Do you worry about people knowing you are carrying? (Printing)

[Stopsign32v]

I used to care but now couldn't give 1 shit less. It used to bother me and I would look in the mirror to make sure I wasn't printing because I guess somehow I was worried I would get turned in? On the boards I read so much about "printing" that I guess it caused me to have concern.

But then I realized that "concealed" doesn't mean someone can't see the outline of my firearm, it just means they can't SEE my firearm. So now I just throw on a full size with a T shirt and say **** it. I can shoot a full size much much better than a little dinky micro pistol so that is what I'm worried about, how well I can put hits exactly where I want to if I need to.

[Inkslinger]

Most people are so into their own world or on their phones. Nobody is noticing nothing.

[robbins290]

I don't care while out in public. But at meetings, I do not print at all. Make sure I am not anyways. And thats only because there are ALOT of anti gun people in the construction business.

[C-grunt]

I don't normally. Living in north Phoenix, a lot of people carry guns. Open carry is common enough that I'll see someone doing it almost every day. No one cares here and the ones that do just deal with it.

That being said, i do have a J frame I pocket carry for tons I'm going somewhere that requires discretion.

[duece71]

As someone said above, people these days have a serious lack of SA and probably wouldn’t notice. I doubt they would even know what exactly they were seeing if a person were printing a firearm with a shirt.

[crosseyedshooter]

I've come to learn that a major component to concealed carry is situational awareness and not getting into unnecessary situations in the first place. Part of situational awareness is understanding the environment I'll be in and adjusting accordingly. Heading into an anti-gun, Karen-filled, environment means I double check that my gun doesn't print.

[Ron3]

"Normal" people aren't paying attention, true. But who might be?

If someone is deciding who to rob or who to shoot first it can go a couple ways.

They think that bulge / print is a gun and choose someone else, or they attack / shoot you first.

You also don't want attention from Karen, the Police or your employer. Any can mess up your day.

Discretion is normally the better angle.

[Defaultmp3]

But then I realized that "concealed" doesn't mean someone can't see the outline of my firearm, it just means they can't SEE my firearm. So now I just throw on a full size with a T shirt and say **** it. I can shoot a full size much much better than a little dinky micro pistol so that is what I'm worried about, how well I can put hits exactly where I want to if I need to.

Uh... you can conceal a full-sized pistol, too, without printing.

As noted, sure, most people won't notice. But who are you concealing against? As also noted, some criminals have good situational awareness and are quite attuned to the many tells that CCWers often exhibit. Or if you're carrying in an NPE that you go to daily (e.g., work environment), people are unlikely to notice for each individual event, but when you're interacting every day, even the tiniest tells will get picked up over time. People don't notice anything, until they do.

From an old TPI post that I think about still:

Convict,

Actually, I didn't get the sense that we were having a hostile disagreement at all. You tell me what works for you, I explain my perspective, we look and see what we can learn.

Perhaps I am not being specific enough, but here is my point. If you need to work day/in, day out in a business, business casual, or similar type of 'uniform', then I have never seen a setup that will work over time.

I've seen lots of things that will work for a day, or a visit, or a meeting. Yes, you can conceal a SIG in Hickey Freeman, Keswani custom suits, and a host of others. I've done them myself, and it's possible. But when you're going to do it every day, for years at a time, you will eventually be made.

[Maybe I should clarify: Are we perhaps talking past each other due to different definitions of an NPE? I am using the term NPE to mean you CANNOT get made or it will dramatically affect your life, livelihood and/or family. So the 'occasional' bust is unacceptable in what I call an NPE. To clarify - a museum visit with a 'No guns' sign is NOT an NPE; if I get made, I get escorted out - no big deal.]

So for me, guess what - any 'tuckable' holster that has a clip that I can see - is simply useless. If I work with someone for 6 months, and every day they see my clip at 1 o'clock, eventually they will ask. Or wonder. And someone in the office will recognize it and say, I know exactly what that is. From there, refer again to my definition of an NPE.

Todd, I understand what you're saying. However, this sentence here really caught my notice:

When I'm somewhere that has a particularly high penalty for getting caught with a gun, I've opted for something smaller (like a P30 or G19/G26) in SmartCarry.

That is the crux of the matter. The smaller you go, the more concealable it is.

Now if I'm I'm 'visiting' somewhere that has a high penalty, I can dress around it and it doesn't matter; I can hide anything for a day.

But when I'm not visiting, but I actually LIVE there? Then the little tells add up over the months and eventually you get busted. As for me, when I go with a belly-band setup, there are slight adjustments I need to make when I sit/rise, and that's with a PM9. If I try that with my SIG, those adjustments get noticeably more pronounced. And all it takes is 1 day, getting up quickly from a lunch meeting, or talking on the phone next to someone who is sitting at a desk with their face right at waist level,or spilling a drink in a cafe and they see a print, - once again, reread my definition of an NPE.

When you WORK in an office environment, people notice all idiosyncracies over time. The way Bob always lines up his pencils, the way Tom's right shoe always comes undone, the way Mary's bra strap always gets exposed when she wears that shirt, etc., And they BS and gossip about all that crap,the world over. So if you're the guy who always wears a coat - you're a freak and you'll get busted. If you always adjust your pants when you get up, but aren't a fatass - people will notice. If you have a clip on your belt, people will notice. If you have a really fancy, nice custom handmade belts, people will notice.

Finally, two anecdotes - because as we know, the plural of anecdote is data

One is from HH, I read it awhile back so I may be misquoting it. HH, please correct and clarify if I am mistaken. He was in a dress environment and the lady he was talking to suddenly asked him if he'd lost a lot of weight in the past. If I remember correctly, he was wearing pants that were custom made to allow him to CCW, and she noticed that the pants were cut slightly larger in the waist than elsewhere.

As for me, I worked in a major consulting firm. I made friends with the secretaries, and was listening to one of their conversations. They had determined which of the new hires had purchased custom suits, which ones were off-the-rack (but high-end) suits, and which ones were just very nice suits. And they were right.

People are generally clueless and unaware - until they're not.

[Biggy]

I like to be as reasonably discrete as possible when carrying. I also prefer to carry pistols that have a full 4 finger grip and belt holster carry, either AIWB or IWB.When people go to Walmart or wherever, they don’t walk around and try to guess who’s carrying a pistol. I’d say here in Ohio 99.9 % of people could care less.

[Stopsign32v]

This winter will be the first winter I've ever considered OWB. My go to holster has lately been Vedder IWB and this winter I'm going to give their OWB a try.