We did a previous article about why carrying a concealed firearm is awesome. The perks such as increased security, anonymity, and several other things really do make carrying concealed a great option. And now we have to look at the flip side of the coin… Why carrying concealed sometimes sucks…
“Gun free zones” only work one way
As a concealed carrier, we have to always pay attention to the law. That’s the bummer about being a law-abiding citizen — we follow the rules. Too bad criminals didn’t get the memo.
Your significant other loves that holster outline
If you wear a gun all day inside the waistband, it’s virtually guaranteed there will be a perfect print of it left on your skin. Decided to carry a serrated upper receiver? Now your love handle has serrations.
There are holsters that use backpads to cut down on this but inevitably you’ll always get some impression on your skin.
You don’t have people gawking at your gun.
If you’ve ever encountered people who are just mystified guns exist, you’ve likely had to explain to at least someone why you decided to carry. If this is the part of the day you truly relish, being a concealed carrier must be awful boring. Nobody sees anything, nobody knows anything — except you.
Armed criminals would really appreciate some forewarning
Being an armed criminal is tough these days. With concealed carry numbers going up and the number of law-abiding citizens deciding to carry also increasing, it’s harder and harder to pick the perfect prey.
Old granny over there? She could be packing in her purse.
Scrawny looking dude on his own late at night? What’s on his waist? Can’t quite make it out…
Lone hiker wandering around the woods? Oh, he’s surely got something on his ankle.
You’re making it harder for criminals to anticipate who’s unarmed and who is. And with gunshot wounds earning the automatic attention of authorities when thugs show up in the local hospital, it’s really a pain.
You love that handgun but it’s a pain to carry all day
Some handguns just weren’t meant for your everyday concealed carry. It’s all about concealing a gun that’s practical for your shooting style… And nobody makes an inside the waistband concealed carry holster for your Mauser C96.
There’s also the question of choosing which gun you want to carry. There’s the handguns you practice with regularly and then there’s the one that seems to fit your mood that particular day. It sucks having to choose which one you want to carry concealed.
Anti-gun nuts don’t freak out when they see you.
This is probably the saddest of all, really. As a concealed carrier, people who naturally faint when they see a gun will probably remain standing and steadfast when they see you. And they probably won’t even look twice. People are far less observant, on the whole, than we tend to give them credit for and for an experienced concealed carrier, it’s quite possible to go undetected indefinitely.
Can you think of some other reasons why it might suck to carry concealed? Tell us in the comments section below.
Public restrooms. I don’t want to set my gun down on a piss stained floor, and I dont want to have it awkwardly hanging from my pants.
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Just a few suggestions: #1 Set it on the back of the toilet or on top of the paper holder. #2 Carry a small bungee cord and hang it from the coat hook. #3 Grab a paper towel as you head in to the end stall and place your pistol on top of it on the floor between the toilet and the wall where no one can see it. #4 Wear a belly band and put it in there while you do your business. etc., etc.
Great suggestions. I get by as best I can. I just wonder at the inability of other people–and adults in particular–to not make a disgusting mess in a restroom sometimes.
I hear you loud and clear. Sgt. Blutwurst’s suggestion to carry a plastic bag in your pocket works, too. Just hang it from the coat hook. That’s better than the bungee cord, maybe.
I carry open but when I go into the restroom I usually just pull my holster off my pant waist, tuck my gun under my arm, do my business and move along.
Being a female means that you sit every single time. So I’ve gotten lots of practice at the awkward gun hanging off my pants, slipping out of the holster falling to the floor, setting it on the toilet paper dispenser or the back of the toilet… Not to mention the whole set my gun in the sink along with my purse next to me while I wash my hands LOL… that one’s always fun.
Under Armour tuck seems to work best for me.
There’s always a way to make things work.
Carry a dark plastic grocery store bag in your pocket, put the gun in it, then it can be on your pants or the floor without anyone knowing what it is.
I set mine on toilet paper holder.
That moment when you try to walk into a building and see a big gun buster sign staring at you. Try to make it look like I forgot my wallet and do a 180 back to the car.
The thought that one day you may have to save the life of someone that hates people that carry’s a gun.
But what a way to change that person’s mind about it.
True Very True, but you still get sick of the bad talk!
Irony is lost on those who have an irrational fear of guns, but when in contact with any criminal are frantic to call people *carrying guns* to come save them.
I have carried for more years than I care to say. In all those years I have only had to pull 1 time. That mom and her child was so grateful I was there.
I have the same problem. The 1 time I pulled my weapon, the only person I saved was ME. Didn’t even need to fire a shot.
I was almost convinced this article was going to suck!
I have to conceal but I don’t use a IWB anymore for all the reason and even the OWB’s have issues as mentioned which when weather permits I wear a t-shirt but I just don’t tuck in shirts anymore. As for posted GFZ’s (by choice, not mandatory) f them I ignore them anymore. We need the TN law covering GFZ’s nationwide.
All that does is make them pay if WE get hurt in an armed incursion because they’ve got that pesky No Gun sign up. WE…would still be breaking “the law” if we carried in. It sucks!
Yeah but it pretty much guarantee’s anyone with a GFZ sign won’t own there business if anything ever happens and a gun rights person will.
Yep. I think they need to include whoever walks into their business under that law too. More than likely, if it says no guns, it’ll be a no go…at least for me! That leaves the other patrons just as, if not more so, vulnerable to a bad guy & they should pay if ANYBODY gets hurt because of the GFZ.
By carrying concealed you get to miss out on all the concealed carry only snobs who can’t resist the urge to tell you that they have a license/permit and carry their guns concealed so you should hide yours too.
And miss out on all the attention you can get … “Ooooo he has a gun!”
Concealed Carry Humor, Sucks:
When that certain someone accosts you on the street with a knife, demanding all of your money and you say – as you reach for your back pocket (or in your purse) where he thinks you keep your wallet – “Boy, do I have a surprise for you!” as you pull your Sig .9 mm that’s locked and loaded and you stick in his face, clicking the safety off and asking him if he has change.
Of course, when he runs, you immediately re-holster, stay where you are and call the cops ’cause you just KNOW the idiot is going to call and say you just threatened him by flourishing.
You are in a situation where you need to pull your weapon against an armed assailant you shoot.
No speeches. No warning.
His intention is plain, you shoot.
I have to be nicer as I represent a persecuted minority!
Carrying my M&P9c in a Sneaky Pete holster into my doctor’s office.
It sucks that since I know she doesn’t like guns I won’t get a reaction
out of her. Also it sucks that since there’s a No Weapons Allowed sign
at the entrance, I don’t get the opportunity to see how they’d react.
All they need to do is a polite request to leave the weapon outside. If
I don’t, then I’m guilty of trespass under Georgia law. Would they
SWAT me instead? Scream? Run in circles? May have to open carry one
day just to see the reactions!
Yeah my doctors office doesn’t allow for carrying either so I automatically just hide it under the seat of my truck. First time I went their they politely asked me to please not carry inside their office.
First time at my endocrinologist’s office, years ago, (open carrying) he asked about. I told him he’d be damned glad I had it if there was ever a problem as he had his office in a metro area. Not a single word from him EVER since then. He may not be enthusiastic but he is a realist. :). My neurologist, on the other hand loves to see me open carrying. She’s Russian and knows how valuable guns are to freedom.
Glad to hear that. My podiatrist on the other hand is a gun owner & when I see him we often talk guns.
Most doctor’s offices don;t want you to carry because very often patients have to undress and leave their clothing in an examining room while they go for xrays or tests. I still ignore it, but it is at least a little understandable.
Exactly.
Carrying concealed sucks when you really want to stop at the $25 massage in the middle of the mall, but know there is no way to do it gracefully, so you have to swing wide, avoid eye contact, and then accidentally run into the path of the next vendor hawking their wares.
I would like the names and addresses of the anti 2nd amendment people published in the newspapers and online so we know who not to protect with our 2nd amendment rights should they need it.
They can wait on hold for a 911 dispatcher.
Then the 30 minutes or more for the police to show up and document the tragedy.
I’ll keep reading the newspaper and turn up the music so as not to hear the screams coming from next door.
Carry concealed, every day, under every circumstance where you can LEGALLY carry. In our state, a private property no guns sign does not carry force of law. It is their ‘policy.’ If they find out you are carrying and ask you to leave, then legally you must or you will be trespassing. But if you do it right, no one will ever know.