Women have struggled with concealed carry options for years. What works best for men may not work for women, obviously as our bodies are different shapes. Additionally, what works for one lady might not work for another, specifically while wearing a gun in a dress. Tessah at Armed & Styled talks about the considerations women need to consider for concealed carry with a dress or in everyday attire.
Carry Methods
- Thigh Holster
- Belly Bands
- Off-Body/Purse
- Phlster Enigma Holster
Thigh Holster
The first carry method Tessah talks about is a thigh holster, which she states is one of the more common ways for a lady to carry. The thigh holster was one of her first-ever holster purchases and after she bought it she was excited to get it home and try it out. Ultimately, though, regardless of how she positioned it, she could not comfortably walk with it on. After that experience, she thought she would never be able to carry while wearing a dress.
There are some safety concerns to consider with thigh holsters and carry shorts. That they are made of a softer material and there is a strong potential for an accidental trigger pull. This carry method has no trigger protection since it’s a minimalist way to carry. Furthermore, if you’re trying to draw or holster your weapon, it will be hard to do without muzzling at least part of your thigh or leg at some point in the process and breaking one of the universal gun safety rules.
Verdict: due to the safety concerns and not being able to walk with it on, it’s a no-go.
Belly Band
The next concealed carry option Tessah talks about is the Belly Band, which she has a general distaste for them. The biggest safety concern, like with the thigh holsters, is that they don’t give adequate trigger protection. With a Belly Band, you would have to add the trigger protection or holster, and depending on which you choose you may not be able to holster safely on the body.
Besides the fact that they don’t do much for concealment and they lack basic features for concealment. There is nothing on a Belly Band that would force your grip or sights back towards your body to help conceal the firearm. Further, she said that since they don’t have a retention option, there is nothing to keep the band in place or from riding up on your hips.
Verdict: She highly discourages people from carrying in a Belly Band and wouldn’t consider it as a viable option in a dress.
Off-Body/Purse Carry
Tessah generally discourages people from carrying off-body in a purse, especially if kids are present in your life at all. With off-body carry, you must be extra vigilant and not set your purse down anywhere. When you do that, it’s like just setting a loaded weapon down for anyone to grab.
She does not purse carry but said that if you do choose to carry that way you need to carry in a purse designed for that with trigger protection. The person also needs to practice gaining access to the firearm and drawing it from the purse to keep their skills sharp. For her, it’s too cumbersome and harder to carry off-body when done correctly.
Verdict: There are a lot of safety measures to consider when off-body carrying and thinks there are easier methods of carrying.
Phlster Enigma Holster
She starts this section out with a disclaimer saying that she currently works for Phlster but had bought and used the Enigma holster prior to her employment there. She reiterates that she had gone through different holsters and decided on the Phlster Enigma prior to her working there and has used it almost every day since she bought it.
She likes the fact that the Enigma is modular and is more comfortable for her to wear especially since she rarely wears a belt anymore. Tessah goes on to say that the Enigma is independent of her clothing, so she doesn’t have to take any special consideration for that. It also helps that she’s familiar with it and knows how to use it, so do with that what you will.
How to Carry a Gun in a Dress
For Tessah, the best way to carry a gun in a dress is appendix carry. You have to have realistic expectations when carrying while wearing a dress, and the shape of the dress has to be considered. You cannot expect to conceal carry in a bodycon dress. The shape of the dress also plays into concealment and the drawing pattern of the weapon.
For her, an A-line shape works the best. Big note here, make sure the fabric of the dress isn’t see-through. Seems obvious, but it isn’t always. Additionally, adding a holster wedge helps push the grip and sights closer to the body to reduce printing.
The placement of the gun also matters, ideally it should be between your hip bones (think 10 to 2 placement). For Tessah, gun placement is different in a dress than in pants. For a dress she wants it to be as low as she can comfortably wear it, so the draw stroke is closer to the hem of the dress.
She ends the video by showing how she draws while wearing a dress. She takes her hands, fingers wide, and gets handfuls of the dress as close to the hem as she can without bending over. She then lifts the hem and draws the weapon.
