Every day, ordinary Second-Amendment-loving citizens just like you and me are out and about, doing their daily grind. Sometimes you find each other by accident, sometimes you’re two ships that pass in the night. We’re out there, mixed in amongst the anti-gun crowds and people who have never even thought about carrying a firearm—concealed carrying our pistols in our favorite on-body location of choice, just looking to protect ourselves and our loved ones. We never know who else is carrying, but we know we have what it takes to protect ourselves should the need arise. Though we often feel alone, like we’re the only one at the store carrying, there are others. More like us are out there whether we know who they are or not. I recently had an oddly awesome experience. Here’s how it went down. My husband and I bought a new home. We were knee-deep in renovations before we could move in and had a garage full of construction debris. I went online to search out my options and ended up contracting with a popular “we’ll come pick up your junk” kind of company.
Just like in the television commercials, the driver gave me a call to let me know his status, and when to expect them to arrive with their big truck to cart my junk away. The 2-man team, both in their late 20s, were pleasant and professional. They started loading their truck when I noticed that our jackhammer was a little too close to the junk, so I ran over and moved it.
Despite the fact that it probably weighed over 50 pounds, I picked it up and carried it across the garage to the safe zone. The one worker commented, “Dang, she’s got some muscles under that jacket!” Laughingly and without much thought, my reply was “Oh you don’t know what I’ve got under this jacket!”
As we started chatting, they started telling me about some of the interesting items they’ve found while carting away people’s random junk. Things like antiques, jewelry, cash, and with a slight hesitation, the one worker replied that he even found… a gun (he said almost at a whisper). Without hesitation or much thought, I asked what kind.
Then they froze, looked at each other, and slowly looked at me half smiling… “What kind of what?” the one asked.
Me: “What kind of gun? Oh sorry, I work in the firearm industry and I was just curious what you found.”
We went on to have a great conversation, share some high-fives and laughs. They were both carrying and were pleasantly shocked to find I was as well. Before they left, one told me it was always good to know who was on the team, just in case.
As concealed-carriers we need to set the example. We need to BE the example, without exception. With so many anti-gun folks abound, we need to stick to a higher standard because you never know who is within earshot of your conversation. The junk guys would have never known I was carrying if I hadn’t prompted for an answer after he whispered that he found a gun, and that would have been fine, but it turned out they were on my team!
I carry concealed for a reason. I don’t advertise I’m carrying, I prefer the element of surprise should I ever need to draw my firearm.
- Don't advertise that you're carrying. The element of surprise is your friend. I conceal carry even when in an open carry state. I don't need people staring at me, and if I did ever need to draw, I'd want the element of surprise to be in my favor.
- Don't fill your car with gun-loving stickers. It not only makes you a target for robbery or road-rage, advertising that you may be carrying tips off the bad guys too.
- Don't act like a vigilante. It's not our job to stop the robbery at the convenience store. It IS our job to protect ourselves and our families the best way we can by being prepared when threatened. Let the police do their job, and know what your job is: protecting yourself and your family.
- Always keep a professional appearance when carrying. Nothings worse than having your pistol fall out of your gym shorts because you used a cheap, tacky holster and figured it would be good enough to wear on a quick run to the store. Use a quality holster and a quality gun belt. Your life depends on your equipment, buy and use the best you can afford.
- Do be the hardest target you can be. Pay attention to your surroundings when carrying, if you can avoid a situation it's always the best choice to do so.
- Do carry with one in the chamber. When seconds count, you don't have them. Thinking you'd have the time to rack the slide has been proven wrong time after time after time. Some liken it to thinking you'll have enough time to put a seatbelt on in the event of an impending car crash. If you're not comfortable carrying in this condition, you need more training.
- Never stop training. Ever. Complacency kills.
We are law-abiding concealed carriers. We’re not paranoid, we’re prepared; and while we don’t always know who’s on the team with us, our team mates are out there, walking amongst the rest of us, while the general public is unsuspecting of who, what or where we are. Be safe, and carry on!
