Couples That Carry

[JetGirl]

Do you both carry all the time when together?
Do you have a plan about who does what if SHTF?
Do you carry the same caliber to ammo share?
Do you practice in tandem for different bad scenarios?
Do you divide up responsibilities about returning BG fire vs grabbing your kids and getting out of harm's way?

 

[spasmo]

Do you both carry all the time when together?
Do you have a plan about who does what if SHTF?
Do you carry the same caliber to ammo share?
Do you practice in tandem for different bad scenarios?
Do you divide up responsibilities about returning BG fire vs grabbing your kids and getting out of harm's way?

My job will be to grab our daughter while he shoots the crap out of the BG. I don't generally carry. He has it with him all of the time (within legal limits). We do have the same caliber of ammo though. We haven't actually discussed a plan. Might be a good idea..

 

[shooter521]

Do you both carry all the time when together?

No; I generally do, she generally does not.

Do you have a plan about who does what if SHTF?

Yes.

Do you carry the same caliber to ammo share?

No.

Do you practice in tandem for different bad scenarios?

Occasionally.

Do you divide up responsibilities about returning BG fire vs grabbing your kids and getting out of harm's way?

Yes.

 

[G McBride]

Good food for thought. My wife and I just took the Utah training and sent in for the Non-resident Permit. I have a life time LTCH and tomorrow she will go to apply for hers.

Your post brings up a lot of things to think about and talk about with my wife. Thanks for the post.

 

[obijohn]

ACT is working on a one day course that will deal with just these types of issues. it is intended to be generic "shooter pair" type course, but now that i see this discussion, will have his/her shooter pair and family outing scenarios added. ups to annie for starting this discussion.

we are planning to roll the course out in the spring.

 

[JcJ]

Around my house it's like a scene out of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith"

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)

 

[JetGirl]

Around my house it's like a scene out of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith"

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)

That last five minutes or so was an awesome choreograph.

 

[cce1302]

Good food for thought. I just took my wife to get fingerprinted today for her lifetime LTCH (I already have mine). We'll have to have some discussions of this.

 

[TRWXXA]

We don't have kids to worry about so our plan of action is that we both open up on the dirtbag, and keep squeezin' the triggers until he stops flopping around.

 

[rhino]

These issues are important for any people who spend a significant amount of time together in pairs or small groups. Thanks, Annie!

 

[esigler]

My wife just was printed and its on its way to Indy!

 

[Scutter01]

ACT is working on a one day course that will deal with just these types of issues. it is intended to be generic "shooter pair" type course, but now that i see this discussion, will have his/her shooter pair and family outing scenarios added. ups to annie for starting this discussion.

we are planning to roll the course out in the spring.

Hrm...you know, I bet our 9 year old would like being involved in something like that. Any chance the "family outing scenarios" might include skill training for the kids? Where/when to run, what to expect, aftermath, etc.

 

[G McBride]

Wife has always been interested in some of my shooting but is becoming more and more interested in self defense carry weapons as we age. I am now 55 and she was born the same year but I can not disclose her age. It just would not be proper.

We both sent off our applications for the Utah Non-Resident Permits overnight mail, yesterday. Tomorrow I am going to go with her to the Sheriff's office to apply for her Lifetime LTCH for Indiana. I have had mine for many years now.

Never thought about needing to talk a plan of action over until this thread. Could keep one of us from injuring the other in a panic situation of a home invasion.

 

[obijohn]

Hrm...you know, I bet our 9 year old would like being involved in something like that. Any chance the "family outing scenarios" might include skill training for the kids? Where/when to run, what to expect, aftermath, etc.

actually, yes. the shooter pair course would be more active shooter oriented, but a course for families is in the works also. the family course will contain elements of the NRA basic courses for the safety, the shooter pair course for group action and the defensive courses for the mechanics. we'll be talking about what a family can do when at home and while out. should be interesting and informative. rhino and i are working on these, the shooter pair and the family courses, as we speak.

 

[Pami]

Do you both carry all the time when together?
Do you have a plan about who does what if SHTF?
Do you carry the same caliber to ammo share?
Do you practice in tandem for different bad scenarios?
Do you divide up responsibilities about returning BG fire vs grabbing your kids and getting out of harm's way?

Outside of the home, I don't usually carry. The plan seriously needs more thought put into it, and we are actually taking measures to improve by getting in some (relatively) unarmed/less-lethal combat training classes. Ultimately, the goal is to get me comfortable with carrying daily, and while I currently have a SIG and the DH has a Glock, I think Certain People are conspiring to move me to a G19 or at least a G26 so mags can be shared. At the moment, though, they're at least both 9mm, but I seriously doubt I would have the time or the wherewithal to move ammo from one mag to the other, nor would either of us be carrying a pocket full of 9mm.

In the home, we have discussed at least moderately the game plan if Something Bad were to happen. We don't have kids, so the real concern there is staying out of harm's way ourselves and calling the police. But we haven't practiced, which is something we ought to do.

A separate side note, since we do carry different handguns, I do make a point to put at least 20 rounds through every pistol we have when we go to the range just to remind me of the different motions, controls and recoils of the different guns so I know how to react to each one. Now that he's in the Glock it's better, but with the HK, the mag release and decocker were in all the wrong places, so it was very important to practice with it as well as my own.. "just in case."

 

[bwframe]

Great thread Jetgirl, I mean Annie.
All very good points. I'm flyin' solo as a rule, but I do have friends and family around a fair amount of the time.

ACT is working on a one day course that will deal with just these types of issues. it is intended to be generic "shooter pair" type course, but now that i see this discussion, will have his/her shooter pair and family outing scenarios added. ups to annie for starting this discussion.

we are planning to roll the course out in the spring.

Keep us in the loop on this sir. Myself and participants in mind.

 

[right winger]

No; I generally do, she generally does not.



Yes.



No.



Occasionally.



Yes.

The same for my wife and myself.

 

[Fenway]

I think Certain People are conspiring to move me to a G19 or at least a G26 so mags can be shared.

 

[Tinman]

This is a great question, and excellent food for thought especially considering how many couples we have on the board.

Do you both carry all the time when together?
Nope, I think her permit has even expired. Hence I have to carry a spare (at least that's the excuse I give her)

Do you carry the same caliber to ammo share?
Nope, see above.

Do you practice in tandem for different bad scenarios?
Not enough. Of course is there ever enough. The few times she's been with me, she handled it very well, so I guess we've got something working right.

Do you have a plan about who does what if SHTF?
Do you divide up responsibilities about returning BG fire vs grabbing your kids and getting out of harm's way?

I'll take these last two together. If you don't practice together, you will be less effective, and potentially dangerous to one another in a critical incident. Just because there are two of you it does not negate the need for a plan. It probably emphasizes it. After all, you don’t want to both be going for the little ones while no one is dealing with the threat. Most common teamwork will apply in some form. Unfortunately, only small amounts will apply completely. A lot of teamwork training is centered around LE or MIL training, and their objectives just don’t always clearly line up with the objectives of the family members. My suggestion is to start by talking about it, and some different scenarios that could occur. This applies whether your spouse carries or not. You’d hate to have your wife or kids running around screaming like mad as you’re trying to get everyone to cover and shoot the bad guy. Just by rules of efficiency, you should divide the work. I would recommend that the one who is the primary threat engager do nothing but that. That’s a hard enough job. The teammates job is to move to cover with the rest of the family, then bring out the pistol and support. I prefer something more like an executive protection model when thinking about spouses working together.

Just my 2 cents.

Tinman….

 

[mpholic]

Unfortunately after years of encouragement I have been unable to convince my wife of the importance of learning how to properly shoot a handgun and the necessity of carrying a handgun on her person.

She is not uncomfortable with me carrying and welcomes it when we are out late. She just wants no part it for herself.

I have bought her a couple of different guns in an effort to garner some interest but it didn't work. She will shoot .22s all day long at the range and doesn't mind shooting handloaded (light loads) .38spl out of her Ruger SP101 for a short while. Beyond this she ahs absolutely no interest or desire. She won't even pick up a semiauto. She tried my Glock 17 (the only 9mm I own) and hated it. I have all but but given up.

Based on that I guess my answers to your questions would all have to be no or negative.