Never Forget You Have Your Firearm On You — Tip: Carry Everyday

We recently got a Facebook submission asking us to address the issue of concealed carriers forgetting they’re armed.  It’s a good topic because it’s come up in our news feed — specifically a case of an SBI agent leaving her firearm in the bathroom.

In this article, we’re going to address it in one easy way to cleverly remind yourself you’re armed — in case this comes up.

Carry everyday.

If you’re carrying everyday, you know you have your gun on you.  You don’t have to think about whether or not it’s there or if it’s loaded.  Day in and day out you do the exact same process — so you know you’ll get the exact same result.

I tried to think about other ways you could cleverly remind yourself you have a gun on you.  Stuff like, “if you wear your holster 2 o’clock to 4 o’clock, just lightly tap that side with your elbow.  It’s a light gesture and you’ll obviously feel the gun in its inside the waistband concealed carry holster.”

Sure.  That’ll do, I guess.

To be honest, the only time I can think I run into a scenario where I need to check if I’m armed or not is if I’m heading into a place like the post office or other restricted building.  In that case, I’ll secure my firearm discretely in a locked container in my vehicle and head in to conduct my business.  When I come out, I definitely remember that my gun is in my vehicle.

But what if you have a sub-compact pistol that fits extremely well in an inside the waistband holster?  It’s so light and compact that you forget it’s on your hip.

However, when somebody comes up to give you a hug or invade your personal space — as family, close friends, and pets often do — you may be uncomfortably reminded there’s a gun on you.

In which case, maintain careful control over it at all times and proceed about your business.  Problem solved.

How about while you’re working beneath a car and rolling around in used motor oil?

That’s a good question.  While this has gotten a bit of flak before, I’ll say it again: a high-retention polymer or Kydex shell holster placed in either an appendix or 2-2:30 position will give you a greater degree of flexibility and still maintain absolute control over your firearm.  As a Facebook user pointed out recently, placing it in the far 5 o’clock is also a possibility if you’re a guy with a bit more girth.

Carry Everyday Mentality

The flipside of this conversation isn’t just about forgetting whether you physically have a gun on you.  It’s the mentality of an everyday carrier.

• The everyday carrier seeks to avoid unnecessary conflicts where plausible.
• He maintains situational awareness at all times.
• He does not fall into complacency with his surroundings.
• He is of sober mind.
• There is a round in the chamber.
• The firearm is properly holstered until it’s needed.

Those simple concepts roughly translate into the beginnings of how one never forgets he is armed.  Usually, when one of those pieces goes missing for awhile, that’s when mistakes happen.  And as responsible concealed carriers — we try to avoid those.