Tips To Wear, Carry & Store Your Handgun

When you get into any conversation about duty handguns, off-duty handguns, handguns for self-defense, etc. the talk usually centers around manufacturers, design features, caliber, capacity and more. What doesn’t get discussed quite as often are the holsters preferred, the design features of such, how the weapons are stored and secured when not being carried and such similar topics. Reality is that we need to discuss both topics together.

Most of us with any experience have our set likes and dislikes for our off-duty or backup handguns. Most agencies issue a handgun, so we don’t have a lot of choice. But for off-duty use, we have a lot of choices. Most agencies have policies on the design and caliber requirements of off-duty weapons, but how many of them have requirements set for holsters or for off-duty storage? The prohibition against storing in a vehicle is quite common, but how many agencies have a General Order or Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for how you store your agency or personal weapons at home?

It may not be the agency’s place to dictate how you conduct your affairs in your own home and many would see such as government infringement of freedoms. That said, if you’re leaving your duty weapon laying on your bureau while you have friends over to watch the big game, you probably need some guidance (or a smack in the head). If you wear and carry a weapon daily, no one should have to tell you to secure it at home, but we all (unfortunately) know someone who seems oblivious to the responsibilities or risks of failing to do so. Toward opening a productive dialogue on these topics, let’s discuss some desirable on- and off-duty holster features and then let’s discuss how to store your handgun at home and, if you absolutely have no other option, in your vehicle.

Duty holsters to fit the needs of today’s officers

While it’s simplistic to think that the duty holster has only one purpose (to secure your weapon), that’s often the outlook held by administrators and accountants who have to find budget money for new holsters. Simple costs less, right? Maybe in the short term, but there are hidden costs and greater risk in buying cheap. The duty holster has to secure the handgun, wear comfortably for hours on end, be strong enough not to be ripped off the officer’s waist and be quick access for the officer only. Suddenly a good quality duty holster isn’t such a simple thing.

While it’s simplistic to think that the duty holster has only one purpose (to secure your weapon), that’s often the outlook held by administrators and accountants who have to find budget money for new holsters. Simple costs less, right? Maybe in the short term, but there are hidden costs and greater risk in buying cheap. 

“Back in the day” all holsters were made of leather and a great many of them still are. Where duty holsters are concerned, however, due to the almost constant exposure to weather and elements, leather isn’t as common as it used to be. Composite, plastic, carbon-fiber, kydex and other materials are all used, often in conjunction with one another, to create a holster that is strong enough and capable of withstanding abusive environments. Additionally, when leather was the primary material, securing technologies were rather limited. In today’s world of synthetic materials, often more rigid and stronger than leather, design features to secure the weapon in the holster can include a wider variety of springs, hooks, levers, etc.

The last two items that need to be considered where duty holsters are concerned are ergonomics and accessories. If the holster works against your instinctive responses to draw under threat then it’s counterproductive. There used to be a holster on the market that forced you to push the gun backward out of the holster body when every fiber of your being wanted to curl your shoulders forward, push your hands forward and… well, you get the idea. Holsters should be almost purely intuitive to use, draw from and reholster in. At the same time, they have to be difficult enough to draw from that bad guys who might want to use our firearm against us can’t easily get the gun out. It’s a fine line and one we tip in our favor through proper training. Training is all too often the weakest link in any holster’s design strengths.

That second item – accessories – is growing almost daily in the handgun world. There was a time you’d never find a light mounted on a handgun unless it was a SWAT officer’s weapon. Now you see lights, optics, laser aimers and more. Holster design has to account for that and still work as effectively as it would on a stripped basic handgun. That’s not always as easy as it sounds, especially since the holster still has to be just as secure as ever.

When discussing duty holsters, you’ll still often hear the terms “level 2” and “level 3.” You’ll hear “tension adjustable” and “light bearing capable.” These terms have been with us for decades and are still part of the daily narrative about holsters. Realistically speaking though, they are quickly becoming inappropriate. Where a Level 3 holster might be mandated on revolver, the best you might ever get for a light-bearing semi-auto handgun is Level 2. Add on an optic and you’re lucky to get that. Then pile on the requirement for it to be easy to draw from, easy to reholster in and impossible for bad guys to get your gun out of – in reality, today’s duty holsters meet a lot of requirements.

No matter what your agency chooses or issues, it is 100 percent up to you to train purposefully and effectively. If you can’t present your weapon under threat, while seeking cover and vocalizing commands, you haven’t trained enough. If your agency doesn’t issue your handgun with a light but authorizes the attachment of one, you bear the responsibility of selecting a holster that meets your agency requirements and is the equivalent security level as the holster you were issued (or exceeds them).

Choice in the off-duty holster

When the discussion moves to off-duty holsters, then the needs, opinions and options grow exponentially. While the position of a duty carry holster is usually dictated by agency policy, the position of off-duty carry isn’t as much; and quite often isn’t at all. Do you carry on the belt? Inside the waist band? Shoulder holster? Ankle holster? On body? Off body? Full size weapon? Accessories? Compact weapon? Full size backup magazines? There are so many more questions and options to take into consideration.

The choices in off-duty holsters are vast and as varied as the personal preferences in off-duty handguns. Some off-duty and retired officers prefer something as small, lightweight and concealable as possible. Others figure that a gunfight is a gunfight and if they’re going to carry a full size handgun on duty, why would they short themselves by carrying anything less off-duty? Some try to find a happy compromise. There are agencies that set minimum requirements for off-duty weapons limiting the selection to certain calibers, mandatory minimum capacity and barrel length.

Whether you are carrying a Glock Model 17 equipped with a mounted light and a red dot optic and loaded with a +2 magazine or a Glock Model 43 basic handgun with just the pinky extension on the floor plate of the magazine, concealment still matters. Those two weapons are the example of challenges that can exist. On the one hand, the full size duty type weapon isn’t exactly comfortable for appendix carry (unless you are an exceptionally tall and yet very trim person), while the much smaller Glock 43 can still print if worn “4 o’clock” on the belt in a security holster.

As a general guideline, no matter what your preferred off-duty weapon is, your off-duty holster selection should provide two mandatory characteristics.

First, it should incorporate a security feature that makes the holster more than a friction bucket. You simply never know when you’ll have to put on your warrior hat and find yourself involved in a hand to hand fight against a bad guy who is desperate to do you severe harm so he can escape. Wrestling around in all sorts of unpredictable positions while wearing your gun in a holster that depends on gravity and friction to retain the weapon is simply a bad idea. Many of the synthetic material molded holsters today provide a “lock” of sorts since the gun “snaps” in and is held by more than simple friction. If you’re wearing leather or a non-molded synthetic, it’s recommended that you at least have a thumb strap or retention device that will somehow lock the weapon in.

It should fit you properly so that concealment is real and not just a gesture. If someone with a trained eye (like your fellow law enforcement professionals) can look at you and see where you’re carrying, the weapon isn’t concealed. Just like cover and concealment are two different things in officer survival, covered and concealed are two different things when carrying a weapon. Make sure it’s concealed.

Caliber selection

“What’s the best caliber and weapon for concealed carry?” This is an argument that has been going on for more than 100 years and will continue. One popular answer is, “The one you have with you when the fight starts.” It is far better to have a .25ACP 6-shot pistol in your hand when you need a gun than a fully tricked out large capacity 10mm pistol in the glove compartment of your truck out in the parking lot. If you have the option of carrying a duty-caliber weapon when you’re off-duty and can do so comfortably and with it properly concealed, the larger caliber weapon is preferred.

One agency, when asked about guidelines for off-duty weapons allowed the following calibers with the preferred calibers indicated by **.

• .380ACP
• 9mm**
• .40S&W**
• .45ACP**
• 10mm**
• .357Sig**
• .38Spl
• .357 Magnum
• .44Spl

That same agency set the minimum capacity for revolvers at five rounds and minimum capacity for semi-autos at six rounds in the magazine. Minimum barrel length was set at 3” for both types of handguns and there was a written recommendation that at least one reload also be carried.

Storing your weapon

Inevitably your weapon will not be on your person, either at home or, very unfortunately, when you’re traveling. At home, secure storage shouldn’t be terribly difficult since there are a plethora of safes available and some of them look quite contemporary in design. They tend to blend into the décor of a given room if you so desire. Out and about is a different story.

It is an unfortunate reality that there are places we law enforcement professionals cannot take our weapons. I recently visited a military unit on a secure base several hours from home, but I couldn’t take my weapon onto the base. I was advised ahead of time that there might be lockboxes available at the visitor center but prepared for otherwise. Upon my arrival I found there weren’t. Luckily, I had taken along a Pelican hard case of proper size to fit my sidearm and spare magazines, which I locked via cable to the seat mounts of my vehicle and then padlocked shut. It wasn’t ideal, but it was better than leaving the weapon under the seat or locked in the glovebox.

When it comes to safe storage, sometimes the best you can do is simply that – the best you can do. Being mindful of the dangers of not properly securing your weapon is a good starting point and should be at the forefront of every officer’s mind.