I'm not worried about riots. Sure they could happen but even if they do, 45 rounds won't be enough.
The weird thing about civil unrest is that they are unpredictable.
Certainly, in most cases, we've seen that even the faintest display of the simple intent of aggressive (armed or not) defense will dissuade every and any potential threat.
However, we've also seen - again in recent events - that such similar displays will actually ignite the crowd.
Some of the best advice I've read from LE and former non-permissive-environment personnel (these are people who have been abroad, and have seen much, much worse than the cases of civil unrest we've seen) carries echos with
Cuda66's post - try your best to stay aware of current-events and try to not be where the action will be. If caught inside the masses, try to be "the gray man" and blend in, look for avenues of escape - only resort to violence to defend yourself if absolutely necessary (simply because as the Magic 8-Ball would say, "Outlook is Uncertain."
I'm not trying to get into an extended gunfight.
I don't think anyone does - and please understand that I'm not picking on you
- I'm simply highlighting what you've said because it's a good point. I'll come back to this in just a minute, but first....
I'm just becoming more aware of the importance of accurate shot placement.
Absolutely.
You've seen my posts - I'm absolutely certain that shot placement is critical. I'm a scientist by trade and training, and anatomy and physiology gets my vote every time.
But what we who champion the "shot placement is king" school need to realize is that under life-and-death stress, while both parties are moving dynamically, shot placement is not a certainty. The late Louis Awerbuck's critical, real-world view of why even trained shooters can miss at what are truly very short distances is a sobering reminder that we must all train to higher standards - that if shot placement is indeed king, we must realize the limitations that stress puts on our body and mind, and understand the effects of dynamic movement with regard to the presentation and availability of vital hit zones in an anatomic, three-dimensional target.
Now, that said, we go back to your statement above - that of "your gunfight," and I'd like to bring in
Powerman's post, here, too:
Being prepared isn't about training for every possible scenario that ever happened to a human. It's about being prepared for what is most likely going to be the problem.
The problem with thinking this way is that, in doing so, we're coming awfully, dangerously close to claiming clairvoyance.
Why?
Because it implies that we should be able to see trouble coming. ( REF: Pat Rogers' 2010 article in
Carrying a Handgun - Separate Facts From Fallacies SWAT Magazine )
I pose that if that's indeed the case, that we can see trouble coming, then would not we as individuals in our right mind simply choose to not be at that particular place, at that particular time - at all?
Now, in reading that, y'all might think that I'm one of those people who would advise that people carry no less than a "full-size fighting handgun" of death-ray caliber, with a laser/light combo slung underneath, and have no fewer than 250 spare rounds available, a knife, another knife, OC, a ECD, a back-up gun plus a rape whistle and some hand sanitizer.
That's far from true.
Instead, what I would like for everyone to realize is that concealed-carry for a law-abiding everyday-Joe/Jane citizen is a set of compromises. Everything from where we go during the day (are you required by law to disarm?) to what we do for a living (a construction worker? a physician? a trainer in a gym? a bicycle messenger? a truck driver?) to what we wear (a dress? a suit? corporate casual? scrubs?) to what our subjective perception of comfort may be all comes into play even before we make our own "threat assessments" (let's remember that we are here on this thread ostensibly because we've chosen armed self defense - by this very action, some would say we are paranoid, so let's not think any less of our fellow brothers or sisters who may decide to be more prepared than us: instead simply realize that one person's preparation is another's paranoia
).
The right compromise for you may not be the right one for me. No two persons are the same.
So, with that in mind, I'd like to wrap back to
titanicthunder's closing remark in his post above:
I'm currently searching for a spare mag pouch for my g19. I have one now but I bought it for competitions. It's not ideal for conceal carry with my dress style.
For EDC, I compromise accessibility for concealment because most of the people I interact with, I'd rather just not have to explain to them why I've chosen armed self-defense - the way I see it, how I choose to defend myself is no one else's business but mine.
I use the Comp-Tac Minotaur Single Magazine Concealment Pouch -
Single Magazine Concealment Pouch Comp-Tac Victory Gear
^ That full-length leather backing is just like having a leather holster or the leather side of a hybrid, IWB.
The compromise I make for this is, of-course, that it's also inside my waistband (for me, it's actually more comfortable than just having a holster/gun IWB on one side; this balances me out a little, and also helps counter-leverage the pull exerted on the gun side of the belt, and helps my belt/pants stay put at my waist - but YMMV), and that in being "deep concealment," it takes more time and motion to get to the magazine (although, honestly, if you train enough from it, it's still pretty darned fast) as well as makes replacing the magazine in the pouch almost impossible (a consideration for tactical reloads).