Bad idea
Mad Duck looks at vests that ID you as a handgun carry permit holder.
I think these are a very bad idea. And those CCW badges are a bad idea too. If you have a permit to carry a firearm, it does not make you a police officer. And that’s probably what someone will presume if they see these badges and such. Or they’ll presume you think you’re one.
October 8th, 2009 at 9:51 am
OH YES; The infamous fly fishing vest and the shoot me badge. I like the vest but thier popularity has drawn attention to the ccw holder so I avoid them. The badge however has its place. The law varies from state to state, but in a situation where you may have a bad guy stopped and held, the badge can keep you from getting shot, by the police that is. When a hot call goes out on the radio, the dispatcher often leves out impotant information like whos the vic and whos the perp, weather or noot you are legally armed and things like that. In this situation, one can hold the badge above your head in an ID fashion and when the police arrive they can tell who is who. They may be mad after but its better that they be mad than for you to be shot. I would caution people not to wear these badges in the open and use them for open carry purposes, that is a bad idea. It is best to keep the badge concealed and only use it in the manner I have written about here and be very discrete with it. If you MISREPRESENT yourself as a POLICE OFFICER you will go to JAIL. I have had this arguement with other people and while it is not stautorily illegal, it is dangerously close to being so, an overzealous or aggressive DA could make a good case and make things very difficult for you in this situation.
October 8th, 2009 at 10:25 am
My company sells safety equipment and our most expensive class 3 vest that is now required for emergency services personnel is $10 less than that and has a lot more material. Of course the first rule of CCW is don’t talk about CCW.
http://topofthechain.blogspot.com/2009/09/first-rule-of-ccw-club.html
October 8th, 2009 at 10:29 am
I agree with Uncle the badge is a bad idea, this sash is more in the event you are involved in a shooting, since arriving LE won’t know good guys from bad, and the bright color might cause them to pause long enough not to shoot you. Police Magazine mentioned them in an article on active shooters, from the Trexpo East conference, and those at the seminar thought it was a great idea, they make 3 styles for Police, security & CCW holders.
October 8th, 2009 at 10:47 am
How about a vest or jacket with a pullout panel that proclaims, “I’m the GOOD GUY.” No misrepresentation or police imitation there, and if you are accidentally on purpose shot by the police, your lawsuit against them will be a slam dunk.
October 8th, 2009 at 11:31 am
Kind of defeats the purpose of concealment, doesn’t it?
I’ve heard of ID badge proposals for Open Carry, which isn’t yet legal for handguns in Texas; I’d rather have legal OC *without* badges/licensing, but if that’s the only way to get it past the Tx Ledge, it’s a compromise I’d be willing to make.
October 8th, 2009 at 11:52 am
CCW vest? First time Mr. Bad Guy wears one to get over on a cop, it becomes a “shoot me immediately” vest.
As for badges, I don’t want to have to carry one. Having to carry the license is bad enough. Unauthorized use of a badge brands you as some kind of wannabe-cop, vigilante nutcase at best, and will easily get you jail time for impersonating a police officer, if not an investigation that determines that you may have been misusing the badge to commit crimes. Someone recently flashed a badge and then raped a woman? Was that you? Do you really want paranoid, asshole, government investigators breathing down your neck and looking to nail you for anything they can? “Badge” is short for “bad idea”. Let the CCW glory seekers who want to sport a shiny badge mumble about it, but I just want my freedom to carry. I don’t need no stinkin’ badges.
October 8th, 2009 at 11:54 am
Hu?
Are the cops really going to pay attention to such a thing? I’m not for certain I would if I was a police officer.
Bad guys are not universally stupid, and it wouldn’t take long for them to figure out that a strip of cloth could buy them time to act against arriving LEO’s.
October 8th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Bad idea 100%
#1 Bad guys can get these joke-props as easy as a law abiding person.
#2, this is a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist. The closes I’ve heard to this shit is this story:
http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/09/23/Family_Says_911_Tape_Caught_Cops_Planning_Cover-Up_After_Shooting.htm
And even if armed homeowner WAS the Bad Guy, the cops shot him in the back. Bad Shoot, Bad Shoot!
Best bet, after the smoke clears call 911, if there are witnesses, ask THEM to call 911. If the scene is safe and clear reholster your gun. When the five-oh arrive cooperate and keep your hands where they can see them. If you have not holstered your gun, drop it on the ground.
Even bad guys have rights. Even if the cops assume you’re the bad guy if you don’t do anything that lets them think you mean to harm anybody, they legally CAN’T shoot you.
October 8th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
As I learned at the police academy….
During an active shooter incident, you find anyone, good or bad who have used a gun in the incident, place them in handcuffs, and get their firearm, wherever it may be.
Once their story is verified, they may then be released.
I asked the instructor what to do in the event of being a CHL holder or off duty cop in a shooting incident, and he said once the threat is eliminated, place your pistol on the ground, ask someone to dial 911, and put your hands infront of you, with your fingers interlocked together. He said make sure to face the police when they arrive. At that point in time, you do whatever it is you want to do, but to bear in mind, that you will more than likely be secured and detained (i.e. placed in cuffs). If you want to invoke your right to a lawyer, go for it. The cops will figure out your a CHL holder, what happened, etc.
But the bottom line is, these CCW vests, CCW badges, really aren’t that good of an idea. Your average beatcop will more than likely filter the vest out of his mind, and a badge is a great way to be arrested for impersonating a police officer.
October 9th, 2009 at 6:45 am
OK, that is about as stupid an idea as I’ve seen today.
Let’s hash this one a bit.
Will you need a concealed carry permit to buy one? If no, what would keep criminals from buying them and using them during a crime? Anything to get an edge or confuse the police would aid them. (Should we discuss the theft or counterfeit versions of the vests or badges for that matter.?)
Once they are in use will LEO personnel know which are valid? Once one is used against an LEO will they be illegitimate in the “protection” they will provide? Of course NOT.
What happens when you delay action to put that little gem on? And now that you have a screaming green warning sign on you, you’ve made yourself the perfect clear target to the criminal. Clever tactics there. (The badge would be less of a target definition item, but it still would mark you in the crowd as a threat which substantially limits your usefulness.)
The lack of thinking around this product is astounding.