In the past I have carried for work, duty belt and such, always visible in uniform. Reserve police officer and Security at a DOD plant, but not while off duty type job.

Now I carry concealed, with a state permit. I find it odd that after open carry, concealed feels odd. Not in a bad way but different.

I am of course cautious of printing or lifting my arm up at the market to get something and thinking what if someone sees. Or looking to see if I can pick out anyone else who may be carrying. Looking for a bulge, or a shirt falling in the wrong way etc. Trying to find a mistake that maybe I am making.

I get that concealed means concealed but the masses don't have a clue. Or do they?

Granted in my state, ccw is not as common as other states, so there is little to go on.

I am comfortable with my decision to carry, to be able to protect my family if needed, but being a noob to it, it stills feels a little odd.

Anyone else have these thought when they started?

A lot of people have that feeling when they first start carrying. "EVERYBODY CAN SEE MY GUN!" As time goes on, and you get used to carrying, that sensation diminishes.

Most people don't notice, and if they do notice they likely won't think much about it.

Now, me personally, I try to keep it as low profile as possible. While it's unlikely anyone would notice, the few who do may or may not have nefarious intentions.

One of the reasons I carry a snub revolver. Very easy to carry discreetly. But I've also carried a Glock 23 and a S&W 3" 65 discreetly, too...it just takes a little more forethought in terms of carry gear and dressing around the gun. I recently got a compact 9mm and as soon as my carry gear arrives I'll be experimenting wtih carrying that.

To me, "discreet" doesn't necessarily mean "invisible." It means there may be a little wrinkle, or an indistinct bulge around my waist. I have a vivid memory of a guy wearing a polo shirt snug enough that I could easily tell he was carrying a subcompact Glock. That would not be discreet to me.

Everybody has their own threshold of what they're comfortable with, depending on their choice of carry gun/gear, clothing, social environments, risk factors, etc.

I have said this many times: think in terms of being unobtrusive rather than "not even the teeniest, tiniest little hint" and carrying becomes easier. In my several years of carrying, if anybody has noticed or even cared, even if I let it show, they haven't shown it.

I choose my clothing specifically to conceal my pistol.
And the clothing I choose helps me to blend in with most people in the area I live.
This keeps me unnoticed. My guess is that with a little effort in clothing and some more time spent actually out and about armed, you will become comfortable with daily carry.

Whenever this subject comes up I am usually reminded of this quote from George Carlin:

“Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.”

The point being- most people are caught up in their own doings, buried in their phones more than half the time, such that they don't notice most of what's going on around them. Unless you're going out of your way to bring attention to yourself you will pass unnoticed by most.

All that said, in time you will become more relaxed. One of the main things is to avoid fussing with your clothing- adjusting your shirt, belt, touching your holster, etc. Be at ease.

I am getting more used to it by the day.

Thanks for the replies. It's just still pretty new to me.

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...most people are caught up in their own doings, buried in their phones more than half the time, such that they don't notice most of what's going on around them...

And on top of that, people regularly carry multi-tools, cellphone holsters, insulin injectors, etc. on their belts. I don't worry about a little bit of printing anymore.
But yes, the first weeks it felt like everyone was giving me the eye.

The first year I got my CCW, I felt selfconcise about it mainly due to experimenting getting the right holster and belt setup for my carry position so that it would minimize printing and maximizing comfort.

I used to play the "can you see it" game with my wife until I finally settled down on my gear and I became confident that it doesn't print.

Yeah, I had that same feeling for a while, but eventually (carrying pretty much all the time EXCEPT at work for a few months) it went away. People are mostly oblivious and unless you do something wrong nobody is likely to notice anything. I've carried snubbies, compact 9mm's (Springfield XDm, Sig 228) and a big Commander size 1911 depending on the time of year and how warm it is, and as far as I know nobody has ever "made" me. Other than the mindset, the biggest change for me was getting used to wearing my shirts un-tucked.

quote:

Originally posted by Nismo:

I used to play the "can you see it" game with my wife until I finally settled down on my gear and I became confident that it doesn't print.

I do that too. I asked if she could tell while I walked across the parking lot and went into stop and shop. She was looking for my smart carry but I was wearing a Desantis OWB minislide. She didn't notice. So, so far so good!

Almost no one will notice the bulge. Almost everyone who does notice the bulge will assume it is a cellphone or other device rather than a gun.

Rest easy my friend. In 7 years of daily carry, the ONLY time that I was ever made was when getting a surprise hug from a friend. She just smiled with acknowledgement and continued our conversation. I even shock some gun guys when they realize that they didn't notice. I am not doing anything special. P239 in an IWB holster (TT Gunleather Mike's Special or a one off Big River Leather).

You are right the masses will never have a clue, why sheep get sheared. The criminal or professional will see a poorly hidden gun though, you can count on that, they are looking after all.
I think every new ccw feels odd, like everyone is looking, but reality, most people couldn't tell you what the last 4 people they walked by looked like, much less if they were carrying a gun.