Carlos, I live in NYC and have both a handgun and a shotgun. Admittedly the permitting process for the handgun is much more of a pain to get through.

To ask handgun vs. shotgun is a bit like asking hammer vs. screwdriver, but having said that, if I could only have one firearm, it would definitely be a sidearm. Absent literally the WORST CASE scenarios, I dont think it is possible for you to walk around with a long gun publicly (and keeping a long gun in a big gym bag really takes it out of commission for tactical purposes).

Sidearms can be carried discreetly, and are tactically effective by skilled shooters to probably 25 yards. It is somewhat difficult to imagine a situation where you're defensively engaging targets past 25 yards.

Somebody mentioned getting firearms training, and I think that's clearly a good idea. Also, consider buying less-than-lethal tools like pepper spray (legal in NYC), which gives you more options than if you only had a handgun.

Gun safety course is def in the cards for me and missus. As are regular sorties to the range.

Just to clarify, I don't mean to carry it (or a handgun) around at the first power outage. They're for home defense. I brought up the question because I was wondering what I would do if we had to leave and had to take it with us.

Truthfully, now that I think back on it, the scenario I had envisioned was so dire, so over-the-top, that the question is probably moot but I wanted to give it some consideration.

Unrelated to gun carry but related to the question of "to hide or not to hide?" I am also curious about how folks feel about their EDC or BOBs.

In an USK/PSK thread, I noticed that many felt that backpacks might draw too much attention in an urban bugout setting. But, in my mind, short of "tactical-looking" packs and gear, most back packs would serve well and not draw much attention.

True, a Wallstreeter hoofing it with a Jansport might look odd, but if people are bugging out of the area, they might not bother to think about it as they would have more pressing concerns themselves.

Do folks eschew rucks, molle gear and the like for your BOBs for this reason?

Regarding the look of a BOB, walking around with a backpack in the financial district of San Francisco (or any other Cali downtown) would not look strange at all. I used to work at a law firm where a few partners used backpacks instead of brief cases. Employees who rode motorcycles were typically using backpacks. Many of the wealthiest clients would show up to business meetings looking like the just finished milking cows. I'm sure there are quite a few other cities in America with cultures like that. We aren't in the 70's anymore.

Realistically, I can't imagine myself working in a stuffy city and walking with a complete BOB. I don't work downtown anymore. However, if I did, I would carry only the bare essentials in a rolling briefcase that also carried my laptop and other business stuff. I would go with a backpack for everything if that were most comfortable.

Yeah, I see lots of people in business attire toting backpacks. Especially those made my Oakley, Targus, etc. They seem to be more of a a hybrid backpack/briefcase. Don't stand out at all.

Our plan is to make a decision on bugging out (via private car), or bugging in (where we have a very defensible position, around 1 month of freeze dried food, a week's water supply, and the ability to store 100+ gallons more if the building's water tank doesnt run dry first).

Realistically, living in Manhattan as we do, we're likely to bug-in, since evacuating the island is hard enough on a Friday evening, let alone in a chaotic mass evacuation. If we do decide to bug out, our third line gear is preloaded into two military-style rucks, which we keep in a closet. We also keep a folding stroller in the car.

We'd bug out on foot only if we had to abandon our vehicle, which suggests a fairly high threat environment. Under those circumstances, we're assuming a non-permissive environment, so I care less about being low-profile.

Ha! Truer words were never spoken!



Certainly, in that case, anything goes. And I also think most other people would be considered about their own keisters to worry about what others around them are carrying.

I think, unfortunately, if NYers have to bug out, it would almost have to be on foot as I can't imagine our tunnels and bridges would be able to handle such an exodus. As you said, Friday nights are bad enough.

Cheers!

True of any large metro area. Bugging out is an option of last resort. If/when I bug-out from SOCAL it will appear to any onlookers like I'm moving; they'll be correct.

I wear a 5.11 vest and the customers in some of the stores assume you are an employee and ask you questions. The majority of the population is not very observant of what's going on around them.

I have a school uniform and I was in walmart and the same happened to me, I love how if someone sees someone they believe is at work Texting in a walmart isle, they do nothig but ask where dish soap is!!

A couple of years ago I was working in a business casual workplace and had on tan dockers and a red polo shirt for the day. i stopped at Target to pick something up and got asked for help about three times before I could get out of there - I realized that the 'uniform' was a red Target shirt and tan pants!

Paul -