My ex-wife, who is a very good friend, wears a lot of bling around Miami. She's a walking target. She's 64. Never carried before, so she needs the full monte as far as training goes.

But how to carry? She's a businesswoman and often wears pants suits and dresses elegantly. As most of you know, Miami this time of year is quite warm and humid, so a jacket is out of the question.

How can she carry a Smith snubby or a small 9mm efficiently?

Thanks.

One quick answer . . .

No make that two . . .

Don't look like a useful target
Don't carry in the very purse that will be one of three things they are after.
Purse,
Person,
Bling,
All three.

Womens fashions are not conductive to "carrying".

She will have to make changes in how she dresses.

Lots of "bling" in an Uzi carbine on a sling.

Shoulder holster, depending on her size might work.

Galco used to have a "garter holster" years ago...not sure if it's still a cataloged or not.

Easiest solution is to cut out wearing the bling in area you think you need a gun to protect yourself and the bling.

quote:

Easiest solution is to cut out wearing the bling in area you think you need a gun to protect yourself and the bling.

Yeah . . . and stop going there . . .

The rule is -dress around the gun !
With or without a gun bling is saying I'm a target for criminals !!

All good advice. I thought about the shoulder rig, but Maimi's climate isn't conducive to wearing a shoulder rig. 90 degrees and 90% humidity for the next several months. And a purse carry is obviously out of the question.

The garter gun is a good idea. I'll check with Galco and Andrews Custom Leather.

Found an interesting garter holster...

http://www.guns4gals.com/garterphotos.html

quote:

Originally posted by jetdrvr:
Found an interesting garter holster...

http://www.guns4gals.com/garterphotos.html

quote:

She's a businesswoman and often wears pants suits and dresses elegantly.

So how's that garter thing gonna work with trousers?

jet, 8/24/10

Check out www.corneredcat.com. It is a website for women by a woman firearm's trainer. They have some good advice for women carrying.


best wishes- oldandslow

What's wrong with a bag that looks like a laptop bag? I have seen them for sale. Quick open side pocket. But, she has to be alert and mentally prepared. If she dresses like that, not sure how realistic this possibility can be. Once accosted it is too late.
Peter.

Yeah, one onf those rip-open laptop carriers might be good.

I've warned her about the bling, but she hasn't changed with the times.

In Miami during the late 70's, one often saw Rolex Preidentials everywhere. No more. They're all in the safe now.

So how's that garter thing gonna work with trousers?[/QUOTE]

Would there be much difference, if you needed it, between yanking up your dress or pulling down your trousers?

Since "bling" is a hip hop term, I would suggest a
hip hop bodyguard.....

Several companies also make "Day Planner" holsters. Just run a search for day planner holster.

Bob

Here is an example.

All those purses and bags are not a good idea...your firearm needs to be on your person.

I tell all our new hires: badge, id and gun on you...everything else goes whereever you want. they steal the purse they get the gun/id and they know you are the police...w/keys to your house and they address is right there on your dl.

You might check outwww.corneredcat.com
The lady who runs it was an assistant at a Massad Ayoob class I took this summer. She is an up to speed woman in the self-defense/CCW world. Her website has lots of good info for all, but she has specific hints for gals and carry.

You can't fix stupid. The first thing any reasonable person does is to keep a low profile in a danger zone. Times and situations change and a reasonable person should adapt to the new circumstances. If she's too dumb or set in her ways to change her wealth display habits, then she is making herself into a higher value target and, given that she is totally untrained in the use of a weapon, it is likely that one won't help her if the SHTH. Whether she becomes a victim or not is mainly a matter of luck, she'll need it.

She has to want to adopt the culture or it is pointless to put her though it.

In this age there is no such thing as a "safe" neighborhood, how many times have you heard in the news reports about a robbery or rape in a "safe" neighboehood. We should not be expected to dress contrary to our wants in order to avoid being a target. A lot of it is attitude, look like you're not afraid to be there and the thugs will suspect you have the means to back it up. Of course being able to back it up is the best case. With out seeing your ex's wardrobe I can't make specific recommendations, but off hand the Ruger LCP has an available pocket clip so the gun sits just inside the top of the pocket there is also an inside the waist band holster that disquises itself as a holder for a pager or cell phone. Of course the best thing she could do is take one of the defense courses that spend the time one on one helping them choose a weapon and teaching them how to carry and use it.

Try kathy Jackson's site "Cornered Cat"

http://corneredcat.com/

Jerry Liles

quote:

We should not be expected to dress contrary to our wants in order to avoid being a target.

Well that's a really dumb statement, "expected" is one thing, using your common sense is something else. Why don't you take a nighttime stroll through parts of Chicago, or parts of New York, or Caracas, Ven. (none of which you can legally carry in) wearing a Rolex and a few gold chains and see how long you last?

The first rule of self defense is not making yourself a target. Anyone who goes into strange, potentially hostile territory and "chooses" to wear something that makes them MORE likely to be a crime victim is just being stupid, especially when it is a non-essential item such as jewelry. I don't know you, but I know some extremely lethal people, armed and unarmed, and the FIRST thing they do is keep a low profile in unfamiliar territory.

The minute we give up the freedom to dress the way we want the bad guys have won. I refuse to be limited in my choice of dress or locations of travel based upon what may make me a target. On the other hand I am aware of my situation and keep my eyes open and am prepared to defend myself should someone decide they want what I have more than I do. The price they have to pay for coveting what belongs to me would be very high indeed.

Now that being said, there are neighborhoods that I don't want to visit, they have nothing to attract my custom and generally speaking they are the neighborhoods considered "unsafe". But should I be dressed for a night on the town and make a wrong turn and end up in one of these neighborhoods I won't fear for my life as I am prepared to go anywhere at any time. When I was younger and tougher I'd walk into these areas unarmed except for the (perhaps foolish) knowledge that I could handle myself in a fight. Now that I'm older I go just about everywhere armed and always with an eye out for trouble.

The final point is no one except me gets to determine what I wear or where I go. I refuse to yield that power to thugs and brigands.

Well good for you tough guy. You remember all those brave words when a guy hits you from behind with a lead pipe.

Like I said, I know people that have forgotten more about killing people than you'll ever know and they won't wear "what they want, when they want" because they know that ANYONE can be had and it ain't all that hard to do.

AND I'm sure the 65 year old woman in question, who knows nothing about guns, is just as tough as you are. Yeah, right.

And now back to the thread....


Ditto on investigating the Ruger LCP. It might be a lot easier for a woman to conceal than a J frame, depending on her build. A good pocket holster, a nice tuckable IWB and possibly the belt clip as mentioned would get her through quite a lot of her wardrobe.

For me, especially with a new shooter that is likely to be a one gun shooter that rarely practices, the key is not the holster. The key is having her commit to the concept of carrying every day and that means living in condition yellow around town. In my experience, a woman will generally tacitly agree and may even practice a couple times to get a man to shut up about it. After a couple weeks she'll go back to her previous habits (condition white/unarmed). That tendency increases with age barring a traumatic event.

However, if she is committed to personal defense, I'd recommend at least renting an LCP and see if it points well for her and run some rounds through it. If so, she'll like the portability, light weight and size and will probably be able to tell you what holster she wants. Again, IMHO, most females enjoy the ease of operation and the simple reloading of a D/A automatic vs a revolver. (Yes, encourage her to carry a reload.)

I would think that if she wears trousers.....a hammerless J-frame in a good pocket holster would be the easiest and most practical method of carry.

Plus 1 on the pocket holster
I've gotten a million different things for my wife and she would do it for a while then stop. But a Ruger LCP with laser sight in a pocket holster.

she ALWAYS has it on.

and not expensive either. Would work with a snubby too.

dresses, I dunno, sew in a pocket I suppose. (my wife rarely wears dresses, not her thing)

Some good ideas, apart from Gato's usual profiling for the unwashed masses.

The Smith snubby has been a favorite of mine for years. Almost always carry a 649. I'll suggest that to her.

Thanks for the input.

quote:

Originally posted by Peter:
What's wrong with a bag that looks like a laptop bag? I have seen them for sale. Quick open side pocket. But, she has to be alert and mentally prepared. If she dresses like that, not sure how realistic this possibility can be. Once accosted it is too late.
Peter.

If you ignore the fact that the laptop computer is also a target of theft...

AD

Hey, Jetdrvr!

What was the final disposition? Did your ex get a weapon?

Since you first posted, the options for women (and men) have greatly increased. Ruger's LCP .380, LCR polymer frame revolvers and the S&W snubbies are all much smaller than previous offerings.

Women's fashion is a big hinderance to concealed carry. There is a lot of merit to dressing to the gun - not hiding your nice jewelry, but adjusting their clothes to enable CC. The best I can do with my wife is that she carries it in her purse. And when she is in a potential threat area, her hand is in the purse, on the weapon.

It isn't MY preference, but rather that than not carrying at all.

I had the opportunity to talk to a female Air Marshall and asked her about female carry ideas. Understandably, she was evasive in answering and I didn't get much of an answer.

Jetdrvr...I'll cut to the chase OK! Now I too have a wife that looks 45 when dressed but is now 60.....whoaaa yeah.

She has been shooting a lot the last 1.5 years and has shot over 5000 rounds. She has gone through 6 different pistols in the process, which costs more money....geez.

However, she now depends on a sub-compact Glock pistol. Now first it was a 9mm Luger caliber, then 4 months later it was the .40cal S&W in the model 27 Glock, again a sub-compact.

Just so you know, the Glock has 15% less recoil than other makes in a semi-auto pistol. She has shot my 10mm also at the range. The wife carries her pistol on her in an elastic band around her belly. It has a sewen in holster for her pistol. She does wear a little larger blouse etc and it hides the pistol very well.