With Father’s Day coming up this weekend, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at what my father has carried over the years. Most of these guns, whether it being good or bad, have taught me a number of lessons about carrying a concealed firearm growing up over the years. My father’s concealed handgun journey is fairly similar to the story of Goldilocks since he had to carry a few handguns in order to find the perfect carry piece. Let’s take a deeper look into my list of Father’s Day carry special guns.

The First Gun I Remember

Growing up, my dad would carry every day at work and would occasionally carry out in public when we were running errands. My father was a defense attorney and growing up in the 90s, it was fairly unheard of to have a carry permit but he would carry when he would go into court and around the building. The very first handgun I remember him carrying is an older style Walther PP. At an early age, I remember thinking my dad was like James Bond with his leather holster. Looking back at his handgun choice, I really think he could have picked a much better option with a Gen 2 Glock 19 or even something like the Smith & Wesson 5906 series.

Regardless of his poor handgun choice, it was the first handgun I remember him carrying on a regular basis. After seeing him carry a handgun day in and day out for years, I really started to become interested in firearms. That all-metal Walther PP was the first step into me becoming interested in firearms and starting my journey in the gun community.

Colt Double Eagle Officer’s Model

In the late 90s, my crazy father decided he needed something hard hitting instead of his underpowered .380 Auto Walther PP. He immediately turned into a modern-day Fudd deciding to go with the mighty .45 ACP. The Officer’s Model is the smallest of all the Double Eagle lineup. Being as compact as it was made concealing the Double Eagle easier but at the expense of recoil controllability.

This was around the timeframe I started really getting interested in shooting and wanting to try out different guns. One of the first handguns I ever shot was the stainless Double Eagle. Shooting this small little pocket rocket handgun as a kid was one of the most exciting memories I have. It was exciting and I thought my dad was a lot like a cool detective had in every 90s action movie. Like every other young man, I thought my dad was basically the equivalent of Superman so anything he carried I would have thought was the coolest thing around.

Kahr Arms PM9

As time went on, I started shooting more and more. I bought my own first handgun which I’ve written an article on. I loved my HK USP Compact in 9mm but my dad and I were both looking for something easier to carry in the summertime. He was getting older and didn’t want to lug around an all-metal handgun for his daily carry. We went through a number of options including the old school SIG 239, Glock 26, and even looked at used HK P7s.

I was just turning 21 so we were both looking for new carry guns since I could start carrying concealed as well. We both settled on the Kahr Arms PM9 with a Crimson Trace laser grip. By today’s standard, the PM9 is pretty outdated but back in the day, it was one of the smallest and lightest offerings on the market. This is yet another special handgun to me for the simple fact it was my first concealed handgun that I got to share with my father.

SIG Sauer P229 SAS

So here we are, at the final pistol my father has decided on carrying in rural Missouri. He will still carry the Kahr PM9 on hot days in his cargo shorts pocket, but the majority of the time he has a SIG P229 SAS. I can’t exactly understand how you go from a modern single-stack firearm backwards to a metal-framed double stack but such is the life I suppose. He thinks keeping things simple with just a pair of night sights is good enough. We oftentimes will argue about the validity of weapon-mounted lights because he simply thinks they are silly.

We may not agree on everything when it comes to carrying firearms but we both can appreciate the reliability and how comfortable carrying a P229 can be in the right holster. I’m adamant on carrying in Kydex because it’s more consistent over long periods of time than leather, where he loves the feeling of a nice leather holster. We may not agree on anything but I can certainly trace some of my preferences of handguns to what he carried during my younger years.

If you have an issue with this picture quality please contact my 68 year old father

Overall Thoughts

Some of you may not care what my father carried as I was growing up and that’s perfectly fine. What I want to point out is the journey he went through and the lessons learned. You could even argue that we both learned things as he carried concealed and ultimately it helped mold my preferences. Whether it’s good, bad or downright terrible, we always learn from other like-minded individuals around us. Growing up I constantly studied the choices my father made and I truly believe it helped shape my choices of carry guns today.

I remember him complaining about the weight of the Double Eagle on hot summer days. It may not have been a practical choice to carry, but it shows the progress being made in the gun industry to make guns lighter and easier to carry like the Glock 43X. Our mentors growing up truly do shape our beliefs and understanding of the world and carrying a concealed firearm is no different. Let me know what you guys learned from parents regarding firearms or if you had to learn things on your own. I’d love to read about your personal experiences in the comments below. If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me a message on Instagram @fridgeoperator. Don’t forget to say happy Father’s Day to all the great dads out in the world and stay safe out there.

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