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All, TBM and I are going to go holster shopping. We thought we would start at the Lewisville gun show today.

My question is, what's the proper procedure for bringing a handgun? I assume you just case the handgun, carry the case to the inspection station and you are good to go? Then you can just remove the handgun fom the case while test fitting?

All the gun shows I've attended have a means for attendees to bring in weapons. Some have you tie lock the action. Check with the ticket office or entree person to find out the procedure.

Guns shows I've attended in recent times require firearms to be checked (unloaded) at the door. TieWraps are then fastened through the breach and "must" be left in place while inside. That kinda inhibits trying a handgun in a holster. A dealer might clip the wrap, then put a new one on for you.

I have tried many holster with the tie. I did it today at the Lewisville show. Not ideal but it still works.

stroo wrote:I have tried many holster with the tie. I did it today at the Lewisville show. Not ideal but it still works.

We probably bumped in to each other today. What did you end up getting? I left with just an IWB sleeve for my XDs until my Crossbreed arrives.

I just bought a pocket holster for my S& W MP 9c. But I have done the same with OWB holsters.

A lot of the guys selling fitted holsters keep tie wraps and cutters at their booth. Never seems to be an issue.

Piney wrote:Guns shows I've attended in recent times require firearms to be checked (unloaded) at the door. TieWraps are then fastened through the breach and "must" be left in place while inside. That kinda inhibits trying a handgun in a holster. A dealer might clip the wrap, then put a new one on for you.

That's been my experience as well. Brought mine unloaded in a case, had it checked at the front by local LEO who then tie wrapped it. The holster dealer cut the tie wrap to try on different holsters, then put a new on afterwards.

jmra wrote:A lot of the guys selling fitted holsters keep tie wraps and cutters at their booth. Never seems to be an issue.

We saw the various vendors cutting the zip ties and replacing them as needed. No need to cut the tie though as it did not interfere with the test fitting.

For SAXET show in San Antonio, I take it unloaded (you'll have to give up any ammo and they don't give it back), it can be in a box or often I wear it in a holster. The cops at the door will zip tie it and off you go. If a vendor cut one off, they'll replace it.

So if any number of vendors can simply cut the tie then retie the pistol, what's the point of having it tied in the first place????

Urrrr, to make the insurance company happy?

I would think that insurance companies would be more interested in practices that actually reduce risk rather than silly rituals that don't actually accomplish anything. So if the zip-tie practice is in place for the sake of making insurance companies happy, then allowing vendors to cut & retie at will should be disallowed. But since this seems to be a common practice and perfectly acceptable, I have a hard time buying into that being the real reason.

I don't know why there is a zip-tie practice, but the few times I've gone where my handgun has been zip-tied has been when local law enforcement officers are at the door actually applying the zip ties. I'm guessing they do it to make sure the handgun is not only unloaded but remains inoperable so you don't then reload it while inside. If that's the case, then having a vendor clip it and then re-apply a new one satisfies law enforcement's goal of keeping the gun unloaded and inoperable while inside - assuming that's the reason why it's done in the first place. But those reasons are all speculation on my part, so it may be for some other reason I don't know about.

equin wrote:I don't know why there is a zip-tie practice, but the few times I've gone where my handgun has been zip-tied has been when local law enforcement officers are at the door actually applying the zip ties. I'm guessing they do it to make sure the handgun is not only unloaded but remains inoperable so you don't then reload it while inside. If that's the case, then having a vendor clip it and then re-apply a new one satisfies law enforcement's goal of keeping the gun unloaded and inoperable while inside - assuming that's the reason why it's done in the first place. But those reasons are all speculation on my part, so it may be for some other reason I don't know about.

Or, using one of the millions of knives sitting at all the tables to remove the zip tie. IMHO, it's another one of the "rules" to make someone feel better but does nothing.

I also about the folks that won't go a movie theater or eat a restaurant because it's posted 30.06 but yet will go to a gun show. Maybe it's because the show is selling guns so we know they semi support our 2A rights?