Concealment? - The Firearms Forum

TranterUK · 06-04-2009, 03:49 PM

Concealment of a sidearm is a big subject, and has been touched on in several threads. As someone who has done it in very hot countries, I know it's often no easy task.

I saw a new product yesterday that got me thinking. Its a fake laptop computer that is locked closed, and contains your handgun. Now you can open it in a jiffy, and carry the thing anonymously in a lop top bag, but can I be the only one to see a problem here.

The 'fake' lap top is in itself desirable to a thief, something to grab and run with. The very thing you need when attacked is the same thing he is wrestling from you, cutting the strap with a knife. I saw the same problem with 'carry handbags', though less so with the bum bags.

Am I alone in seeing this problem with these products? Do you agree?

Tony22-250 · 06-04-2009, 04:21 PM

Yes i agree with you. If i were to carry it would be a full sized 1911 in a pancake holster. Forget that lap top crap! maybe a laptop would be usful for like an MP5K or UZI but not a standard handgun.

zfk55 · 06-04-2009, 04:47 PM

Can you say "lap top crap" five times in a row very fast?

Latigo

Goneracin · 06-04-2009, 07:01 PM

i totaly agree, that seems pointless. I carry a full size 1911 in a inside the pants belt holster. the only time it is a problem is when im wearing a t shirt that isnt quite loose fitting enough. then sometimes as you move you can see the bulge from the grip, but its hardly there.

Powderhorn · 06-07-2009, 11:51 AM

I've carried on duty and off for nearly 30 years now. I've carried in Florida, Texas, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Israel. I've tried so many different ways of concealed carry, my gosh its horrible when the sweat is rolling down your back and you got to strap on a gun and make like its not there.

Nowadays I use the crossbreed when I carry a full size pistol, http://www.gunblast.com/Crossbreed.htm and when I carry my MK9 its usually in a pocket holster in my back jeans pocket, IWB-New York carry, or just in a front pocket if I am wearing baggy shorts. Smaller caliber guns like the LCP will tuck away just about anywhere, and I've certainly tempted to get one, but I paid a lot for my MK9 just to get 9mm.

Maximilian II · 06-09-2009, 05:29 PM

I have also seen briefcase style carriers for submachineguns, and again for "regular carry" they look like more of a target than an asset.
I do see a use, though. For bodyguard/personal security types that won't themselves be the target of action, they allow the carry of larger firearms.

sakeneko · 06-13-2009, 09:04 PM

IMHO hiding a gun in a fake laptop case makes as much sense as hiding your jewelry inside a fake DVD player at home. The thief would take the case even if he was fooled by it.

I'm a new gun owner, but I'm also a Silicon Valley technical writer with just over 20 years experience schlepping around a laptop computer. (I haven't owned or used a desktop since 1988.) Laptop computers are theft magnets; a thief would go for your "concealment" case, not because he would think it held a gun, but because he *was* fooled by it and thought it was a laptop! Most professional quality "desktop replacement" laptops these days cost between $1,500 and $2,000, which is more than a good concealed carry pistol or revolver. Laptops also contain valuable information that, unless well encrypted, often nets a thief more money than the laptop itself.

As a concealed carry technique, IMHO a fake laptop computer is a complete nonstarter.

Maximilian II · 06-14-2009, 03:32 AM

Agreed, sakeneko. Except for "exec protect" use, these are most likely to just disappoint a snatcher who realizes he nabbed a $600 gun instead of a $1000 computer.

Powderhorn · 06-14-2009, 06:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maximilian II

Agreed, sakeneko. Except for "exec protect" use, these are most likely to just disappoint a snatcher who realizes he nabbed a $600 gun instead of a $1000 computer.

What we need is a turd bomb. Thief takes laptop. Laptop explodes when opened, showering thief and cohorts with poop. The ultimate payback.

40CalJoe · 06-30-2009, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Powderhorn

What we need is a turd bomb. Thief takes laptop. Laptop explodes when opened, showering thief and cohorts with poop. The ultimate payback.

Now that is funny. Can you imagine their surprise?

May sound parnoid, but when we are home, I always have a loaded pistol within arms reach. Kids are grown and gone so its just the wife and I. When not home, all guns go in the gun safe which is bolted to the foundation of the hosue.

Another alternative to hiding a gun in a fake computer at home, would be a clock designed to conceal a gun. The back is hollow and will hold most 4.5" pistols. And for carry, good ole IWB with an oversized shirt or covered by a jacket.

TranterUK · 06-30-2009, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 40CalJoe

May sound parnoid, but when we are home, I always have a loaded pistol within arms reach. .

Now I have lived like that in some places, and you know what, I even took it in the shower!! Just under one fold of a towel.

carver · 07-01-2009, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TranterUK

Now I have lived like that in some places, and you know what, I even took it in the shower!! Just under one fold of a towel.

Every time I'm in a Hotel, or Motel!

Maximilian II · 07-01-2009, 04:15 PM

Not so much a firearms idea, but-
When I think I'll be in an area where muggings are more likely, I tote a cheap red wallet well filled with paper that is cut to about currency size. The plan is to throw it and run. I don't have a concealed weapon permit so of course (as a law-abiding citizen) shooting muggers is out of the question.
Not to say I wouldn't beat the snot out of one if he gets close enough.

06-04-2009, 03:49 PM	#1
TranterUK Advanced Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Cambridge UK Posts: 5,103	Concealment? Concealment of a sidearm is a big subject, and has been touched on in several threads. As someone who has done it in very hot countries, I know it's often no easy task. I saw a new product yesterday that got me thinking. Its a fake laptop computer that is locked closed, and contains your handgun. Now you can open it in a jiffy, and carry the thing anonymously in a lop top bag, but can I be the only one to see a problem here. The 'fake' lap top is in itself desirable to a thief, something to grab and run with. The very thing you need when attacked is the same thing he is wrestling from you, cutting the strap with a knife. I saw the same problem with 'carry handbags', though less so with the bum bags. Am I alone in seeing this problem with these products? Do you agree? __________________ DVC - Diligentia, Vis, Celeritas - Accuracy, Power, Speed. The light at the end of the recession tunnel IS a train coming the other way! -->

06-04-2009, 04:21 PM	#2
Tony22-250 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Snellville, GA Posts: 1,146	Re: Concealment? Yes i agree with you. If i were to carry it would be a full sized 1911 in a pancake holster. Forget that lap top crap! maybe a laptop would be usful for like an MP5K or UZI but not a standard handgun. __________________ Bullets change governments far surer than votes. The most powerful weapon you can buy isn't a .50 caliber. It's a Senate Seat.... "When injustice becomes law, then resistance becomes duty." Thomas Jefferson

06-04-2009, 04:47 PM	#3
zfk55 V.I.P. Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Lost Prairie Montana Posts: 237	Re: Concealment? Can you say "lap top crap" five times in a row very fast? Latigo __________________ Latigo A Montanan and an actual American with a real American Birth Certificate.

06-04-2009, 07:01 PM	#4
Goneracin V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 151	Re: Concealment? i totaly agree, that seems pointless. I carry a full size 1911 in a inside the pants belt holster. the only time it is a problem is when im wearing a t shirt that isnt quite loose fitting enough. then sometimes as you move you can see the bulge from the grip, but its hardly there.

06-07-2009, 11:51 AM	#5
Powderhorn V.I.P. Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: NH Posts: 165	Re: Concealment? I've carried on duty and off for nearly 30 years now. I've carried in Florida, Texas, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Israel. I've tried so many different ways of concealed carry, my gosh its horrible when the sweat is rolling down your back and you got to strap on a gun and make like its not there. Nowadays I use the crossbreed when I carry a full size pistol, http://www.gunblast.com/Crossbreed.htm and when I carry my MK9 its usually in a pocket holster in my back jeans pocket, IWB-New York carry, or just in a front pocket if I am wearing baggy shorts. Smaller caliber guns like the LCP will tuck away just about anywhere, and I've certainly tempted to get one, but I paid a lot for my MK9 just to get 9mm.

06-09-2009, 05:29 PM	#6
Maximilian II Advanced Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Northwest GA Posts: 1,381	Re: Concealment? I have also seen briefcase style carriers for submachineguns, and again for "regular carry" they look like more of a target than an asset. I do see a use, though. For bodyguard/personal security types that won't themselves be the target of action, they allow the carry of larger firearms. __________________ Karma is just justice, without the satisfaction. And I don't believe in justice. -Joe Sarno, bagman.

06-13-2009, 09:04 PM	#7
sakeneko V.I.P. Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Nevada Posts: 83	Re: Concealment? IMHO hiding a gun in a fake laptop case makes as much sense as hiding your jewelry inside a fake DVD player at home. The thief would take the case even if he was fooled by it. I'm a new gun owner, but I'm also a Silicon Valley technical writer with just over 20 years experience schlepping around a laptop computer. (I haven't owned or used a desktop since 1988.) Laptop computers are theft magnets; a thief would go for your "concealment" case, not because he would think it held a gun, but because he was fooled by it and thought it was a laptop! Most professional quality "desktop replacement" laptops these days cost between $1,500 and $2,000, which is more than a good concealed carry pistol or revolver. Laptops also contain valuable information that, unless well encrypted, often nets a thief more money than the laptop itself. As a concealed carry technique, IMHO a fake laptop computer is a complete nonstarter.

06-14-2009, 03:32 AM	#8
Maximilian II Advanced Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Northwest GA Posts: 1,381	Re: Concealment? Agreed, sakeneko. Except for "exec protect" use, these are most likely to just disappoint a snatcher who realizes he nabbed a $600 gun instead of a $1000 computer. __________________ Karma is just justice, without the satisfaction. And I don't believe in justice. -Joe Sarno, bagman.

07-01-2009, 04:15 PM	#13
Maximilian II Advanced Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Northwest GA Posts: 1,381	Re: Concealment? Not so much a firearms idea, but- When I think I'll be in an area where muggings are more likely, I tote a cheap red wallet well filled with paper that is cut to about currency size. The plan is to throw it and run. I don't have a concealed weapon permit so of course (as a law-abiding citizen) shooting muggers is out of the question. Not to say I wouldn't beat the snot out of one if he gets close enough. __________________ Karma is just justice, without the satisfaction. And I don't believe in justice. -Joe Sarno, bagman.