I have not been shy in the past about expressing my concerns and dislikes for carrying a concealed firearm in a purse. I think it is much better for concealed carry weapons to be kept against the body for a number of reasons. Two reasons that first come to mind are the ability to better secure the weapon and weapon accessibility.

 

There will be times when the clothes a woman wears will make it difficult to carry a firearm on her body. The two things clothes need to possess to make carrying a weapon on your body convenient is belt loops and deep pockets. These two things are often not a part of the design of clothing that is popular for women today.

 

To address this issue, a number of unconventional holsters have been developed with the female concealed weapon carrier in mind.

 

One of these unconventional holsters is the garter holster. This holster is worn around the thigh and is designed to provide women with access to their firearm when their choice of clothing is a skirt.

 

The garter holster seems like a great idea upon first consideration. And we have all seen a SWAT Team member or another good guy on television reach for a gun that was strapped to his inner thigh with no problem.

 

However, if you look at the television hero a little closer, you will see that the thigh holster they are wearing is pushed so high up on the thigh that it rests just beneath the crotch. This is necessary because it is extremely difficult to manage the movement that takes place when you strap a piece of metal to your thigh.

 

I will take a moment now to give a quick confession. When I was in my 20s, I decided I wanted to carry the Beretta Jetfire I owned with me everywhere I went. This included times I was wearing my club kid attire and if I could find a holster that I could position high enough, I would carry the Beretta when I wore a sundress. I figured out that I would have to use my shade tree seamstress skills to make myself a holster that would allow me to do some of the things I wanted.

 

My created holster worked perfectly when I was standing still in front of my bedroom window. However, this was the extent of the success I experienced with my garter holster. Any movement caused the gun to flip and gyrate in a wild and unpredictable fashion. And this was when I was walking at a slow pace. I did not even try to dance or run with my gun positioned in the garter holster.

 

The Flashbang Bra Holster is a holster that I was sure I would hate. I could not believe how terrible an idea this holster seemed to be when I first laid eyes on it. I thought these hosters were in bad taste and quite dangerous until I opened my mind a bit and gave one of the holsters a try. Then, I understood just how ingenious an idea the Flashbang Bra Holster truly is.

 

In effect, the Flashbang is a shoulder holster that has been positioned horizontally and rotated to the front of the body. The Flashbang is accessed in the same manner you would access a horizontal shoulder holster. You simply need to move the hand that is on the support side of the holster up to allow you to pull down on your weapon, rotate the muzzle of the gun away from your body, and point the gun at your intended target.

 

I will not tell you that the Flashbang is the ideal method to carry your weapon on an everyday basis. But neither is a traditional shoulder holster. What I will tell you is that both of these methods are good ways to execute concealed carry in certain situations.

 

Whether you use a traditional or unconventional holster, it is important that you log some dry-round practice with the holster to make sure it works well for you. You can do yourself an additional favor by consulting someone who has professional experience with the holster you are considering. You then need to commit to the hours of practice necessary to ensure you can safely access your weapon from the holster at a speed that can help you in a time of emergency.