Keep Your Guard Up When Your Pants Are Down

Depending on where you live, getting your concealed carry permit often can be an arduous and cumbersome task.  There may be mountains of paperwork, ornery officials who don’t want to issue permits, and tedious videos. But believe it or not, the class is the easy part.

The hard part starts when you walk out of your home with a gun neatly tucked in its holster; out of sight and under your shirt, pants leg, or in your pocket. Besides the immense responsibility that comes with owning a firearm, carrying a gun all the time raises many day-to-day practical issues that you most likely won’t hear about during CCW permit training.

If you’re truly serious about the CCW lifestyle, then you’re carrying pretty much 24/7, which would include the times you and your gun have to visit the dreaded public restroom.

Going into a stall presents a host of issues ranging from awkward to downright scary. In his article “We All Do It! What Do You Do With Your Gun When Nature Calls?” at USConcealedCarry,  author Kevin Michalowski relates how he solved the potential problem of someone from an adjacent stall stealing his gun always choosing the stall at his extreme left:

“With no other stalls to my right, I can keep the gun in the holster, let it pretty much hang naturally in the pile of my pants, and be protected from anyone seeing or grabbing for the gun.” (Read more at USConcealedCarry.com)

Naturally, the opposite would apply for lefties; they would choose the stall at their extreme right. Both of these scenarios assume the last stall butts against a wall.  While everyone will undoubtedly figure out what works best for them in this and other socially awkward firearm scenarios, this particular solution has the advantage of keeping your weapon secure in its holster.

The less a gun has to be handled, the safer it is for everyone. Accidental discharges occur during non-range “routine” handling. Putting the gun in other places while in the stall is a recipe for an accident. Anything hanging on the door hook is an invitation for Bathroom Raiders to reach over and relieve you of your possessions while you are helplessly indisposed.

Concealed Carry is a 24-hour job and in this case, sitting down on the job is part of the description. Sometimes situational awareness means more than observing your surroundings. It means having a solid game plan before you walk out the door.