Open Carry While Old, Sick, and Tired

I am mostly recovered from a nasty virus that I caught from my six month old grandson.  At times I was sleeping, or attempting to, 20 hours a day,  I could handle necessary chores, but simply trying to avoid coughing enough to breath comfortably, left me weak, and feeling too tired to exert myself.  Walking a couple of hundred yards was exhausting. 

I had to go to the store a couple of times for off the shelf medicine and some ice cream, which I normally eat little of.   I became acutely aware of how vulnerable I was.  I could not move fast.  I was so weak that a 12 year old girl could probably have taken me down.  It is difficult to stay aware of the situation around you during a coughing spasm.   I knew that my physical and mental faculties were severely degraded.   It was hard to write even one article a day.  Looking at it the next day, it was obvious that I was making grade school errors in spelling and grammar.

My mother had been the first one to tell me that growing old was not for sissies, and this seemed to be a precursor of times to come.  With luck, it happens to the best of us.

It pushed me to think more about carrying in a degraded physical condition.

First, I decided that open carry was advantageous.   My slow pace and weakened condition made me an obvious target for human predators.  Better that they be deterred by the presence of a gun than have to try to draw while under physical attack.   For the same reason, I moved the holster to a cross draw position, so that someone coming up behind me would have a much harder time grabbing the pistol and attempting a disarm.  Another bonus was that it put the pistol between me and the shopping cart that I used as an aid in the grocery store.   The shopping cart gave a little added protection and balance.   

The bulge in the right front shirt pocket is a smart phone with the lens peeking out.  It has excellent ability to record video/audio.   A small Velcro tab keeps it from flying out of the pocket.

I tried a fannypack system, but it seemed extremely slow, and added minimal deterrent value, though it eliminated an obvious disarm.

At least one fannypack system is specifically designed for people in wheelchairs.

I do not claim to have discovered any secret, foolproof method to protect yourself when you are old, sick, and tired.  There isn’t any.  But being armed gives you some chance.   They do not call them “equalizers” for nothing.

©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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