Ever since the state where I live dropped the requirement for a license to carry concealed pistols, I’ve started covering mine whenever I go to town. It’s not for any big tactical reason, it’s just that I’m never at my ease with strangers around and try to avoid drawing notice. This area is very gun-friendly compared to other places and open carry has never caused me any trouble worth the word but it’s not so common it doesn’t draw glances. So I’d really rather cover up in public. Nothing elaborate, it doesn’t matter if the gun prints a little or even a lot, but I do throw on a light shirt when I’m going to town.
People familiar with my rig know that a light shirt doesn’t actually conceal very much – I’ve got a stainless big-frame .44 in a sincerely OC holster. But it’s the thought that counts.
Anyway, this afternoon I was in the dollar store buying some canned goods when a nice little old lady needed to get by, right? And she’s got two toy poodles in her cart, and I looked at them and made the appropriate noises and she started talking about how they love to be petted, even by strangers, so to please her I fussed over her damn coyote-bait yappers for a minute (to be fair they were very friendly for poodles but I dislike poodles) and then I got my cart out of her path and we smiled and went our ways.
And about sixteen picoseconds later I realized that my “concealed” pistol was positively highlighted by the fact that the wind had blown my shirt up over the grip, and it was as if I were advertising its presence.
A post or two down, somebody left a comment mentioning that he didn’t know why I would choose to live in a place with so little green. That’s why. 🙂
Open carry is common here. Like you I choose to carry concealed. Mainly I don’t like being buttonhold by people I don’t know who want to talk guns. A concealed carry permit here runs$75.00 for five years now.