Concealed Carry Clothing

Guns Magazine, March, 2001 by Massad Ayoob

YOU NEED MORE THAN A HOLSTER TO CREATE AN EFFECTIVE -- AND DISCREET -- CONCEALED CARRY ENSEMBLE.

Instructors for concealed handgun licenses and police trainers whose jobs include preparing personnel for off-duty encounters often hear a common complaint: "I can't figure out how to comfortably conceal a serious defensive handgun." This is closely related to an even worse complaint: "I can't figure out how to comfortably conceal a handgun at all."

The first rule of gunfighting is, of course, to have a gun. The armed citizen and off-duty cop alike are all but helpless if armed violence looms when they are unarmed. People who recognize they are in danger will bear discomfort -- witness what uniformed cops wear every day on patrol, probably averaging 20 lbs. of equipment, radio and armor -- but when the firearm must be concealed under regular clothes, new comfort factors come into play.

There is physical comfort: guns and holsters that don't dig into you or weigh you down or require you to wear a hot outer garment that is inappropriate for the time, the place or the weather. There is also psychological comfort -- the wearer wants to know that the gun is effectively concealed.

If you are willing to research the experience of a lot of people who have carried a lot of guns for a long time, it is possible to come up with compromises. At worst, you end up with discreet, comfortable wear of a full-size combat handgun; at best you have a package that will allow the wearer to be invisibly armed with a handgun that is conveniently small, but still powerful enough to get the job done. The key is to integrate the gun and the carry system with the wardrobe, dress code and body shape of the wearer.

Casual Friday

My fellow geezers and 1 can't say today's young people haven't done anything for us. They have made it fashionable to wear loose clothing. "Relaxed fit" pants and Docker's trousers might as well have been made for concealing compact handguns. in pocket holsters and ankle holsters.

Roughly half of the adults in this country now wear polo shirts and T-shirts untucked, and often a size or two larger than they need. This is cool and comfortable since it allows air circulation. It is also ideal for hiding firearms at belt level.

For concealed carry, the shirt should be at least one size large, opaque in color and weave, and straight along the hem at the bottom. V-shaped shirttails can impede the drawing motion. On most males, the fabric will drape down from the shoulder area to provide a convenient hollow behind the hip. It' a piece of cake to hide a .45 in an inside-the-waistband holster under such a garment, and a compact sidearm in an outside the belt holster that's designed correctly is also concealable this way.

If you prefer sport shirts that button, there are several styles. Banana Republic and other clothiers have popularized the safari shirt. Three other shirts designed to be worn untucked are adaptable to gun concealment if they're suitable for the "fashion statement" you want to make.

The classic American bowling shirt isn't seen often anymore, but its untapered body gives it a loose fit that's ideal for gun concealment and unimpeded drawing.

In the South, particularly Florida, the Cuban-style guyaberra shirt is "in" for casual wear. Picture a bowling shirt designed for tails-out wear, often with a couple of extra pockets at belly level, and with the buttons stopping just above the navel. The latter feature gives the hem of the garment more flex to clear the holstered gun when you pull it upward. Old Cuba was an armed society; this shirt remains uniquely suitable for members of an armed society today.

The loud colors of a Hawaiian shirt aren't appropriate for some dress codes on the mainland. If you can get by with them, though, they're primo for pistol-packing. The straight drape gives good concealment; the opacity of the silk-type material hides dark colored guns and holsters; and the asymmetrical print patterns break up the outline of big pistols.

Check Your Coats And Vests

Firms like Concealed Carry Clothiers, Coronado and others now offer jackets and casual vests with built-in gun pockets. I'm not a big fan of this mode of carry, but that s probably just personal preference and habituation. Still, it shows how far the subculture of the armed citizen has advanced these last few years.

A conventional suit coat or sport coat will allow you to hide a bigger gun than you might conceal under a shirt, if you get the right size, cut and material. For example, the "classic men's sack suit" popularized by Brooks Brothers is actually pretty decent for concealed carry. When the front button is left undone, the jacket gives good drape. The straight-leg cut of the pants is as friendly to ankle holsters as police uniform trousers, which are cut to a similar pattern.

Tight-fitting, European-style suits like Armani don't adapt well at all to concealed guns. European tailoring is much more form-fitting and clings to the body. Even in a sack suit or standard blazer, it's a good idea to get the jacket one size large (in the body, not the sleeves). The difference of one size is not enough to make the garment appear ill-fitting, but there will be a remarkable improvement in the amount of interior space in which you can hide your gun.