New to concealed carry

[Gtennder]

I have been allowed a LTC in the city I live,I feel very fortunate to receive this,looking at threads on this site I realize that we in some areas of mass. are dictated the right to defend ourselves and our families by the aboves that parent us to what is right and wrong for us to do. As a responsible hardworking, law abiding citizen this new right I have obtained has given me a diffrent outlook on life and make me prouder to be a american.

I have been carrying on a daily basis since receiving the ltc,mentally I am very aware of my handgun on my person at all times,but I find myself being very self concince of it being seen,I have a Iwb holster for my 9mm,and find myself always checking if my shirt is running up on it,if the bulge is to much, etc. Has anyone else gone through this?

 

[Lugnut]

I have been allowed a LTC in the city I live,I feel very fortunate to receive this,looking at threads on this site I realize that we in some areas of mass. are dictated the right to defend ourselves and our families by the aboves that parent us to what is right and wrong for us to do. As a responsible hardworking, law abiding citizen this new right I have obtained has given me a diffrent outlook on life and make me prouder to be a american.

I have been carrying on a daily basis since receiving the ltc,mentally I am very aware of my handgun on my person at all times,but I find myself being very self concince of it being seen,I have a Iwb holster for my 9mm,and find myself always checking if my shirt is running up on it,if the bulge is to much, etc. Has anyone else gone through this?

I'd say depending on how long you've had it- it's kinda normal. In MA we have to be ULTRA careful that NO ONE sees anything. In the summer it's tough to CCW most subcompacts/compacts let alone larger guns.

After a while the paranoia should diminish a bit but I'd stop fiddling/checking your shirts.. that's not a good idea. Maybe you could consider a better IWB holster or a better gun? What do you carry?

 

[JellyFish]

Perhaps a good pocket holster? I have a friend who carries and that works well for him. Very unobtrusive and it's quite natural to have your hand in your pockets at time. Give one a shot. No pun intended.

 

[Cross-X]

I think you really should enroll in a course I teach with Jon Green at the GOAL Foundation. The course is entitled The Art of Concealed Carry.

For details, visit www.goal.org, and take a look in the Training section. We have a course coming up this fall.

Darius Arbabi

 

[C-pher]

I would agree with Darius...

It's a GREAT course and well worth the short money it costs for what it will do your comfortability.

 

[Arioch]

gtennder, I'm always aware of a firearm on my person, and I do put effort into insuring that it's properly concealed. Just my paranoia living in this state.

 

[Chris]

I'd say your experience is 'normal'. Everyone I know is a little self-concious at first. Then, it becomes second nature as time goes by.

So, was your first outing to Wal-Mart, or Home Depot? (^_^)

 

[dreppucci007]

I'd say your experience is 'normal'. Everyone I know is a little self-concious at first. Then, it becomes second nature as time goes by.

Absolutely, I agree...

So, was your first outing to Wal-Mart, or Home Depot? (^_^)

Mine was to another gun shop...I bought 2 guns the day I got my license Made it an easy, non self-conscious trip

 

[matt]

I'd say your experience is 'normal'. Everyone I know is a little self-concious at first. Then, it becomes second nature as time goes by.

So, was your first outing to Wal-Mart, or Home Depot? (^_^)

Is that where everyone goes the first time? It's where I went!

 

[codenamepaul]

Can't remember where I went the first time. Been a few years. But you will get used to wearing it. It's not supposed to be comfortable it's supposed to be comforting

Wear your shirts out too.

 

[Chris]

It just seems that I hear from most people that first carry seem to hit a Wal-Mart or a Home Depot. Don't know if it is really the case or not as I have not done any kind of scientific survey, but it just seems to be a very common first outing.

 

[Gtennder]

Home depot was my first real carry experience,thats funny,must be a testostrone thing

 

[bond007]

Is that where everyone goes the first time? It's where I went!

Isn't there something about eating nachos too?

 

[C-pher]

I had pizza.

 

[Len-2A Training]

I have seen these threads on damn near every forum I'm on and it's a head scratcher!

When I got my first LTC 30 years ago, I initially bought a few guns for target shooting. A few months later I bought my first carry gun, the OMC Backup .380 and a cheap clip on holster. I just started carrying it at that point any time I went into Boston or Cambridge at night or other areas of concern (Brockton any time), etc. No special trips, no tests of "can you see it now", etc.

I was very self-conscious of it, but I didn't run any "test trips" or anything else.

Let's face it, if you are outed in Wal-Mart, the pizza shop, some shopping mall, or a parking lot you are in for a world of trouble. So there is NO TEST unless you do it at a range where nobody will care/get alarmed. When you are out in the "real world", it is very real and NOT A TEST!

Personally the only "test" that I have run was wearing a gun exposed in civilian clothes with my badge beside it and cuffs over the rear pocket at the local Chinese restaurant when my Wife had me pick her up at the train station and take her out to eat just after I served an eviction notice on someone. I figured if someone bitched about it, it's my own town, I am LE (even thou the chief thinks differently), the restaurant owner knows us as do some of the waitstaff, I was working and know most of the POs in town. Nobody blinked when I got up to go to the restroom.

Not as a test, maybe as a warning to others! I have had a few occasions when leaving the USPO where my jacket blew open exposing my badge (on belt just in front of holster) and holstered gun on Main Street. [Same scenario that happened to the unfortunate person in Dedham with disastrous results.] The other day on our way out of town, we passed by a "felony stop" where two marked cruisers and a detective (unmarked car, he was wearing jeans with badge and gun on his belt). So unless you are LE, I suggest you be extra careful of "undue exposure". I don't make a habit of allowing it to be exposed even with the badge but it has happened a few times and nobody has blinked. No badge and we can be assured of trouble given the same circumstances.

 

[matt]

Not that I would recommend it or advocate it, but I bet if any of us, badge or not, carried openly with an outside the pants holster nobody (except a PO) would blink. They would assume you were a PO I bet.

It is when someone is trying to conceal and it pokes out that suspicion would get raised.

That said, I'm not going to test that hypothesis!

 

[dreppucci007]

That said, I'm not going to test that hypothesis!

An EXCELLENT idea!

 

[KMaurer]

That said, I'm not going to test that hypothesis!

An EXCELLENT idea!

But the basic tenant is true. If you do something as if you know exactly what you're doing and have every right in the world to do it, very few people will ever bother to question your actions.

Ken

 

[adweisbe]

But the basic tenant is true. If you do something as if you know exactly what you're doing and have every right in the world to do it, very few people will ever bother to question your actions.

Ken

+1
Don't impersonate an officer, but saying something like "It's for work" can get you out of a tough situation. Just make sure you have this whole conversation prepared in advance because it doesn't stop there. "So your a police officer?"


Personally, I never feel nervous when I carry concealed, I am always 100% confident in my choice of gear. I have to be, because I 1000% cannot afford to be outed... My choice is smart carry.., it is simple and effortless to coneal pretty much anything. Just gotta have enough pants and shirt to go around. The fact that I can put pretty much anything in it, from J-frames to the CZ-97B is a big plus.

 

[senorFrog]

I have been carrying on a daily basis since receiving the ltc,mentally I am very aware of my handgun on my person at all times,but I find myself being very self concince of it being seen,I have a Iwb holster for my 9mm,and find myself always checking if my shirt is running up on it,if the bulge is to much, etc. Has anyone else gone through this?

Yes. I carried my SIG229 in a C-TAC IWB. Thought it printed too much. Carried my G-19 in a Comptac OWB holster. More comfortable but still printing or shirt riding up issue. Got a smart carry for the G-19 and never looked back. It takes about a week to get used to.

 

[M14Robert]

wear dark shirts. Prints work well.
I carry a G26 in a FIST inc IWB, in appendix carry during the summer months, and same position with my G29 the other ten months of the year
Sometimes according to how long I've been seated (belt sometimes takes a temporary set) or other factors, I can notice that the grip is slightly printing. Big deal. With all the people carrying cell phones, multi-tools, knives, flashlights and even insulin devices on their belts, whose to question? The only time I felt funny was recently in a small store while talking to the owner. While speaking I believe he was looking at the slight print my pistol was showing. I immediately thought he was thinking I may have stolen something from the store, or maybe he's XXXXXX, but either way, I bought my items and went home.
I like appendix carry because I can always tell if the pistol is covered. I hate any holster where it's behind the hip and found myself always pulling my shirt down. My second favorite is a shoulder holster though I haven't used mine in a few years.
The more you carry, the easier it gets.
HTH

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