Why the concern over "imprinting" of a concealed weapon?

T

tjpratt

Inactive
I am a NUB and have not purchased my first gun yet.
I will also want to go CCW. Many in various forums discuss various holsters and shirts to allow being able to carry un noticed. Why? do you care? Is it to not let bad guys know your armed, or to not overly concern those you encounter during the day. This is NOT A KNOCK, just curious.

Thanks for your consideration.

tjpratt
 
To me there are more advantages when people don't know you carry or are not sure if you're carrying at that time. I just don't like not knowing who knows. Basically, if i feel like somebody needs to know I'll let them know, whether by 'accident' or just pulling it out and showing it to them.
 
course unless you are wearing a tight shirt and your piece looks OBVIOUSLY like a gun, "printing" is more in your head because most people will look at you and never even notice the slight bulge in your waist band or where ever. and those that do will not think "GUN!" as much a cell phone, multi tool, fold in fabric, what have you.

we think that we are the center of the universe and that everybody looks at you, and then looks at all of you. but the majority of the people that you walk around in most environments wont think twice.

now if your shirt gets lifted by your piece and its actually visible, thats a different issue
 
Some states have laws against 'brandishing' or 'reckless display of a firearm'. There are some perpetrators who would shoot you if they knew you were carrying either as preventative medicine to let them carry out their nefarious deeds or maybe to take your gun. Not everyone is deterred by knowing that someone has a gun and there is a lot to be said for the element of surprise IMO.
 
not even as a newbie...

The issue is really the fear of the carrier being identified as carrying a pistol.

When you finally get your firearm and consider to carry - you'll know the feeling. The feeling that everyone is watching you and everyone knows you are carrying. You'll find yourself "patting" your conceal carry often - just to make sure it's still there.

As with almost anything new it takes time to become comfortable. Give it a few times out and you'll become less subconscious of carrying. With time it'll become second nature and when you don't carry - you'll feel naked.

So, when you start carrying you'll notice that it's a bit tougher at times to keep it concealed (it all depends on how you conceal and the circumstances). Just kneeling over may expose your carry or a flip of your vest, etc. Just have to be aware of how you are carrying and what the potentials are...
 
Concealed.. here.. from what i have seen and heard... means you cant see it... dont mean you cant see an imprint... just means it has to be covered completely... I do print myself... intentionally...so people know that I DO carry...and maybe discourage any ill mannered actions.
 
Better informed , you bet!

I am so glad I asked the question, I learned a lot from all the posts.

And I am now a better informed "future" gun owner.

Thanks for the info and not slamming me for a "dumb" question.

I have NEVER been slammed on these forums. That speaks , for me , to responsible gun owners!



thanks

tjpratt
 
Why the concern over "imprinting" of a concealed weapon?
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The main concern is legality. Many states allow concealed carry but expressly forbid (i.e. it's illegal) 'printing'. Some states are more strict than others. Texas does not allow printing but - as far as I know - does not go out of its way to look for it.

The bigger concern for most folks is that printing denies you complete secrecy with regard to carrying your firearm. It is generally regarded as a positive that no one knows you are carrying, since potential baddies can't spot you and take you out first. I'm not at all concerned about that but I do like the idea that I just 'blend in'.

I do end up printing some with my choice of carry gun/rig/clothing choice. It's minor, and I don't worry about it. Someone said in another post once that most folks wouldn't notice a gun hanging from your neck, never mind a little 'printing'.
 
Why? do you care?
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Well... I don't (usually).

On any given day, if you really looked, you could tell I was carrying. The only reason I don't open carry is because I'm grumpy, and don't like to explain myself :D.

Sometimes I carry IWB and it would be hard to tell that I was carrying, but if I was inspecting me, I could tell. Most of the time however, you'll find me in shorts and a button-down with half of an OWB holster poking out from under my shirt. No one has ever commented on it, but I'm sure some have noticed.

I keep it just concealed enough that most people won't notice (but then again, most people don't notice when you open carry).

The only time I honestly make an effort to keep it hidden, is if I'm in a situation where I'm around people I care about, who may not like guns (ie at an inlaw's house). And even then, that just means tossing one of my EDC's in a SuperTuck.
 
The main concern is legality
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+100


One of the last things you need to deal with is a LEO who got a call because some scared citizen thought they "saw a bulge that could have possibly maybe sorta kinda" looked like a gun hidden under your shirt. That's a no win situation imo, as even if there was no possible chance in hades that they could have accurately guessed WHAT exactly was hidden, the mere fact that you DO have a concealed gun will verify their guess, and could result in the suspension or revocation of your license.

While the odds of that happening are slim, due to the generally oblivious nature in which most citizens conduct their daily activities, one would be wise to make it as difficult as possible to detect your gun. Fortunately, it's not that hard to do.
 
Texas does not allow printing but - as far as I know - does not go out of its way to look for it.
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TX says the gun has to be concealed from ordinary observation but doesn't explicitly say that printing is not allowed.
 
TX says the gun has to be concealed from ordinary observation but doesn't explicitly say that printing is not allowed.
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Well that's good to hear. A while back (years?) I had read on a concealed-carry-laws-by-state website (I forget which) that printing was forbidden. I wonder if the info was wrong even then.

Either way, one less thing to worry about! :)
 
Why the concern over "imprinting" of a concealed weapon?
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As folks have mentioned it's "printing" and not "imprinting". There is some relation of course. You'll notice that your jeans likely have the "imprint" of your wallet on the back pocket, or a can of chew, or what ever. If a fella carries a gun in their back pocket it will "print".

Anyway the main concern is that if you choose to carry concealed then you want the gun to be concealed. Which means out of sight, not flashing, etc. As pointed out above there are various reasons for this. Now a careful and persistent observer might figure out you are carrying but the casual observer, you decide, you don't want them to. If the gun "prints" for the casual observer ("Mommy does that man have a gun in his pocket?") then the gun is not really concealed.

tipoc
 
There are many reasons why you wouldn't want anyone to know that you are carrying. It is after all, a concealed handgun.

For one, the sight of a gun scares some people. One if the last things you want is for people to notice the gun and be scared of you. They may go for the police, or start a scene. That will create a lot of unwanted attention towards you.

Another problem is that letting the bad guys know you have a gun makes you a target. If the SHTF, you are going to be their first target. They are either going to shoot you first or try to grab your gun while you are not paying attention.
 
Yes , and cops and BGs will be the first to see it as they are more likely to be looking. If the BG sees it you have a big problem ,you may be shot before you even know he's there !!
 
A while back (years?) I had read on a concealed-carry-laws-by-state website (I forget which) that printing was forbidden.
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It's all in how a person defines printing, I suppose.

If by printing you mean that it's clear to anyone who cares enough to actually look that you're carrying a gun then you haven't concealed the gun against ordinary observation. If that's the situation I imagine you're going to get some unwanted attention.

On the other hand, if by printing you mean that it's possible to tell you've got some sort of item on your belt and under certain conditions (wind blows your cover garment tightly against it, you bend over, etc.) it's not that hard to guess that it's a gun then even though it's printing you have still concealed it against ordinary observation and you aren't at all likely to get hassled.
 
It's a good idea to do your best to keep your piece conealed at all times, to keep the bad guys guessing and to keep from freaking out the locals. I once had the cops called on me because a lady said she saw me with a concealed handgun. Sad part was, I wasn't carrying that day, what she saw was a zippo lighter case on my belt. Ufortunately, these days people assume if you've got a gun and you're not an LEO you're a badguy.:rolleyes:
 
I'm anal about printing. It's not illegal. Most won't notice.
However, if I lean forward to get a drink at a fountain, get something out of a shopping cart, or sit on a stool, I don't want the grip of the pistol revealing my secret, no one needs to know.
I've found one of the most worry free methods of carry is to "appendix" carry a pistol with a short overall height like a Glock 26/27 or Kahr PM; I can lean over all I want, or sit on stools without any worries about printing.
Untucked, loose fitting, plaid shirts are excellent for breaking up / covering otherwise revealing impressions made by a grip; when I carry strong side IWB with a Glock 23 kanted forward plaid is my friend.

Edit: as pointed out below, I should have said not illegal HERE.
 
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