Everyday means EVERYday

Everyday means simply that: EVERY day – without fail, without exception. There is a plethora of blog posts and various forum discussions about Everyday Carry (EDC) and what’s necessary for inclusion. What I find almost humorous are those individuals whose EDC includes a full size handgun with modifications that include an optic, a light/laser combination, extended magazines and more. In addition to that handgun system they also profess to carry a full trauma kit, two or more knives, two or more flashlights, wallet, phone, keys, a “tactical” pen and… well, you get the point. They need a small backpack to carry it all, but having everything tucked away where it takes too much time to get to it defeats the very purpose of carrying in the first place. Additionally, carrying all of that in any kind of concealed fashion takes a serious feat of prestidigitation. We’re not supposed to be magicians; we’re supposed to be individuals who take seriously their responsibility for self-defense and the defense of others. So how does that outlook impact what we carry on a daily basis in all circumstances?

First it’s important to understand that “every day carry” doesn’t translate into “carry under any and all circumstances.” Just a few weeks ago (as I type this) I was in attendance at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas. Inside SHOT Show, no “live” weapons are permitted.  While I’m sure there are a few people who carry into the show anyway, I try my best to respect the rules and not do so. When I travel back and forth, since I no longer have the option to fly while armed, I have to be in the airports’ secured areas without a firearm, knives, etc. When I go up into Washington DC on any business that takes me into a federal building, they get kind of pissy if I forget to secure my firearm elsewhere.

All of those situations prohibit the actual “carry under any and all circumstances.”  And there are a couple more I’d like to consider that are the real concern behind this article:

In the winter months, in the northern half of the country anyway, the weather requires dressing such that it’s relatively easy to conceal a firearm; even a full sized one. In the summer months and in those places which pretty much have a year-round warm climate, hiding a full sized handgun isn’t quite so easy.  Hiding a heavily modified full sized handgun system along with spare magazines, knives, lights, trauma kit, etc. gets down right impossible without carrying the aforementioned backpack. This presents a dilemma that we concealed carrying folks have to address. What’s the solution?

The reality is that “every day carry” – that notorious “EDC” – is usually not expansive if it’s going to truly be every day. For the purposes of every day, simpler is better. There are a few things none of us ever leave our house without: wallet, phone, keys. That statement applies to my wife, my children and virtually every other person I know who is old enough to own a cell phone.  The “keys” might only be a single house key and the wallet might only have their school identification in it, but even most twelve year olds have those minimum items on their person.

For those of us who carry defensive or self-protection items, the list grows.  If you can carry a gun then usually the list grows to include your handgun of choice and at least one spare magazine. Everyone I know who carries a gun also carries at least one folding knife. Among that group of people, some of them add a flashlight to their daily carry inventory and an even smaller group of them add in a few trauma care items. Finally there are the sundries – the smaller items that are individual even if common: things like challenge coins, family heirlooms, lighters, etc. Some folks I know add on items of jewelry that range from watches to rings to paracord survival bracelets and necklaces hanging knives, survival pouches, etc.  It truly depends on your own personality and commitment as to how much STUFF you carry each and every time you leave your house. That begs the question though: is it really each and EVERY time?

Some years back I was out mowing my lawn. I was wearing a pair of 5.11 Tactical shorts and my tennis shoes. I had on a hat to protect my balding dome and in my pockets I had my wallet, cell phone, a knife and my Glock 26.  Yes, I even had a gun in my pocket while I was out mowing the lawn. Why? Because at that time we had a small problem with feral dogs in my area and I wasn’t going to become dog chow simply for lack of dropping a gun in my pocket. All my neighbors knew I was a police officer serving in the next county over. When a group of teenage hucksters in an old beater Chevy Bronco stopped at the intersection near my house and got out with baseball bats and such to “solve” an agreement with some parents in the area I had to intervene and had the honor to explain to the young adults with a variety of impact weapons and edged weapons that they’d all brought such to a gunfight. (The Bronco was driven by a young jerk kid who didn’t care that he endangered the children in the area and the parents had made their displeasure known. His response was to come back with friends to “straighten them out”.) The local deputies showed up post haste (my wife was timely in calling 911 and staying on the line to describe the scene while the deputies responded) and took the troublesome youths into custody as necessary.

That’s an example of how carrying a gun EVERY time you leave your house was beneficial.  Then there was a different day where I was out working in my fenced in backyard and had only my wallet, knife and keys on my person. Without going back inside, I put trash in my truck to take it to the dump, hopped in and off I went.  I was so absorbed with my plans for the day that I didn’t even think about not having gone inside to get my gun (or my credentials) until I got stopped for speeding before getting to the dump. Given that I know a great many of the deputies in my area, it was embarrassing to have to admit that not only did I forget my creds, but I was also without a firearm. There was no good reason or excuse; it was simple absent-mindedness.

These days – since it’s the colder time of year – I can easily conceal my Glock 43, one or two spare magazines, my usual two knives, wallet, phone, creds, lighter, challenge coin and keys. Carpenter jeans, “tactical” pants and hoodies all serve a wondrous purpose and that is to allow us to carry and conceal all of our day to day necessities.  Although I know I should, I don’t usually carry a tourniquet or hemostatic gauze with me every day. I have such in my backpack that goes with me in my vehicle, but I don’t usually have those two items on my person.

In the summer months, the gun might change to something even more concealable, perhaps of a lighter caliber. I’ve recently learned to carry in-the-waistband in the appendix position (something I used to loath).  Years ago I carried IWB a lot but somewhere between my right hip and the small of my back. I’ve carried using a belly band, compression t-shirts with holsters built into them, etc. There are several lessons I’ve learned across the span of the past almost 35 years of carrying a gun pretty much every day:

First, every day isn’t every day. There are times and circumstances that don’t permit it. It’s nice to know what your “every day carry” is, but you’d better understand and plan for the fact that it’s not going to be every day.

Second, keep it simple. The more expansive your every day carry is, the less likely you’ll actually carry it without modification. The more items you add, the greater the chances are that you won’t be able to put them in the same place on your person day to day which means fumbling and fuming when you need them most.

Third, “every day” adjusts to the weather. Every day in Florida, Texas, Arizona and southern California may well be every day. Every day in North Dakota is very different dependent on the seasons and if you live in the mid-Atlantic region, every day can literally change day to day as the temperatures – even in the winter months – can vary as much as forty degrees in a 24 to 36 hour period.

The goal, in my mind, is to make your every day carry limited to what you absolutely are committed to carrying every time you leave your house. Wallet, phone, keys… gun, spare magazine, knife. If it can be the same gun every time, fantastic. If circumstances don’t permit that, limit your selection and carry what you train with. Be honest with yourself. Don’t commit to carrying a heavily enhanced and modified Glock 34 as your every day carry weapon.  John Wick might be able to pull it off, but he also has the benefit of being fictional.  Guess what?  Your commitment to carrying such a large handgun – made even larger by that optic, light and +5 magazine extension is just as fictional.

Keep it simple. A handgun with night sights and standard magazine. Let your extra magazine have the extended capacity. A knife you can put in your pocket every day (except of course when you’re getting on a plane or visiting President Trump). A light that is acceptably bright enough, runs on common batteries (AA or AAA) and small enough to be conveniently carried.

You want to carry other defensive tools? Fantastic; just don’t commit to carrying them every day, every where, every time you leave your house. Recognize the reality that beyond your personal identification and communication tools, your gun, knife and light… everything else is optional and will be frequently modified by circumstance.

And for all of those warriors… or wannabe warriors… or wannabe famous “combat handgun fighting instructors”… whatever.  All of you trying to make a name or a dollar professing your high expertise in gunfighting and supporting such by proclaiming how you carry a fully tricked out full size handgun as part of your EDC…  just stop. Those who have carried a gun for 90% of their days or better know the reality and you’re only doing a disservice to those who are trying to learn; those who are easily impressed by what’s fancy or pretty and who don’t understand what truly works.

Stay safe.