It’s interesting to see how many people carrying concealed don’t realize what that phrase fully encompasses. They are of the misunderstanding that concealed carry simply means that you do not carry your firearm in a holster handing on your belt outside of the covering of a shirt or jacket.
But carrying concealed has much more to do than simply hiding your firearm under clothing. Why? Because you can make it clear in so many other ways that you are carrying. Gabe Suarez points out five things for you to be aware of so that you don’t unintentionally reveal that you are carrying. Here they are along with our comments:
- Clothing Tells: Simply put: don’t carry in such a way that your clothing makes it obvious that you are carrying by the way the weight of your firearm drags down your clothing in certain (non-normal) places. Suarez gives the example of having your firearm in a coat pocket so that the pocket is weighed down in that area. Also, this topic covers being dressed inappropriately for the time of year or the situation which in which you are in to cover the fact that you are carrying.
- Printing: This has to do with the shape of your weapon being visible underneath your clothing as your clothing presses into the gun. If we can see the shape of it under your shirt, we know it’s there.
- Visible Weapon Part: This should go without saying, but, if we can see part of your firearm, we know that the rest is there, too.
- Security Check: Don’t constantly put your hand on your firearm through your clothing to check that everything is okay. That nervousness makes it obvious that you are carrying.
- Unnatural Walk: If you aren’t walking like a normal person, you’re drawing attention to yourself even if you aren’t actively telegraphing the idea that you are walking funny because you are carrying. Find a way to conceal your firearm so that it doesn’t drag your clothing down or impede your gate in any way, and, for God’s sake, walk normal. Part of concealed carry is simply not being noticed. The less noticed that you are in general (by not standing out by virtue of your dress or unusual walk), then the less likely that anyone will notice that you are carrying.
Some of these are common sense issues that not everyone is aware of, but some of these, if you haven’t thought about it, may not be readily apparent to you. So, before you go out carrying, take time to think through how you are carrying and the image that you are giving off to other people. Maybe even take the time to video yourself so that you can see if you are drawing attention to yourself. In this way, you increase the chances of remaining invisible which is a large part of the effort to keep your firearm concealed.