Do any of you gals carry in your purses?

[Will Carry]

I have heard pros and cons of carrying in purses but the people making these remarks are all men. I would like to her a woman's view on the subject.

[Jonnin]

My wife does not hang out on the forums, but I can give you her words =)

She carried one of those "gun in the middle" carry purses for about 10 years, at a rough estimate. The pros were that it was easy to carry this way, and always ready to go, IE basic ease of use. A couple of incidents in parking lots got her to give it strong consideration and she finally reached a few conclusions. 1) Reaching for the purse is not easy to do casually. Most of the troublemakers were wanting money and reaching for the purse was, instead of a threat, seen as a good thing! 2) She felt it would be awkward to make a fast draw if needed, and as she has grown older and wiser, I think she finally realizes how fast a situation can start and how little time one really has. 3) The purse is a target for stealing, so if being robbed, they are going to take that from her right off and going back to #1 and #2, it would be hard to pull a gun from the center of attention in the process of handing it over...

She feels 1000 % more confident now with her sig p238 in her pocket. Its invisible, easy to draw and fire, she can rack the slide under pressure (sometimes the bigger ones gave her trouble, she has MS which makes for random physical problems), reload it, clear a jam, and use the gun very very well.

She does still use the purses from time to time, as a form of deep concealment or convience when I am with her, or other times. She recommends having a carry purse to all women but does not think it is the best primary carry option. She does not recommend trying to jury rig a regular purse for it, it may work for a few specific handbags but the carry design is well thought out.

[Guest friesepferd]

absolutely not.

purses get left places, forgotten, and most importantly, stolen.

if yoy want a different kind of option, check out the Safepacker Concealed Carry Holster, Concealed Weapon Holster

I use that a lot in the summer, when its a bit harder to carry IWB. I have even had mulitple ladies comment and how 'cool' and 'hip' my "purse" is. And how nice that would be to prevent you from leaving it places.

[SamZzz]

NO! I don't like the idea of someone snatching it and taking my gun or having to fumble to get it if I truly need to draw. I use an IWB holster with my Bersa Thunder 380. The Bersa is big enough to look intimidating yet small and light enough (I have the two-tone one) that it doesn't drag my clothes down. I can wear it with most of my shorts (sometimes adding a belt since I have lost some weight and they tend to be loose on me now).

I'm not allowed to have it at work, so it stays in my locked truck while there, and I'll admit sometimes I forget to put it on when I get off work, but hubby reminds me when he's home. LOL I've thought about putting it in my purse at work... even though I'd definitely be fired if it was ever found, but I don't want to leave it in there. I really don't like the idea of having to leave it in my truck either. I find it quite interesting that I had to go through a background check and be fingerprinted to get this job, yet they don't trust me with a weapon knowing that we deal with highly sensitive and desirable information. *sigh*

Carrying my gun felt really awkward at first, and I felt like EVERYBODY knew I had a gun! But I've been carrying for a almost a year now and nobody has ever noticed. Only my family knows I have one. I wore mine around the house for a few weeks to get used to the feel of it. I started with a Walther P22 which is slightly bigger and weighs a slight bit more than my Bersa. After the P22, the Bersa practically disappears and I usually forget I have it until I kneel down or sit and it's pointed the wrong way. I highly recommend wearing one aroudn the house, where you feel comfortable. You'll soon learn where and how you want your gun positioned and then when you step out into public with it, you have the confidence of knowing HOW to wear it.

[OngoingFreedom]

My wife carries her Glock 27 in a concealment purse.

[tnhawk]

My wife uses the 'Plan B' Day Planner from Dillon. She prefers it to a concealment purse.

[JC57]

I am not a gal but my wife is. She is not a TGO reader, so I will answer for her. She carries in one of these: GTM-90 Concealed Carry Large Hobo Sac GTM090. It has a steel cable in the strap to prevent the strap being cut. It is designed to be carried cross-body.

Before you go telling me about what a bad idea it is... you try talking to her.

[CLC]

I carry my Beretta 96 FS in a belly band. It feels great and I prefer for my weapon to be on body

[Guest MrsS]

I carry my gun in a holster...never in my purse. I would be concerned if someone attempted to grab my purse with my form of personal protection tucked in it. Closer to my body is preferable to me.

[PackinMama]

I'm very happy to see all the comments about how you SHOULD NOT carry your gun in a purse. It is the absolute worst way for a woman to carry a gun. I learned the hard way myself after having my purse stolen with my carry weapon inside it. That was about 6 years ago and I have carried on my person ever since. It's taken a bit of trial and error, and has resulted in quite a few holsters that were purchased and then thrown aside.....as well as a change in dressing habits and also a few changes of my primary carry weapon.....but has been well worth the effort. I can now go out and feel 100% secure and comfortable with wearing my gun on my body with the ability to draw in less than 2 seconds.

Some great ways for women to carry are belly bands, fanny packs, and IWB holsters if you can wear a belt. I've found that the Crossbreed Supertuck is my absolute favorite of all the IWB holsters I've tried, hands down. The K-Holster and the K&D Thunderbird Defender are close behind. A very important aspect of carrying IWB comfortably and securely is a good gun belt. It took me a while to realize how much a good quality dedicated gun belt helps when carrying IWB. It makes all the difference in the world. I personally have a K&D gun belt and love it, but I know there are others out there that are probably as good......just do your research and get one from a reputable maker.

[OngoingFreedom]

I was impressed with a young lady's review of Remora holsters on YouTube so I got one for my wife and my daughter. My wife is now using some of her other purses :-)

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[Tncobra]

On the show "Lockup" they interviewed a serial rapist. The first words out of his mouth was to separate the victim from the threat. The threat being the purse and what was in it. IE; Weapon.

A female will be more likely a victim of theft than assault when out in public. Either way, the purse is going to be the target more than not. How many purses get snatched out of the shopping cart?

To me it's the same as keeping a firearm in the glove box or console. Where is the crook going first?

IN MY HUMBLE OPINION I don't think it is wise.

[sschrick]

My wife carries in her purse, but I will be slowly persuading her to carry on her person. Hell, I got her over the first obstacle of carrying at all.

[BLACKVANDRIVER]

My wife carries in her purse and has been drilled and drilled and practiced and practiced over and over to shoot from/thru her purse. She is not in the postion to carry on her person during the day and after work are always together. I understand the "seperate" senario but she has been doing it for so long now its 2nd nature.

I think its up to each person to carry as they see fit and can train to react from that position. There is ALWAYS going to be a better way or different way someone could have reacted but at least she practices with what she has.