Carrying a pistol in your purse has become the most popular way for women to carry a gun for protection. The two options for concealed carry are in a purse, “off body” and in a holster, “on body”. More women opt for the “off body” method of carry in a purse. This gives them flexibility and doesn't crowd their personal space by having a pistol on their body. There is certain comfort level that is attained by this freedom.
There are certain basic rules that you have to conform to if you carry your pistol in your purse. These rules may be basic, but their importance cannot be emphasized too much. It is mandatory for you to adhere to them religiously.
You must not think that you can throw your pistol into an everyday bag with all that other stuff and say you are now carrying concealed. You commit more than one infraction by doing this. Most immediate is the fact that a gun mixed in with lots of stuff can shoot your foot off when something pulls the trigger in your bag. Bad plan! Next, it will be next to impossible for you to get your gun out of the bag when you need it. It will be tangled with all that other stuff and be unavailable for drawing and useless for protection.
Do not be dissuaded by these facts. Your purse is a great way to carry a concealed pistol. You just have to have the correct purse that is equipped for you to carry your pistol in a way that is safe. A well designed concealed carry purse like the Cowhide Cinnamon and Black Tote will be able to make your pistol available when you need to use it from an easily accessible, safe gun pocket. As part of the design of a proper concealed carry purse it will have a Kydex holster inside a concealed compartment.
The holster is attached to the inside of the gun pocket by Velcro that keeps the pistol secure. You will be able in adjust the angle of the holster so that you have the perfect drawing angle. Some purses have a locking concealed compartment that affords safety to prevent meddling fingers out of it.
The Kydex holster is the best for holding your pistol at the correct angle because it is stiff enough to grip the gun that is in it. You will have to pull the pistol out of its grasp when needed. When you are getting your concealed purse, select one that comes with a holster. Make sure the holster is designed to fit the pistol that you carry. It is not a very good idea to get a “universal” holster. These are “one size fits all”. Far better to get a holster that actually fits your particular pistol.
With the purse setup with the holster at your suspected drawing angle you can practice with it to build some muscle memory. The more you practice drawing the more more efficient you will become. During the practice time you will be able to adjust the drawing angle of your holster until it is perfect for you. Of course you do all this practicing with a pistol that is empty. Best to take out the magazine if it has one. A great beginning purse is the Distressed Buffalo Leather Town Tote.
Drawing a pistol from a purse is a little more difficult than pulling a gun out of a holster so it will take some true practicing to get it right. There are only two types of draw that you can do from a concealed carry purse, a crossbody draw and a same side draw. The type of purse that you have will have some bearing on the type of draw that you can do.
If you have a concealed purse with a long strap you will be able to do either type of draw. If you have a purse that has a shorter strap, that cannot be carried crossbody, you will only be able to do the same side draw.
The same side draw can occur when you are carrying your purse over the shoulder and the bag is on the same side of your body as your carrying shoulder. You will need to place your drawing hand into the concealed compartment so that the pistol is pointing at the target. This method can be a little awkward, and requires a lot of practice.
The crossbody draw occurs when the strap of the purse is extended across the body. The strap is over the shoulder opposite the side of the purse location. The draw is made when the hand from the side that is opposite the purse is placed into the concealed compartment. This is the easiest of the two drawing methods, but both require significant practice.
Some women have said that it is a good idea to just shoot through the purse when they encounter a problem. That it is quicker and you don't even have to draw. The problem is that it is very improbable that you can hit anything with a blind shot like that. There is not a good way to practice that. It turns out that there are malfunctions of the pistol when you do that. Combine not hitting the target with a malfunction and you have a bad situation. It is best to follow the advice of experts and train yourself to draw your pistol as needed and protect yourself.
