22 May 16

Women carrying guns:

This is a subject upon which I am uniquely unqualified to speak!

Yet, we have many female students who come to me for sound advice, and I have to do my best to provide respectable counsel, even though many challenges they face I do not experience personally.

Carrying concealed is far more challenging for women than for men, and many women are not able to carry in the same place every time they carry, nor are many even able to consistently carry the same pistol,

When a woman wants to carry “on-body,” I explain that she is going to have to conceal a “lump” somewhere under her clothing where it is not obvious. For most men, the task is much easier than it is for most women!

For that reason, most female gun carriers opt for single-column 9mm or 380Auto pistols. Even five-shot, snubby revolvers are sometimes too “fat.” Only a few women I know carry a double-column pistol.

On the waistband, carrying to the rear of the iliac is not practical for most women, under most circumstances, as the pistol’s muzzle protrudes over the hip, and the grip then digs the kidney. The majority of women thus prefer the “appendix” position.

For both women and men, carrying concealed is a confounded nuisance. Who tell you, “I don’t even know it is there” are conning you, and themselves. You’re going to “know it’s there,” no matter where it is!

Women have another option: off-body carry.

Some don’t like the whole idea, and I understand their point. But, for some women under all circumstances, and all women under some circumstances, off-body carry represents their only viable option.

When opting for off-body carry, one must remember that the purse is a “holster,” so long as it is in contact with your body. The moment you become physically separated from your purse, it becomes a “storage container.” Thus, when you opt for off-body carry, you must develop a competent protective routine that assures your pistol is always “adequately secured.”

I recommend purses and handbags used for off-body carry be specifically designed for that purpose. The pistol needs to be secured within a holster inside the purse, a holster that consistently positions the pistol and protects the trigger and trigger-guard. The pistols needs to be always exactly where you expect to find it!

The best are made by GTM (Gun Tote’n Mamas). Their selection is virtually endless, from fancy and glamorous to plain vanilla, and all sizes and styles you can imagine! I know and work with the owners of GTM. They are devoted to the advancement of our Art, and I am delighted they make these excellent products available, and I am happy to recommend them.

Concealed carry is new to many women, and men. Right now, for most it is an option. In the course of world events, it will soon become a desperate necessity!

Waste no time in getting yourself set-up and trained, no matter your gender!

/John