Archive for December, 2006

A woman in a Georgia motel went to light a cigarette, but instead she shot herself.  She thought a .22 pistol was a cigarette lighter.

You could say she “lit herself up.”  That term has historical meaning.

Tucker has used the phrase, “he lit him up” when telling me the story of one of the shootings he once witnessed while in law enforcement. 

In some of those stories Tucker has said, “he lit him up,” but I had no idea what “he lit him up” really meant until Tucker explained the historical origin of the phrase.

In the old days of black powder pistols, if you shot someone at close range, you “lit him up.” Often clothing would catch fire from the blast of burning powder. After a while “lit him up” was a way of saying he shot him.

There’s a scene in a recent movie – I think it’s in Tombstone – where a guy is shot at close range by a black powder revolver and his shirt catches fire. Tucker says that’s a good example of being “lit up.” 

Now, this lady who thought the little 22 pistol in the bedside drawer was a cigarette lighter “lit herself up” in a “ruin your whole day” kinda way.

Now it’s time to light yourself up for Christmas – but in a very good way. Check out my post “No Scrooge Here…” for a very merry discount on your next Tucker holster.  The discount ends December 15th, 2006. Put a smile on your face and light up your Christmas with a rare deal on some Tucker Gunleather.  Just ask for your discount in the comments section of your order or mention that Rudolph said to give you your holiday discount. 

I see people wearing IWB with the gun buried in their pants with the trigger guard way below the belt line and the grip barely accessible. I have people who request a low ride height like that with one of Tucker’s IWB holsters and strongly recommend against it. It can get you killed. It’s slow and risky under stress.

Some will justify whatever they’re doing no matter what professional advice is given because they’re a “unique and wonderfully skilled” human being who’s practiced doing it “their way.”

If you wear your gun low in your pants, you will not be able to get a full firing grip and draw in one motion. You will have to use thumb and two fingers to get the pistol moving out of the holster and the re-grip the gun during the presentation.

You may say that you have no problem with your “buried carry” method and you just like what you like, do what you do. Under the stress of “hurry up or die” it may let you down. Your small muscles lose their touch when you think you may die in a defensive confrontation. 

It’s not like practice at all. Listen to the guys who’ve been there and read the reports. It’s never like you imagined, not like you practiced and you’ll live or die by the proper fundamentals designed to work when your nerves are bathed in adrenaline.

This picture below of Tucker wearing his “Answer” IWB shows the proper ride height. It allows you to get your fingers all the way around the grip, put your hand high on the gun with your forearm properly aligned with the barrel/slide. It allows you to respond to threat with a smooth drawstroke with no fumbling and re-gripping.

Set yourself up to succeed and survive. “Buried carry” can lead to another kind of burial. Then you can tell St. Peter  and Jeff Cooper how well it worked in practice.