The Encumbrance of Concealed Carry

[JodyH]

If you become totally accustomed to carrying, to the point that it feels no different than when you are not, are you operating at your highest CC level? Or is that a sign that complacency may be setting in?

I have "a level" not a CC level and a non-CC level.

{insert overused tactical mindset quote}
"The final weapon is the brain, all else is supplemental.” –John Steinbeck
{/overused tactical mindset quote}

[ST911]

When-then'ing your routines is good practice and distinguishes armed citizens from people CCW'ing. If it's exhausting you though, dial it down. It doesn't need to be a great labor.

Most folks around you are oblivious to your gun. And as much as we want to think otherwise, cops are pretty bad at picking up on them, too. You're giving away more by fussing with your concealment than just shopping smart and going about your day.

Be neatly dressed, neatly groomed, well behaved, law-abiding, mind your own business, and drive a car in good repair. No one will notice you.

Eventually, what you're doing is just another set of habits.

[Jay Cunningham]

Now those are some tight pants.

Thank you.

[NH Shooter]

I don't really think about my gun when I'm carrying it.

If you don't mind, could you elaborate on this?

I do occasionally mind game "what would I do if someone came in here shooting" but that's usually if I'm bored and in condition white anyway.

Are you saying that you find yourself in condition white while carrying?

TIA for the clarification.

[Leroy]

It’s only been the last six years that I’ve been able to carry a concealed firearm legally. Though I have owned and shot handguns competitively for over 30 years, it was our move from Long Island, New York to New Hampshire in 2008 that fully opened the concealed carry door for me.

It was with great joy and anticipation that once we arrived in the Live Free or Die state, I filed the necessary CC license paperwork and less than a week later with license in-hand, began putting together an EDC rig consisting of a Walther PPS in 9mm and a Comp-Tac Minotaur IWB holster. After a few weeks of the obligatory test firing and familiarization of both pistol and holster, I began “carrying” at every available opportunity to do so.

Though entirely confident and competent with both the hardware and required CC mindset and legal knowledge, I believe it has been the trepidation from living in an anti-gun region that remains planted in my mind today – and I do not believe that is a bad thing. When I walk out the door carrying, my “programming” is far more processor-demanding then when I don’t.

Along with booting up my SA to a state of heightened alert, I also kick the risk-avoidance routine into high gear: no screwing around with the nearly 400 horsepower under the hood of my Subaru, and making sure my driving etiquette is set at its highest level. One thing I’ve learned for certain is that if you’re both a high performance car enthusiast and an avid fan of CC, mixing the two requires an even greater amount of self-discipline.

Maintaining full stealth and remaining fully concealed also places a load on the CPU, always being aware of where the pistol is on my person and making sure it remains out-of-sight, without being obvious that I’m doing so. Knowing what a LEO is trained to look for in a person suspected of carrying a concealed weapon has made me refine my self-check methods of making sure that the shirt/vest/sweater hasn’t gotten snagged on the butt of the pistol or some other wardrobe/holster malfunction hasn’t blown my cover. The more I’ve carried, the more I’ve refined my garment selection to ensure it functions as needed, but that stealth routine is always running somewhere in the background soaking up CPU resources.

Then there is the matter of tactics if I actually need to use the concealed weapon for justifiable use of deadly force. This is much like leaving Adobe Photoshop open all the time, always running “what if” scenarios in the background and knowing that if the S truly did HTF, my CPU would be pegged at 100% just dealing with the “right here, right now” life or death struggle. Additionally, always lurking somewhere in the back of my mind, the realization that if I survive the encounter the long legal battle that might ensue could ruin me, actively factoring into the engage/don’t engage decision making process.

It is all so demanding, so exhausting. Concealed carry is, quite frankly, a burden and pain in the mental ass. At least for me, I truly hope that it always remains that way.

This is too much bro. Your going to die from the self induced mental stress before you have to draw that Walther.

[JDM]

Yup.
I'm naturally risk adverse when I'm out and about, I get my adrenaline rush in the appropriate environments.
The more you carry the less you worry about your concealment, you know it's good.
The more you raise your skill level (armed and unarmed) the less you have performance anxiety, you know you're capable.
The more you ingrain good "tactical" habits and situational awareness the less you have to think about them.
The more you know the legalities pertaining to the use of force the better you're prepared to work within in them, the less scary the legal system becomes.

I'm not mentally encumbered by CCW at all.
All I have to spend brain CPU cycles on is applying common sense to what life throws at me.

Awesome post.

[NH Shooter]

When-then'ing your routines is good practice and distinguishes armed citizens from people CCW'ing.

Yes, this is what I was alluding to!

IMO, strapping on a gun should never fall to the same level of nonchalance as putting on my underwear. IMO, as a civilian carrying should require at least the same amount of effort as driving responsibly (not being tired, paying attention to traffic and road conditions, etc.). There are definitely times I would prefer not to drive, just as there are times I'd prefer not to operate power tools or be armed due to the conscious and deliberate effort to do so responsibly.

Maybe it's just me, but if it's not taking any effort I feel like I may be asleep behind the wheel.

[NH Shooter]

This is too much bro. Your going to die from the self induced mental stress before you have to draw that Walther.

LOL, I kind of made it sound that way, didn't I?

It's perhaps an exaggerated description of my "condition yellow" but condition yellow is where I'm at when carrying. If all I can manage is condition white, the gun stays home and someone else is driving.

[Alpha Sierra]

OP, you're exhausting yourself unnecessarily. Seriously. Relax a little.

[Tamara]

I feel like a bad CCW'er now.

I honestly spend more time wondering if I have enough room in the toes. About the only time I really spend a lot of conscious thought on the heater is when the tucked-in shirt is too short and the kydex starts sticking to my butt on a hot day. I hate that.