Printing Paranoia.

Texas has (quite ironically) pretty strict rules against open carry, and there are stories told around the gun counter that if the wind blows your shirt open and exposes the gun you'll be hustled off to 40 years of hard labor or summarily executed.

Fortunately, that seems to be a bit of hyperbole and you have to be pretty deliberately openly displaying the gun to get in actual trouble. (But seriously...call your reps and get your open-carry situation fixed, ok? That's a real embarrassment for the great state of Texas to endure!)

For some folks, it takes a lot to really get over their social conditioning that carrying a gun is somehow an anti-social, dangerous, and illegal thing to do, and their fear that anyone who ever notices it will bring about the end of life as we know it.

Time fixes this for almost everyone. Carrying the gun daily, or as often as possible, wears down that blush of unfamiliarity and helps the new 'toter to relax.

Always remind your friend that the more he messes with it, the more likely someone IS to notice it, so get him to keep his hands off of it.

I was in line at a convenience store with a friend. We were both carrying. His jacket had ridden up over his .45 and caught on it. The NY State Trooper in line behind him pulled his jacket down for him.

I thought that was a pretty gracious move. Could've arrested him for brandishing, but never said a word.

As another poster said, it comes with experience and comfort level. Once you realize no one is paying attention to you, you get over it. Encourage your friend to carry as much as feasible, and he'll become less worried.

Could've arrested him for brandishing...

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Really? New York's law considers an inadvertently exposed gun in a holster to be brandishing?

So far I have not been stopped for printing but I do usually pocket carry a J-frame. I Don't stress over it.

I have done some looking into NYS law, they do not have a imprinting=brandishing law. I think they follow most states where you have a hand on the weapon out a holster to count as brandishing.

I used to think I was printing quiet a bit when I first started carrying. To help I would quiz my friends who knew I carried. I would ask them to point out the firearm on my body. I would throw in shoulder holsters, pocket holsters, different IWB holsters and unarmed (to act as control to see if they were just guessing). I would say 9/10 they could not see it or guessed the wrong spot. Made me feel more confident about how conceal my weapon.

Time fixes this for almost everyone. Carrying the gun daily, or as often as possible, wears down that blush of unfamiliarity and helps the new 'toter to relax.

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Agreed.

I was overly worried about printing when I first started carrying many years ago.

That phase lasted for a period of about three to six months then I realized it was mostly all in my head after getting the holster, clothing, etc worked out.

Averageman said:

I have a friend who regularly worries about "printing". He isn't an undercover cop, and he has a C.C.
I really could care less, the weapon is covered and meets the legal requirements.
So why do some folks worry so much about this?

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What are your state laws with respect to this?

In South Carolina, "concealed" means just that..."concealed". If your weapon is obviously not "concealed" for whatever reason, then you may, indeed, run afoul of the law. South Carolina is NOT an open carry state.

The officer who taught the class I attended was very clear about that and stressed the importance of attending whatever aspects are required to affect concealment. Wearing IWB is great, for example, but not wearing an appropriate shirt, jacket, sweater, or whatever which would hang down low enough and be opaque/thick enough to conceal the visible signs of the weapon was wrong.


In some states, this is not such a concern.


When in doubt, remember that the key word in "concealed weapon" is "concealed".

Even if I pay particular attention, which I sometimes do, I rarely see anyone printing, and that can't be because nobody's carrying.

As above, the more one carries concealed, the less one feels like the whole world can tell. Even open carry actually draws little attention.

Being self conscious will resolve when he realizes most people around him are preoccupied with their own life, or texting, or enjoying a good buzz, or .......

I always carry a cell phone and leatherman on the belt too, they both print more than the pistol that is inside the belt. In all of my years, even before cell phones or legal conceled carry in TX, I have never had anyone ask if the bulge under my shirt was a knife or a gun. So from my experience it's not an issue.

Really? New York's law considers an inadvertently exposed gun in a holster to be brandishing?

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It does, but I doubt many LEO's would do enforce it if it was an obvious accident, like my friend experienced.

As to the other poster, in NY printing isn't the same as your shirt/coat riding up, and I'm sure wouldn't be an issue either.

Someone around here coined the term 'indifferent carry' which I use a lot now. It means sorta-concealed or somewhat concealed. In other words, if someone notices my partially concealed sidearm, I don't care. My CPL allows me to carry concealed, it doesn't require it.

I don't worry about printing or even showing, but I'd rather not let everyone and their mother know I'm carrying either.

Today, for example, I wore my OWB holster with my SR9c under a blazer to church. I lead worship, so, putting my guitar on, on stage, in front of everyone could expose what I have on. I don't worry much about "printing" but I am concerned about fully exposing my firearm in this situation. The other side of this is that you can draw as much attention by constantly correcting as if you just left things alone. In my case, I just turn to one side while I strap my guitar on. I make sure that when I get up from the pew that my hand brushes the bottom of my coat to insure it isn't hung, etc.


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your cell phone probably ''prints'' more.

I actually got made one day by the old lady who was the greeter at Walmart. I had been wearing a jacket and carrying S.O.B. while shopping with my wife on Black Friday (or should I say "carrying bags and watching for thugs"). It was getting too hot in the stores, so when we got to Walmart, I left the jacket in the car.

After a few minutes walking down the aisle, I got a little paranoid that the shirt wasn't working well. I was walking back to the car to retrieve my jacket and deal with the heat, when the greeter at the front door asked what I had under my shirt. After a few awkward moments, she sent me on my way, not caring a bit about the gun.

I'm sure she was in a heightened state of awareness with it being Black Friday, but, moral of the story: wear appropriate clothing (we all know that), and just because you feel paranoid about it doesn't mean someone else can't tell there's SOMETHING there.

Use your best judgement.

While printing or inadvertent display is no longer a legal issue in my state, it does defeat much of the purpose of concealed carry. In my case it opens me up to awkward situations with friends & family, as well as strangers. As I'm not a large guy and my carry gun is somewhat bulky, it takes some forethought and judicious selection of clothing to ensure it stays concealed. I also pay more attention to how I move, though I do try to avoid adjusting my clothing too often. I think I'm successful in my efforts to conceal most of the time, but I have been made on at least one occasion, which I must admit does bother me.

-Stan-

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it. I've open carried through walmarts and gas stations and other public areas, and most people don't even notice a gun in plain view, as other posters have said.

I've thought about this many times. Open carry is allowed in my state, but I try hard to conceal and keep it concealed. I tried to carry a 1911 in a OWB paddle holster before but the muzzle always hangs out the bottom of my shirt. I always worry about it but there probably is no good reason to worry.

I fidget with my shirt a lot too. I do it whether I'm carrying or not. Something about not wanting to show butt crack when I stand up and all. I try not to do it when I'm carrying but it's more of a habit than a conscience effort to remain concealed.

I've been carrying for about 4 years now and I've never had anyone say anything to me about printing or anyone who knew I was carrying. The very first time I carried my gun concealed I walked into a store in a mall and I must have been fidgeting with my shirt. I walk up to the counter to pay and a young girl (early 20's) was the cashier and out of nowhere she started talking about concealed carry. She went on about how she loves to carry and she wishes they'd let her carry at work, etc. She had no idea I was a gun guy so all I can figure is that she "made" me or I was fooling with my shirt too much.

I say let it ride and tell your friend not to sweat it. As others have said, that nervous feeling will wear off.

I started carrying about 2 months ago. I carry a PPS IWB and don't even think about it any more. The first few weeks I was pretty paranoid (and probably looked pretty vain as I spent a lot of time in front of mirrors). Now I don't really even think about it. The biggest thing to get over was constantly checking to make sure it was still there - as though it would go anywhere on its own...

Invest in a good holster, dress appropriately and then just forget about it.


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Averageman said:

I have a friend who regularly worries about "printing". He isn't an undercover cop, and he has a C.C.
I really could care less, the weapon is covered and meets the legal requirements.
So why do some folks worry so much about this?

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Because they have to have -something- to worry about to make them happy. If there isn't anything "real" around, they'll just make something up.

As a Texas native I use to sweat that same thing when I first started carrying.
I even have a pair of jeans that have faded around the right pocket in the pattern of my holstered pistol and have walked around several police officers drinking coffee in the local store numerous times and they have never even batted an eye at me.
Much ado about nothing and probably after a while your friend will lighten up and quit worrying about a problem that does not exist.