How do you carry a gun when it’s not easy to carry a gun? | Personal Security Institute
Getting it right the first time is easier than fixing it later!
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I’ll be honest: I find carrying a firearm to be work. I know, someone out there will chime and and tell me that it’s not really work, that they “never notice” their gun, and so on. Frankly I think that’s nonsense!
I’ve been carrying a concealed firearm for a long time now, and while it’s not uncomfortable it’s definitely not as liberating as walking around without that extra weight on my belt. (Yes, I do have top-end holsters and belts; it fact, I’ve designed and sold a few over the years and have long held that the most important part of a holster is the belt!) The fact is we have to balance the need to be able to protect ourselves with the downsides of the extra weight, bulk, and interference with our wardrobe choices. That’s the tradeoff, and I encourage people to make that tradeoff whenever they can, but that doesn’t mean the tradeoff doesn’t exist.
What I’m getting to is this: let’s not be disingenuous and pretend that carrying a gun isn’t work; it is, and understanding why it’s work and the concepts involved in deciding how to do that work with less effort and intrusion is an important thing for any concealed carrier. It helps us make better choices and can even help us carry when we don’t think it’s possible to carry!
Part of this process is acknowledging the fact that carrying a firearm is easier in some circumstances than others. I’m lucky, in that I can dress casually for about 99% of the time I’m in public. Not poorly, mind you, but casually — anything from outdoor clothing to khakis and polo shirts. It’s rare that I need to don a suit, and almost invariably when I do it’s because I’m in an environment where I’m prevented from carrying by law. So, my carry life is actually pretty easy.
If I were still an avid cyclist, or if I were still in a business that required high-end suits and close proximity to clients, or if I were ever a skier or runner, that would be different! It’s difficult to carry a firearm in specialized or formal clothing, and it’s made more difficult by physical activity or being in occasional physical contact with others. Women face even greater challenges, as their wardrobes (and societal expectations) make CCW even tougher.
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