I've never like the idea of carrying, but like a lot of things I'm doing what I never thought I would have to. I'm all geared up for home defense and don't have any qualms about keeping guns in the house. To cut to the chase:

Who is self conscious about carrying a gun. Do you get over it and how long does it take?

How about carrying a gun in your car? Same questions.

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I might have been a lit'l self conscious 40 something years ago....But it passed.

I now feel light on the hip without it.

Better to have it and not need it, as to need it and not have it.

As far a vehicle carry goes, I may not be were I can run back to the truck.

Just a few thoughts from an old man....That has survived to be an old man.

Su Amigo,
Dave

__________________
"IN GOD WE TRUST"

[QUOTE=rwsmith Who is self conscious about carrying a gun. Do you get over it and how long does it take? How about carrying a gun in your car? [/QUOTE]

Like Keith stated, I was self-conscious for maybe the 1st few months, but then got over it. I made sure it was concealed thoroughly. That was 16 3/4 yrs. ago. I carry daily.

Don't like the idea of leaving a gun in the car, since I always carry & would hate to have my car stolen with a free bonus to the felon of a firearm. Hank M.

After I got my concealed handgun license, I had the same concerns. But then it occurred to me, how stupid would I feel if I didn't carry, but ended up in a situation where I should have? At that point, my mind was made up to carry whenever possible, and the main task was to find the appropriate firearm and holster(s). I subsequently went through several stages of carry practices, and with each, I became more comfortable, and less self-conscious.

My first acquisitions were an M&P 40c and a Galco IWB KingTuk holster especially made for the 40c. This was a very secure and very comfortable combination, and it was totally invisible with an untucked shirt. The KingTuk even allows you to wear it with your shirt tucked in, albeit with some difficulty. I wore gun and holster around the house for several days to get used to it. The first time I carried in public, I was very self-conscious, but that faded pretty quickly when it was obvious that no one noticed.

However, it was a hassle strapping on the KingTuk for mundane everyday events like grocery shopping, so I bought a Tactical 5.11 holster shirt. It is a tight-fitting spandex-type undershirt with holster pockets on both sides. Worn under a loose-fitting shirt, my 40c is impossible to detect. It helps to have snaps instead of buttons on your outer shirt for quick access. I was much more comfortable wearing the holster shirt, because it was easier to wear, and I knew that no one could tell that I was carrying. The holster shirt is my preferred method of carrying when I am driving long distances, because my gun is readily accessible both in and out of the car. The only limitation of the holster shirt is that it is hot to wear during our Texas summers. That led me to the next stage in my carry evolution, a pocket holster.

For everyday carry, when you're just running errands or shopping, there is nothing more convenient that a pocket holster IMHO. I bought a DeSantis Nemesis, which works great and doesn't cost very much. Now "everyone" knows that you can't carry the big, clunky 40c in your pocket. (I read it on the internet, so it must be true.) So, I bought a Shield 9 for pocket carry. It is extremely comfortable to pocket carry, and hard to detect, unless you're wearing very tight pants. Unfortunately, I had some trouble with my Shield (see my Forum thread in the M&P Pistols section, "Shield RSA one more time"), and I ended up carrying the 40c. You know, "everyone" was wrong. You can pocket carry a 40c. It fits in the Shield's Nemesis holster just fine, and its weight doesn't bother me. I now pocket carry it most places I go, and I'm not the slightest bit self-conscious about it. I just need to be sure that any pants I buy have sufficiently large pockets for the 40c/Nemesis to fit.

So that's my story. The whole process from first carry to getting the right combination of gear so that I feel uncomfortable when I don't carry, took a couple of months. I hope you find a carry solution that works for you. Good Luck!
.

Same here. When I first started, I did alot of "mirror-checking." My 2nd carry gun was a .22 Beretta Bobcat, which was a good deal smaller than the 915 I was trying to hide. That was a good step for me, then I slowly increased size of pistol til I found the largest, most effective gun I could conceal easily with my standard mode of dress. I try to use this as a guide for what I carry daily, whether it's a Kel-Tec or a 5906. This is part of the reason that I don't whole-heartedly subscribe to carrying the same gun all the time, no matter what. I understand the merits, but it doesn't work for me. I don't "dress around the gun," I fit it into the wardrobe.

Not a fan of leaving guns in a car, unless I'm going into a place where I can't carry one, but still want it for before and after.

__________________
Because of the metric system?

I do get a bit self conscious at times during hot weather due to the light weight shirts I wear covering my revolver, I have to keep the shirt buttoned so the wind don't blow it open.
If it's a problem then I switch to pocket carry, even though I don't care for that method.

__________________
"Life is short, hunt hard"

I think most everyone is at first. I was. I got over it quickly enough but some people never really do and I believe is the reason so many with permits don't often carry.

I think a big part of it is the gun and method of carry. A person needs to find the right combination so not to be constantly aware of it on thier person or worried if it might showing.

I have several carry guns and holsters, but I mostly just drop an LCP in my pocket. No different than my wallet and iPhone.

I have been carrying a firearm since I turned 21 and was sworn in as a special deputy sheriff. I later worked as a reserve deputy, then was hired as a full time deputy sheriff. Counting my reserve and full time duties as a deputy sheriff I served 30 years. That does not include the many years I carried as a special deputy sheriff. Carrying a firearm is so normal to me, I do not feel comfortable without it. I was never self conscious about carrying.

I was at first but it didn't take long for it to become just another thing I carry.....like a wallet or car keys

I do not believe in carrying a gun in my car. I don't like the idea of it possibly being stolen and I don't want to have to remember about it when I go out of my state, which is not uncommon considering that I live and work on the border with NJ

The first week or so you feel like you are wearing a "Scarlet Letter" on your chest...... or should I say over that "huge" bulge on your hip........then one day you realize no one has pointed an accusing finger at you while calling you out a "crazy gun packing ______"

I've had a permit since 1978 in Pa. .... but didn't carry regularly until the mid 80s..... due to some street crime and break-ins around the Hosp I worked at and my home a few blocks away. The Hosp had a 30 person armed Security Dept........ one of the Depts. that reported to me.....and with whom I trained and qualified.

My first every day carry in a suit or around town....was a Walther PPK .380 in a Spark's Summer Special......the exposed grip was smaller than the pager I had to carry when on call.

Over the years I've carried, 3" K-frames, 3913s, 6906s even full size .45s and Hi-Powers.......... never been challenged or asked...... today with all the phones and smart devices folks wear on their belts........ what's another bulge!!!

I pocket carry so doubt if my M&P .380 can be detected readily. My LEO career began in 1968 and off-duty carry was mandated (optional now) so I quickly got used to the idea, and learned how to conceal my Colt Cobra or J frame so it could not be detected. As to car carry it's not a good idea to leave your weapon in the car when it's parked. Too many guns are stolen that way and most law enforcement agencies prohibit leaving a gun in the car.

__________________
Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

Our CWP instructor told our class that it was our duty to carry once we passed the test and were licensed. We accept that concept. Found good belts, holsters, and carry purses for all our carry choices. Once we determined that our gear was not printing, we carry our firearms the same as our keys. Feels weird going back to NY for a visit with the grandkids, unarmed. My husband and I have been comfortable with it from the start.

Gun in the car, absolutely. A Glock 19 has resided in the glovebox of my Tundra since the day I bought it in 2000.

Also, in Tennessee it's legal to have a loaded gun in the car absent having a carry permit. Obviously, this means leaving the gun in the car at parking lots and the street because it's not legal to carry on person without a permit. I have no anxiety about guns in the car anymore than guns in the home.

Find an efficient, comfortable way to carry, and it goes away fast. For me, that's frequently pocket carry of a Smith 36.

I'd be a lot more "self-conscious" about lying gut shot, in a pool of my own blood, because I gave some sociopathic predator free rein.

You get over the nervousness about carrying in a week or two. It also depends on the quality of the rig you use. If it isn't secure etc., you find yourself fidgeting with it. If it's a good one, you soon forget it's there.

I'm like Dave Keith. I've carried a concealed gun since 1966. My belt doesn't feel comfortable if I don't have a gun on my hip. I'm too stoved up to be runnin' back to my car for a gun.

I use to be mighty fast with a hand gun. Now I'm only half fassed!

__________________
Eccentric old coot

I wouldn't describe it as 'self conscious' as much as nervousness. I was obsessive about concealment and always worried it was obvious. After a month or so it occurred to me- I’m legal. In WA you cannot lose your CPL for failing to conceal enough. It also occurred to me that nobody notices bulges or lumps, and if they do- so what?

My nervousness completely disappeared once the open carry movement started in WA. It had already been legal to carry openly, but even the cops didn’t know. At first we got a lot of harassment, but we were always polite and non-confrontational; the goal was to educate the various agencies vs going to battle. Federal Way (city of) was one of the first to issue a training bulletin to its officers and other municipalities followed. Before long we were no longer being harassed due to ignorance, but due to bad cops. Then there were several out of court settlements, most of which cannot be discussed, and today it is almost unheard of for an open carry citizen to get any grief from LEOs.

Open carry has totally changed my outlook with regards to carry. I carry concealed much of the time these days, but I never give printing, bulges, outlines, etc., a second thought. In the eyes of the law, handgun carry is *for the most part* no different than wearing a watch or carrying a wallet. If open is easier (like during my four-mile run after work) then I go with easier; if I’m concealing under a jacket and I sit down in a restaurant to eat, I can take the jacket off and carry open- nobody (including me) cares one whit about it. If my shirt blows open and my beautiful Lobo holster and 1911 are visible- no harm no foul.

My advice to the OP is to consider exactly and honestly what your reservations are, and think them through. But I can tell you that I have NEVER come home after carrying a handgun and thought, “Man, what a waste of effort; why do I carry this thing?” But I also know that if I needed to provide protection to myself or my loved ones and was helpless against attackers, I would forever regret my self imposed helplessness.

Someone is tasked with providing protection to you and your family; and it is NOT any agency of the government; it’s you. What are you doing to effect that responsibility?

To the second question- no I don't keep one in the car for fear of theft mostly. If/when I get a large enough garage I might put one in the car- but I'm more comfortable with it on my belt.

I suppose if I were to go back a lot of years I might have been a little self-conscious; but, yes, I got over it. In fact I consider myself to be a, 'past master' in the art and science of everyday concealed carry. Even my body language and, 'happy face' facial expressions no longer telegraph that I might be armed. Here, I'll share some of the do's and don'ts with you:

1. Don’t reach for things with your gun arm. Why? Because you'll either expose or pattern the pistol.

2. Always bend your gun knee whenever you bend over to pick something up. Why? Because the pistol is less likely to pattern if you always bend the knee on your gun side.

3. Master the art of, 'blading' or, 'three-quartering' all others who approach you. (This is an old trick that experienced police officers will often use.)

Your gun side should always be bladed away from the audience, too. Why? Two reasons: First, by, 'blading' you'll also be hiding your pistol from view; and, second, 'three-quartering' makes it a lot more difficult for anyone to either make a sudden grab for your gun, or to impede your draw.

4. Never allow someone else to hug you by placing his hands and arms underneath your own. Do this to the other person, instead. Why? Because it's one of the easiest ways to let someone know that you're armed; and if that someone is like, say, my aunt she'll end up by exclaiming at the top of her voice, 'Is that a gun!' (Last time I ever made THAT mistake!)

5. Don't be an, 'equipment checker'. If you need to be doing stuff like this; you're either inappropriately dressed, or wearing, or carrying, the wrong equipment. I can go, and frequently have gone, for 12 to 14 hours without checking or adjusting my, 'belt load'. (Which is, often, considerable!)

6. Anytime you're not alone and the seating is cramped, or in rows, always place your companion on your gun side; or if you can't do that, then, sit with your gun side against the wall. Once, at a movie theater, I inadvertently got, 'made' by a retired cop who was sitting right next to my gun side. He brushed my pistol with his elbow, and instantly knew that I was armed. I've never forgotten the lesson!

7. The very best place to conceal a pistol is IN YOUR HAND while that hand is tucked inside an outer pocket. The second best place to conceal a pistol is at 4 to 5 o'clock along your waist. Appendix carry ON YOUR RIGHT-HAND SIDE is the best way to wear a pistol while you're driving a car. (The opposite is true if you're the passenger.)

People who sit a lot may be advantaged by carrying a pistol on their ankle; however, make no mistake about it: If you're NOT sitting, ankle carry causes a significant tactical disadvantage!

Why? Because anytime you have to bend or stoop in order to get to your pistol you are going to be a whole lot slower on the draw than you, otherwise, might be; AND, by stooping, you'll be putting your face and head squarely into the zone where MOST BULLETS FLY during a gunfight!

Successfully concealing a large sidearm all day long comes down to the proper execution of a series of personal habits and behaviors that need to become INTEGRAL PARTS of your daily patterns of, both, body dress and physical movement.

You've got to learn, 'How' to be instinctively cautious about the manner in which you dress, My cover shirts and jackets are, mostly, a size too large, and often brightly patterned. (Sometimes people who know me well kid me about looking like Magnum PI.) All of my belts are also, 'dress gun belts'!

When everything is done right there is no: equipment checking, sagging belt line, or protruding gun butt to give you away. The pistol, the extra magazines, the cell phone, and the knife are, all, 'just there'.

You've asked about car travel, too. Whenever I'm stuck sitting inside a vehicle my own primary consideration is to be able to, very quickly, get to my gun. Once I'm inside a vehicle - like most experienced gunmen - I realize that I'm essentially, 'trapped'; and being able to get my gun out quickly takes precedence over keeping it concealed.

This being said: Do NOT carry a loose gun inside a vehicle. Always continue to wear your pistol until the actual moment when you're ready to start using it.



ADDED: Neither am I a fan of small, difficult to shoot straight, low magazine capacity SD pistols. My usual EDC is a humongous G-21 that I often carry ITB with the pistol's butt tucked in tight to my side. Truthfully, it's been a good 6 or 7 years since anyone (to my knowledge) has, 'made' me!

Buy an ugly hat and wear it everywhere. That way you have something else to worry about. Germany Army surplus works well in the winter. Warm, but a truly ugly pattern. I switched from that to a leather and fur bomber hat that looks like a Bolshevik item. With an ugly hat on, I never worried about even carrying a gun openly. I also smoke a pipe. Someone will notice "hey that is an ugly hat on that guy smoking a pipe" long before they would notice a gun.

I also, having once been a shy person, talk to and wave to most everyone. They start to assume they know you, and after a while, they do.

You'll get over it soon, Mr. Smith. Just like has been said, 2-4 weeks or so. After that, you feel naked without it. Don't get complacent though, you do have to think of it often but that will become second nature too. Have you ever lost your wallet or your keys? Can't do that with your pistol. You're a gun guy so you already have the respect. The little piece of your brain that will take care of this for you will develop quickly.

Good Luck!

__________________
I'm Proud To Be An American!

I wouldn't leave a firearm in a car if I'm not in it. They are magnets for burglars. And besides, the way you have to keep it in your car in the glove box, console or in the rear, it's slow to access.

Thanks,

Wayno

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I should have asked this a long time ago instead of what you carry in the woods for bear.

I really appreciate the detail, thorough and well thought out replies. The is almost 'sticky thread' status on this subject. I've never learned so much from reading for about 15 minutes.

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

In a past life in 1969 I had a 6 in. Python in the glove compartment and a sawed off double barrel under the seat. Somebody broke the door window and stole the CB radio. I bought another CB. If they had stole the guns I would have bought more. Larry

I think we all feel self-conscious at first. Over time it becomes less top-of-mind. However, I would caution against complacency.

__________________
Freedom isn't free.

I have been carrying for so long that I hardly remember. I think that it was a month or so, DEPENDING ON WHAT WAS CARRIED WHERE. Some methods allow better concealment than others, but usually don't offer particularly ready access. Arc Angel's post has a lot of good info; read it again. You may think that GatorFarmer's post was intended to be humorous, but it is very practical (except for OC). It is quite close to my carry method for five years in a very unfriendly environment, and it worked quite well.

Don't neglect Rastoff's post. You can still make a mistake. But you may be better off with a mistake once every few years than walking around worried about it. The worry is going to get noticed, at least by some people.

Everybody is self conscious carrying at first. I was too.

What I did was started by carrying in the house and outside when I would take the dog out, talk to the neighbors, etc and when nobody said, "Holy ****! You're carrying a gun!?".....I was good.

Do NOT FORGET your Wally Walk!

I was never self conscious. The Bowie knife I carried in my teeth distracted everyone.

__________________
James L. "Jim" Rhiner

Yes was self conscious for a long time,still am on occasion. Going on 3 years now, and not totally over it so not sure how to answer question 2.

Don't carry in a car unless that's because I had to leave my on body gun there while I entered a federal restricted area.

I think that's only natural to be a bit uncomfortable with anything new, but it doesn't take long before you feel more uncomfortable without your handgun on you. It becomes like your wallet, you know if it's not there and you don't feel near as safe.

I've never been self conscious about anything. Conceal carry or open carry.

I was amazed that somebody would never be self conscious about anything, then I said, "Oh, he's a Marine. He had his self consciousness removed a long time ago."

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

HAHA, that's a good one. A real long time ago. Over 45 years. Thanks for the ego boost.

I have been carrying a sidearm since 1976. I have found most if not all the people you come in contact with are too busy with their own lives to pay much attention to you...... unless you are wearing an ugly hat with a Bowie knife in your teeth. That said, do not worry about John Q Public, carry for the one time someone pays too much of the wrong type of attention to you or yours. LEO's are after the fact, they cannot protect you, only you can do that. Carry e v e r y day.... rain, shine, day or night.

Keep your firearm on your person and do not leave it in your car/truck.

Great topic and some very interesting answers.

For me I do tend to be a bit self conscious if Im carrying something like a snubbie or M&P9c OWB . In that instance, I'm always fussing to assure I'm concealed well.
However, I'm much less so on the occasions that I pocket carry something like a BG380 in my jacket. Then, I tend to completely forget I even have it with me

__________________
Dave

Being self conscious is good at first because it leads to self awareness. But, it gives way to a mature consciousness. Why? Self Awareness is having a clear perception of your personality, including strengths, weaknesses, thoughts, beliefs, motivation, and emotions. It allows one to understand other people, how they perceive you, your attitude and your responses to them in the moment. To carry is to be a vehicle.

An excellent set of do's and don'ts . . . thank you very much for sharing. I especially enjoyed the one about hugging your Aunt.

One comment on the carry position while driving . . . I can see where appendix carry on the right-hand side would keep the weapon in-board and away from a car jacking intruder . . . but I find a cross draw position on the left (weak) side far more convenient and quicker to access so as to outweigh any weapon retention concerns. Getting cover clothing untangled from the seat belt harness on the right (strong) side would take me 15 minutes

Russ

I started carrying a gun for self defense when I was a youngster in Alaska. I carried a 44 mag Blackhawk on my belt. Got used to it pretty quick. It's the norm there.

As far as concealed carry for two legged critters, if been doing so for about twenty five years. And I'm self conscious about it constantly because of my desire to appear like a nobody. To not attract attention to myself.

But I don't make the usual mistakes such as "checking" to make sure it's covered.

I hate carrying a gun and wish the world was a better place so I didn't have to. But in reality I carry because I believe in being prepared. In my mind, I will prevail.

"Carrying a gun isn't supposed to be comfortable. It's supposed to be comforting." Clint Smith.

__________________
Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

No to both questions. Been doing it for decades, even before it was legal. Never was self conscious after I got used to it, which was obviously only after the first few days of carrying a concealed handgun on my person. Never had that issue in a vehicle. Cars are not magnets for burglars any more than a house is a magnet for burglars. Unlocked cars are magnets, cars with valuables exposed are magnets, that I'll agree with.*

Just for the record, I have had a handgun stolen from a vehicle. *My business partner left his brand new laptop in a silly tote bag behind the front seat of my pickup truck. I didn't realize he did that. What a moron [him, not me!]- especially during Christmas season. At any rate, I simply replaced it with another one. I bet 30% of the cars around here, maybe 50%, have handguns in them. I leave it in there all day, sometimes all night. I'm not self conscious about it at all and I don't care about the "rule" that folks use that says do not do that - I'll bet that rule is violated way more than it is followed. It's prudent to have one where I can easily reach it and don't let anyone tell you reaching a handgun in a console is slow. Glove compartments are slow. I've had more than one instance when I THOUGHT I needed a handgun whilst driving and BOY HOWDY that gun was in my hands in seconds out of a console. Pulling a handgun from a holster anywhere on my body would NOT likely be as fast except, MAYBE, crossdraw. Since it's no easy matter to switch from strong side carry or pocket carry every time you enter your vehicle the solution is console carry (or magnet carry under the steering wheel/dashboard if you can do it concealed) unless you routinely carry a gun in a crossdraw holster and I do not; i don't like it much. YMMV

Thank you, that is a nice compliment! Let's take a moment to talk about the fastest and easiest way to draw while you're driving a vehicle: First, I've tried every way there is; and, just to complicate matters, I'm ambidextrous; so using one hand, or the other is of no particular concern to me. (What concerns me most is being able to quickly engage any threat that might come at me from over my left shoulder!)

Two things I do the moment I get in behind the wheel is to fasten my seatbelt around my pistol, rather than over it; and I, very carefully, lift the front lapels of my cover garment out and away from the straps.

I'm a long way from, 'my first rodeo'; and, of all the positions I've tried, it's fastest for me to simply drop my right hand down to 1:30-2:00 o'clock on my belt, and take a secure grip on my pistol. I'm certain that if I had to reach across my body it would cost me an additional fraction of a second. This would, also, require me to reach past the bottom of the steering wheel; and, maybe not for you but certainly for me, there isn't a lot of extra space!

I've had this conversation many times with many different people. If there is an advantage to the cross draw position it would be that all you have to do is lift the muzzle to address a threat at the driver's window. From the 1:30 position I'll get to my gun faster; but, I might have to shoot more fully across myself, while you might not.

Conversely, from the 2:00 o'clock position I'm able to address a threat on my right-hand side faster than if I were using a cross draw. These things said there is a certain risk to, 'appendix carry': The muzzle of an appendix-carried pistol is frequently in line with the femoral artery in a right-handed shooter's left leg. (The opposite is, also, true.) So, ....... no matter which hand you draw with your trigger finger discipline has to be both thoroughly ingrained as well as, 'arrow straight'. Cooper's Rule Number Three must never be broken!

The "Everybody's looking at me" syndrome will pass. Just don't become so complacent you forget the huge responsibility you take on every time you tuck that piece into your waistband.

"An uncomfortable carry gun/rig is more likely to be left at home." ChattanoogaPhil.