back up gun or not?

Yeah, I carry a backup. My youngest granddaughter is kinda like my shadow and spends a lot of time with me, in and out of the house. I would guess the odds of me needing it would be less than 1 in a million. On the other hand, I counsider her a 1 in a million.

I'm not particularly unique and probably easily replaceable, so I wouldn't go to the extra trouble just for me. However, her safety is paramount to me and I don't begrudge the extra weight or trouble or whatever that the backup requires. Odds aren't relevant when being on the losing side is not an option you could handle. :(
 
Well, there are many people out there that 'dont feel the need' to carry in the 1st place. There is nothing wrong with a BUG, but one CCW can easily suffice as well. The odds are slim that I will ever need to use my CCW(in my opinion and/or statistically). That being said, I personally feel the odds are greater that I might possibly need a BUG if a "situation" ever arises than the odds of that "situation" ever coming to pass in the first place. I don't always carry two, but sometimes I do. The same discussion can be had for home defense situations: "one is enough". Well maybe that's true, but then again maybe it isn't. I feel a little more comfortable with my revolver and my shotgun:D. Sorry to sidetrack a little. I'll end with this: do what my nephew says, "You must do what you feel is right, of course". (OB1 Kinobi)
 
No BUG for me. The odds of needing all five (or even one) of the rounds in my carry gun are remote enough that I'm comfortable with just the snubby.
 
I've carried, and needed once, a BUG for years when not working.

I'm considering going to two 1911's over the 1911/J-Frame combo I currently carry. When I was working I had a radio, partner, and various other tools to get my butt out of a jam. Now it's just me, myself, and I. Seeing as how i have to rely on myself, I'm thinking I may want to increase the armament.

There have been lots of incidents where a non-LEO has needed a BUG. Granted most of them were in the Shopkeeper catagory, but they are still non-LEO's. I have found that if one dresses around one gun, it's quite easy to dress around two. It's the weight, and is one willing to bear that?

I'm currently looking at packing two 1911's. That's five pounds of gun weight. I will say this, I don't plan to go near any bodies of water.

Biker
 
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I would say a BUG is only necessary if you feel better about having one.
Personally for me,one gun is enough for my needs.
I don't traverse through enough rough neighborhoods to feel threatend by muggers and whatnot.
However,I am planning an additional carry weapon(sp101,.357 2") in SOB holster for those times my carry weapon is too cumbersome or exposing.
The secondary benefit would be to carry as a BUG if the need ever comes up.
If you need to carry more than one gun, then more power to you..
 
Short answer, No.

But have no problem with those who have a reason to do so. I just don't have a reason to.
 
Glenn-

You confused me with one of your statements.

Most seem to be deterrent, so one gun - even unloaded serves.
Click to expand...

Unloaded? It's my understanding that if you carry concealed and pull a gun, you'd better be in a situation that requires you to pull the trigger on a live round. Or else YOU become the bad guy.
 
I have a back up gun that I carry in my pocket for more than one reason. First reason is as the saying goes "stuff happens.") Second I can have my hand in my pocket without looking like I am gonna pull a gun if a situation is looking dicey.

Note sometimes my pocket gun is my primary carry if clothing is not allowing of other carry options. I went over 10 years of carrying without a BUG. I carry one now because I have one.
 
training instead of a BUG

Have you given any thought to the idea of getting some training (or additional training) instead of buying and carrying a second gun?

For the cost of a second gun you could take a defensive pistol course and that may be a better value.
 
If you NEED a BUG, you're probably lying on the ground bleeding profusely and spitting teeth and without extreme training you won't be able to pull, aim & fire a BUG. Get some training to increase your ability to identify situational dangers and learn to avoid them.
 
A guy I know loves .... loves handguns. He routinely carried two and I always thought him a bit odd. Carrying one is a big enough PITA so I never thought I would find myself carrying two but never say you'll never.

The big change came when I bought a Kahr P380. I love shooting it and it has become the gun I most often carry. I work in a fairly high crime area where on a couple of occasions BGs have robbed stores and killed multiple victims even though the victims, as evidenced by the in store cameras, were cooperative.

So at work I am carrying a Kahr MK40 in a Bandera Gun Leather "Beltster" (highly recommended) and my P380 in my pocket. I hope I never need to use either one of them but since I am the one bearing the burden I don't worry about what anyone else may think of it.
 
Me personally I believe the odds of me ever needing to use a pistol outside of my home in a self defense situation is less than 20% and even less of ever needing a back up but 20% is plenty enough for me to carry but where do you draw the line?
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20%

Wow...

If you're in a position where you estimate that you could be assaulted every fifth time you leave home, you'd probably be wise to wear body armor in addition to a back up gun. You might consider driving an armored humvee. :eek:
 
Deterrent? Guns are not deterrent tools. Period. There may be documentary cases which show that a gun deterred a criminal but those are merely cases where the criminal got lucky, nothing more. Thinking about a gun as a deterrent will more likely get you killed than not.

If you carry a BUG, does it make sense to be sure it uses the same ammo and mags as your primary weapon? As a matter of fact, does it make sense to attempt to carry the same weapon that your partner or S.O. is carrying?

--Wag--
 
Folks misunderstood my comment. So don't get excited.

We have fairly good data that most DGUs are deterrent. That mean that most gun usages have no shot fired. So that belies a cliche that if you display a gun YOU MUST SHOOT.

No, you must be in a situation where it is legit to shoot. You don't have to.

Also, what I meant, and I guess I said it badly, was that carrying a bug is based on your risk criterion.

Empirically, you can handle most DGUs with an unloaded gun. If you need to shoot a gun, empirically you can handle it most likely with one and a few shots.

But, there are the low probability but intensive situations where you need more rounds and/or a Bug.

I was saying it is up to you where you set your risk cut off for the gear you carry.

You could cut off at no gun, an unloaded gun, one gun, the full bat belt - my favorite, or whatever.

So there's no absolute answer - it is your risk cutoff.
 
bACK UP GUN

Living in south Fl. if I have to go into south Miami I carry a Walther TPH in my watch pocket just behind my belt it cant be seen but easy to get if I cant use my Browning HP.
Works for me.
 
For normal daily carry, I don't carry a BUG. My daily carry weapon is my Rossi 462 in .357. I always carry two reloads, and with the reliability of a revolver, I don't feel the need for a BUG. When I'm working, it's a different story. My Rossi becomes my BUG to my XD40.
 
Glenn,,,,, here brandishing a weapon is real bad. A firearm is a in the hand or shoulder nuke. If pulled,,, it needs to be shot or used as a blunt force weapon. Or you misjudged the situation. If the situation is life threating the shoot is good. If the situation was not,,, you could be doomed or be the suicide by citizen type person for no reason. And you and I do not have the same rights as LEO's when it comes to bullying folks around.


I carry a PF-9. My own ammo, 7+1 and a back up mag. I can be in the very worse parts of my area of the USA and know I'm not under gunned. I've never met a thug that knows how to shoot. :) I may also have my M&P .45 FS, .357 or my trusted CZ-52 with JHP in the car or trunk. But no BUG as of 2011 on my person. If things get crazy around me which they have done from time to time be it road rage, armed robbery across the street or even somebody wanting to put a beat down on me. I EVADE at all cost. If backed into a corner or my wife is threaten. I will shoot and shoot to kill. You think your going to enter my house without being invited or known to have entry rights. ( like family members with keys or our own open door policy ) You die.

So basically.... We don't live in fear for our lives day in and out. But we are armed.
 
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To clear things up a bit I did not mean 20 % chance everytime I leave the house I meant 20% chance that I will need it in my lifetime... I have been in situations more than once where I could have used deadly force and been justified but I was young hanging out with the wrong crowd in the wrong parts of town. Now I avoid those people and live in a decent neighborhood with nowhere near as much crime as where I was born and raised
 
If you are legitimately threatened, in accordance with the self-defense laws of your state, then drawing in self defense is NOT brandishing.

If you draw, and the threat behavior ceases, but you shoot because of an unreasonable fear of brandishing charges if you don't shoot, that IS anything from assault with a deadly weapon to aggravated battery to manslaughter to homicide.

There could be any number of instances where you are in the right to draw, but may not subsequently be in the right to shoot.

Some interpretations in the forum really worry me...
 
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