[MP5]

I'll be getting my CCW soon. Any tips for an experienced shooter new to carrying concealed?

These things I already know will need special attention:

* The Four Rules
* Local law
* Regular practice
* Use of a quality holster

But beyond those? Any sorts of practical things you didn't think of as a first-timer but learned through experience? Thanks.

[SCKimberFan]

You don't say where you are. It is hard to know the laws pertaining to your locality without more info, but here is a start: Google Gun Laws for __________ - whatever your state is. Look for the link that ends in ---state.us or .gov. It may be the state police site or AG's office or something similar.

Holsters are a personal choice, although you want one that has a trigger guard as well as is comfortable to wear. There are good quality leather and kydex holsters. Find the one that fits your gun best.

[MP5]

I already have copies of the relevant statutes and took a course that covered them.

[SCKimberFan]

Read them. Become very familiar with them. You need to know them as well as or better than LE.

[230RN]

Congratulations!

Y'know, it's become so second nature to me that I wouldn't know any "tips" any more... kinda strange, when you think about it.

Like asking about "tips" on wearing your shoes.

I'd be curious about other folks' answers, though.

(And yes, it's usually helpful to know at least the State a querent lives in, either in the profile or directly when asking a question. Just a general idea, not GPS coordinates or anything too specific.)

[pharmer]

Been carrying for 30 years.
1) Buy shirts one size larger than you need. You don't look as sharp but no one looks at a guy with an untucked shirt a little too big. Watch out for sudden wind gusts or reaching for that last bottle of fruit juice on the top shelf at the Piggly-Wiggly.
2) IWB is the way to go. Nothing below the belt line to show.
3) Carry as much gun as possible without being uncomfortable.
4) Behave yourself in public and mind your own business. We ain't "quasi-cops".
Joe

[Doggy Daddy]

One tip: No plinking to pass time in your doctor's waiting room.

[Scanr]

The #1 thing I could say, is keep your gun out of Government buildings. The big boys play for keeps. There is no "I forgot I was wearing it."

[Treo]

Officer, are you detaining me or am I free to go?

I do not consent to any searches.

I do not wish to make any statement W/ out my attorney present.

[Rokyudai]

A high quality belt that is 1 1/2 inch wide. It should fit most belt loops.

Liger makes a good looking, wearable, stiff belt.

http://www.maxpedition.com/store/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=16&gclid=CIv63MWfpJUCFQNbxwodEVCKbA

You will want to consider this as important as a good holster. They should be a team!

Good luck and congrats!
Rok

[Chipperman]

You need to know them as well as or better than LE.


That's typically not difficult. I've had LEO's ask ME what the laws were on multiple occasions.

[Werewolf]

What Pharmer said in post #6. To which I will add:

Make sure before you strap that piece on that you've made the choice that if you ever have to use it you will - use it that is. If you have to pull it to defend your life or the lives of others and don't have the will to pull the trigger then don't carry it. You absolutely MUST know that you can do what is necessary if the time ever comes. That's a personal battle that must be won before you ever holster your gun and enter the public domain with it.

Why must you win that mental battle? Because if the time ever comes (and we all hope it never does) and you haven't internalized the decision to shoot if needed thenwhen the time to take action actually does come there is a very high probability you will hesitate. AND hesitation may get you or those with you killed. If it doesn't then the mental anguish you'll suffer from having to take a human life may be more than you can bear. Be sure, absolutely sure that you can take a human life if necessary or don't strap on that gun. Acquiring what many call a warrior's mindset will not eliminate any post incident anguish but it will definitely help to assuage it.

Once you've won the mental battle and are sure you have the mindset to kill if necessary and aren't just carrying dutch courage on your hip having the license won't do any good until you actually do start carrying. Carry everywhere you can. Get comfortable with it, so comfortable that you don't even realize you're doing it. That doesn't mean you've lapsed into condition white though; it just means the weapon has become a part of you; so much a part of you that if you ever have a lapse and forget the gun and leave the house without it you immediately know something's not right and figure what that is pretty darn quickly.

Getting the license is just the 1st step. Good luck to you.

[JackBurtonJr]

Track down a copy of this book and memorize it...

The Law of Self-Defense: A Guide for the Armed Citizen by Andrew F. Branca

http://www.amazon.com/Law-Self-Defense-Guide-Armed-Citizen/dp/0966511913/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219505606&sr=8-1

[JackBurtonJr]

Decide how "open" you are going to be about letting people know that you carry.

Remember, you may trust your friends... but do you know and trust their friends. And be assured... once you let one person know... sooner or later everyone will know.

We had good friends who's wife was paranoid about guns so I was trying to work with her to help her understand that guns are not evil. Since she highly respects my wife I told her about my sweetheart's CCW.

A few weeks later, while my wife was standing in a bank line the hubby walks in and stands behind her. And in a very loud voice said, "good thing no one is going to rob the bank or you'll have to take your gun out and shoot them."

My sweetie was not amused.

[JackBurtonJr]

"Practice" is for more than shooting.

Lot's of people have been "outed" as a gun carrier because they didn't know how to handle hugging people ranging from the five year old niece to the elder sister-in-the-Lord at church.

Work with someone to develope a good technique that works for you.

[basicblur]

Any tips for an experienced shooter new to carrying concealed?

Not exactly what "experienced" entails in your case, but since you're new to CC might I suggest lots of articles by Massad Ayoob?
I'm sure you'll get a lot of suggestions AFA hardware, but if you've decided to CC it never hurts to know the rules of the game. Lots of Ayoob's articles will cover both the confrontation and legal aftermath.
I know he writes articles for a lot of magazines-only one I get at the time is Combat Handguns, in which he has an article every issue.

I see over at Amazon he's coming out with The Gun Digest Book of Concealed Carry (http://www.amazon.com/Gun-Digest-Book-Concealed-Carry/dp/0896896110/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2EIWVUD0QOYO7&colid=3555EO0XG2DE5)-I plan on getting it as soon as it's released.

[pappy]

If you travel any, make sure you know which states you can and can not carry in. Plus be aware that whatever state you are in, you must obey their laws, not your homes state's. A good reference is:
http://www.handgunlaw.us/

[Chuck Dye]

Watch out for the fidget factor!

If you bought a good holster and belt, the gun is where you put it and isn't going anywhere and you have assured yourself of that in the privacy of your home: quit touching it to be sure.

If you are wearing an adequate cover garment, it is both covering the gun and staying put and you have assured yourself of that at home, too: quit tugging at it! (Note that the observant will see that you only tug one side...)

If holstering on your belt, buy a belt that will stay put, not needing to be hitched up very often. (The sidedness argument applies to belt hoisting, too.)

With good gear and clothing you will soon enough become comfortable with carrying.

[ErikS]

Not really a CCW tip, but I thought I should share anyway:

Make a "cheat sheet" of the laws that apply, just the relevant statutes and the basics of them. Use a computer to type them with size8 font or similar, and the smaller you can make it the better. If you can get it down to credit card size it would be best, then it wont take up much space. Then have it laminated, and stick it in your wallet.

It wont substitute you actually knowing the statutes, but if you ever get in an argument, it's a pretty good thing to take out as reference. I find it's usually a lot more convincing than just citing the statutes from memory. People will think they know more then you, but if you show it written down, even if you made the card yourself, it carries more weight.
Since we cant CCW here, I never used it for that purpose, but I have however used it to write down fishing regulations when I went fishing in places where I knew I might get into an argument.

You can also make another card with useful information, like different numbers, contact persons, lawyers, maybe license numbers, etc...

[yakkingallover]

Be careful when you drop trow, I sent my revolver across the bathroom floor in the beginning, after feeling dumb for lil while I have been very aware of it ever since.

[Ridgerunner665]

4) Behave yourself in public and mind your own business. We ain't "quasi-cops".

That deserved to be said again...VERY good "tip".

And if you are not mentally prepared to use it if the need arises...don't leave the house with it, it will do you more harm than good.

A quality belt is just as important as a quality holster (maybe even more so).

[JackBurtonJr]

I stapled my lawyer's business card to the CCW card as a quick reminder to both myself and any others who might have a need to look at it that there are certain rights that I retain.

[TAB]

Get a full length mirror... see if you can tell your have a weapon. ( make sure to move around alot) Most people do a very poor job of concealing thier weapon.

[DaleA]

ALL of this advice has been very good. You should probably print it out and read it once a week for the first few months you carry. I particularly want to emphasis what JackBurtonJr said:

Remember, you may trust your friends... but do you know and trust their friends. And be assured... once you let one person know... sooner or later everyone will know.

This FOR SURE will happen if you spread it around you're "packing". And by spreading it around I mean telling just one other person.

[pistolero6869]

Thnk you to the member that post the link to that very nice belt. i have been looking for a quality gun belt for a while those look perfect and looks like they will last forever! "Thank You"

[mattk]

I know its been said but a good belt makes a huge difference so does a good quality holster. Nylon holsters or one size fits many guns holsters=no good.

I like the beltman and Wilderness Tactical.

When your carry you have to be on your best behavior. No middle fingers, no shouting matches with other drivers, no bar fights.

Some people love IWB. I hate it. Very uncomfortable for me.

I am a big fan of using IDPA and USPSA as a way to practice drawing and shooting. I know they are both games but they force you to practice drawing and shooting and mag changes and malfunction drills.

[basicblur]

Nylon holsters or one size fits many guns holsters=no good.
Not necessarily true...I use a LOT of Bagmaster (http://www.bagmaster.com/website/cart/shopdisplaycategories.asp?id=50&cat=Holsters) holsters and they hold the gun very snugly, are snug on my belt (I use with belt loops), gives you the option of using the rentention strap or not, and you don't have to worry 'bout the hassle of leather care!
I have a number of his Standard Belt Holster w Mag Pouch (http://www.bagmaster.com/website/cart/shopexd.asp?id=298) models used for SIG P229R, XDSC, PT145, USPC (he does have different sizes for his "universal" holsters).

I realize they're not pricey enough or fancy enough for some, but the darn things just work and require no upkeep. For a pragmatist like me, they're great!

[basicblur]

Don't remember where I got the following (maybe in here?), but no doubt food for thought and possibly discussion?

10 things non-gun people should know about CWP holders.

I was thinking the other day, not about the rabidly anti-gun forces and how to reach them (they are pretty much a lost cause) but about how much could possibly be done if the more or less apathetic non-gun crowd could be reached and educated. So I came up with 10 things I’d like non-gun people to know about most CWP holders.

Tell me what you think and add your own points too if you like.

There’s a lot of misinformation out there these days about people who have chosen to exercise their right to carry a concealed weapon according to the provisions made by state governments.

Here are a few things that CWP holders want people to know about them. Now of course there are exceptions to these general rules but I think you’ll find these things to be true about the vast majority of your legally carrying neighbors.

1. We don’t carry firearms so that we can ignore other basics of personal safety. Every permit holder that I know realizes that almost all dangerous situations can be avoided by vigilance, alertness and by simply making wise choices about where one goes and what one does. We don’t walk down dark alleys. We lock our cars. We don’t get intoxicated in public or hang out around people who do. We park our cars in well-lighted spots and don’t hang out in bad parts of town where we have no business. A gun is our last resort, not our first.

2. We don’t think we are cops, spies, or superheroes. We aren’t hoping that somebody tries to rob the convenience store while we are there so we can shoot a criminal. We don’t take it upon ourselves to get involved in situations that are better handled by a 911 call or by simply standing by and being a good witness. We don’t believe our guns give us any authority over our fellow citizens. We also aren't here to be your unpaid volunteer bodyguard. We'll be glad to tell you where we trained and point you to some good gun shops if you feel you want to take this kind of responsibility for your personal safety. Except for extraordinary circumstances your business is your business, don't expect us to help you out of situations you could have avoided.

3. We are LESS likely, not more likely, to be involved in fights or “rage” incidents than the general public. We recognize, better than many unarmed citizens, that we are responsible for our actions. We take the responsibility of carrying a firearm very seriously. We know that loss of temper, getting into fights or angrily confronting someone after a traffic incident could easily escalate into a dangerous situation. We are more likely to go out of our way to avoid these situations. We don’t pull our guns to settle arguments or to attempt to threaten people into doing what we want.

4. We are responsible gun owners. We secure our firearms so that children and other unauthorized people cannot access them. Most of us have invested in safes, cases and lock boxes as well as other security measures to keep our firearms secure. Many of us belong to various organizations that promote firearms safety and ownership.

5. Guns are not unsafe or unpredictable. Modern firearms are well made precision instruments. Pieces do not simply break off causing them to fire. A hot day will not set them off. Most modern firearms will not discharge even if dropped. There is no reason to be afraid of a gun simply lying on a table or in a holster. It is not going to discharge on its own.

6. We do not believe in the concept of “accidental discharges”. There are no accidental discharges only negligent discharges or intentional discharges. We take responsibility for our actions and have learned how to safely handle firearms. Any case you have ever heard of about a gun “going off” was the result of negligence on somebody’s part. Our recognition of our responsibility and familiarity with firearms makes us among the safest firearms owners in America.

7. Permit holders do their best to keep our concealed weapons exactly that: concealed. However, there are times with an observant fellow citizen may spot our firearm or the print of our firearm under our clothes. We are very cognizant that concerns about terrorism and crime are in the forefront of the minds of most citizens. We also realize that our society does much to condition our fellow citizens to have sometimes-irrational fears about firearms. We would encourage citizens who do happen to spot someone carrying a firearm to use good judgment and clear thinking if they feel to need to take action. Please recognize that it’s very uncommon for a criminal to use a holster. However, if you feel the need to report having spotted a firearm we would ask that you please be specific and detailed in your call to the police or in your report to a store manager or private security. Please don’t generalize or sensationalize what you observed. Comments like “there’s a guy running around in the store with a gun” or even simply “I saw a man with a gun in the store” could possibly cause a misunderstanding as to the true nature of the incident.

8. The fact that we carry a firearm to any given place does not mean that we believe that place to be inherently unsafe. If we believe a place to be unsafe, most of us would avoid that place all together if possible. However, we recognize that trouble could occur at any place and at any time. Criminals do not observe “gun free zones”. If trouble does come, we do not want the only armed persons to be perpetrators. Therefore, we don't usually make a determination about whether or not to carry at any given time based on "how safe" we think a location is.

9. Concealed weapon permit holders are an asset to the public in times of trouble. The fact that most permit holders have the good judgment to stay out of situations better handled by a 911 call or by simply being a careful and vigilant witness does not mean that we would fail to act in situations where the use of deadly force is appropriate to save lives. Review of high profile public shooting incidents shows that when killers are confronted by armed resistance they tend to either break off the attack and flee or choose to end their own life. Lives are saved when resistance engages a violent criminal. Lives are lost when the criminal can do as he pleases.

10. The fact that criminals know that some of the population may be armed at any given time helps to deter violence against all citizens. Permit holders don’t believe that every person should necessarily be armed. We recognize that some people may not be temperamentally suited to carry a firearm or simply may wish not to for personal reasons. However we do encourage you to respect our right to arm ourselves. Even if you choose not to carry a firearm yourself please oppose measures to limit the ability of law-abiding citizens to be armed. As mentioned before: criminals do not observe “gun free zones”. Help by not supporting laws that require citizens to be unarmed victims.

[anarchris]

if you see anyone in violation of the law, just flash your ccw badge and detain him for the police.
They will be very thankfull!:evil::neener:

[un_lucky]

First make sure you know how to pee through your zipper. Next carry whenever you can. I'm talking every were that is legal until you feel funny without it.

[loneviking]

Bathrooms can be tough. There's nothing like dropping your pants and your gun goes 'clank' on the floor. So, what do you do with it? That's going to be a tough choice and it's why I usually use shoulder rigs. Unsnap the rig from the waist belt, and the gun(s) stay on the shoulders. Problem solved.

For an IWB holster, you're probably looking at one to two sizes bigger in pants.

[Huddog]

You will be more aware of your gun and think people notice it more than they do. People generally do not look at your waist band to see if you are carrying or at your pocket and wonder what that buldge is. That being said, just when you think you've finally gotten comfortable with ccw you'll do something that will reveal the fact that you are carrying. Hopefully you'll be the only one going Oh S---. For me it was realizing that with a good belt and holster the gun will stay put and I did not have to adjust it. Find a comfortable place put the gun there and as has been said before leave it alone.