If you’ve recently decided to concealed carry, there are some essential must haves you’ll need to know about.

1. Buy the Right Weapon

No one weapon—however perfect it seems—is the right gun for everyone.

Choosing your concealed carry weapon is a balance between being able to keep it concealed easily and having a weapon that offers reliable protection.

For your handgun to be hidden discretely on your body you need to consider a firearm with a barrel short enough that it is unlikely to protrude. The grip cannot be so long or wide that it bulges beneath your clothing. After all, the object is to conceal your weapon.         

Next, you need to consider what you will be wearing to conceal your weapon. In many cases, you won’t have the option for loose fitting clothes and relaxed waistbands that would accommodate concealed carry. Your work and leisure clothes and what you will wear on dressy occasions must be considered if you intend to everyday carry.

Not having a weapon that is too bulky for concealment may also rule out double-stack magazines. If you are into accessories, your everyday carry weapon can’t have those extras that tend to make them bulkier.

Today the choices for concealed carry are mindboggling. Some handguns are specifically engineered for concealed carry. Some manufacturers carry models deliberately designed for concealed carry. These tend to be smooth and streamlined. 

Longer barrels provide more range and accuracy. However, they are just too hard to conceal. Double-stack magazines have the convenient option of providing more shots without reloading. However, they are just too bulky for realistic concealed carry. 

When you are shopping for a concealed carry firearm, look for a smaller weapon and magazine. But, don’t select one that is so small that it is ineffective. After all, you are buying your weapon to protect yourself. Look for a handgun with a slim grip and a shorter barrel. The caliber should be small to medium. The gun should be smooth, light, and easy to draw.

 Your search is one of trial and error. Select the four or five that most meet your needs and wants. Ask to dry fire these. Try them in a holster that fits your gun. 

⇒How To Select The Right Concealed Carry Weapon

2. Select the Best Holster

This is as  important as choosing the right weapon. Choose a holster that is comfortable and fits your handgun snuggly but not too snugly. Your  firearm in the right holster should never be in danger of falling out. However, the holster should not be so snug that is makes drawing your gun difficult, slow, or jerky. The time lost in fighting your weapon out of a too-snug holster might well prove fatal.

Too many first-time concealed carry owners spend a significant amount on their firearm and then buy a cheap holster that is uncomfortable to wear or loses  its shape and  doesn’t hold their gun  snugly.

How do you find the right holster? Go to a trusted gun shop and try them out with your weapon. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice. 

Finding a comfortable holster also involves deciding how you are  going to carry your weapon. Common choices are: inside the waistband, outside the waist band, in a shoulder harness, at the small of your back or at your hip. Try various positions and choose the one you are most comfortable with and the one that best conceals your weapon. Keep in mind, you want a holster and position that allow you fast, smooth, easy access to your handgun.

⇒Benefits of an Active Retention Holster

3. Practice Concealed Carry at Home

One of the most important habits to develop when you concealed carry is a level of comfort with wearing your gun, holster, and gun belt. This comes only with practice. Wear your  gear  around the  house until you  hardly  even  know  it is there. Putting on your firearm and holster first thing in the morning should feel as natural as  pulling on your socks.

Until you reach this level of comfort, you should not be carrying in public. You need to get past  the stage where you are patting  your weapon to make sure it is in place. If you’re still nervous that your firearm  might drop out onto the floor when you sit or stand, you need to keep practising your concealed carry at  home.

You need to get so comfortable with wearing your concealed carry that you don’t need to check on it by doing what we call printing. Printing means patting or feeling for your weapon to make sure it hasn’t moved or fallen out. This habit is a dead giveaway that you are carrying a weapon. Remember, the whole intent of concealed carry is that it is concealed.

What you’re aiming for with this practice is  a sense of predictability. Your gun is always going to  be in the same place. It is always going to come out of the  holster the same way. Your hand has developed muscle memory with all your practice so you  can draw smoothly  and quickly without thinking.

4. Awareness of Surroundings

Effective concealed carry require practicing situational awareness. You need to be hyper aware of the people and places around you. For example, know escape routes. Be aware of physical threats around you. Note people, patterns, and objects that seem out of place. Good situational awareness skills have  saved many lives.

Those who practice situational awareness avoid possible traps. They stay away from unsafe areas and avoid dangerous habits like drinking or being aggressive.

5. Knowledge of Local and State Gun Laws

Effective  concealed carriers have a concealed carry permit that is valid for the state in which they are carrying. They know local, state, and federal gun laws. They obey the concealed carry regulations. Not knowing the local laws is no excuse. Lack  of knowledge is not the sign of an effective concealed carrier.

⇒ Find Your State Laws Here.

6. Follow Rules of Gun Safety

Gun safety rules were created to protect those who concealed carry from making mistakes.  Effective concealed carriers adhere to these rules. Following these rules consistently protects those around them. 

• Keep your gun loaded. Now this may seem dangerous but an unloaded gun is not a weapon. It’s decoration. Unloaded guns do not protect you. So, keep a bullet in the chamber so your weapon is always ready.
• Never put your finger on the trigger of your weapon until you intend are  ready to shoot. This rule avoids accidental discharges.
• Know what’s in front of and behind your target. Safety is priority one. Be sure you know what is beyond your target before you shoot. Not being aware of your situation is not responsible shooting.
• Imagine a laser beam coming from the muzzle of your weapon. Everything in the path of that laser beam is in danger when you shoot. Keep this in mind when you aim.

If you don’t have your concealed carry, get started today.