Printing....how much is too much?

H

hoytinak

New member
I'll admitt, I know I've printed many times just tossing on a loose t-shirt to make a quick run to the store or something like that. But when does your printing begin to show too much? I was walking into Academy (about 1pm in Amarillo) yesterday and there was a guy coming out of the store that I knew he was carrying. I could tell he was carrying a fullsized SIG in a leather OWB holster and had on a tight t-shirt over it. I think that's where I draw the line at printing too much, when you can tell the gun and holster. I just had a t-shirt on myself with the HK P2000SK/VMII but I know I wasn't printing like that.

If you're reading this (the guy I'm writing about), you might wanna consider changing something in your carry rig. ;)
 
I've often wondered about how much is too much. I began carrying in late September, so I haven't been through spring or summer where the clothes make up for my lack of skill in concealing. One thing that does seem to me is that it likely takes either a cop or a hardcore concealed carry type (like half the people on these boards) to really notice. I don't really see Joe Street Punk scanning the belts and gear of everyone he comes across, but I don't really know.

I would say that I'm more worried about being embarrassed than I am about breaking the law. Except when I go to work, I'm carrying 100% of the time unless the State law doesn't allow it, so I'm not one of these guys with a permit that hardly ever carries. I look at every single opportunity outside the house as a chance to practice getting better with concealment.
 
If there is a clear outline to the gun then yeah, it's too much. If there is a slight line, say from the bottom of the grip, it's not much of a problem. No one will notice the line anyway and even if they do, most people will think it's a cellphone. I have found that I worry more about printing than the general public does.
 
I think we are blessed to live in a day and age where people carry so much electronics around. Most people are carrying a PDA, Blackberry, Ipod or cell phone with them. Some wear them on the belt, others stuff them in pockets. All these gadgets make slight printing less noticeable. I have even carried a PT-145 completely unnoticed in my pocket for some time.
 
Blackberry Case for Holster

I carry a NAA .380 in a Blackberry leather belt case that has a full snap cover, cost $20. No one, not even my wife, relizes it contains my backup. I carry my SA XD40 SC underarm using the T-shirt type holster under a Levi type shirt. Never a problem. Here in Florida I have seen a few incidents where the LE types have stopped people at the track for printing problems. They were directed to the gate with instructions to not return until the problem was corrected. Here in Florida we have one group from the island that think it is a Macho thing to flaunt the CC.
 
Last edited:
This might be a bit too much in the way of printing for some folks, but it's similar to how I dress most days. The firearm can change with the plans for the day, but it's my normal EDC method.

I only really conceal when I go into a bank or a known sheeple gathering.

;)

coopbuilding.jpg
 
I have been told in SC "as long as an effort is being made to conceal." In general, if it's not identifiable as a gun, it's ok. A non-detailed, rectangular bulge under a shirt could be anything from a day planner to a cell phone. A bulge that shows a trigger guard or the butt checkering probably wouldn't pass.
 
Daryl said:
This might be a bit too much in the way of printing for some folks, but it's similar to how I dress most days. The firearm can change with the plans for the day, but it's my normal EDC method.

I only really conceal when I go into a bank or a known sheeple gathering.
Click to expand...

Yeah well we can't open carry here in Texas. :rolleyes:
 
In Ohio, open carry is legal in most places, but inciting panic will get you locked up. At the very least, "exercising your rights" can get you a 20 minute interview with some officers, and I'm guessing that would end up clogging most anyone's normal day.
 
Nope, TX is CC only. They're trying to change that though.

I say it's too much when the average person can tell it's a firearm. If it's just a bulge under the shirt then it could be anything. When you can tell it's a firearm it defeats the purpose of CC.
 
I used to worry about it,but then I realize that I spent very little time looking at other peoples waistbands,and if a gun guy like me wouldn't notice,most non-gun people aren't even looking.Besides,OC is legal in Oregon,and I live in an area that,if you didn't describe it as "gun friendly",you'd describe it as "guns are no big deal anyway"...Lotsa hunting around these parts...It'd probably be a tossup as to who'd be more surprised,me or the Police,if they got a call about someone carrying openly...That said,there are Kalifornia imports everywhere these days,and it seems the majority of them,even though they LEFT Kalifornia,will try in one way or another to change things here to the way they were there...Like the Cottage Grove Speedway mess...
 
I worried about it obsessively for a while, but after testing my carry habits I've grown not to worry about it too much anymore. I started carrying concealed around people I knew first, so that if I did get "made" it wouldn't be a big deal. Most of my friends are used to being around guns, and most of them are used to seeing me walking around with a gun of some sort pretty much all the time. So for a month or so I carried around them in my usual manner of dress and waited to see if any of them noticed anything unusual.

The first time anything was said, a buddy actually asked me why I had stopped carrying around him. When I revealed that I was in fact armed with two handguns at that moment, the look of disbelief on his face told me I didn't need to worry about it nearly as much as I had been. I've seen a couple people around town who print badly, and a couple who have flashed leather while not paying attention. Upon looking around, it always seemed like I was the only one who noticed. Most people just aren't looking for such things. ;)
 
It depends what law dog you get. some sniff more than others .i tell my students concealed means concealed .thats why i carry a seecamp.it blends away.
 
You don't have to worry much about the "Sheeple" seeing anything. Unless it looks like a gun with a custom fit t-shirt sleeve no one will know. I've been carrying for only about 10 days and I figured out VERY early that nobody has a clue. Part of it is the proliferation of electronics on everybody's waist but it's mostly the absolute lack of awareness of the general populace. The only people that will notice are fellow carriers and they'll just think "Hey, there's two of us today!"
 
In Ohio, open carry is legal in most places, but inciting panic will get you locked up. At the very least, "exercising your rights" can get you a 20 minute interview with some officers, and I'm guessing that would end up clogging most anyone's normal day.
Click to expand...

I live about 20 miles from Tombstone, Arizona. Folks are pretty well used to seeing a firearm, and I seldom get a second glance.

One fella asked me what kind of revolver I was carrying about a year ago while I was at the grocery store. We talked firearms for a few minutes, and then we each went our own way. That's the only time I can remember right now that anyone ever said anything about it to me.

I've never caused any panic that I was aware of. I hold doors open for ladies, make polite and casual conversation with folks, and generally portrait myself as a good guy to other folks.

Heck, they even had an article in the local paper not too long ago, and a local LEO was quoted as sayinig that folks can open carry a handgun down the main street of town and be perfectly legal doing it.

Open carry is pretty well accepted here. When I go to places I'm not so familiar with, I'll oft-times put a vest on. Never know where the lib's are moving into in Arizona, and I really don't intend to cause anyone undue panic.

That said, I've been open carrying since way back in the early 1980's, before I was even old enough to legally own a handgun. Arizona didn't become a shall issue state until around the mid-1990's. To be quite honest, CC is a relatively new thing in most areas of the USA; before that, open carry was about the only option for most folks.

Daryl
 
You don't have to worry much about the "Sheeple" seeing anything. Unless it looks like a gun with a custom fit t-shirt sleeve no one will know. I've been carrying for only about 10 days and I figured out VERY early that nobody has a clue. Part of it is the proliferation of electronics on everybody's waist but it's mostly the absolute lack of awareness of the general populace. The only people that will notice are fellow carriers and they'll just think "Hey, there's two of us today!"
Click to expand...

LEO's will notice; trust me on that.

Now, whether they say/do anything might very well depend on the officer and the area where you're at, but they'll notice.

I had a situation I was dealing with once, and had to get a couple of LEO's involved. One asked me if I had a weapon, and I said "no", thinking a weapon meant my firearm that I usually carry (I wasn't carrying it to avoid problems while dealing with LEO's during this particular situation). Anyway, he then asked me what "that" is, and pointed to my leatherman that was in a sheath on my belt, under a loose t-shirt.

They're trained to notice such things, and they're good at it.

;)

Daryl
 
Most people are too stupid to notice in the first place. If someone does notice, as far as they are concerned it could be a cell phone or pda etc. I don't really worry about LEO's anymore. If they are curious then I'll tell them. I do try not to print or let my shirt come up too high though. I also don't carry a really large firearm anymore (G26)
 
Open carry is legal here in UTAH

Interestingly anyone who can legally own a gun here is allowed to open carry, but must be 2 actions from firing. If you have a CCP then you can carry open one finger pull from firing, However although I have my CCP, open carry is just asking for headaches I dont need - IMHO. Also I work in a health care facility and lots of our patients are cops, I often talk guns with them and I always ask about the laws in UTAH regarding open carry just tp see what they say, so far none of them have known "for sure". As for printing, I take great care to ensure people can't tell I'm carrying. I go mostly IWB with a PM9, or an LCP, occationally a small j frame.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top