Welcome back to another edition of Concealed Carry Corner. Last week, we took a look at some of the best to worst carry positions when concealing a firearm. If you happened to miss that article, click the link here to check it out. This week, I want to go over a few different topics I have recently thought about. In general, it is good to have rules when carrying a concealed firearm. Certain situations challenge these rules and in certain situations, it makes sense to even break these rules we set for ourselves. I’ll give you examples of situations where it made sense to go against conventional thinking and go against my own rules. Let’s take a look at what carry rules to break in certain situations.

Concealed Carry Corner @ TFB:

• Concealed Carry Corner: Best To Worst Carry Positions
• Concealed Carry Corner: Biggest Carry Mistakes – Part 2
• Concealed Carry Corner: Biggest Carry Mistakes
• Concealed Carry Corner: The Mythical Do-All Carry Pistol

Carrying Without A Holster

If we are being honest, 98% of the time you need to carry with a holster. There are not many reasons why you should just tuck a loaded firearm into your pants and go on with your day. Movies in the ’80s, ’90s, and even the 2000s showed cool action heroes tucking guns into their belts but in reality, it’s less than ideal for daily carry. Most of us can agree having a holster is important not only as a security concern but also for safety. The number one thing to remember is to carry a gun. If you can’t afford a holster or you for some reason don’t have a holster, it’s still important to be armed if you carry on a regular basis.

This week, I flew back from a work trip and stopped into my office to drop off some paperwork as well as my computer. I had a 45-minute drive home but wanted to have some sort of gun to go home with. I looked around and found my HK45 loaded in my gun cabinet. After finishing up at the office, I ended up grabbing that HK45 and headed home. I decided to go into a local restaurant to carry out for dinner. Suddenly, I realized I didn’t bring a holster for my HK45 so I just tucked it into my waistband and went in to order my food. I had a suit coat so I had no worries about printing but even though normally I would advise against it, in that particular situation it was completely understandable.

Carrying In Gun-Free Zones

When it comes to carrying in gun-free zones, people oftentimes get fairly excited and it becomes a polarizing topic for most. Some people believe you should abide by every single gun-free zone even if it’s not legally enforceable while others will carry everywhere even if it’s not legal to do so. The majority of people will fall somewhere in the middle. Legally, it will depend on your state laws as well. I know South Carolina makes it illegal to carry in any gun-free zone so it’s important to be mindful of local laws before deciding on what you want to do personally. For Michigan, businesses can only ask you to leave if they see you carry a firearm in their store that’s considered a gun-free zone.

I avoid the post office, federal buildings, and schools so the true gun-free zones aren’t hard to avoid for me. Places like grocery stores and retail shops that claim to be gun-free zones I will ignore and carry anyway. The important factor to remember is the fact you are carrying concealed for a reason. If someone sees you carrying a concealed firearm in a gun-free zone, that just means you weren’t doing a good job at concealing your firearm in the first place. If you are effectively carrying concealed where people can’t tell, you shouldn’t worry about getting caught at all if you are carrying somewhere you shouldn’t be.

Carrying FMJ rounds

If there’s one rule that’s tough for me to break when carrying a concealed handgun, it’s carrying FMJ (Full Metal Jacket) rounds for self-defense. Full Metal Jacket rounds are designed mostly to be a cost-effective option for training to put holes in paper. They aren’t designed for energy transfer or expansion when hitting a target. This creates a situation where overpenetration becomes a real concern. If you ever have to defend yourself in a self-defense situation, with FMJs you have to worry about the round zipping right through the person you are trying to shoot and continuing into an innocent bystander.

Slower moving rounds like 45ACP aren’t as big of a risk since they are naturally subsonic right out of the muzzle. Even with subsonic rounds, the energy transfer won’t be as effective as a hollow point round but it’s going to transfer its energy without overpenetration which is key. As a general rule, I would advise never carrying an FMJ round for 9mm since it’s so fast and goes straight through without transferring much energy but the larger slower moving rounds aren’t as much of a risk when it comes to overpenetration.

Overall Thoughts

When it comes to carrying concealed, there are certainly rules for a reason but in various situations, it does make sense to break these rules. Some rules may be bent or broken more than others but keeping an open mind and being flexible to adapt is key. Some of you may disagree and that’s perfectly fine. Let me know if it’s reasonable to break carry rules in certain situations or if you should not carry rather than break the rules. I’d love to hear your thoughts down below in the comments section. If you have questions about carrying concealed or firearms in general, feel free to shoot me a message on Instagram @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there and we will see you next week for another edition of Concealed Carry Corner.