Concealed Carry Corner: Top Stereotypes of Carrying
Welcome back to another edition of Concealed Carry Corner. Last week, we talked about the social side of carrying a concealed handgun. We find ourselves in tough situations and I went over a number of common issues. If you happened to miss that article, be sure to click the link here to check it out. This week, I want to take a look at some of the stereotypical personalities in the carry community that I have run into throughout my time. This is a break from the more serious articles, a way to enjoy the different groups of individuals out there. Let's take a closer look at the top stereotypes of carrying.
The Everyday Joe
The easiest person to cover on this list has to be the guy just carrying a handgun for self-defense and that's it. They aren't carrying a ton of extra accessories or attachments on their guns. Typically, these guys will have something like a Glock 19 or Glock 43X to keep it simple with an IWB (Inside The Waistband) holster. They may or may not be into gun culture and just want a solid, reliable handgun to protect their loved ones with. They may use this as both a concealed carry handgun and a home defense option.
I’ve met plenty of people exactly like this who aren't deep into the firearms community but want to have an option to protect themselves and their family. If I had to say what the majority of people who carry a gun would fall into, I would say it would be this category. The vast majority of people who would fit into this category are just ordinary people who decided to carry a regular, reliable firearm with no crazy attachments or wild holsters. If you are in this group, keep being awesome and you are one of the good people that make the concealed carry community respectable.
Tactical Timmy
If you are into guns and started carrying in the last few years, there's a good chance you have either become Tactical Timmy or you’re morphing into a Tactical Timmy. Early on, I was certainly there, adding a red dot optic, weapon-mounted flashlight on a full-size modern firearm. Having everything and the kitchen sink in order to make their carry gun “unique” or “custom” is a common trend to work through.
I remember when I was carrying a full-size handgun, two knives and a handheld light. I wanted to have a regular everyday utility knife as well as a good fighting knife. I had spare magazines, a full-size gun with a red dot and a weapon-mounted light. There are some people who think this is necessary to be safe out in public. These guys are just still figuring out what all they need to carry as an everyday loadout. If you see a Tactical Timmy, don't make fun of them, but rather ask them why they need crazy excessive gear. Eventually, they will see their flaws and correct their carry methods.
The Over Compensator
While traveling and visiting local shops, I have recently met a couple of these guys who are usually shop owners. They will usually have some sort of Staccato or higher-end race gun as their everyday carry to go with their Rolex, while they talk about how sales have never been better, even though the market is trending downward in sales and NICs checks. It's all about status with these guys and they will oftentimes go out of their way to make sure you know how successful they are. They would never touch a standard every day carry, but insist they need the latest and greatest rare piece to carry every day.
Now I will be the first one to admit that if you're a good shooter and you go fairly regularly to the range, I don't blame you for carrying something nice or out of the ordinary. I recently went to a range event with someone like this and they had the idea to shoot as fast as humanly possible while making roughly half their hits. It's a technique that happens to people who shoot full-size steel silhouettes instead of working paper targets to see their grouping. Shooting steel can look impressive when you're slapping the trigger as fast as possible, but it doesn't mean that you're a good shooter. These guys want nothing more than attention for how hard they are working to try and impress other people. I don't quite understand it, but there are a number of people in the gun world like this.
The Old School Guy
One of my absolute favorite people to run into while carrying is the old school concealed carrier. They are stuck in their ways, of course, but they do offer a fair bit of knowledge to new carriers. Most will be carrying an older style 1911 or snub-nose revolver because that's what they've always carried. Some of these are worth absurd amounts of money, but they still use these guns as their daily carry. I met an older man last year who carried a Smith & Wesson Registered Magnum because it's his favorite handgun and he wants to carry it. These are the wild things that sometimes come from chatting with the older generations of concealed carriers.
These guys are often a wealth of knowledge when it comes to leather holsters as well as alternative carry like shoulder holsters or OWB (Outside The Waistband) carry. They may not be up to snuff with the latest and greatest products, but they oftentimes will have a different perspective that offers a vast amount of knowledge. Plus, it's usually fun to see what they say about the weak rounds like 9mm or 40 S&W because there are cartridges that “real men” carry like 45 Auto and 357/44 Magnum. At least even if you don't listen to their advice, they will certainly put a smile on your face.
Overall Thoughts
There's nothing wrong with having these be a part of the community. Different perspectives and ways of thinking make it an exciting community to hear why people carry what they do and what led them to that choice. I have part two already in the works with more personalities, so if you have suggestions on any other stereotypes I should include, be sure to leave your suggestions down in the comments below. If you have questions about carrying concealed or firearms in general, feel free to shoot me a message on Instagram @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there and we will see you next week for another edition of Concealed Carry Corner.
TFB’s Concealed Carry Corner is brought to you by GLOCK
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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It's like driving a car; everyone has their own choices, but most choices get the job done.
My personal favorite story is about Gavrilo Princip, who, in 1914, used a concealed carry .380ACP FN M1910 pistol to kill two people in Sarajevo with just two shots, starting World War I. How many of us with a modern pistol could be more accurate than he was?
Also, I know of a true story from 2019 about a seriously ill elderly Japanese Yakuza named Toshio Maruyama, who was ordered to carry out an assassination. He concealed a .38 caliber revolver and approached his target. After surrounded by several police officers who had been alerted to the scene, he quickly drew his pistol and killed two members of the opposing group with just two shots. The police on the scene had no time to react and could only arrest him a split second after he fired.
(He died of illness in prison the following year, having never revealed any information about the organization.)
While these stories may not be good lessons for the average law-abiding citizen, what I learned is that skill and composure are more important than superior equipment.