How To Avoid Printing And Brandishing A Gun In Public

How To Conceal Carry without Printing And Brandishing Your Firearm

When you stretch, crunch, or squat, those are all opportune times to show your concealed carry handgun to the world. The problem? Not many people want to see it. And depending upon where you are in the course of your daily activities, you may not want them to see it. That's usually the case when you're not purposefuly . In this article, we'll go over some ways to or showing your concealed carry handgun to others.

What Is CCW Printing

Printing refers to the outline of your gun becoming clearly visible through the fabric of your clothing.

What Is Concealed Carry Spotting?

Spotting refers to a gap in clothes coverage whereby your concealed carry handgun is now visible to others. This can range from just a section of the gun or holster all the way to a full reveal.

What Is Brandishing?

Brandishing is a legal term referring to the unlawful display of a firearm or weapon. It can be something as simple as you pulling up your shirt to reveal a handgun is holstered in your waistband all the way to you taking the handgun out of its holster for the purposes of intimidation. Both of these - and many shades of grey in-between - can be considered brandishing.

Concealed Carry Is Greatly Appreciated

It may be helpful, in the course of this discussion, to use the metaphor of private parts. A concealed carry handgun is a private part - a piece of yourself that's not always socially acceptable to show to others and, in doing so, you may elicit some unwanted attention.

• 1) Where's the best place to adjust? In a bathroom stall or private place outside the view of others.
• 2) When is it appropriate to show your firearm? When you intend to use it.
• 3) Have most adults seen one before? Probably.
• 4) Do they want to see yours? Probably not unless they have specific reason to see it.

Good. That's covered. Now let's talk about how we observe ourselves.

Some people are just naturally more aware of how they carry themselves than others. This reflects in their choice of clothes, disposition, gait, and how considerate they are to others. Not everyone needs to be well dressed, walk like a gentleman, and be nice to puppies and kittens. That has nothing to do with self-defense. But, discretion does help not draw attention to yourself or your legally holstered concealed carry firearm.

Concealed Carry Problem: Squatting, Bending, Sitting

CCW Problem: Squatting

Squatting down to pick up a box or heavy object is the correct way to lift. It's something reinforced on any job site and strongly encouraged for concealed carriers in particular. If you're using an inside the waistband concealed carry holster with a backpad, there's likely two belt clasps attaching your holster to your body. When you squat down, your belt will sag and if you're wearing clothes that don't cover your waist very well in this exposed position, at the very least the clasps will become visible. For the everyday carrier, we'll pick up on this immediately when we see it. For those less trained, simply seeing the clasps become visible may likely pass their attention. For hardened, trained criminals, it will be an instant warning that you either need to be target priority #1 or they need to come up with a new plan.

CCW Problem: Sitting and Bending

You can offset the amount of gun gets shown by using a reinforced gun belt. Not only is it great for your lower back, but it also helps keep your belt steady while you're squatting down.

When sitting, this is another opportunity to accidentally show too much. Make sure to wear clothes that are flowing and break up the symmetry of the area where your holster is situated. Use a good inside the waistband concealed carry holster that contours to your body through the use of a neoprene or leather back-pad. And, again, a gun belt is recommended to keep your belt situated cleanly at the waistline.

CCW Problem: Reaching and Stretching

If you're going to reach for that object on high, this is going to cause the fabric in your torso and waist region to stretch if it's tucked in and altogether pull up if not tucked. Tucked is better than non-tucked in these situations, because at least the fabric is held in place. Using an in your shirt will assist you in not printing or accidentally showing to the rest of the people in the audience.

In conclusion, a lot of the issues surrounding bending, sitting, standing, or squatting can be alleviated by using an inside the waistband concealed carry holster with a backpad that contours to your body and using a reinforced gun belt that keeps your waistline symmetrical.

About The Author James England (@sir_jim_england) is the contributing editor for Alien Gear Holsters. He is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and private defense contracting in Afghanistan.