What’s the biggest PITA about EDC (Everyday Carry) for you? Comfort? Style? Wondering where to leave your gun at a pool party? What?

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54 COMMENTS

  1. I agree it can be a hassle, but it beats the alternative. That’s always what I think about when I get tired of carrying on a daily basis. I wish it wasn’t necessary, unfortunately it is if you don’t want to be at the bottom of the food chain.

  2. Oddly enough, CCW on a K-12 campus is legal where I live. CA no less.

    I would have to say the biggest PITA is paying attention to where I’m going so I don’t inadvertently break some arcane gun law.

  4. I am a police officer so the school/location thing doesn’t effect me, but I am always concerned with it being concealed. Maybe its just my dress style (total geek look) , I am always finding it hard to ‘consistently’ conceal. Even though I am LE, it still could draw unwanted attention if it were to be seen. Summer time is just a serious pain in the rear end. But I refuse to go out of the house unarmed. Another thing…public bathrooms. Damm, how about a self or ledge or something already! Sheesh.

  5. Considering my town has a murder about every third year and you have to go way back in the day to find one that wasn’t an case domestic violence murder-suicide* I don’t see any need to carry a concealed weapon for self defense. Yet, we have a bunch of guys that cary guns around town. Some cary concealed, but do so poorly so you can see they have a gun, some do open carry.

    For me the biggest pain is having to remind myself that the guy with the gun in line at Starbucks probably isn’t there to jack the place up. Btw, having stood in line behind guys with Maxpedition man bags a few times it sure looks like I could take the gun out of that bag really, really, easily from behind.

    *That case was a mentally ill teen with access to a Marlin 60 that sprayed a magazine tube full of rounds into two neighbor kids at point blank range killing both of the kids.

    • The whole maxpedition bags and fanny packs thing is so down-market, in fact so down-market ’70’s. No wonder it makes you uncomfortable. We really don’t have any murders in the township. What we do have is a few armed robberies each year, usually of a bank, no shots fired, by guys from the city. Even they don’t stoop to the whole man-bag thing.

      • “having stood in line behind guys with Maxpedition man bags a few times it sure looks like I could take the gun out of that bag really, really, easily from behind”.

        I was thinking about getting a Maxpedition bag and not for carrying a gun (unless crime shoot up and society starts to unravel) yet it does seem to yell gun-in-bag fairly loudly. Maybe I should re-consider the brand.

  6. It’s all the usuals — comfort especially when it’s warm. It limits my clothing choices. When in public I don’t always feel like being conscious about whether it shows or not or falls out (yes, concealed guns slip out or dislodge more than anyone wants to admit) and if at a bar, when my self-awareness can slip.

  8. I acquired my carry permit during my Air Force enlistment.Being assigned to an isolated base at the time meant any purchase of non-grocery items required leaving post.Thus,my leaving base was a required activity and a royal pain to accomplish.First ,I had to stop by the base police station to sign out my carry weapon.Figure a 30 minute wait unless I got unlucky.”Unlucky” equated to standing around in the cop shop as 30 odd Security Forces personnel changed weapons and gear.Policy mandated that I ,with my one pistol,had to wait in line behind tens of cops before I could retreive my weapon.

    That done,I now had to take my cased -and locked-gun and ammo,place it in the trunk,and drive directly to the nearest gate without stopping.Gettin busted with a locked and cased gun at the base gas station= likely Article 15 and loss of the firearm.No stopping at the base dorms to pick up friends either:they all had to hang out in the police station with me during the retrieval process.Think taking cupcake to the gun store is awful?Try making your signifigant other wait at a police station every time you want to go out.

    So ,once I crossed the gates I would need to pull over,unlock the case,and load in the car before resuming my journey.Before retuning I would need to pull over,unload and lock the weapon,and proceed directly back to the police station non stop to check the weapon back in.Sometimes my return would be in the middle of shift change,sometimes not.

    Eject mag,clear,safe,and turn in to the armorer for “safekeeping”.

    Things got dodgy once when I was called back to base during a no-drill unit recall.Do I report to the squadron and violate a direct order,or do I stop at the police station to check in the gun with its attendant delays and violate a direct order to return directly to the workcenter?That time I stopped at the cop shop and prayed I didn’t get jacked up for being late to a recall,which fortunately didn’t take place.

    • Almost the same thing for me, except replace Air Force base with Maryland. My second “job” is in VA where I am licensed to carry, so I have to stop near the state line every time to do the same load/unload, separate cases and all. Straight home with no stops as well.

      • Back when the Persian Gulf War was kicking off, security at the Marine base was ramped up and cars were being searched regularly. After about a week, the base General passed word that they have been overlooking that about 90% of the Marines had guns in their cars, but they’d really like it if we all would not be so blatant about it. I don’t recall anyone saying they were going to stop bringing their guns on base.

        • Its still a common if illegal practice today. Many airmen I knew didn’t register or legally keep their weapons in the armory as base orders required.I dealt with the hassles because unlike in the “real world” police can search any car on federal property without warrant or cause, and base police do run anti-terror drills. Having the base cops find a gun in the car during such a search would rank high on the “Sucks to be YOU” totem pole.

    • Almost the same thing for me, except replace “Air Force base” with “Maryland.” My second “job” is in VA where I am licensed to carry, so I have to stop near the state line every time to do the same load/unload, separate cases and all. Straight home with no stops as well.

  9. A kid who is old enough to go to school is old enough to walk a half block or a block from school and meet you just off school property.

    If you have to go inside the school, unless the situation is VERY urban and there is no parking, I see no reason you can’t lock the gun in a safe under the front seat and walk a half block or a block to the school, go in and do your business and walk back to the car.

    This is one of those, “There has to be a way to deal with this more rationally” things. Fortunately, it’s perfectly legal to have your gun in the car on school property in Kansas. Of course, you have to lock it up inside the car if your going INSIDE the school, but that’s pretty rare for picking up a kid.

  10. The sweat. Down in Texas, it’s unavoidable. All I can say at the end of the day is “my poor holster…”

    • +1
      I live in temperate Ohio but… let’s just say that my external cooling system works quite well 😆

      I’ve had my Crossbreed a little more than a year and I’m not sure that it will last another two. I even got the horsehide.

  11. I agree with what stupid question says:
    “A kid who is old enough to go to school is old enough to walk a half block or a block from school and meet you just off school property…. I see no reason you can’t lock the gun in a safe under the front seat and walk a half block or a block to the school, go in and do your business and walk back to the car.”

    Unless your daughter doesn’t know you’re packing and you have to come up with a story why she now has to walk half a block…

  12. You should look into the specifics of the law where you live, but I know here in MI, there is an exemption to the Gun Free [sic] School Zone law for parents dropping off or picking up children.

    You might be putting yourself through a lot of hassle for no reason.

    • “The biggest hassle is carrying the gun.”
      .
      Sure. But it’s a lot easier than carrying a cop around all day!
      .

  14. Wow… I’m reminded to be so glad I’m in Florida. I don’t have any of these issues. My only hassle is if I need to go to the post office. Other than that, I’m good to go… just about anywhere (except where federal law prohibits, and I rarely go those places).

  15. I’m a concealed carrier, and the worst part of concealed carry is the concealed part. I don’t like open carry. I don’t think OC offers any self defence value, but concealed carry can be a hassle sometimes. Your options for guns and holsters can be limited and you have to put a little more thought into how you dress. After doing it for sometime, it becomes second nature, but I still find myself asking “will this shirt hide my gun” sometimes when shopping for clothes.

  16. I find that choosing the right gun for the occasion, and then accessorizing it properly, is the most difficult part of concealed carry. That’s why I pretty much stick to basic black guns, because they go with everything. I stay away from colors that might clash with my ensemble, like pink, puce, mauve and something called “Flat Dark Dirt,” whatever that is.

    Okay, really, concealed carry is easy. Gun and holster manufacturers sell about a gazillion concealed carry options. If you can stuff a wallet into your pants, you can stuff a gun in your pants.

    If you can’t find a concealed carry gun that works for ya, please reread “The Princess and the Pea.”

    • Personally I like the hot pink! OR basic glossy black which goes with everything. It is at home with pajamas, or throw on a string of pearls and paint the town red lol Just kidding!

    • Ralph, you are more than just mere an ensemble, of the first order; you are an entire symphony.

  17. I was wondering how hard it would be to bolt a small safe in your trunk? Not sure how this works, but you could stop off campus put it in the locked safe then continue on. Retrieve it once you have picked up your daughter.
    I lived in Israel and there they ask to see your permit at the mall entrance because they assume you carry. Unless you are in the army like I was and it is self evident.

    • The down and dirty but long-used solution is to use handcuffs through the trigger guard and part of your trunk. For anyone thinking of bolting a safe into their trunk, just be mindful of drilling holes through the gas tank.

  18. I’d have to say the worst part is the constant nagging fear that I’m printing or that my shirt is snagged or one way or another people know I’m carrying. Not that I’m particularly concerned if people know (most people I spend any amount of time around know that I carry anyway) it’s just the fact that it’s a constant nag that makes it annoying.

    Btw, I’ll second what others have said. You should check your laws about school CPZs. We have an exception for licensed folk here in Ohio.
    (D)(4)(a,b,c) on this link.

    http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/2923.122

  19. Two things: I’m not allowed to carry at work and I’m not allowed to carry in bars. The first causes me to go around armed only with a folding knife much more than I’d like (big stretches of most working days) and the latter is just silly. I don’t really drink because I don’t lije the way I feel afterwards, but I’d like to be able to accompany friends without disarming.

  20. I’m stuck on my stupid little G36. In fact I have two. The theory was “well, one might be at Glock for overhaul sometime.” Idiot. Anyway, it turns out that one in each coat pocket in the winter balances out, none of that “drooping pocket ‘hey, he’s got a gun’ ” BS. More often it’s just one in slacks pocket with my checkbook in front of it. The problem with carry? Can’t leave the house at night after having a few glasses of wine. Legal to drive, but not to carry. Glad there’s pepper spray and flashlights. Twice in the last month I’ve gone on one of those “honey, could you pick up a gallon of milk” bits with an S&W Model 41, Clark barrel with an RMR sight on it, in a thick Galco ‘Training’ holster, on a Wilderness instructor belt under a sweater and jacket. I have no idea why. Like mountain climbing, I guess. Nobody else does this, a sub-optimal carry just for sport now and then?

  21. The Post Office is the one place where I can’t accommodate my EDC gun somehow.

    So I don’t go to the Post Office any more. I just mail stuff from work.

  22. Time to move to the other corner of the country, Robert. Washington specifically exempts CPL holders in that exact scenario.

    • Actually I don’t think it matters what Washington does. The USPS property is federal property, and it is against the law to carry a concealed weapon on federal property. Sort of like an embassy, or Native American land. It sits outside the local jurisdiction.

      Or I could be wrong…..

  23. It’s the concealed part that I don’t like. It’s just too harsh. I’d like to have concealed mean “doesn’t have to be blatantly open” but at the same time not 100% hidden. If I could put my 92FS in my fobus holster and with a light jacket covering it and not be worried that if I reach up or bend wrong that it might poke out the bottom of my jacket, I’d be very happy. As it is, in Texas it can’t be seen or printed and this makes me a bit paranoid.

    • I agree, bending over to get a can of veggies off the bottom shelf should not be a crime. I live in Lubbock, West Texas, so wearing a loose shirt on an average day (windy) will also get you in trouble with the police.

    • It’s weird hearing how restrictive Texas is about firearms. You guys have this “cowboy” image, but you have this incredibly complicated process to get a CHL and you don’t have open carry at all. On the flip side, here in latte-land (Seattle), I spent half an hour filling out a form and getting fingerprinted, paid $55.25, and waited 30 days, and that was the CPL process. And open carry is always an option if I felt like dealing with the OMG U HAZ A GUN hassles. But I don’t have to worry that an overhead reach or a breeze is going to cause me to inadvertently commit a crime.

  24. Comfort right now, only because I need to upgrade my holster. My current IWB (High Noon, highly recommended shop) doesn’t have the extension up top to protect the hammer from digging into my side when I sit. Today was a great example. I went to the Lucas Oil Offroad Racing Series and after a few hours of sitting in the grandstands I was seriously sore. A new holster will take care of that so no biggie once I get it.

    Next on the list are places where I can’t carry. If I drove any other vehicle it’d be easy to unholster and stash it before entering but I drive a Jeep Wrangler that hasn’t seen its top and doors for years. Unholstering in plain view and not having a security console ain’t a road I like to go down. Once I get a good Tuffy console that problem will be over as well.

  25. Definitely the can’t carry at work bit. It’s gray here though. An employer can disallow carry in their building. However, as a field surveyor, it becomes questionable. I can protect myself outside the work truck, but in the truck is sketchy. Add to it the fact that we do a lot of work in downtown Atlanta, and the need is there for sure.

  26. I don’t have any problems with concealed carry issues.
    I guess I have been carrying so long I have worked out the problems.

    I pocket carry and have no discomfort issues.
    Pocket carry also eliminates restroom issues.
    I gladly avoid spending my money in establishments that don’t want our patronage.
    If I must be somewhere I am not welcome, I leave my gun in my locked and alarmed vehicle. Then return ASAP.
    As for printing, my pocket definitely looks full.
    As for being “spotted”, it has never happened and I stopped being concerned long ago.
    If there is anything else it must not concern me because I can’t think of it. At least not at the moment.

    What I do have a problem with is the CHL itself.
    It kills my soul to have to pay a tax for the privilege of doing what the 2A guarantees my right to do.

  27. Number one, is the fact that there are places I’m not allowed to carry.
    Number two, would have to be knowing my right to do so, will be relentlessly attacked by the anti‘s, which in turn relentlessly bothers me.

    Other than that, nothing. I have carried for so many years, all the comfort issues have been ironed out. I will say this, the decision to scrap the IWB for OWB was the best move I ever made. Well that and the Don Hume H721 OT holsters.

  28. Federal NPE’s. Since I work 40+ hours / week on federal property, this is somewhat inconvenient.

  29. The only real problem I have with CC laws is that they exist at all. I OC 90% of the time without any difficulties. I rarely go to the post office any more, nor do I have a need to go to other federal buildings. While there are a few (very few) people who notice and comment, I’ve never experienced a negative interaction, nor have I been refused service or asked to leave a place of business because of OC (or any other reason, for that matter).

  30. Bob, where do you live that this works out for you?

    My biggest EDC problem is that I work on a military base and they frown on me carrying there. I feel safe there, but it’s the rest of the time when I’m stopping some place on the way or after work.

  31. Over the last few years I have bought guns in all sizes and calibers. All the way from a tiny NAA .22 magnum mini revolver which I can carry in the waterproof pocket of my swimsuit to a 1911. For each gun I have both an IWB and OWB holster with most also having a pocket holster. Most of my outerwear have built in holsters and do not look like what you normally see in ads. Think Kakadu and Scottie Vests/Jackets. The ones that do not have built in holsters have big pockets so that I can put at least a 9mm inside one pocket, in a pocket holster.

    I have a big collection of various bags with built in holsters, although I never have carried a gun in all except for a very small fanny pack that is just big enough to fit a subcompact gun and is only used when I ride my bike and once in my briefcase holster before I retired. I can fit my Sig P938 in it with a spare magazine. I also dress around my guns with oversized shirts and pants with big pockets. Most times I look fashionable because you can get fashionable clothes that work with guns if you put in the effort. At other times I look like a tourist wearing a Hawaiian shirt one size too big with any gun I own. I even have Perry Suspenders to help keep my pants from sagging when I carry a heavy gun. Heck, every belt I own is a gun belt.

    Most of my friends think I am crazy for buying expensive guns for limited niche uses and my large bag collection that mostly gets no use. The only bag I have carried a gun in once is my briefcase. I can walk into any business meeting with a gun in the built in holster. They may think I am crazy but they rarely carry their guns while I carry mine all the time. At worst, my NAA mini revolver works for any situation where carry is legal. 🙂

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