These are the Best Holsters, Purses, Home and Auto Storage Options and Apparel for the Concealed Carry Woman

That also Make For Great Christmas Presents

More women are choosing not to be victims by getting trained and arming themselves. Concealed carry instructors across the nation are seeing record enrollment and states are reporting higher numbers or women applying and being licensed than at any other time in history. Gun sales are up and guess who’s driving this surge?! Yep, you guessed it, women and new shooters. 40% of new gun buyers are women according to an article in the Washington Examiner.

The industry has had to pivot from a mostly male dominated customer-base to an expanding female-centric base that demands fashion colors and non-traditional options to carry. To that end, accessory manufactures in the space are searching to fill that void of options. There are purses in every style, clutches, hobo, cross-bodies and backpack styles. The guns themselves are a personal style statement with pastel colors and bold neon colors. And women want accessories to match. Purses were the first to try to solve this problem and are probably more mainstream than the other options.

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Purses

These purses are stylish and functional. The stylishness is important, but the functionality is what’s super important. The wearer needs to be able to store their handgun, in a separate compartment, but also needs to be able to get to it, in a hurry, and in a pinch. Your name brand designer purse may not fit the bill and could ultimately make you less safe. If you have ever seen a Tueller Drill, you will understand why if in a self defense situation, seconds count. The Tueller Drill is essentially a drill to illustrate that a knife welding attacker at 21feet can probably get to you and inflict damage with that knife before you can get to your firearm and or get off a shot to stop the attack.

The three most important features of a concealed carry purse are: The gun compartment should have a separate holster and weapons pocket. It should have ample access to draw safely. The user needs quick access. The models listed below all meet these characteristics.

The Laced Ann Satchel

The Covert Kari Carry Purse

The Covert Kari Carry Purse

The Multi-Shay Backpack

The Bulldog Hobo

The top 5 purse trends of 2020 and the concealed carry purses that are right on trend.

Not only are these purses stylish, the silhouettes are spot on trend. The Marie Claire article for handbag trends of 2020 list the top styles, and our list checks most of the boxes. We’ve got the Hobo’s, the Satchels, The Braided Crossbodies, the Rope Bags. The good news is you don’t have to give up style for function. The safety these purses provide is unmatched. Your firearm is accessible but also safely stored away and concealed giving you a tactical advantage.

Backpacks have plenty of storage space and the possibilities are endless for carry. Our lone backpack entry can even accommodate ballistic plates, that offer protection from bullets.

-Holsters

These are the old guard of handguns, but they are seeing some innovations, particularly in the appendix carry and back 6 o’clock positions. I personally don’t care for this position, but its gaining popularity. Appendix carry is where you place a pistol and holster in the front of the waistband. The typical placement is often about halfway between the pants pocket and the waistband button, close to the location of the appendix – hence the name. Again, probably why I am not fond of this position. The proximity scares the bejezzers out of me. All I can think of is an untimely negligent discharge- and my life changes forever.

Women seem to favor these positions and state they are more comfortable. According to the article SheBang, published in the Truth About Guns forum, 35 % of new gun purchases are from women. I am a proponent of the old adage, carry the largest caliber you can consistently shoot. I would add to this, strike a balance between caliber and recoil. The new fad of smaller frame coupled with a large caliber is one I don’t anticipate lasting long. Its like having a cannon, in the hand. Yes, stopping power is important, but so is managing the recoil. I am a big supporter of carrying the largest gun you can carry. The larger the frame, the better recoil management, especially if you are going up in caliber. These new holsters are making it easier to carry a larger gun concealed. The appendix position offers options that strong side and the 6 oclock positions don’t.

I really like these brands, and their options.

1. Concealment Express 100% Kydex holsters at a reasonable price. Each holster is formed to the exact specifications of your specific gun model. I abhor those holsters that fit several models. They don’t secure the weapons and don’t offer any locking to keep the firearm in the holster. The Concealment Express holsters are high quality and priced competitively. These are the only holsters I have used for the last 10 years. After wasting money on other brands, this is my go-to holster brand.
2. We The People Holsters look really cool. If you want graphics on your holster, they have some cool options. This wasn’t as important to me, because my holster is always concealed.
3. Alien Gear holsters are the most comprehensive lines you will find. The Alien Gear lineup can fill all your carry needs. I think this will be the brand that makes me leave my Concealment Express cocoon, when I get my next carry gun.

Bra holsters, yes bra holsters- they are really a thing. The article 5 Best Bra Holster in 2018 list the big brands that play in this space. CCW Holster Shirt Tank Tops are definitely a new foray and look to be here to stay.

Holsters for non-concealed purses and concealed carry backpacks give you additional options for concealing and carrying your firearm.

Conceal Carry Apparel is another category that didn’t exist a few years ago, but it is here in a big way.

Yoga Pants are a great option to carry in. There is a brand that I’ve started following on Instagram, the face of the brand and model is a real badass, she has some of the coolest yoga pants for concealed carry that I have seen. They have belt loops to use a tradition gun belt and holster. These yoga pants are very well concealed and not just for micro guns. She carries full-sized guns and you would never know it. Check out Vakandi Apparel, you won’t be disappointed, they have some really cool stuff.

UnderTech Undercover is a brand I’ve followed that has shirts and pants with built in holsters. I’ve purchased a tank with the holster. It’s a pretty novel idea that they have executed really well.

Home storage is essential for a responsible gun owner. In Illinois it is in fact mandated in the law. Gun owners have an obligation to secure firearms from unauthorized users. In most states an unauthorized user is a child, an intruder, of your son-in-law or cousin who sleeps in your basement who happens to be a felon. The best means of making sure your firearm is kept from unauthorized users, is to secure it in a safe. Safes scare a lot of people and they have a valid worry. If you need it will you be able to get to it, in a timely manner, will you fumble with keys, or forget a combination in a high stress, self-defense situation?

Biometric lockboxes or safes fit the bill. These safes secure your firearms and don’t require you to fumble with a key or combination. You simply put your finger against the reader and the safe opens. Even in a adrenalin-induced situation, with loss of fine motor skills, you should be able to open these safes. These are the only type of safes I would trust for a bedside handgun.

Bed holsters

Magnetic holders for guns

Trigger lock mechanisms

Concealed furniture

Safes

Underseat boxes

Statistics on women shooters, gun buyers and Concealed Carry Applications nationwide

1. Demographics of new shooters- first time gun buyers grew to 5 million in 2020
2. Record gun sales almost 20 million guns sold in 2020
3. NCIS data on 2020

What’s driving this? The easy answer: 2020! All of the weirdness of 2020, has made most citizens a little unsure, unsafe and vulnerable. 2020 has been the gift that keeps on giving, we’ve had pandemics, Social injustice and movements to counteract the injustices, a presidential election like no other, and massive layoffs and job loses, economic uncertainty, supply chain meltdowns, and vague threats of civil war and heightened racial tensions. It could be one of these, it could be a combination of all of these, all I know is the fear is real and we are seeing it in the numbers. As an instructor for Concealed Carry and a retailer of firearms and ammo, I can attest that something is happening. I like to joke that guns and ammo are what toilet paper was in March of 2020.  I have signed up more new shooters and women shooters in 2020 than I have in the last two years. My most recent class had all but two people in the class who had never touched a real gun. This phenomenon is real.

In Conclusion

Women are the biggest purchasers of guns and accessories. They are the largest and fastest growing segment of concealed carry class registrants and licensee applications across the country. The industry has had to pivot to make products that appeal, fit, and meet the needs of this demographic. Women want not only stylish, fun, colorful guns, and accessories but practicality and functionality. They want to conceal, in garments, purses and backpacks- but they also want bra holsters, yoga pants and tanks that conceal their firearms. Women don’t want the standard black firearms, they want pinks, blues and prints and camo’s. The industry has had to pivot to meet these needs. The industry has made smaller, easier to manage firearms that are stylish and personalized. Accessories are playing catch-up but they are making strides.   I hope the items I have showcased have some of the flair, and stylish but are also functional. As a seller of accessories and firearms, I aim to have an assortment that appeals to the new shooter that happens to be a woman. There are far more options than when I bought my first gun, it makes me think of the old Henry Ford quote, “Any customer can have a car painted any color he wants, so long as it is black.” Thank God, we have come to the point that having a purple, pink, green or blue gun is something that is actually an option. Believe it or not, we are making strides. Men, these also make great Christmas presents for the woman concealed carrier and gun owner in your life.

Written by Kevin Flowers