Welcome back to another edition of Concealed Carry Corner. In the last installment, we talked about carrying with layers when the weather starts to get colder. If you happened to miss that article last week, be sure to click the link here to check it out. This week, I want to take a look at a few different aspects of carrying that people will naturally work through. I recently was teaching a few students in a basic fundamental course and a number of students were asking questions that reminded me of when I first started carrying many years ago. Let’s take a closer look at some normal problems for carrying concealed.

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Worrying The Gun Will Unintentionally Fire

One of my students whose name was Ryan kept saying he felt uncomfortable with carrying his handgun concealed because he always felt it was about to go off. Every time he took it to a public place, he had this fear of the gun going off at any moment. It got to the point where it made him so nervous he decided not to carry because of that fear. This is honestly a normal stage early on when it comes to carrying a concealed handgun. Having a loaded firearm on your body can be a huge change from before you carried and takes some time to adjust to.

It’s something that is a secret to people in society but you’re very aware of when you leave the house every day. The simple fact is if you have a quality handgun, there’s almost zero chance the firearm will go off by itself. You can leave a loaded handgun on a table and it will never magically go off on its own. I started talking with Ryan and one of the tips I gave him to build that confidence is carrying at home. It may not seem like an important step but it does offer quite a lot of benefits without feeling unsafe in public.

Carrying At Home

One of the most useful tools when it comes to carrying for the first time is carrying in the comfort and safety of your own home. Whether it’s trying out a new holster or handgun to carry or just starting to get comfortable with a concealed handgun for the first time, carrying at home is a great first step. This allows you to carry in a relaxed setting without the added stress of carrying around other people in public. When it comes to confidence building, carrying at home can be a stepping stone to carrying in public if you start to have concerns about carrying a loaded firearm out in public.

From my experience, people tend to do better with their confidence after carrying at home for a while before moving out in public. Some people will never feel uncomfortable with a handgun on their person when they start carrying but there’s a fairly large percentage of people who go through this feeling. The best way to work through it is to carry in the safety of your own home to see the gun won’t magically go off on its own and is safe to carry daily in public.

Being Uncomfortable With Carrying

Carrying in general can be an uncomfortable event both physically and mentally. For some, it’s the mental idea that you’re carrying a loaded firearm in public. Some may think the gun will go off while others are worried they are printing and the outline of the gun is clearly visible to people passing by. Another aspect that people don’t address when they start carrying is the physical discomfort that can occur from carrying a concealed pistol inside their waistband. Everyone’s body is different and for some, it can be rather uncomfortable having a chunk of polymer and metal shoved into your pants. Chaffing, bruising, and soreness can happen if you carry for longer periods of time just starting out.

People can sometimes get discouraged by this and again this can be overcome by carrying for shorter periods of time either in public or practicing while you carry at home as you do your chores or relax on the weekend. The interesting part is the fact everyone is different and has different experiences. Some may put a firearm on their body for the first time and have absolutely no issues while others may really struggle to be comfortable with a concealed handgun. My biggest piece of advice is to keep practicing and don’t give up right away. Carrying may take time for your body to adjust but it will become easier with time. With enough time and practice things will become much easier as your confidence and experience grow.

Overall Thoughts

Navigating the world of carrying a concealed firearm isn’t the easiest process when you’re just starting out. Everyone is different and sometimes it takes practice and repetition to become comfortable with carrying a gun. Sometimes it takes more practice carrying at home in order to become more confident. Although carrying concealed can sometimes be uncomfortable, with time it will become easier the more you practice and become used to the feeling. What do you guys think about tips for individuals who carry for the first time? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. 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 the next edition of Concealed Carry Corner.

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