Reasons to carry more than one handgun on person

[donnie1581]

Because you never know when a 5yr old girl is going to sneak up on you and take your primary.

 

[Liberty Sanders]

Possibly due to injury or in a struggle the inability to access your primary weapon. One of the weapons jams and is beyond repair. Assailants coming or firing at you from different directions at the same time. The possibility that drawing a different weapon is faster than reloading a new magazine or speedloader. Arming another combatant sympathetic to your side. One weapon could be dropped or lost in a hasty retreat.These are off the top of my head, there are probably more reasons.

One reason is strategic.

I carry a brace of Smith N frames, one straight draw and one cross draw.

In a carjacking attempt a crossdraw is easier to get to than a straight draw. It can also be drawn backhand with the weak hand should the strong hand be unavailable, such as a bad guy attacking suddenly from your strong side.

 

[shibumiseeker]

If you dont know how to fix your jam you shouldn't carry a gun.

"Excuse me Mr. Bad Guy, I had a misfire and have a bullet lodged in the barrel and will need to get my dowel rod out to pound it it before I can try to shoot you again."

"Excuse me Mr. Bad Guy, but this gun which has run fine for the last 2000 rounds just broke a part and I'm going to need 5 minutes to disassemble it to figure what part broke and a week to order another before I can try to shoot you again."

While simple malfunctions are easy to clear fast, I've had both of those issues with reliable guns before and the gun was out of commission for the time period of a gunfight.

 

[DustyDawg48]

On the issue of giving a gun to an individual that possibly couldn't carry; I'd guess that if it were a situation like possibly an active shooter in a mall or something, you probably could argue quite convincingly that you thought they'd be a proper person giving the gravity of the situation...and maybe it'd be better to face the music if there was any for doing that than to have your family choose your music at your funeral.

 

[xcalibur]

Thanks all for the responses.
A lot of reasons to carry a backup it seems. I trust the guns I carry having shot several hundred rounds through each, but the idea of handing a second gun to my wife or friend during a crisis seems valid for me personally. Depending on the situation I think it is definitely something to consider in the future.
Wish my pants weren't so tight for 2 IWB

 

[rhino]

People who choose not to carry multiple guns after considering the advantages and disadvantages are one thing, and I have no problem with them. People who dismiss carrying multiple gun because they don't see the "need" or because you're not a cop or military or because of some derisive projection of their own emotional worries usually do so out of ignorance. If those people want to learn, lots of us are willing to help. If not, there's no point in even discussing it because they already know everything they're going to know.

There are plenty of reasons for multiple guns, some of which have been mentioned. Here is a list (not all inclusive, of course, because I don't know all the potential reasons):

1. Because you want to do so
2. As backup in case your primary gun has a malfunction that takes too long to remediate or a jam which would take tools to fix
3. As a (potentially) faster reload
4. As a means to arm a trusted associate in an emergency
5. As a way to have immediate access to a functional weapon with either hand at all times

#5 is probably the least understood by people who have no education or training using only their support hand (or even strong hand) for drawing, shooting, reloading, and fixing malfunctions.

Yes, techniques exist for drawing, etc. using your support hand. But here's the deal: even if you are adept at accessing and using your weapon with just your support hand, it's going to be slow. Perhaps it will take longer than the margin of time you have to save your life. Having a weapon readily available to the support and the strong hand at all times is a very good solution to a problem that does exist. Furthermore, many people (and I am a prime example) are physically unable to access a strong side weapon with the support hand regardless of the amount of time. Those people would be well served to carry second gun that is readily accessible to their support hand.

 

[Bennettjh]

I have always wondered about the legality of it. It is a License To Carry a Handgun, not Handguns. I've carried two before but I didn't know if it was legal to do so

 

[lovemachine]

I understand all the reason why you should carry a BUG.

But WHY do the majority of people carry smaller BUGs? I know that they are easier to carry because of their small size.

But my way of thinking is that if you need your BUG, it's because your primary is no longer working. So wouldn't it be better to carry an additional larger secondary to your primary, rather than a small BUG?

 

[actaeon277]

Smaller BUGS because.
I only have so much room on me.
EDC
BUG
Knife
BU Knife
Cell PHone
Multi-tool
Small flashlight
Wallet.
etc.

 

[rhino]

I understand all the reason why you should carry a BUG.

But WHY do the majority of people carry smaller BUGs? I know that they are easier to carry because of their small size.

But my way of thinking is that if you need your BUG, it's because your primary is no longer working. So wouldn't it be better to carry an additional larger secondary to your primary, rather than a small BUG?

I agree with the second paragraph. I want my secondary to be as "shootable" as my primary. I want it to function the same way and I want it to use the same magazines.

But, some people don't have as much available space to carry as I do. Some won't carry a second gun unless it's tiny, so tiny is better than nothing.

 

[actaeon277]

I have always wondered about the legality of it. It is a License To Carry a Handgun, not Handguns. I've carried two before but I didn't know if it was legal to do so

Its the Age of Information.
Go to the Indiana.gov site, I think its IN.gov.
Find the Indiana codes.
Search for gun or weapon or firearm.
You will find NO limitation, or any mention.

 

[griffin]

arm another person like a family member in case something really bad does happen. If you had to go and leave your wife

What happened to your wife's gun?

Don't be an enabler.

 

[griffin]

Wish my pants weren't so tight for 2 IWB

That's why it's called open carry.

 

[Fixer]

I have the wife carry the second gun w/ extra magazine. I carry one typically w/ extra mag. Total of 33 rounds in 40 S&W and 27 rounds of 45acp. Sometimes I pocket carry our LCR 357 also, but it only gives us 5 more rounds. Hope that 60-65 rounds would be enough, as I am still working on a mount for the AR in the trunk.

 

[gungirl65]

Usually the only time I carry two is when I go to gun shows. I take my two main carry guns with me to look for accessories for them. The rest of the time I usually just carry one.

 

[xcalibur]

But, some people don't have as much available space to carry as I do. Some won't carry a second gun unless it's tiny, so tiny is better than nothing.

Exactly what I decided ^.........Carried double on Monday in the Brown County State Park and Nashville area. Put a back-up(tiny taurus TCP) in a pocket holster and shoved it in my waistband(cross draw) along with my main IWB at 4 o'clock . Had camera equipment and backpack with me also. Everything rode very well. A little tight but not uncomfortable.

 

[GNRPowdeR]

I have some "space" to carry two .45, however I don't believe you want my pants to be around my ankles at any given moment... Hence, I carry a smaller BUG +1 mag for my weak side.

 

[88E30M50]

I don't understand the argument "I understand why police would need xxx, but why a civilian?". Police do have a higher potential of finding themselves in the line of fire, but when they do, more often than not they are already in communication with team members that are coming to their aide as fast as possible. Until they get there, they usually have body armor, tasers and other tools to help them get through the situation. Most of the time, they initiate the altercation and are ready for what might happen.

The ordinary person is usually not expecting a gun fight. They are not wearing body armor. They do not usually have help on the way until after the fight, and only then if they succeeded enough to be able to call for help.

In my mind, an ordinary person is more likely to need the backup gun, high capacity magazine or whatever else they can get hold of to help them survive. When the poop hits the fan in a personal way, whether or not you are a cop should make no difference in your efforts to stay alive or in the tools you have at your disposal to do so.

 

[88GT]

If you dont know how to fix your jam you shouldn't carry a gun.

Know how I know elitists in the gun culture are alive and well?

Knowing how and being able to are different. Someone said upthread, drawing a second might be faster than some of the alternatives with the primary.

 

[Colinb913]

Yanno I have given this alot of thought lately. I carry my primary which is 14+1 rounds of .40.

In my pocket I carry a teeny tiny derringer chambered in .22mag, that is literally a "get the **** off me" gun. One that I will only use if my primary is down, and me and the BG are wrestling around. I don't know why, but I fashioned a small "speed strip" that holds four more rounds of .22mag.

I think of my handgun(s) as a back up to the shotgun I carry in my trunk. My handgun is there to fight until I can get to a real gun.