Printing, is it really a big deal?

[Mark]

Question pretty much in the subject, obviously we try to minimize printing, but to a point, how much does it matter?

It seems like with the exception of some LE, only people who'd notice and recognize printing are those who carry themselves, so do you really worry about it?

Is there a legal issue with printing? If I want to wear an OWB holster that's pretty flat/tight but my t-shirt catches on the handle a bit, is this really an issue for EDC use you think?

Looking for genuine opinions.

Yes, I have an IWB holster, but I find it gives me a bit of rash when worn where I like it. I've only worn in IWB so far but my OWB is vastly more comfortable but definitely more noticeable to anyone who'd look.

There also of course, other things one could add such as a lightweight windbreaker for extra concealment, but this would be a bit silly in the summer.

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[Longwalkhome]

Printing is dangerous if you plan to be in a crowd that knows what they are looking at.

 

[Soli]

Personally, yes, it's a big deal. All my cc set ups are designed to not let anyone have a visual hint that I'm carrying.

Not that they all work that way all the time... keep experimenting baby!

 

[solv3nt]

There's no laws in Oregon that say you can't print. I was wandering around music in the park with my Glock printing over the summer, but I'm in Roseburg. If you're running around in the cities, I'd limit my printing.

I was sitting on a blanket, and my spare mag fell out, I'm more than confident people walked past. Whether they noticed it's a different matter

 

[Mark]

lol I thought Roseburg you could practically open carry and no one would care haha

 

[PiratePast40]

I don't think it's a big deal but as already mentioned, be aware of your surroundings. Most people won't notice anyway but there's always a chance some smart bubblegum might think he needs to point it out to everyone.

 

[solv3nt]

lol I thought Roseburg you could practically open carry and no one would care haha

I don't think they would, but we do have a lot of drug use here. I prefer that my concealed carry piece is the last thing going through their mind.

We went to a trunk or treat at one of the churches. One of the hosts was dressed as a cowboy and had a pony for the kids to pet. He was rocking a Ruger Vaquero, I'll bet it was hot to trot

 

[Mark]

If you've gotten this far in the discussion, let's reframe question slightly...

Is printing worth it to you for a vastly more efficient (and probably safer) weapon draw? For me an OWB draw is extremely more natural than an IWB. Sure, training and practice, but still, I think given my body's limitations these issues may not be ever fully resolvable.



Also, I think previous points are correct, it'd depend on where I expect to be that day, if just around and about like shopping, maybe less tightened down than if I know I'll be somewhere I can't control surroundings as easily like crowded areas.

 

[solv3nt]

I don't think it's a big deal but as already mentioned, be aware of your surroundings. Most people won't notice anyway but there's always a chance some smart bubblegum might think he needs to point it out to everyone.

Those that know won't typically make a point of it. I was at the Oregon zoo years ago, and they had a sign referencing ORS 166 and firearm possession in the zoo. There was a gal that started asking her husband about it; I couldn't locate his piece though

 

[Kruel J]

Humans are oblivious to others, generally speaking. Even if you think others can see it, they probably don't. And that's the thought process I follow.

 

[solv3nt]

If you've gotten this far in the discussion, let's reframe question slightly...

Is printing worth it to you for a vastly more efficient (and probably safer) weapon draw? For me an OWB draw is extremely more natural than an IWB. Sure, training and practice, but still, I think given my body's limitations these issues may not be ever fully resolvable.



Also, I think previous points are correct, it'd depend on where I expect to be that day, if just around and about like shopping, maybe less tightened down than if I know I'll be somewhere I can't control surroundings as easily like crowded areas.

I've switched to thumb retention on all my holsters whether it be IWB or OWB. I started going OWB due to comfort. I don't know that OWB is necessarily faster than IWB. When sitting, I think a cross draw or shoulder rig is faster than my 3 o'clock.

 

[bradsteen]

Printing creates several problems:

A. You give away the tactical advantage of having a concealed weapon. The element of surprise is one you want to maintain if at all possible, because it could be the thing that makes a difference between you surviving a deadly force encounter or not.

B. If people know a weapon is present, that may lead to more escalation than would otherwise occur if they were not aware of it. Guns put some people on edge - fight or flight reactions don't just happen to you, they also happen to the other guy. Who's to say the presence of a weapon won't make a person do something stupid, or worse, try to use your possession of a weapon as justification for using force of his own? Not saying that would fly legally, but there are dumb people out there who might try it.

C. If people know you have a gun, they might try to take it from you. Numerous cases of theft have happened where the assailant walked up behind a CCWer and just yanked the gun out of their holster. This is especially a concern if carrying strong side hip or small of back.

D. People are jerks, and it's not uncommon for people who are anti-gun to call the police and report it when they see someone carrying a gun. Sometimes they even lie about it and say you're flashing it or making threats, which then means you have a he-said/she-said situation, and potential legal trouble to boot. Never had it happen to me (fortunately), but it definitely has happened to others.

E. If you carry in non-permissive environments where the establishment prohibits guns but signage does NOT have the force of law and someone sees your gun, they will likely ask you to leave, and if you refuse, then you're trespassing and in violation of the law. This varies by state so know your laws - this example is specific to WA. In some states signage DOES have the force of law, and if you violate it you'll find yourself in legal trouble.

Most people are oblivious and will not realize you're carrying, even if the printing is really obvious, but some will. One time I made the mistake of not making sure I wasn't printing before walking into a coffee shop. I heard people behind me whispering "he's carrying a gun" when standing in line to order, and let me tell you, that's not a good feeling to have when you think you're concealed and someone notices it. I promptly got my coffee and left, then spent a lot of time finetuning my carry rig to keep that from happening again.

IMO, there are very few occasions where I would even remotely consider open carrying, and while legally they may be different I consider any kind of obvious printing to be the same as open carry. When I was growing up my parents used to say "children should be seen and not heard". As a gun owner, I believe concealed carry guns should be heard and not seen.

That's my $0.02 - YMMV. Hope this helps!

 

[Mark]

I'm leaning towards in weather I can bear to just wear a lightweight windbreaker, and then during days it's just too hot go back to appendix IWB and just deal with it.

Kinda have best of both worlds in theory. But to me this isn't ideal as it means 2 different draws.

Is it considered 'brandishing' or something stupid if you wear it under an unbuttoned jacket but over a tucked shirt?

 

[papersoldier]

E. If you carry in non-permissive environments where the establishment prohibits guns but signage does NOT have the force of law and someone sees your gun, they will likely ask you to leave, and if you refuse, then you're trespassing and in violation of the law. This varies by state so know your laws - this example is specific to WA. In some states signage DOES have the force of law, and if you violate it you'll find yourself in legal trouble.

This was the biggest consideration for me for quite some time back when I was attending college. I don't know about now, but back then it wasn't illegal to carry on campus, but being caught doing so would mean possible expulsion, so I got into the habit of "deep concealment" and carrying in a manner that didn't allow any printing at all.

Even though I'm no longer in that situation I still stick to limiting printing as much as possible. Better to not let anyone know that you're carrying, in my opinion.

 

[Longwalkhome]

Just a point of view now so I am not endorsing this. Study the bad guys that you see on the news every day and ask "are they wearing a holster?" Gang bangers and thugs don't wear holsters for a few reasons and one being is they are criminals and don't want a holster that proves they carry a gun.

You won't see most bad guys print because they already have their gun out to rob you.

So my short point is you don't have to have a holster to carry a gun. The old timers with their colt SAA guns just opened the loading gate and tuck the gun in their pants with no gunbelt on.

 

[Member 34319]

Printing itself is not much of a concern to me. I mostly don't want my shirt riding up into the bulk of what isn't in the pants. So in some sense, less printing = less shirt catching.

 

[Kruel J]

Just a point of view now so I am not endorsing this. Study the bad guys that you see on the news every day and ask "are they wearing a holster?" Gang bangers and thugs don't wear holsters for a few reasons and one being is they are criminals and don't want a holster that proves they carry a gun.

You won't see most bad guys print because they already have their gun out to rob you.

So my short point is you don't have to have a holster to carry a gun. The old timers with their colt SAA guns just opened the loading gate and tuck the gun in their pants with no gunbelt on.

That's dangerous advice considering MOST people carry modern semi-autos or DA revolvers. Lots of goofballs have ND's from tucking their strap into their waistband.

 

[Mark]

Yeahhh I carry a 365, no trigger safety... I'm not tryna get it caught on anything lol

 

[Kruel J]

A good holster is a BIG part of safe EDC.

 

[Longwalkhome]

That's dangerous advice considering MOST people carry modern semi-autos. Lots of goofballs have ND's from tucking their strap into their waistband.

I gave the warning that I don't endorse it but explained the bad guys don't wear holsters. Every weekend we see huge numbers of shootings and killings done in the big cites. If you watch some you can see how it works but frankly you won't beat them to the draw because they have their hands on their guns when they get near you.

Advice is something I try not to give other than learn what you are up against. However I will move on and let you guys follow your methods without thought. Every cop you see murdered has a gun in his holster and most are surprised by the hidden weapon.

Have a nice day.