An important consideration to concealed carry is what size firearm should you carry? There are a lot of factors that will dictate the answer to that question. How much or how little clothing do you wear on a daily basis for your job or for leisure? Are you comfortable and confident carrying AIWB (Appendix Inside-the-Waistband), or will you need to carry in a different position/orientation? How many rounds do you hope to carry? What other tools or implements will you be carrying that also take up space?... As you can see, if you give this sincere thought, there is a lot to consider. I will explain all of my personal preferences and maybe that will give you some assistance in making a better decision for yourself.
If you find yourself caught in this paradigm of wanting to carry a little gun (little guns are easier to carry, after all) yet you want as much capacity as humanly possible… then you need to take a good, hard look at the “micro-compact” category of handguns. That sounds like a made-up buzzword – micro-compact – and it completely was until 2 years ago. Now this category is comprised of numerous heavy-hitters: the Springfield Armory Hellcat, SIG Sauer P365, Ruger Max-9, Taurus GX4, Kimber R7 Mako, and Smith & Wesson M&P9 M2.0 Shield Plus. All of these diminutive pistols are small on size and huge on capacity varying from 10+1 to sometimes 15+1 in small, tote-able packages. I own both the Hellcat and P365, but if you like any of those aforementioned pistols you honestly could not go wrong. As long as you are comfortable in doing so, carrying AIWB is the best way to conceal your sidearm yet have it readily available as well. If that way isn’t feasible or comfortable though explore other options like ankle, shoulder, or small-of-the-back carry because in the end it needs to suit you.
Some other tools I carry on me daily are a good folding knife, high-lumen flashlight, and an extra magazine. A good knife can be valuable for opening packages, prepping lunch, or to be used as a tertiary defense tool (primary being your firearm). An extra magazine is valuable because while we all hope we never need to use our firearms we also never want to run out of ammo either. Finally, I carry a high-lumen flashlight (Surefire Stiletto Pro – 1,000 lumens) because when it comes to self-defense “we need something between a harsh word and a gun.” What is meant by this is even as civilians we need to have an escalation of force. If a creepy guy approaches you in a parking lot you can shine them with a bright flashlight, address their approach from afar, and both metaphorically and literally, expose what their intentions might be and cause them to reevaluate their next moves. Be verbal, next use a flashlight, if a threat on your life is made deploy a firearm, and if the exposure of your weapon does not stop a threat of deadly force you may need to reciprocate deadly force to protect yourself.
So, when you make the jump to conceal carry there are a lot of tools you can have at your disposal from your spoken word, a flashlight, a knife, and even a firearm. Also, it is valuable to be aware of your surroundings, stay in well-lit areas, and to travel with friends (pack mentality) when possible.
Until next time, continually check out our blog, join our newsletter, and watch the website for new and exciting updates! As always, let us know all of your thoughts in the Comments below. We love it when you participate in our articles and keep the conversation going!
