As reported, a 15 year old Brooklyn, NY boy had a handgun tucked in his waistband while walking home at 1:30AM, police say. The pistol began to slide out from his waistband, and he tried to catch it, but instead of catching the pistol, the boy managed to squeeze the trigger, shooting himself in the penis, according to police. The boy managed to make it home and told his mother, at which point she rushed him to the hospital for treatment, police say. The boy was reportedly treated for his injury and then arrested for reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon. My thoughts are below:
As a general matter, this is yet more proof of the fact that pistols belong in holsters, not waistbands. Why anyone would ever have the urge to tuck a loaded pistol into their waistband is beyond me. Surely it can’t be a cost issue, since holsters can be had for just a few dollars, and some pistols even come from the manufacturer with a cheap but functional holster. Nor does it seem to be a comfort issue, since just about any holster is more comfortable against one’s skin than a pistol’s hard metal and/or polymer frame. I also doubt that concealability concerns lead anyone to tuck a pistol into their waistband, since a lower abdomen holster that places the pistol in that same place will be even more concealable. That is because the holster will help mask the shape of the pistol, while also eliminating the need to have the grip of the pistol stick out above the waistband. Finally, I also doubt that concerns over draw speed can justify tucking a pistol into one’s waistband, since drawing from a well secured holster is faster than fumbling for a pistol that has shifted in the waistband with every step the wearer takes. Barring some truly rare situations, there just isn’t a reason to have a pistol tucked into one’s waistband.
I would also note that this 15 year old boy was allegedly out carrying a gun around at 1:30AM, despite numerous gun control and curfew laws. As I’ve said before, gun control laws only affect the law abiding, which is why cities with strict gun control laws often have no shortage of gun related crime. Nor do those strict gun control laws seem to reduce the number of negligent shootings, as this case and other similar cases show. Instead, gun control just ensures that law abiding and non-negligent citizens are defenseless, and at the non-existent mercy of the still-armed criminals.
I've heard that 'Mexican carry' originated during the disarmament of the Mexican citizenry, since being caught with a holster would be treated the same as having a gun, they stopped using holsters in case they needed to ditch the gun to avoid being caught with it. The same idea would appeal to criminals the same as with (otherwise) law-abiding citizens. Although considering how lightly gun carrying felons are punished (usually not even being charged if no other crime was committed) it's hard to see why they don't just use holsters anyway.