Attempted assassination of Donald Trump 13 July 2024

[brihard]

I respect what you've done but I agree with your agency. In my mind the risk is simply too great by militarizing cops. To be completely honest, in a world of hard decisions I could accept the risk to police officers to preserve a purely civilian-presenting police force, that risk is why cops make so much money for what is a statistically not as dangerous a job as many think.

Given that his agency issues every member on the road a C8 and hard plates, and made the C8 and active shooter training part of their basic recruit training years ago, that’s reassuring to hear you agree with them.

 

[FSTO]

Just got home; spent all day wearing a suit with a holstered pistol… Not normally a suit guy, most days it’s a sport jacket… But yeah- civilian clothes with a covering jacket isn’t the most amenable to speed, and especially not when reholstering.

Honest question, I’ve never worn one but wouldn’t a shoulder holster be better than a hip holster when wearing a suit?

 

[brihard]

Honest question, I’ve never worn one but wouldn’t a shoulder holster be better than a hip holster when wearing a suit?

Shoulder holsters tend to be floppy, and they also put your gun potentially more in view and definitely in reach for an attempted gun grab. View wise, they’re closer to eye level and more likely to be noticed if your jacket flaps open. Because they aren’t really anchored to you, it’s harder to incorporate retention mechanisms that will help keep the gun in place either against a drop or a grab. It also means a longer and slower movement for the draw- across the body, and probably sweeping a later arc with a loaded firearm to reach your target. Because the shoulder holster will be hanging and moving at least a bit, it could be less predictable where, exactly, the grip of the gun is to be found. A proper belt holster on a stiff leather belt mounts the gun solidly and predictably in one place, gives the shortest and most direct draw path where you shouldn’t lose anyone between you and the target, and because the holster is pretty much fixed static you have a reliable ability to disengage retention mechanisms, usually activated with your thumb. Also, with a belt holster, I can put my badge directly beside it and closer to my belt buckle so that anyone who does get a glimpse of my gun should also see my badge. In Canada at least that helps reduce people getting freaked out.

There might be occasions where a shoulder holster is more comfortable, but that’s about the only advantage I could think of. If true concealability (versus simply being discreet) is the priority, there are better options than shoulder holster.

 

[FSTO]

^^
Last question. How the hell do you keep your pants up with all that weight on the belt without wearing suspenders?
During Op Apollo my boarding gear included the utility belt and I hated the bloody thing with a passion and lobbied for us to get the old H harnesses to get the weight off my hips. Didn’t help that I never had a V shape!

 

[brihard]

^^
Last question. How the hell do you keep your pants up with all that weight on the belt without wearing suspenders?
During Op Apollo my boarding gear included the utility belt and I hated the bloody thing with a passion and lobbied for us to get the old H harnesses to get the weight off my hips. Didn’t help that I never had a V shape!

Body shape makes a huge difference. Some wear suspenders. I just wear a stiff leather belt made to carry a holster, and I buckle it as tight as I comfortably can. That, plus I have an ass. So far I haven’t unintentionally dropped trou on a call, but experiences vary.

 

[dapaterson]

If true concealability (versus simply being discreet) is the priority, there are better options than shoulder holster.

Christopher Walken in Pulp Fiction enters the conversation.

 

[OldSolduer]

Christopher Walken in Pulp Fiction enters the conversation.

Did he not carry something up his butt?

For, Five, Years?

 

[Haggis]

Body shape makes a huge difference. Some wear suspenders. I just wear a stiff leather belt made to carry a holster, and I buckle it as tight as I comfortably can. That, plus I have an ass. So far I haven’t unintentionally dropped trou on a call, but experiences vary.

I do the same with a plainclothes holster and wearing one with soft armour sucks. Conversely, I wear suspenders with a duty belt as I'm pretty much a straight line from the back of my shoulders to my heels no matter how many squats I do.

There are huge differences between true plainclothes holsters and concealment holsters, the biggest being retention features.

Hawaiian shirts are a crime against fashion anywhere outside the Pacific islands and a strong indicator someone might be packin'.

 

[Grimey]

^^
Last question. How the hell do you keep your pants up with all that weight on the belt without wearing suspenders?
During Op Apollo my boarding gear included the utility belt and I hated the bloody thing with a passion and lobbied for us to get the old H harnesses to get the weight off my hips. Didn’t help that I never had a V shape!

My memory may be a bit hazy, but didn’t you lobby to get us jungle boots from the PX in Guam?

 

[FSTO]

^^
Yep, I don't do well in the heat, which I ably demonstrated by almost having a heat stroke and I knew the shit we were being forced to wear was going to cause problems. Remember those "kevlar" vests? Crap was so old it likely wouldn't have stopped a pen knife!

 

[dapaterson]

Remember those "kevlar" vests? Crap was so old it likely wouldn't have stopped a Bic pen!

FTFY.

 

[Swampbuggy]

US Marshals sounds like a cool job.

From what I’ve been told by a Marshal I once knew, it’s great if you like travel and hate putting down roots.

 

[The Bread Guy]

And Pinkerton's constant mistakes in giving the Confederates credit for significantly more manpower than they really had was the root cause of McLellan being the timid commander that he was.

Consultants telling clients what they want to hear? Be still my foolish heart …

 

[daftandbarmy]

Consultants telling clients what they want to hear? Be still my foolish heart …

 

[The Bread Guy]

No surprise, but here's what I suspect will be at least one of the groups looking into what happened ....

DHS inspector general to review Secret Service security process during Trump shooting - UPI.com

The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General said Wednesday it will review the Secret Service security process during the assassination attempt against Donald Trump on Sunday.

www.upi.com

Homeland Security inspector general investigates Secret Service handling of security at Trump rally

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Homeland Security's inspector general said Wednesday it has opened an investigation into the Secret Service’s handling of security for former President Donald Trump on the day a gunman tried to assassinate him at a Pennsylvania rally.

ca.news.yahoo.com

Homeland Security inspector general to probe Secret Service handling of Trump rally

The inspector general will evaluate "the United States Secret Service process for securing former President Trump."

ca.news.yahoo.com

Source:

 

[RedFive]

I respect what you've done but I agree with your agency. In my mind the risk is simply too great by militarizing cops. To be completely honest, in a world of hard decisions I could accept the risk to police officers to preserve a purely civilian-presenting police force, that risk is why cops make so much money for what is a statistically not as dangerous a job as many think.

Risk of what?

I'm asking for a blue shirt, no bright yellow stripes on my pants, a pistol that doesn't break in my holster, and some basic PPE that's mandatory in less dangerous professions...

 

[Jarnhamar]

a pistol that doesn't break in my holster, and some basic PPE that's mandatory in less dangerous professions...

Is this something a union could/should address?

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Risk of what?

I'm asking for a blue shirt, no bright yellow stripes on my pants, a pistol that doesn't break in my holster, and some basic PPE that's mandatory in less dangerous professions...

I was surprised you were using Lvl IV plates, but that's a good thing.

 

[KevinB]

From what I’ve been told by a Marshal I once knew, it’s great if you like travel and hate putting down roots.

It really isn't that bad, the first 3-5 years are done at a Fed Prison, moving inmates etc. Then one generally gets assigned a region, and one can stay in a region for a while, the Marshal I had running our Violent Fugitive Recovery Team had been at his "desk" for ten years, some folks have also managed some instructor billets for a while -- generally the SOG is the most road warrior part - and some of those guys never leave Louisiana. If you like the MD/VA/DC area, you can pretty much stay here as long as you want, as there are a variety of different field jobs, as well as true office jobs.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Great series!