"Bulge carrying" is the best of both worlds

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Ken65,

I've been thinking the same thing lately. I've also started bulge carrying. I've never had any indication that anybody has noticed it.

I suppose that if crooks are checking me out, looking for their next victim, they might notice it, and would most likely choose to leave me alone. And I suppose people that carry concealed weapons could probably guess what that bulge is, but I don't have any problem with them knowing I'm carrying.

It also makes it easier to carry my most effective gun in my fastest holster.

Someday I may try open carry. I sometimes think that even then, most people wouldn't even notice I was carrying or have a problem with it if they did. But I'm thinking it would draw more attention to me than I'd like.
 
Like so many of these discussions, things are getting a little silly here. Whether you carry openly or not depends on what's legal in your area and what your own preferences are for carrying in a particular environment. That can change as often as you change your clothes or switch from day to night or travel from the city to the woods, etc. It has little to do with who's got the 'stones' to carry openly. From my perspective -- which is one of both surviving for most of my adult life in one of the country's largest urban environments as well as frequently traveling to some of the most remote parts of the U.S. -- I'll stick with concealed carry most of the time (unless hunting) because it gives me a TACTICAL ADVANTAGE in the majority of scenarios under which I would be forced to use a firearm in self defense. Think, people, think...
 
I think my chances of stopping a bad guy are a lot higher if he thinks that I'm not carrying.
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I guess that is true. But it is probably also true that your chances of being attacked in the first place are higher if he thinks that you're not armed.
 
Model of 1905 its not about having the stones its about how uncomfortable one may be in a public setting with a live firearm hanging in the open ALOT of people will become nervous around an openly carried firearm some may even call the police...

im not saying you will get arrested just that now you have to deal with a police officer comeing to whatever location your at and holding your day up just because you decided to open carry

now im glad that you have an extencively beautiful tattooed arm but that too just adds to the "creep" factor for a good chunk of the populous if you wish to open carry im proud of you thats a great thing to stand up for your rights i personaly just do not wish every day to be a hastle with police officers that dont know the laws of my state (Delaware) and citizens that are paranoid that i may be a dangerous individual

the outlook from others is very important in social environments
i personaly know that my tattoos are not of superior quality and i have had police officers stop and talk to me just because some of my tattoos look like they may have gang related meanings now imagin that same scenerio with a gun on my hip

a concerned officer not knowing fully what some tattoos mean sees me on the street with a gun on my hip the conversation goes from "excuse me sir can i speak with you for a moment" to "hey you dont move" and alot more of mine and the officers time waisted not to mention the public embaressment

as for you sd comment id have to call BS on that there are THOUSANDS of people that do not carry outside of there home that are very willing and ready to defend themselves
firearms may be one of the answers to sd but it isnt the only answer think about those that use knives pepper spray tasers stun guns and there bare hands not every protecting act is a shooting situation a gun is a tool your mind and training are your weapon ALWAYS
 
I'm from Texas, so no open carry.

If we did have open carry, I wouldn't do it (at least not if I could avoid it).

It is my personal, humble opinion that visibly carrying a gun paints a big target on your back. I think my chances of stopping a bad guy are a lot higher if he thinks that I'm not carrying.

Just my 2 cents.
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I agree.
If someone comes into a place with the intention of shooting it up, it would be to your advantage for him to not know that you are armed. I suppose that some may argue that it is a deterrent... but if he got the drop on you... you're done.
 
Try the legal sub-forum, and perhaps a knife.
I carry a knife. But knife-fighting is something I'm not so keen on.

I'm not trained, and this website makes a good case.
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I think he meant that the laws for carrying tasers are generally together with the laws for carrying knives. If you look up the knife laws, you'll be able to see if and how your state addresses tasers (and brass knuckles, and numchucks).

I think we allow kids to carry tasers with parental permission, and with the caveat that aggressive use of it is a felony (regardless of age).
 
Thank god!
I thought you were gonna say you got one of them jock-strap Thunderware holsters.
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I don't care if he has a Thunderwear thing, I just don't want to see pic a :what:
 
It sounds like the worst of both worlds. You get a slower draw than OC, yet still have the possible "shoot that dude first" problem depending on how telling your bulge is.
Of course while I type this I have a full size 1911 on my hip in an OWB holster under a GOA t-shirt...:eek:
 

You know, a man has to know his own limitations. I don't concern myself with what some LEO may or may not think about the fact that I am open carrying. I have rarely experienced this but when I have, I have a very simple response to over zealous LEO.

"Officer, am I being detained?" Depending on his reply, my next response will be...
"Thanks, have a nice day." or "Under suspicion of what crime?"

You see, it is legal to open carry in my state. There is no exception to the law regarding tatoos. If I feel my rights are being violated, I will take and deal with the circumstances as they arise. What I will NOT do is allow others' fears dictate to me how I go about my daily life in a peaceful, law abiding manner. What you do is of no concern of mine. If you don't have the stones to open carry because you don't want any interruptions to your schedule then by all means don't open carry. Maybe you and the others that you are worried about scaring would feel better if you bought and wore a polo shirt with "SECURITY" in big yellow letters. Now there is some funny stuff, huh? People think it's OK if you got one of those shirts, huh?
 
OK I'll admit it, I don't have the stones to open carry. There are benefits to open carrying though. I am coining the phrase "bulge carrying" to refer to intentionally carrying with a bulge on the hip which is OBVIOUSLY a firearm, but which is still legally concealed. I didn't arrive at this intentionally. I happen to carry on my hip sometimes, and several female relatives give me constant grief for the hip bulge. Since I just cannot bring myself to full blown open carry, and after bulge carrying a few times, I lost my shame of it. So many people flip out at open carrying that this essentially prevents that (99% of the time) while still essentially carrying openly. My shirt becomes a type of veil that keeps the emotional types from flipping out. Carrying at the small of my back is ultra uncomfortable. Carrying inside the waistband is ultra uncomfortable, plus it requires the use of larger pants. I guess I've just gotten too old and too tired of completely catering to the fears of others. I would prefer to carry fully openly, but I've had to accept that there are just too many people who view it as sticking your gun in their face and I cannot change their perception, SO, I believe that "bulge carrying" solves this.
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Then shouldn't you be open carrying? :confused:
 
have a full sleeve tatoo on my left arm . It is a work of art by a master artist. It cost me over $6000 and over two years to complete.
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okay, you set the bait and I bit....I gotta see this tattoo or I won't be able sleep tonight. I love full sleeve tattoos.
 
1905 i agree with everything your saying for you

ive walked both sides of this fence seeing as this IS an open carry state ive done it alot before my CCDW and i got alot more attention than i wanted

i guess it falls down to two different walks of life

LOUD and proud

or

speak softly and carry a big stick
 
and I can imagine a number of possible reactions, none of them pleasant, when the middle aged soccer mom at the mall catches sight of a gun.
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Boy, you got that right. You should have seen the furor by the left wing liberal loons about the carry in restaurants bill and the parks bill.

I think a lot of the open carry question hinges on where you live. In the more rural, gun friendly areas you're far less likely to get hassled than in an area inundated with liberals like the guy above in Delaware. There are parts of TN here I wouldn't think twice about open carrying. But in Nashville, or Murfreesboro you can expect the cops to get the "man with a gun" call.
 
I think it's about personal choice, not about "stones." You want to open carry, be my guest. Don't draw any conclusions about my courage, preparedness, focus, or masculinity if I choose a different option.
 
I don't carry open because I don't want to let a perspective scumbag know who to bust a cap at first. However O.C is legal here in Georgia I have only seen two people actually doing it, and they looked like the Georgia equilivent of a Texas BBQ or Church gun. My 5 inch 1911 government sits IWB at 4 oclock and on a few occasions my shirt has hung over the grip. No biggie!!! If somebody sees it, I don't care. However when I cross the border to the semi liberal Tallahassee, Florida I don't carry my 1911 unless it is covered by winter clothing. I usually have my Charter Arms undercover loaded with dead soft lead 158gr hollow points in the front right pocket of some cargo shorts or something... Usually forget it is there....
 
Michigan is a open carry state and a shall issue CPL. I have my CPL but in this warm weather I often open carry. I would not care if it was tucked under a Tee shirt and it buldged out. It is still concealed carry in Michigan.
That is not to say some local police officer may not harrass you. Know your own state rules and follow them.

3776151738_bbec26964f.jpg

A Judge near Detroit recently said that this was concealed.

3775362213_f5435a3d28_o.jpg
 
In Texas, no printing means no printing. If a citizen sees your piece or "bulge" and decides to make an issue of it, you're in trouble unless the cop is very understanding. And considering what we went through with our district attorneys when the legislature modified the "travel" law (a number of them ignored it and told officers in their counties to make arrests anyway), I wouldn't want to count on that.

I wish Texas would allow open carry. I figure it improves my chances of not having to mess with a bad guy at all.
 
In Texas, no printing means no printing. If a citizen sees your piece or "bulge" and decides to make an issue of it, you're in trouble unless the cop is very understanding.
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Texas law doesn't say anything about "printing" or anything like that at all. Texas law just says:

Sec. 46.035. UNLAWFUL CARRYING OF HANDGUN BY LICENSE HOLDER.

(a) A license holder commits an offense if the license holder carries a handgun on or about the license holder's person under the authority of Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code, and intentionally fails to conceal the handgun.
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Accidental exposure, or simply having an bulge under clothing are not crimes. Intent to show a weapon would be part of the question. You may very well run into some cop with a bad attitude but I think you will have a hard time finding examples of carriers charged with this. It just doesn't come up that often.
 
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Texas law doesn't say anything about "printing" or anything like that at all.
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...intentionally fails to conceal the handgun.
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Is it possible that it could be decided that a handgun that is obviously and constantly "printing" is not concealed? From there they could try to make an argument that because you are allowing it to obviously and constantly "print" that you are (by their interpretation) intentionally failing to conceal the handgun.

Just curious, I guess after reading some of brady's crap today my mind is used to underhanded misinterpretations and intentionally twisting words.:rolleyes:
 
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