Concealed Carry Corner: Stop Carrying So Much Junk
Welcome back to another edition of Concealed Carry Corner. Last week, we took a look at different personalities in the gun community and what they carry. If you happened to miss that article, be sure to click the link here to check it out. This week, I wanted to look at how some people carry way too much when carrying a concealed firearm. It's not hard to keep accumulating items until it just becomes overwhelming and you end up not carrying at all, which is exactly what you don't want. The key to success is carrying just enough to make it through the day without having any of the extra clutter. Let's take a closer look at how to stop carrying so much junk.
Less Is More
When it comes to carrying a concealed handgun, less truly is more and if you carry more than the bare minimum, it's wasted energy in most cases. I’ve certainly been there where I was carrying two flashlights along with a small utility knife as well as a larger knife for self-defense on top of my main carry gun and extra magazines. I felt like my pants were a boat anchor and it just became a lot to the point where I wanted to leave the house without anything. The simple truth is, you need a small handgun to start out with basically nothing else besides a good holster.
People love to add on small trinkets here and there to be more prepared for the classic “what if” things happen and you need more ammo”. So many people think you need a full LEO loadout to leave your house. There are countless items that are sold to concealed carriers as items you absolutely need to carry and it's simply not true. Modern pistols have more capacity than they did in the past, so the idea that you need multiple magazines is just not true. You can certainly carry multiple items in your vehicle with a tier-based system, but not everything should end up on your body. Everything non-essential or a backup item should either go into a backpack or into your vehicle rather than being shoved in your pockets or somewhere on your body.
Common Mistakes
The number one mistake I see is when people shove their pockets full of extra magazines, knives and lights or less-than-lethal tools. I cannot tell you how many people I have met who carry pepper spray, a collapsible baton, multiple spare magazines and multiple knives with a weapon-mounted light, a handheld defensive light, as well as an everyday light. There's such a low chance you'll ever need to draw your firearm for self-defense and if you do, the average threat will take 1-3 rounds before the confrontation ends.
This idea that you will need multiple reloads is simply not true and mostly from the media and what movies have created in the community about what defensive situations are like. The reality is, if you find yourself in a self-defense situation, you won't be in this know down drag out fight where you shoot multiple magazines and end up in a knife fight. It's just statistically not probable. It's always a good idea to look at the statistics and build your carry loadout off what statistically happens rather than what you may think will happen because you’ve watched movies and see how shootouts are portrayed in films.
The KISS Method
One of my favorite methods when it comes to carrying is to “Keep It Stupid Simple”. This allows you to only carry what you absolutely need to make it through the day. Personally, I will usually carry a Glock 48, wallet, keys, phone, and sometimes a utility knife and that's it. Most days, there's no spare magazine or even flashlight of any kind because I’m home well before it gets dark out. There's nothing wrong with changing your carry loadout if you plan on going out at night and if you decide to have a weapon-mounted light and a handheld light, I won't question that even slightly.
If you're leaving at 7:30 AM when the sun is coming up, there's no reason to have a handheld light and a weapon light. Situation will often dictate your gear sometimes and there's nothing wrong with that. The important takeaway from all this is to carry what is needed and if it's not needed, then it can either go into your backpack as a maybe item or in the vehicle, but not on your person. I like to separate items into absolutely must-have items and maybe items.
Overall Thoughts
Coming from experience, I can absolutely understand how easy it is to start carrying more and more until it becomes overwhelming. Carrying with the bare minimum makes life so much easier and keeps fatigue away for far longer than loading yourself up with items you may need. If you absolutely need to carry extra items, I encourage you to carry a bag or keep them in your vehicle close by so you have access to them if needed, but they aren't dragging you down all day by staying on your person.
What do you guys carry that is an absolute must to you? Let me know in the comments below. If you have questions about carrying or firearms in general, feel free to shoot me a message @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there and we will see you next week for another edition of Concealed Carry Corner.
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I'm an avid shooter and love educating whether it's at my job or in the shooting community. I'm an average joe that really loves talking with other people about firearms and other passions.I'm active on Instagram on @fridgeoperator.
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I’ve always got a multitool, a utility white light, a phone, a watch, and my wallet on my person. Usually also a small pill container with pepto and a dedicated pocket knife, because they’re more comfortable to cut with than the things with pliers. All of them get used daily. Full med kit in my car, which I often dip into (and replenish) for a coworker with a scrape or a cold. The pistol set up varies based on the situation. If I can dress casually and it’s not sweltering, I have an RXM with a light and optic. If I have to wear lighter or tighter clothes, I drop down to a P365 with a light and optic or a P938 in a pocket holster when I absolutely can’t get away with more. No spare mags, but I know people that narrowly avoided mass shooters with rifles. My carry and my training takes into account the unlikely possibility that I’m facing a guy with a long gun in a poorly lit area like a parking garage or a candle lit service at church. I try to make the effort to carry the most effective pistol for that most of the time.
" You have no idea what you are talking about. The spare magazine is not for an extended gun fight, it for a malfunction. You clear, or attempt to first, if not drop and change. If you, like I do, shoot action pistol (IDPA, USPSA, GPA, 2 Gun, etc) you will have mag issues and learn to drop and change quickly. A single spare magazine is not a deal breaker."
I have shot IDPA for DECADES. Let me put this in terms you can understand. Imagine a course of fire for IDPA that is EXACTLY (and ONLY) 5-7 SECONDS. In that time, I want you to.: 1. Recognize the threat 2. Pull your gun 3. fire until you have a stoppage (stoppage? are you using a Hi Point? If you are THAT worried about your gun failing within the first 3 rounds - you really need a better gun) 3. Tap rack roll to get your POS gun back into the fight and THEN get meaningful shots on target.
You see, the average (civilian CCW) gunfight is about 5-7 SECOND long. Again, you WILL NOT have time to do all of those things before the gunfight is over (for you, him or both of you). I promise. You are carrying around a big heavy lump of metal that statistically you will never ever be able to use. (even if you WANT to).