For those committed to personal security, concealed carry as a lifestyle choice may be the way to go. The increasing demand for knowledge on how to carry concealed highlights a growing recognition of the importance of self-defense.
Responsible concealed carry extends beyond merely strapping on a firearm. It requires a commitment to safety, legal compliance and ongoing defensive firearms training. From understanding the legal landscape to choosing the right gear and clothing, this comprehensive guide will empower individuals to carry concealed confidently, responsibly and effectively.
Open Carry vs. Concealed Carry
Open carry simply gives criminals a chance to plan an attack against you so they can take your gun. Concealed carry gives you the maximum advantage over criminals because they don’t know that you are carrying a gun. As a result, you have the element of surprise when they decide to attack.
Choosing How to Concealed Carry
You will need to be able to carry your concealed gun comfortably and get it into the fight quickly when you need it. There are a lot of options when choosing how to carry a concealed firearm, and what works best for you will largely be a matter of trial and error. Choosing the right fit from all of the available best concealed carry guns, holsters and positions will be totally up to you. Remember, the three things you need are:
Comfort
Security
Accessibility
We put comfort first because if carrying your defensive handgun is not comfortable, you will not carry it every day. That increases the chances that you won’t have your gun during a self-defense shooting, when you really need it.
Security, while important, is negotiable. You can get holsters with straps or snaps or internal mechanical retention devices that provide any level of weapon security you might want. Remember this, the higher the level of security, the more difficult to get that gun out of the holster and into the fight. Most holster security features are pretty intuitive, but you MUST practice with them to make sure that you can draw your firearm quickly when you need it.
Accessibility is the final element in the concealed carry triad. This simply refers to your ability to get your gun into your hand and bring it on target. Ideally, you want to be able to do this quickly and easily. The less accessible your gun is, the longer it will take to get it into action when you need it. A gun that is less accessible is typically more hidden. Only you will know what is an acceptable balance. There are pros and cons to both sides of the debate.
Off-Body Carry
The first thing we should do is break down the two biggest differences when it comes to carrying a concealed firearm: on-body carry versus off-body carry. On-body carry simply means the gun is held in a holster that is attached to your body, typically through a harness or belt. There are several different methods of on-body carry and we will touch on each of them briefly after we discuss off-body carry.
Concealed Carry Purse
Off-body carry means you are carrying your gun in some sort of bag or covering that is not attached to your body. The most common of these items is a concealed carry purse. The concealed carry purse is very popular among women who carry concealed firearms largely because having the gun in a purse does not interfere with daily fashion. This is not a knock on women who choose fashionable clothing over something designed to hide a gun. This is an acknowledgment that women’s fashion is not often designed with concealed carry as the primary objective or taken into account at all.
What the concealed carry purse has going for it is flexibility. Good concealed carry purses are built with a separate compartment specifically designed to hold a gun. This typically means the interior of the gun compartment is lined with the loop portion of hook-and-loop attachment fabric, allowing for a holster made with the hook portion to be firmly stuck in place. This is a major benefit because it ensures your gun is always in the same place and always in the same position so you can most comfortably draw the gun from concealment. Those purses that don’t offer the hook-and-loop material should have some other method for attaching a holster firmly to the inside of the gun compartment.
One of the strong upsides of a concealed carry purse is the fact that it allows the carrier to surreptitiously reach inside the purse and establish a firing grip on the gun – preparing it for action – without actually drawing and presenting the gun. This is wonderful when the carrier sees something that might be a bit off or unsafe and wants to prepare for action while planning an escape route but does not want to brandish the gun.
How to Concealed Carry Off-Body
A downside to off-body carry is the fact that the purse itself can become the target of a criminal. In a purse-snatching situation, the criminal will be grabbing the purse and trying to get away with it. You know your gun is in there, but the criminal likely does not. This means you must keep your off-body concealment system under your control at all times. A purse with a gun inside requires an extra level of safety and protection.
Off-body carry is not just for those who carry purses. There are plenty of other off-body carry options as well, everything from backpacks and briefcases to day planners with room for a gun inside. The good news is the basics and the rules remain the same regardless of which off-body carry option you choose. They are simple:
- Make sure your firearm is held securely inside the carry device and that the gun and the holster are the only things in the firearm compartment.
- Keep control of your off-body carry system at all times.
- Practice accessing your gun from your off-body system. Unload the gun. Triple-check to make sure it is unloaded. Then practice drawing the gun as well as reholstering it. Pay attention to trigger finger discipline and muzzle direction.
There is a crossover element we need to address before we get into on-body carry: the fanny pack. As fashion accessories go, fanny packs have been loved and hated. Today, people are carrying them slung across their chests and pretending this new “sling bag” is something other than a fanny pack. Regardless of what you think about the fashion though, the utility is amazing.
Such a weapon carry system gives you the benefits of off-body carry while keeping the carry system attached to you. That is to say, you won’t be setting your fanny pack or sling bag down and walking away from it.
All the same rules apply for safety and accessibility. Training with such a carry system is a must. Don’t practice until you get it right. Practice until you can’t get it wrong.
On-Body Carry
Carrying a gun in a holster attached to your body provides you the ultimate in accessibility, but you give away some elements of comfort and perhaps even fashion. The latter is because you very likely will have to change your clothing to carry your gun concealed.
The options for on-body carry are nearly endless, and they don’t just begin and end with leather or Kydex holsters at your waist on a belt. But that seems like a good place to start.
When carrying a gun at your waist, typically that gun will be placed in a holster and the holster will be attached to a sturdy belt. The holster and the belt make up your carry platform. The combination needs to be capable of holding your gun in place through all of your daily activities. The more active you tend to be, the higher level of retention you will likely need.
Carrying a gun at the waist falls into two camps: Inside-the-waistband (IWB) and outside-the-waistband (OWB). As the names suggest, IWB means the gun and holster are worn between the belt/pants and the body. OWB means the holster and the gun are on the outside of the clothes. IWB typically gives you better concealment but can be a bit slower when it comes to accessing and drawing the gun. OWB carry makes it a bit more difficult to conceal the firearm and often requires the selection of an appropriate “cover garment.” This can be a shirt, a jacket or a vest. Don’t get me wrong, an IWB holster also requires a cover garment, but with the muzzle of the gun inside the pants, concealment is a bit easier.
The two most common positions for carrying a gun at the waist are strong-side hip and appendix.
Strong-side hip is just like it sounds: Carry the gun on your strong-hand side. For a right-handed person that would be on the right side of the body at about 3 or 4 o’clock, with your zipper being 12 o’clock. A lefty would carry at 9 or 8 o’clock, again with the zipper being at 12 o’clock.
Appendix carry moves the gun and holster to the front of the body, slightly offset from 12 o’clock toward your strong side. There are those who avoid appendix carry because they believe the gun is pointing at too much important stuff in that location. The truth is each type of carry is safe when you’re using a quality holster and following all of the safety rules. Keep your finger off the trigger as you present your gun and control the direction of the muzzle at all times.
The pros and cons of each carry location on your belt are largely the result of your daily activities. Many people find the strong-side carry more comfortable when doing a lot of sitting, though wearing a gun on your hip while in a chair or while sitting in a car can get uncomfortable quickly. For those who have a little bit of extra material around the middle, appendix carry might not work all that well. Choosing the right carry location is something intensely personal and no one can tell you where you MUST carry your gun. It’s your gun, and you may have to use it to save your life. So it is your decision and no one else’s.
Other Ways to Carry a Gun Concealed
Another common carry location at the belt is called “cross-draw.” The cross-draw carry position puts the gun of a right-handed shooter to the left of the belt buckle with the grip forward. This is a very comfortable carry style for people who do a lot of driving, but some people say it presents the grip of the firearm to any adversary when you are face-to-face. Concealment, along with good situational awareness and controlling distance, will all help with weapon retention. Again, trigger-finger discipline and muzzle management are keys to safety during the draw.
Other common areas for on-body carry include the shoulder holster, which is basically a cross-draw set up slung under your arm with a harness across your shoulders. Most shoulder holsters will hold your gun either vertically, with the muzzle pointed straight down, or horizontally, with the muzzle pointed behind you. These are great holsters for people who sit or drive a lot, but they require a cover garment, typically a jacket or coat, to keep the gun concealed.
Ankle holsters also work well but can be a bit uncomfortable and require pants that allow you to pull the pant leg up over the gun. There is no world in which drawing a gun from an ankle holster is really fast. This carry method is more about concealment. The ankle holster does work pretty well for those seated or driving. However, you will need enough space and flexibility to bend, lift the hem of the pants and access the gun.
Some women choose to wear a thigh holster that secures the gun in a holster on the inside of the thigh. Typically worn on the opposite leg from the strong hand, a thigh holster works great with a dress or skirt and completely conceals small-framed handguns. Access to the gun can be quick, though not as fast as a gun carried at the waist and covered with what might be called a more traditional cover garment. Still, the thigh holster is a solid option for concealing a gun while wearing a dress.
The free market has also prompted some ingenious designers to create clothing articles with integrated holsters or gun pockets. Everything from form-fitting undershirts with holsters just beneath the armpits to yoga pants with holsters and magazine pouches sewn in multiple locations. These types of garments are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to clothing designed for concealing firearms. A simple search of the internet will turn up countless options for every type of fashion or style. If you are wondering about the different ways to carry a gun, the options are almost limitless. It just takes creativity and the willingness to try something new.
This article is a compilation of previous blog posts authored by Kevin Michalowski and Beth Alcazar.
