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Went to our local donation collection store to drop off some items. Leaned over to take some things from the trunk, and one of the employees walks up behind me and asks "what are you carrying, a 9mm?" . I carry IWB at 4:00 and had my shirt tail untucked. I turned around and did not know what to say........so, I said no (it is a .45). I asked him why he asked and he said he could see the outline when I bent over. I have carried for almost seven months and never had anyone be the wiser.

Lesson learned!

Glad to see you didn't get one of the irrational types. I try to wear cooler cloths in summer so I just gave up and went to 3:00. I have the habit of not paying enough attention when I carry at 4:00. Now, I don't even worry about it with my little XD9 SC IWB. I have had ladies hug me at church and put their hand on the grip and never even react. I guess they think it is a cell phone or something.

My only real fear about someone seeing an outline under my "Garment" is if it is one of the anti-gun nuts or someone who is just totally ignorant of the law and maintaining a survivable situation. That is, those that start screaming, "He has a gun...He has a gun!" For anyone with friends or relatives like this let me make a suggestion. Tell them to learn to control their mouths because if someone has evil intent "the screamer" will probably be the first one shot or if not they may draw all the rage to themselves. Besides that, it may help out a brother or sister CHL holder some day.

It depends who notices. They may just want to chat about guns. Many years ago, a friend and I had a pleasant conversation with a policeman in a bar after we noticed and commented on the red triangle on his 1911 grips.

Bah, I'm getting old enough (and cranky enough) to really take to heart the whole "intentional" part of "failure to conceal."

If someone asked me what I was carrying I would tell them and the reply with "Why, what have you got?"

Anyone who says "nothing" or a derivitave gets crossed off my Christmas card list for good. Life's too short to spend it with people who don't understand me. :)

HKUSP45C wrote:Bah, I'm getting old enough (and cranky enough) to really take to heart the whole "intentional" part of "failure to conceal."

If someone asked me what I was carrying I would tell them and the reply with "Why, what have you got?"

Anyone who says "nothing" or a derivitave gets crossed off my Christmas card list for good. Life's too short to spend it with people who don't understand me. :)

I'm kind of the same way, although my first answer might be something along the lines of, "...and you are...??" or "who wants to know?" before actually getting into a discussion of particulars. I'm willing to talk to someone who is sympathetic to the idea, but I don't want to waste my time on someone who just wants to know so they can bust my chops about it. Life's too short to dance with ugly women. (Ladies, feel free to use that phrase in the reverse if it suits you. )

My answer: Medical Device...and say nothing further.

Being caught like that is a blow to concealment ego. This example will make be more careful.

Abraham wrote:My answer: Medical Device...and say nothing further.

I like this one. "It's my colostomy bag." That'll pretty stop them in their tracks and there won't be any more conversation.

That's one of the drawbacks of carrying behind the mid-line of the body. If you never bend at the waist, you're cool; likewise if you wear a layered jacket or coat and only bend a little at the waist.

But we bend forward more than any other motion hinged at the sacral vertebrae or the pelvis. We twist a lot, but it's usually in accompaniment to a bend.

Now, some body types won't print as much as others if carried behind the mid-line. Even when bending forward slightly. And some simply can't carry at three o'clock or appendix position at 1:00-1:30.

But if you're carryin' somewhere from 4:00 (or 8:00 if you're a lefty) to small-of-back, when you bend over it's gonna be obvious to an observant person that something is there.

Like HKUSP45C, I'm gettin' old enough that I don't care too much about being politically correct or worry too much about printing. I make sure--as sure as I can--that everything's always covered.

The issue for me is one of...tactical prudence.

If I had the abs I did 20 years ago, I'd be carrying in appendix position. Best I can do with my, ahem, comfortable-life mature body is dominant-side mid-line carry: for me, three o'clock.

Force-on-force training has shown me that carrying at 4:00 (or 8:00) is the limit...and you need to be flexible and quick to manage even that. If you're right-handed, the range of motion required to draw and present your gun into an ECQ position increases geometrically with each clock-face position as you move the holster around the body from 1:00 to 6:00. Six o'clock--small-of-back carry--is rivaled only by ankle carry as the worst possible position, despite what you see in the movies.

An attempt to draw from any position behind the mid-line of the body is simply too easy for a bad guy to foul, or to take the advantage and physically overwhelm you before you can complete the draw. It takes less than 20-pounds of pressure to block your arm at a six o'clock draw position even if you bench 300, and once the BG does that he's way inside your OODA Loop. Not what you want.

I've said it before, but what the heck: Choose your carry for function, not comfort. It's too important. If it ain't comfortable initially, you'll get used to it.

Skiprr,

A speedy threadjack: Where is your preferred carry position?

Thanks

It has been my experience that thow who recognize a "Print" recognize it due to training. The casual observerdoes not recognize a bulge as a gun. To be failure to conceal it must be recognized as a gun by a casual observer. He was not a casual observer & neither am I.

That guy had his head ona swivel & was seeing more around him than just your carry weapon.

I started carrying 24-7 in 2001. Since then I have been busted twice. Both were by touch & not site. First that touched it knew what it was because she carried & "knew what it was."
Second gave me a friendly pat on the side & mistook my mags for a gun. Still busted.
Those who recognize a pring usually do due to education.

My .02cents & some think it worth half that.
YMMV
LT

shootthesheet wrote:My only real fear about someone seeing an outline under my "Garment" is if it is one of the anti-gun nuts or someone who is just totally ignorant of the law and maintaining a survivable situation. That is, those that start screaming, "He has a gun...He has a gun!"

Brassmonkey was telling me one time he was walking out of Wally World one day and the wind blew his shirt up, exposing his gun. Some lady yelled "Oh my God, he has a gun!". Brassmonkey looked at her with a confused look, said "Lady, you're in Texas. Get over it.", and continued on his way.

If someone ever does that to me, that will be my response.



On a side note, I accidentally exposed my gun at a restaraunt yesterday. I'm currently on crutches due to a motorcycle accident, and as I was moving my crutch from under my right arm so I could sit down, the crutch caught the bottom of my shirt and lifted it up, so it dropped on top of my gun. I didn't realize it until I noticed the waiter and everyone else at the table staring at it. I calmly re-covered it with my shirt and sat down without saying a word.

Brassmonkey was telling me one time he was walking out of Wally World one day and the wind blew his shirt up, exposing his gun. Some lady yelled "Oh my God, he has a gun!". Brassmonkey looked at her with a confused look, said "Lady, you're in Texas. Get over it.", and continued on his way.

I hope that never happens to me, but if it does, I hope I remember to say just that!

Kythas wrote: Brassmonkey was telling me one time he was walking out of Wally World one day and the wind blew his shirt up, exposing his gun. Some lady yelled "Oh my God, he has a gun!". Brassmonkey looked at her with a confused look, said "Lady, you're in Texas. Get over it.", and continued on his way.

Would that count as a failed Wally-walk? Or a successful? Is it only failure if the cops show, or security kicks you out?