practice to do safely.
JediAcademy
This type of caliber pistol is known for having a negligent discharge, it’s not uncommon for this type incident to happen. Law enforcement, military personnel all have experience a situation similar with this type of gun,some were lucky, some weren’t. This could’ve happened to ANYONE, no matter how properly you were trained. The gun most likely got snagged on a piece of clothing or the holster itself which caused the discharge. “DO YOUR RESEARCH, BEFORE LEAVING “STUPID” COMMENTS.
You’ve got to love the internet: Giving the mentally infirm an opportunity to open their mouths and remove all doubt of their (lack of) mental prowess and expertise on a given topic.
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