One of the first things that comes to mind when considering concealed carry is safety. Most of us don’t really want to accidentally shoot ourselves. Naturally. We tend to concealed-carry FOR safety, after all. However, the act of concealing a firearm does bring some inherent safety concerns itself. Holster, location, type of firearm, condition of firearm, etc. These are all things to consider. It can seem scary, but if the correct steps are taken, it won’t seem that way.
Since appendix carry has become so popular lately, let’s focus on that concern. Everyone seems to be carrying in the appendix position and a very high percentage of them are men. For obvious reasons, there may be some hesitation with the concept of concealed carry in the appendix position, due to the location of the muzzle and where it may or may not be pointed. Fair. Totally fair. We don’t want to compromise our “manhood” nor do we want to be shot anywhere. We want to stress that appendix carry may not be for everyone and we aren’t trying to say that it’s the end-all be-all option to concealed carry. If you don’t feel comfortable carrying it there, don’t. There are a lot of other options available.
That being said, with modern firearms and good, well-made holsters there is not a whole lot to be worried about as far as safety is concerned when carrying in the appendix position (assuming you have sound fundamentals and proficiency with your firearm). Drawing and re-holstering your firearm, no matter the position it’s carried in, is the most dangerous and “scary” part of the whole process. It’s important to practice these motions with an empty firearm, demonstrating trigger discipline and proper mechanics. Dry-fire practice reps are free and take very little time. This can get you comfortable with the draw and re-holster. This takes us back to the 4 basic rules of firearm safety, one of which being “don’t put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to fire.” That’s very important especially when you start to add speed into the equation.
The holster itself, as long as it’s made out of a sturdy, rigid material such as kydex, shouldn’t be much of an issue here. We are very proud of the appendix holsters that we produce and sell as they are very well built and cover the trigger guard entirely when the firearm is holstered. Check out the AXIS ELITE, AGIS ELITE, or XIPHOS ELITE holster as they are some of the most popular for appendix carry.
It seems like a large percentage of people who accidentally shoot themselves do so when they are drawing their gun or trying to re-holster it. They typically place their finger on the trigger prematurely or they don’t take their finger off the trigger when attempting to reholster. Another common issue is a piece of clothing or other foreign object getting into the trigger guard while re-holstering, causing the gun to be fired. All things that could be avoided if the proper precautions are taken. Take the extra second to look down at your holster to make sure everything is clear before inserting the firearm.
Nothing is good about these situations. Lets come together as a community and vow to eliminate these types of safety concerns by taking the time and discipline to learn gun safety and become proficient with our guns in whatever location we choose to carry in. Especially when it concerns appendix carry, the issues we talked about above become non-issues by simply putting a little effort into becoming proficient.
As always, stay safe and stay strapped.