Appendix Carry! Get your popcorn out!

FLORIDA FIREARMS TRAINING

The Facebook post that we shared a few months back on an AD from an appendix carry rig created quite a buzz and opened the door yet again to why F.F.T does not allow appendix carry in our classes. The following is just MY humble opinion, based on carrying pistols professionally / teaching firearms and tactics, (specific to close quarter combatives) with a pistol for over 30 years. I am sure some are going to disagree and have reasons why they / you should carry appendix and why I am wrong. That’s ok, at no point am I demanding the world agree with me on this. I just ask that you consider all the facts, then it’s up to you.

Appendix carry is certainly not new, but it is very much in vogue nowadays, in part thanks to the many YouTubers promoting it. First I will admit that I HAVE carried appendix. In fact I carried “appendix” before it was called “appendix carry” in various locations, for various situational and work related reasons over the years. However just because I have or can, does not necessarily mean that as a professional instructor, I should or that I am a proponent of the system for the average CWP holder on a daily carry basis. Below is MY logic on this issue.

Facts:

· A firearm, by its very nature is a dangerous tool and people by nature, are imperfect and capable of mishandling those tools, even when our intentions are good.

· A large percentage of unintentional self-inflicted gunshot wounds happen when drawing or holstering a pistol. (This can of course happen with any form of carry rig, but the risk is greater when the muzzle is oriented so close to the femoral artery)

· Most CWP holders will not put the time, efforts and 1000’s of repetitions needed to become fully subconsciously competent with their firearms.

· The average CWP holder is not stress inoculated to overcome the body’s natural reactions, unlike combat proven professional gunfighters, like Delta, SEALS, SAS, etc… (Please see Dave Grossmans Books “On Killing” and “On Combat” for more info in that regard.)

· We are HUMAN and as such we make mistakes, ESPECIALLY when under stress.

· Statistically, most gunshot wounds are not attended to by medical professionals for at LEAST 8 - 10 minutes.

· If the femoral artery is severed it will take anywhere from 2 – 5 minutes to bleed out. Bleeding would be heavy the first minute, after which one would pass out and the flow would go down, because of the drop in blood pressure. But after 4 to 5 minutes one would have lost so much blood as to have irreversible shock (due to exsanguination) and eventually die.

· Even with self-aid or buddy aid it is almost impossible to stop bleeding in the arterial groin area (with or without a tourniquet)

· Most police academies FLETC, Federal Agencies and MANY shooting schools etc... (Including ours) now forbid carrying appendix for safety concerns.

· Most (not all) handgun sports—IDPA, PPC for example now forbid carry forward of the hip for the same safety concerns (yep, even high speed professional shooters can make mistakes under stress)

· We at F.F.T have some open-enrollment classes with multiple different-skill-level shooters with upwards of 200 draws and re-holsters in each day (as such, the possibility of a mistake is too great for us to allow appendix carry)

Opinion: Pro-appendix carriers will site, “correct technique and correct equipment” as solutions to the possibility of a Negligent Discharge (ND). Now I agree that training and repetition will solve MOST problems, but it does not take into account the “Human Factor” We are human and most likely to make mistakes when we are tired, scared, under duress, in a fight or flight environment OR in multi-tasking high stress environments, such as in training where we are pushing the skills envelope and their fine motor skills degrade. (Again please see Dave Grossmans Books “On Killing” and “On Combat” for more info in that regard.)

Some will say ”well if the main reason you don’t like it is because you might shoot yourself, then train more, train harder and DON’T shoot yourself”…hmm. Now believe it or not, I DO in fact like that answer / logic and to some extent agree with it. However that statement makes me revisit the FACTS that I previously listed! Facts opposed to opinions. Opinions are great until reality kicks it in the arse!

Ask yourself if you have ever dropped your house or car keys? Tripped while walking or bumped into an inanimate object? Did that happen because you don’t have enough “repetitions” walking or not had enough training in holding / carrying your keys? Of course not, but maybe, just maybe… is it because we are human and we make mistakes, especially when we under extreme stress, multi-tasking or preoccupied with other things going on around us! (Human Factor)

It does not matter what navy SEAL, Special Forces, Secret Squirrel, DELTA, CIA or special super Ninja you are / were or were trained by…we all and I mean ALL, make mistakes! A simple mistake while appendix carrying could be the last one you EVER make! So it is not something I or F.F.T as a training company want to be promoting or responsible for.

In summary: After reviewing and understanding the perceived benefits of appendix carry, then looking at the facts associated with it; I believe the risks associated with this form of carry for the average CWP holder, simply outweighs the benefits. As such we will not train in or allow this carry system in our classes.

Stay safe, see you on the range.

Will Farrugia - Director of Training

Florida Firearms Training