SouthernPrepper1: Badges for concealed weapon permit holders…Good or bad?

It can’t hurt, and might help, so it seems like “not a bad idiea” to me.

What worries me is that after they’re used a few times, or become popularized by advertising, crooks may start using them, or NON-carry permit holders.

All you need is one or two incidents nationwide where the actual perp is wearing one of these, a cop hesitates because of it, and dies. Then every police dept in the country will tell its members “disregard a badge you don’t recognize.” Then, of course, you may end up having cops killing FBI or other law enforcement officers a couple times, and they’ll prohibit the sale of such badges altogether.

Possible solution:
1. Do NOT heavily advertise these. Rely on word of mouth or use subtle ads or get permission from local gov’t offices where firearms permits etc are issued, to put up a small sign advertising them, or pay them to include a small card with an ad when mailing carry permits to holders of permits. The point is to narrow your “target audience” for ads so as to exclude, as far as possible, their being seen by non permit holders.

2. IN the meanwhile, you should require a photo copy of a carry permit to be sent to you or shown to other sellers of your badges to prevent or minimize the possibility of a non-holder obtaining one. That will eliminate or vastly reduce the possibliity of one coming into the hands of someone who si not a legalized carrier of a firearm and cause law enforcement officials to pay heed to them, esp. if something like suggestion 1. above is adopted.

There are no guarantees when you are in a firefight. You just do your best to put the odds in your favor. Hence the above suggestions.

Here’s a thought: Either instead of a badge OR IN ADDITION to it: Make a small velcro armband with lots of velcro so it’ll fit around your bare arm OR a heavy jacket’s sleeve. Maybe 3 or 4″ wide. Something distinctive — come up with a distinctive background pattern like a blue band with white stripes on it at an angle and maybe a FEW reflective red dots here and there on it. Natch, even more so than the badge, there may not always be time to put it on or to put it on BOTH arms, or to put it flat across your chest or back. This has the disadvantage that it might mark your location or single you out as a target for the perp, but so does the badge. You still have to decide whether informing your opponent where you are is more or less important than informing the people on your side who you are..