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There are countless articles about concealed carry and how to do it properly. However, the overwhelming majority of those articles focus on concealed carry in everyday life.
While that is definitely critical information, there are far fewer articles that discuss concealed carry by preppers during an actual SHTF or disaster scenario. By SHTF/disaster scenario, this refers to anything from a natural disaster to a terrorist attack to a grid down disaster and so on.
While it's important to conceal carry during normal times so you always have a firearm with which to quickly defend yourself, it's equally–if not more–important to conceal carry during a disaster, and that’s what we’re going to talk about today.
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Here are the top six concealed carry tips for preppers:
Tip #1 – Actually Conceal Carry, Don’t Open Carry
Open carry will, generally speaking, not be the best practice to follow during a disaster. Even though you may think a major disaster is going to signal a ‘Wild West’ where everyone walks around with a gun in a holster on their hip, the truth is most people won’t do that.
In fact, open carrying a firearm is a surefire way to draw unnecessary attention to yourself, both from the police and from the other people around you. That’s not something you want. It's much better to blend in.
Yes, you do want to have a handgun on you for immediate access so you can quickly respond to threats, but you would be wiser to carry that firearm concealed rather than out in the open.
Tip #2 – Invest In High Quality Gear
Here’s something to think about: why would you go with a cheaply made five dollar holster for a five hundred dollar or more handgun?
It makes zero sense. A high-quality holster is going to cost you anywhere from thirty to a hundred bucks on average, but it will be money that is well spent.
Here is a list of the proper gear that you are going to need for concealed carry:
- High quality concealable holster (IWB would be best).
- High Quality Single and Double Magazine Carrier (use one or the other depending on what you feel like).
- High quality belt that can support the weight of your firearm and spare magazines.
Tip #3 – Use A Suitable Firearm For Concealment and Defense
The next thing you need, of course, is a good firearm. That being said, you want to be very selective about the type of firearm you conceal carry for SHTF purposes.
For instance, while you may like to carry a .38 snubnose revolver or a .380 ACP pocket pistol in your everyday life, neither of those options are going to be a good choice for an SHTF disaster.
Why? Because the pistol you choose to defend yourself with during a disaster needs to have many different qualities, such as:
- Having a full firing grip
- Shootable
- Good defensive round
- Higher magazine capacity to defend yourself against multiple attackers
- Completely reliable
Quite arguably the best type of handgun to conceal carry during a disaster scenario will be a mid-sized 9mm pistol such as a Glock 19, Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 Compact, or Walther PPQ.
A mid-sized 9mm pistol is large enough to defend yourself with adequately, while also being small enough to conceal carry.
In addition to your firearm, you would be very wise to carry at least one spare magazine on your person at all times. For one thing, it’s always wise to have a reload on you, and for another, the number one cause of failures in a semi-automatic pistol is not because of the pistol itself but rather because of an issue with the magazine. Therefore, if you do have a jam, swapping out the magazines can be one of the fastest ways for you to solve the problem.
Tip #4 – Be Smart About Your Conceal Carrying Positions (Pros and Cons)
There are a number of different carry positions for you to choose from. In this section, we’ll outline the best carry options and the pros and cons of each:
Inside The Waistband Strong Side Hip
This is where you carry the pistol inside your waistband on the strong hand side of your hip. It’s probably the most common way to conceal carry a pistol. It enables you to quickly draw your firearm and also keeps it out of the way. On the other hand, it may not be very comfortable if you’re packing inside the waistband, and drawing with your weak hand is very difficult. It can also be difficult to draw while sitting down in a vehicle.
Outside The Waistband Strong Side Hip
An outside the waistband holster is typically going to be more comfortable to wear than an inside the waistband one. But on the reverse side of things, it will also be much more difficult for you to conceal the pistol, especially if you’re only wearing a T-shirt.
Inside The Waistband Appendix Carry
Appendix carry is where you conceal carry inside the waistband in the front of your hip rather than to the side. This mode of carry is not the most comfortable and certainly is not as comfortable as strong side hip. But it also enables you to draw the firearm with either hand, and it’s also easier to draw when sitting or kneeling down as well.
Shoulder Holsters
The two biggest downsides to shoulder holsters are 1) They really weigh your shoulders down after prolonged use, and 2) You also need a jacket or coat of some kind in order to conceal them. But on the other hand, a shoulder rig enables you to comfortably carry both a pistol and one or two spare magazines, and everything is kept completely out of the way.
Ankle Carry
Ankle carry is going to take some time to get used to comfort wise. It also only permits you to carry a smaller sized handgun, and a mid-sized gun such as Glock 19 may not be so comfortably carried in an ankle holster. You also have to kneel down to draw from an ankle holster, which is another big turn off. In all honesty, ankle carry is a much better choice for backup guns rather than for a primary.
Small Of Back Holsters
Small of back holsters are definitely not very comfortable to wear when you’re sitting down, and they can be very awkward to draw from as well. That’s also not to mention the fact that you’re going to run into issues if you fall down against your back or get thrown against a hard wall, in which case your spine is going to be a major risk. Overall, small of back holsters are not the best choice for concealment position.
Tip #5 – Consider A Backup Gun
Is packing a backup or secondary concealed firearm a wise move? It depends. It’s already a major hassle to carry just one gun, and carrying a second gun can be even more uncomfortable.
That being said, a major grid down disaster is going to be a very dangerous time as well, and there’s no denying that carrying a backup gun gives you a number of unique advantages.
For instance, carrying a backup gun means you can draw a second gun faster than you can reload your first (depending on where you opt to carry it), that you can arm somebody else around you who isn’t armed already, and that you can still defend yourself with a gun even if your first one malfunctions or is knocked away.
Tip #6 – Follow The Laws
Last but not least, you still need to make sure you follow all concealed carry laws that are relevant to your state and/or city. The authorities are not going to go away during a major disaster, and they may even become more prominent and more aggressive.
This is yet another reason why it will be wise to conceal carry over open carrying so you don’t draw any unnecessary attention to yourself. But at the same time, you still need to make sure you abide by all laws that apply to you and that relate to concealed carry. Otherwise, if you are caught by the authorities not following the law, you’re going to get in serious trouble.
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