Spotting firearms

S

stonewall50

New member
I know many of you are LEOs, and I was recently at a program for underprivledged children in the inner city. I spotted a guy walking with his right arm kind of tight to his body, and figured he had something on him. Sure enough when he walked past I saw that he was printing a handgun. So I have a few questions.

Do you report when you see this? As a CCH who is always worried about printing...I try to keep it covered.

And the bigger question: How do you spot if someone is carrying a firearm? Is it just instinct? I mean is there anything I can do to train my eyes? I am sure that a lot of it is experience.
 
If you go to policeone.com - they have had some articles on spotting the CCW type. Need to search for it. Besides printing.

Inappropriate clothing, the reassurance touch, sagging on one side. Clothing doesn't cover the holster on a reach up. Look for a tack knife, flashlight.

Of course, the fanny pack and a wallet in the back pocket. There are other signs.
 
Thanks man. Yea fanny packs always make me laugh when they are on 50 year old American men. Same with the vest...we call it the shoot me vest...cause honestly if you were a mad man who knew even a little about ccw you know that vest is a giveaway.

But the other stuff is what concerns me. Thanks man.
 
Personally I'm proud when I pull over people and they give me a CCW permit or in Texas they are decent people with guns in the car. I applaud people who have the right to protect themselves and others and are legal to CCW and actually do. That said, you never know who's decent and who's not when you see them printing. Wear better attire if packing and if I seen this I would question this individual and If they were legal to pack there's no way I'd cite this individual. Just tell them to be more cautious when doing so.
 
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If you're concerned, one thing to keep in mind is that feedback from LEOs on the forums indicates that people carrying guns in holsters are nearly always NOT criminals.

So if you see someone with a gun shoved in his pants, calling the cops might be warranted. If it's someone wearing a gun in a holster, the odds are good that he's not a bad guy.
 
I sometimes have to remind people about this simple fact, and now is probably the time to bring it up. In 30 years in police work I have never had a single problem from a law-abiding citizen who happened to be carrying a firearm. Not a single problem.
 
As long as they aren't in a restricted area or waving it around, I don't see why you'd call the police. Carrying a gun is legal in my state. You can open carry without a permit, conceal on your property without a permit, and conceal almost everywhere else with a permit. No need to call the police to make sure someone is legal. I don't know about everyone else, but I dont like the police bothering me, I'm a law abiding citizen and do not like being hassled by the police when I'm doing nothing wrong.
 
JohnSKa PRETTY MUCH NAILED IT...

Most illegal carriers dont use holsters. Most legal carriers do. Siff arm is one tell, constantly touching to make sure it's still there, constant adjusting as well are goo tell's. As a police officer we must remember that many hand gun carriers are perfectly legal. Just because a person may live in unfortunate circumstance, or may not look like what we expect a CCW to look like... It's just as likely to be a CCW as anywhere else.
 
Time will tell !!!

So if you see someone with a gun shoved in his pants, calling the cops might be warranted. If it's someone wearing a gun in a holster, the odds are good that he's not a bad guy.
Click to expand...
One point of contention on Iowa's Shall-Issue, is open carry. In practice, have only observed two folks doing so and that was at a gun show. Open carry should reduce the number of nuisance police calls. .... ;)

Be Safe !!!
 
Many people for economic reasons have moved to states where the gun laws are vastly different than where they lived. I've seen two instances of concerned citizens calling the cops because someone had a badly concealed gun and they saw it but it was perfectly legal. Both happened at Walmart and were fun to watch. :D If you go to a different place learn the laws.
 
No I didn't report anyone. The store manager recently moved here from Detroit did and another lady from the east coast visiting here did. Both had the same answer when the police came. The cops asked what the guy was doing and they just kept saying "he has a gun!" Which is perfectly legal.
 
It's legal to carry anyway you please here in Az so it's not a problem. People from the commie states see a gun and freak out sometimes. :D
 
I tried to spot the CCW'ers last night. Only problem is I was at a dinner gathering of fellow firearms enthusiasts and almost everyone was OC'ing :p

I've become more aware of things like this since moving into a state where carry is accesible(formerly lived in CA and IL). I have yet to actually spot anyone printing or tells, other than the guys in fishing vests in the grocery store. But I do hear those fish sticks give a great fight on the line. :D

Or you could be like these two. Who think they're super concealed but are printing more than a press.
 
I agree, JohnKSa hit the nail on the head. In 23 years of full time LE, I have yet to encounter an armed criminal who had any use for a holster. Thus far, it's been 100% waistband carry for them. I just don't get it, though..how can all these criminals be carrying GUNS? We have laws against that!:rolleyes:
 
That's right, why don't we get our 2nd Amendment taken away then you know no one should have any guns. Haha what a joke! It really means any Law abiding citizens won't have them.
 
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