How do you know if someone is carrying?

[Phoebe]

I met someone yesterday who was wearing a fanny pack, and found myself terribly curious about what was in there.

I suppose if it's well concealed, you don't notice.

My ex-bf carried all the time, and I confess I NEVER noticed.

I hope this isn't another silly question. I'm noticing things in new ways.

 

[sakeneko]

That's what happens when you get a gun and plan to go for your CCW -- you start noticing things. (To say nothing of what happens when you deal with a stalker.) The answer is that you can't always tell. Whether the guy is carrying or not is also pretty much irrelevant unless a) he's creepy, and you're scared of *him* rather than just the gun, or b) someone else who is creepy is around/might be around and you're hoping that he has a gun and can back you up. If either of those is true, I hope you have a plan in place to deal with it.

If not, I'd just accept the curiosity as a normal part of this journey. For me, at least, the curiosity died down over time and I don't usually think about it any more.

 

[Tennessee Gentleman]

Kayla,
That is part of what Tom Gresham calls the "Life Changing" experience of CCW. You will also find yourself more alert to others when you carry. I know I do.

 

[Kyo]

you can just ask. "are you hot?" lol
my uncle, he likes to joke around and actually give me a hug and reach around and check even then you couldn't tell.
my sister accidentally found out by literally coming up behind me and slamming into me in the house. reaction was priceless.
so in short, you can't usually tell unless you touch someone

 

[BlackFeather]

I notice cell phones on peoples waists more and more, I also notice people who wear strangely "bumpy" clothing. I think its good to notice these things, but dont fret over it, just keep it in your mind as a side note. I was at the movie theatre in California yesterday and its about 105 outside, this guy was wearing a thin jacket, but still a jacket in the desert, and I could see a bump in his side, a cell phone. Well it took a second but I remembered that its freezing in these movie theatres. So you may not know its a gun, but dont always assume it is. I am not saying that you should throw caution to the wind however.

 

[Phoebe]

He was a little creepy, actually. And he was in a social setting where weapons are specifically banned. But, it may have just had his wallet in it for all I know.

Kyo, I'm afraid of what would happen if I asked random guys if they were hot! lol!

 

[Niisan2309]

My uncle wears a fanny pack all the time. He doesn't carry (principle of a catholic school), but he keeps his wallet, camera, and phone in there.

 

[fastforty]

I've only 100% "made" one person in the 10 years or so that I've been looking. We were in a meeting in a public building that had a HUGE sign covering the whole window next to the entrance door proclaiming it any number of listed crimes to carry a weapon inside. The guy was wearing a big black fanny pack & he musta had a Desert Eagle crammed in there, cuz the buldge in the top of the fanny pack was *obviously* printing the back end of a slide, hammer and grip safety. I mean, you could see "gun" from across the room. The guy *looked* like a cop, so I gave him some benefit but kept an eye on him just the same. When it came time for introductions, he stated that he was a police officer and as he turned I saw his badge pinned to the other side of the fanny pack.

Aside from that, there's been quite a few people that I was about 98% sure they were packing, just by their body language.

 

[MLeake]

The most entertaining case of a guy I saw carrying...

... was in the late 80's. Older gentleman was carrying in plain sight at the Fashion Square Mall in Orlando. NAA mini-revolver in a belt buckle holder. Those were still fairly uncommon, then, and virtually everybody seemed to think it was just a decorative buckle.

As far as telling if somebody is carrying, there are various cues you can pick up on, that others have already covered. My rules of thumb, though:

1) Assume everybody IS carrying. Better to be surprised when they are not, than when they are.

2) If somebody's behavior makes you nervous, don't worry about whether he is armed. Your subconscious has probably picked up on cues that you haven't consciously processed yet. If your internal alarms are going off, stay away from that person, pay even closer attention to your surroundings in case you need an escape route or a police officer, and prepare to vacate the area.

3) If you can consciously determine a valid reason why that person is making you nervous, consider calling the police.

 

[Trashcan-man]

And he was in a social setting where weapons are specifically banned.

Just out of curiousity where was this? I've been a lot of places where my girlfriend says "you're not gonnd need that in there" or "do you have to carry that thing around all the time?" But I cannot think of a place where it would be banned...unless the host specifically said "no guns."
Oh...or maybe the event was at a post office, polling place or police station?

 

[MLeake]

I don't know the laws in Kayla's state...

... but in Florida, a "social setting where weapons are specifically banned" would include a nightclub, or a bar, or a bar and grill if food didn't make up at least a certain percentage (I think 50% but it's been a while since I checked) of revenue from sales.

Not sure if she meant by law, or by venue owner.

 

[dev_null]

Many states bar carrying in houses of worship as well.

 

[Skan21]

Concealed carry is fairly common here, so every once in a while, I'll see someone printing outrageously. They're probably just new to CCW. It's important to inspect yourself in front of a mirror, from whatever angles you can see. I used to carry in a shoulder holster ( shortly!) but then my uncle told me that I print badly like that. So I switched to IWB, and I haven't had a problem since. I wear T shirts or long sleve dress shirts most of the year, normally in light colors ( purple, pink, yellow, white etc) so a black shoulder holster, with a black 5" pistol is fairly noticeable.

 

[WhiteShadow]

Alot of times theres absolutely no way of knowing, short of asking the person.

 

[MajorWhiteBoy]

i've never seen someone i knew was carrying. if i have my .38 on, i bet nobody would ever guess i was carrying.

heck, i KNOW my sister usually carries, and i still have to ask her.

 

[Trashcan-man]

... but in Florida, a "social setting where weapons are specifically banned" would include a nightclub, or a bar, or a bar and grill if food didn't make up at least a certain percentage (I think 50% but it's been a while since I checked) of revenue from sales.

Not sure if she meant by law, or by venue owner.

Yeah...you can carry in a restaurant/bar as long as you are in the restaurant part and not the bar part. As I understand it you cannot be in the part of the restaurant that makes most of it's money through alcohol.
But that's what I'm saying, then it would be illegal to carry and her bf would have been an idiot to go to a place like a nightclub, bar etc with a gun anywhere near him.
As I read her statement, it was a social thing, ie something that wasn't illegal just not wanted. I'm wondering where that would be. I've gone places where if the owner/host knew I was carrying I'd probably have been asked to leave...but I was concealed...they never knew. I'm just wondering what type of gathering is there where the owner/host says no guns before the event.

+1 skan
Here in FL there is no open carry...if I print then I think it's a felony...so I have to make sure I don't print. Honestly I know that I've printed in the past, and either nobody noticed or they didn't care. Its hard to check yourself because you know it's there...my litmus test is my gf, if she doesn't notice it when I walk out of the bathroom then I'm good. Especially since she knows I carry alot.

 

[fastforty]

Many states bar carrying in houses of worship as well.

Yeah well, I'll have to take that one up with The Big Man Himself. Too many sheep in those buildings, someone has to have a shepherd's hook (figuratively speaking) to conk a wolf on the head with (also figuratively speaking).

 

[MajorWhiteBoy]

when i took my ccw, the guy giving the class told us about all kinds of folks from churches getting the license. in fact, one church made it an outing, filled up the whole class.

 

[Phoebe]

Trashcan-man (and any other curious folks), I belong to a fraternal organization that specifically bans firearms at events. The event in question was in a private home.

I don't mean banned as in illegal.

 

[onthejon55]

well if they're legit CCW permit holders they will be displaying their Concealed Weapon Permit badge.

If you dont already have one you can get it here