Prepared Gun Owners

How Much Is Too Much When Carrying Concealed?

The point of carrying concealed is to have your firearm on you and to have enough stopping power for self-protection without anyone noticing that you are carrying.

Of course, that begs the question of how much it too much to carry concealed. A writer going by Matt E gives us some thoughts on the issue:

There are always going to be things you’ll carry on a daily basis no matter what. Things like a cell phone, wallet and keys are pretty standard items for everyone and should be expected on your body. I always try to have some kind of handgun or knife on my body but that’s not always possible for everyone. If you’re trying to figure out what you’d like to carry, start with a list of items you’ve always carried. Depending on your location and climate, it will either give you more opportunities or restrictions when concealing a firearm. Living in the northern area of the Midwest gives me the freedom to carry more or less gear based on the seasons. Other places like Florida or Arizona have much higher temperatures than most Midwest states, so carrying gear isn’t as easy when it’s hotter than the sun out.

Once you’ve taken into consideration how much you actually can carry, you then need to figure out what you should carry.

Should you carry that extra pistol? How about those extra clips in case you find yourself in a shootout? There are so many more questions.

Possibly, though, after figuring out what you can carry, the way to answer the “should” question is to consider the most likely scenarios for which you would need your firearm, and carry to handle those situations. That way you are more likely to have what you need if, God forbid, you find yourself in one of those horrible situations.

Then you can figure out if there is any extra room for carrying other items that can be practically carried (just because you can carry it doesn’t mean that it’s practical to carry it in terms of decreased mobility, concealment factor, etc.).

If you are carrying more than you are likely to need and than you can practically carry, then you are probably carrying too much.