Pastor Greg, a retired law-enforcement officer from California, sends his “Daily Load-out” to us via Everyday Carry.
He writes, and I quote:
As a Pastor and retired LEO, I take my responsibility as protector of flock seriously.
Clearly, with a GLOCK 19 in some sort of inside-the-waistband holster, he has 15+1 rounds of ballistic therapy to share with those who would hunt his flock or other innocent sheep around him. And 15+1 represents a lot of love for those whose mommies didn’t show them enough attention as children. Of course, too often daddies aren’t present to show love either for bad boys.
Additionally, he carries a SOG Terminus folder, a Seiko 5 Sports watch, and a ThruNight Ti3 light.
The Ti3 is one I’ve picked up since I started doing these. It’s a great little light for running on a single AAA battery. However it’s a twistie light and as such, definitely not any sort of light I’d want to use for self-defense. I might give it to someone I didn’t like to turn them into a magnet for incoming fire though.
Nice. Finally a fairly realistic and effective CCW setup that weighs less than 10 pounds too.
What is the current CA law regarding maximum mag capacity?
No more sales of mags holding over 10 until after the stay on that court case is dealt with. As far as I know, the 23 semi truck loads of mags holding over 10 rounds are still legally owned by Californians. I would not want to be the legal test subject who uses one in an EDC.
“And 15+1 represents a lot of love for those whose mommies didn’t show them enough attention as children. Of course, too often daddies aren’t present to show love either for bad boys.”
That was probably the cringiest way to convey that message.
He’s gotta come up with different ways of saying the same thing over and over and over again.
It starts to get a bit ‘stale’ if he doesn’t…
Is that a Gen 5 or a Gen 2??
My guess is Gen 2 but I’m not sure.
Yeah Gen 2, you can tell by grip texture. I have the same Glock 19 and it is my favorite CCW and one hell of a fine pistol.
What is the consensus on smaller folding knives (such as the one in this Everyday Carry) for last-ditch self-defense?
It seems to me that you would pretty much never have time to retrieve it from a pocket and lock the blade open to defend yourself until an attacker had already managed to punch you really hard in the face three or four times — at which point it is too late. (Few people will have enough coordination after taking three or four hard punches to the face — assuming that they are still conscious — to do much of anything much less open a folding knife and begin stabbing.)
My thinking is that you use your handgun if time allows or you go straight to striking with your fists, elbows, knees, and feet if time doesn’t allow.
For reference I carry the tiniest Swiss Army knife available which has a 1-inch folding blade that does not lock. That is great for most tasks (like cutting tape to open boxes and even cutting boxes to break them down). That is obviously not suitable for self-defense.
Consensus among what group?
Among people who are serious students of knife fighting? It’s that folders, all folders, suck. It’s too easy, and very common, to miss the thumbstud/hole in terms of fully deploying the blade. The result is a handle with a blade flopping off of it that often closes on the users hand when they try to use it.
This can be trained around but it takes a lot of time and experience with THAT knife, that is the one you’re carrying. The training seems to translate to other folders but now you need to train with that knife for it’s angles/locations etc. Kinda like driving a car translates to driving another car but where are the headlight controls? You might wanna find them before you drive at night and fumble around for them when you need them in the dark.
Two fixes: the best one is to carry a fixed blade knife. Option two is a switchblade that if you hit the button you know the blade fully deploys so it’s basically not possible to make a mistake and end up with a partially deployed blade. Assisted knives do this as well for localities where an auto knife isn’t an option.
Consensus of one person, in this case me: A knife is a weapon best used as a *surprise* weapon and the vast, vast majority of people have three major failings with them. They don’t have the aggressive kind of mindset to use it, don’t know how to use it and pick the wrong knife for the job. #2 and #3 are fairly easy to address. #1 is the biggest problem. In the modern world most people just aren’t programmed for the kind of, honestly, fucking-A brutal violence using a knife as a weapon entails.
I generally agree that folders suck for serious knife fight unless you carry one that is about 6 inches folded.
That said…I done enough knife and stick training to know a gun is best for a knife fight (or stick).
I generally dont and wont carry a fixed blade (5 or 6 inch blade) but I will carry a folder with a 3.5 to 4 inch blade.
Since I use it for general tasks I am very familiar with it as opposed to a serious fixed blade that I probably would not use for everyday tasks and dont train regularly to use.
So while a folder may be less than a fixed blade, I will carry a folder. Kinda of like my LCP vs something bigger in the truck.
As a last ditch weapon, a folder would beat a set of keys or some such IMO.
Having spent five years training knife combatives and having actually been in two knife fights on the street I’d say this:
The best weapon in a knife fight is cardio. Run. If necessary get your gun out as you’re coming to a stop so that you’ve got the distance advantage over the blade but it’s preferable to just keep running until you’ve left that person in the dust.
Ultimately, just avoid knife fights. However, due to the way knives are used as weapons that’s really not possible because you probably won’t know you’re in a knife fight until you’re… in a knife fight. 99% of what you see in “gun vs. knife” fights on the internet is bullshit. The person is at hand-shake or closer distance before you know their intentions or armaments.
In my personal experience in neither case did I have the time or inclination to produce my own blade (or any other weapon outside my body) and type of knife wouldn’t have mattered to me. Reaching for it would have gotten me stabbed, cut or killed.
Cardio is the best solution, just avoid knife fights. Avoiding any fight is always the best solution however the fact we are reading this on”The Truth about Guns” indicates we accept every fight can’t be avoided. Suggestions that 50+ year old retired should flee knife wielding attackers suggests you don’t know what it’s like to have no meniscus in your knees. Do I want to fight with a knife no. It is however the impliment most of us have with us and it behooves us to at least think about it’s use.
Yeah. Having been in one pokey thing (ice pick) fight I can say I wished I had a gun.
I did retrieve my knife and took took two pokes.
I would have taken one poke regardless, as it was my blocking arm.
Specialist:
Ouch. In all reality that 2nd incident for me was pretty lucky. The guy was a known homeless dude but I knew from his body language he was up to something as he came up to me. Fortunately he was old, crazy and pretty drunk. Still that little knife came out damn quick.
Veijo:
Actually I do know about serious knee issues. Long distances with a heavy load on my back and the wrong insoles in my boots damaged my right knee pretty darn well. By the time it started to hurt… well, the X-rays were not pretty. Fortunately rehab and a boatload (like 5x the daily recommended dose) of glucosamine prevented me from needing a knee replacement before 25 years old.
At the range a knife is effective IMHO a gun is next to useless. You just can’t get it into the fight fast enough. Unless you’re fast-drawing so fast you can beat a someone throwing a hook or jab at you this is a serious problem.
The key to that is not letting them get close enough in the first place which can be difficult to do legally in terms of pointing a gun at them. Honestly, if you already have a knee issue like that this might be a good place for a quality hardwood cane/walking stick in your EDC… helps you walk, it’s already in your hand and it’s a lot longer than a knife.
@ Stryc9.
In response to your last post re. canes or sticks.
I totally agree with your statement, but would add that “most” sticks or canes are less than suitable for self defense.
The trend seems to be toward light weight and/or fold able, neither works well.
Canes/sticks CAN be found for self defense, but the user needs to shop around, or make their own.
If possible, get one made of heavy duty plastic and have it cut to size.
Cold Steel makes a very good polymer stick.
Also, if/where legal, maybe a good quality sword,stick cane?
Spot on. Great info here.
From a guy who used to take knife classes like some people take gun classes. Along with many years of Krav Maga.
Folders, as defensive weapons, suck. Quality folders, best offensive weapons, are okay.
I carry a Kershaw Blur in an easily accessible front pocket. In close quarters, if I could not access my gun, and could not escape, I would be forced to use my hands and feet while looking for a way to create distance or to spot an advantage I can gain in the environment. A long time ago, my Aikido instructor told me to throw anything I have in my pocket into the attackers face. It could buy enough time to create distance or counter attack. I hope I would also have the presence of mind to make a lot of noise.
Strych9 and Specialist, above, point out how quickly these attacks can happen and at handshake distance. So awareness is remains the first line of defense.
I don’t know anyone who knows what they are doing that would pick a knife fight with a folder or fixed blade if they had any other option- to include running.
Knives are poor defensive weapons if a fight actually happens (as opposed to scaring off the guy).
Hannibal,
I agree that a folding knife is a vastly inferior self-defense strategy — unless you quite literally cannot use any superior strategy:
I have a female friend who is a Physical Therapist and is often alone in the clinic with her patients. While she has her concealed carry license and is more than happy to ignore her employer’s “no firearms” policy, it is impossible to carry a concealed handgun anywhere on her body without patients realizing it at some point. Even if she could keep it covered (which is not possible due to the contortions that therapists sometimes have to do), her patients would feel it due to the ways that therapists sometimes have to hug, grasp, and/or hold someone against their own body.
Given that unique situation and the extremely unusual limitations it entails, I know that she could at least keep a folding knife in a pants pocket. Then I thought about it and I am having a hard time seeing any situation where that knife would actually be beneficial since it would take a relative eternity to pull it out of a pocket, open/lock the blade, and begin slashing/stabbing in righteous self-defense. Hence my open question to the Armed Intelligensia.
I just can’t get into the all-kydex IWB holsters.
Ditto not knocking those who do but they don’t work for me.
Same.
It’s gotta be damn small if it’s all polymer.
Hybrids are my usual go to, Crossbreed in particular.
Plus one on the seiko 5 sport.
Great value from seiko for about 100 dollars!
Oy vey!
A fifteen dollar Casio works just as well and saves a few shekels, too!
So that sign on the door “No Dogs Allowed” is for real. Here all along I thought it was a joke on that blind guy.
Needs a spare magazine. Better light would be nice.
Even as a retirered LEO, I believe under LEOSA and pretty damn sure under California Law he is limited to 10 round magazines. You might be throwing this guy under a bus.
This goes to show everyone the long arm of the law doesn’t end with just Ten Commandments and threats of hellfire. Spray and 15+1 in the pipe has its own form of peculiar justice.
Not as special as other Everyday Carry Pockets
مشکلات دوران نوجوانی
Good basic kit. Get a spare mag.. One handed light manipulation is a must if you’re going to use it with your gun. Twist on lights are fine for your keyring, and any flashlight is better than No flashlight, but if you’re training to use it with or alongside your gun, you need to be able to turn it on or off with one hand. A light with a deadman’s switch is preferable.
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