Learning to wear a gun is like learning to wear a bra…(Revisited)

Note:  this post originally appeared last year.   This type of question comes up so often in classes that it seemed a good time to bring it back.

Remember when you were first learning to wear a bra? It was uncomfortable, constricting, the straps kept slipping, the band irritated…I remember thinking I was never going to get used to this thing! Well, I did, and now feel strange without one (of course that could be aggravated by ample proportions and the effects of gravity). 

Learning to be comfortable with your carry gun is the same way. At first, it digs in, you bump into it, you feel like it is sticking out at least a foot and that everyone is staring at the lump under your clothes wondering if you have some kind of growth. Then, one day, you are wearing your carry gun and…you barely notice it! It has become, maybe not comfortable, but you have become used to it. Just like a bra, you barely notice it is there and find you miss it when it isn’t there. You come to realize that if people are staring it is because you are fabulous, not because you are armed. The lump, if noted at all, is assumed to be a cell phone or keys.

Like everything else, it takes time to become comfortable, so be patient. Of course, you have shopped carefully for a holster designed to fit your gun, and know that you have a secure fit and easy access. So, relax, and wear your gun in safety and ease.

 

Update:  There are so many holster options, and as women, it can be difficult to carry the same way all the time.  I've learned to generally be happy with one of two ways.  One I can practice and the range and one I have to practice at home.  When possible, about 80% of the time, I carry inside the waist band.  It used to be strong side hip, right in line with the seam.  Over time I've shifted forward slightly, not quite appendix but between the two.  I find that I print less (I carry a full size gun) and with a bad shoulder, it is easier to reach the firearm.  My second preference is thigh.  Sometimes I want to wear a dress that doesn't give me many options.  A Remora thigh holster took care of that for me.  I am right handed and wear it high on my left leg, gun to the inside so I can access it easily.  While it is reasonably comfortable, it is not something I'm likely to forget is there, but that is ok because I don't want to do the body pat looking for my gun because I'm carrying too many different ways.  Ideally we find one way and stick to it, but fashion may dictate an occassional change up.  Just be sure you have practiced with your carry mode, now your limitations and how you will access your firearm in a hurry.

 

Safe Shooting!