IHOP Breakfast Turns Into Negligent Shooting By Concealed Carrier

JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI — A 30-year-old concealed carrier was with his girlfriend and a friend one morning, and the simple plan was to get breakfast at IHOP.

Things didn’t go as planned, and it’s another unfortunate incident to tarnish armed citizens everywhere.

Once out of the vehicle, the man attempts to holster his firearm. Why it wasn’t holstered in the first place is a question that I have, but we don’t have the details so we won’t go down that road.

During this holster attempt, the trigger is pulled and a bullet is sent into his leg.

My guesses as to what happened to cause this negligent discharge:

• The holster was not molded for the gun, and one of the sides folded into the trigger guard,
• The man had his finger in the trigger guard,
• An article of clothing made its way into the trigger guard,
• The gun went off by itself

We know the last one isn’t true, and all the others point to negligence. If a firearm discharges without the user expecting a discharge, it’s called negligence.

The man is a concealed carry permit holder and the firearm was legally held, of course.

He may have a dual setup; one holster inside the vehicle for when driving, and then the typical setup on his person. If this is the route you take, make sure that you train re-holstering inside the vehicle. I’ve done it plenty of times, along with probably thousands of other Americans each day. Knowing how to navigate your firearm and holster are steps that cannot be taken for granted. Ever.