i am particularly aiming this question (no pun) at LEO's, legal types or anyone who is in the know--but feel free to comment anyway.

what is the big concern about "printing" when you carry concealed?  it's not a legal issue is it? i mean if your weapon is concealed and "prints", its not exactly the same thing as brandishing.

OR, is it becuase you don't want potential BGs to know you are strapped?

The fewer people who know, the better.  IMO, it depends on what circles you run in.  If every one of your buddies has a CCW as well, printing probably isn't a big issue.  In my situation, however, I don't want anyone to know - no girlfriend, no parents, no friends, etc., simply because the people I associate with are not as open to concealed carry as those of us on this forum.

It helps avoid bad situations, too.  I've got some "friends" who like to get drunk and start fights when we go out.  If they knew I was packing, they'd be a little more aggressive.  If they ever found out, I'd stop hanging out with them when they were drinking.

Not to mention the bad guys...if you've got a clear print of a 1911 at 6:00, he's got the jump on you.  Not the ideal situation...

What TargetNick said is very true. Me as an officer if I see someone printing they are going to see the muzzle of my pistol and several have since this is something I look for. I carry off-duty and do everything I can to make sure I don't print. Why give a potential bad guy the upper hand or a regular citizen a heart attack or you get to meet an officer like me.  

In some states, excessive printing can be construed to mean your gun is no longer concealed, and become a violation.

But the better and more common reasons are those listed above.

Quoted: Me as an officer if I see someone printing they are going to see the muzzle of my pistol

So your first action would be to draw your weapon and threaten deadly force against someone for printing?

Yikes.

Quoted: Quoted: Me as an officer if I see someone printing they are going to see the muzzle of my pistol So your first action would be to draw your weapon and threaten deadly force against someone for printing? Yikes.

+1
JBT

Quoted: What TargetNick said is very true. Me as an officer if I see someone printing they are going to see the muzzle of my pistol and several have since this is something I look for. I carry off-duty and do everything I can to make sure I don't print. Why give a potential bad guy the upper hand or a regular citizen a heart attack or you get to meet an officer like me.

You pull a gun on someone why?  Do you consider them in violation?  You could see a guy wearing a photographers vest or a fanny pack.  Do you draw down on them also?

Quoted: What TargetNick said is very true. Me as an officer if I see someone printing they are going to see the muzzle of my pistol and several have since this is something I look for. I carry off-duty and do everything I can to make sure I don't print. Why give a potential bad guy the upper hand or a regular citizen a heart attack or you get to meet an officer like me.

Do you bust them with failure to conceal when this happens?  How many of them turn out to be CHL holders, out of curiosity?  I try extra hard not to print around cops. :D

I disagree about giving citizens heart attacks; most of them are completely oblivious when it comes to printing.

here's a hypothetical...

say i'm carrying concealed, legally, with maybe a jacket or open shirt.  i'm not printing at all, but i might be in a grocery store or some such place and as i reach for something on the top shelf, the muzzle of my gun shows for a second.  if some "concerned citizen" becomes alarmed, can i be in trouble?  i mean obviously you want to conceal to a point where NOBODY knows you are packing, but sometimes a slight peek, or a minor printing may be unavoidable.  what up then?

I print like a Mo Fo all the time.  Of course AZ has open carry and concealed, so it's no biggie.  I've never had anyone really pay attention.  (you can tell when someone is trying to figger out if you're carrying vs. just minding there own business)

Can't imagine it would be a violation of the law...

We have a lot of CCW types here. I am happy they carry.

As far as contact, I probably will not have my gun even out unless the person looks like a thug.

The problem you may find is that most cops are not gun people. They only carry as part of the job and have no real interest in firearms. With that being said, they are scared/uneducated about guns.

It all depends on the situations too.....

Given:

(a) that my GA license authorizes both open and concealed carry
(b) most people are totally oblivious to what I might have tucked in my belt

I dont worry too much about printing, but I do wear a decent cover garment anyway.

Quoted: here's a hypothetical... say i'm carrying concealed, legally, with maybe a jacket or open shirt.  i'm not printing at all, but i might be in a grocery store or some such place and as i reach for something on the top shelf, the muzzle of my gun shows for a second.  if some "concerned citizen" becomes alarmed, can i be in trouble?  i mean obviously you want to conceal to a point where NOBODY knows you are packing, but sometimes a slight peek, or a minor printing may be unavoidable.  what up then?

Did you check packing.org?  Does your state allow open carry?

Here in TX what you describe would generally be 'OK', but a cop and DA who feel like being dicks could make it a violation.

This is a common fear for everyone when they first start carrying.  You'll soon realize that the only one that's conscious about it is you!  People probably wouldn't even notice if you were open carrying .

Quoted: What TargetNick said is very true. Me as an officer if I see someone printing they are going to see the muzzle of my pistol and several have since this is something I look for. I carry off-duty and do everything I can to make sure I don't print. Why give a potential bad guy the upper hand or a regular citizen a heart attack or you get to meet an officer like me.

I'm not so sure you should be carrying a weapon.

Quoted: Quoted: What TargetNick said is very true. Me as an officer if I see someone printing they are going to see the muzzle of my pistol and several have since this is something I look for. I carry off-duty and do everything I can to make sure I don't print. Why give a potential bad guy the upper hand or a regular citizen a heart attack or you get to meet an officer like me.   I'm not so sure you should be carrying a weapon.

That has to be a joke.  Can you imagine some ASS running around looking for CCW's to draw down on?

Even if you were an Anti Carry prick, this kind of stupidity could get you killed!

Quoted: That has to be a joke.  Can you imagine some ASS running around looking for CCW's to draw down on? Even if you were an Anti Carry prick, this kind of stupidity could get you killed!

I wonder what'll happen if he does that to a fellow LEO some day...

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: What TargetNick said is very true. Me as an officer if I see someone printing they are going to see the muzzle of my pistol and several have since this is something I look for. I carry off-duty and do everything I can to make sure I don't print. Why give a potential bad guy the upper hand or a regular citizen a heart attack or you get to meet an officer like me.   I'm not so sure you should be carrying a weapon. That has to be a joke.

I don't think it is

Quoted: Quoted: That has to be a joke.  Can you imagine some ASS running around looking for CCW's to draw down on? Even if you were an Anti Carry prick, this kind of stupidity could get you killed! I wonder what'll happen if he does that to a fellow LEO some day...

Someone will post the news article of his death. And then it will be DUPED!

Quoted: Someone will post the news article of his death. And then it will be DUPED!

87 times?

He didn't specify, but I'm going to hope and assume that he only does this while in uniform.  Because if he goes around doing that while he's off duty, someone IS going to die, and he's going to lose his job and  probably go to jail if he's the survivor.

ETA: Can't you just picture him on Reno 911?

lighten up you guys

This is the kind of knee-jerk reaction to people's posts that gets the conversations heated.
I figure the vast majority of you should know by now that when people type on their computers, they might be typing like they're actually talking with someone instead of realizing how their printed words will look to other readers.

Why don't we just ask him, first, if he really meant that all he has to do is 'see' a gun print then he immediately pulls his weapon?

Personally, I read his writing and figured there was probably more to the story than him drawing down on a person because he thought he saw a firearm printing.

10mmillie was probably just a bit 'internet careless' in his comments.


and for NotoriousSEG,

I prefer to keep my carry discreet for many of the same reasons mentioned above.
Although I'd rather not have the 'average' non-gun citizen freak out (although I don't think they'd know what I had on me because I don't wear clothing that allows an 'exact' printing of the firearm.),  I suppose it's mostly about LEO's who might become interested in me because they figured I had a weapon on me.

I also don't want a problem with store managers asking me to leave because they saw I was carrying a firearm.

yeah, i'm in west virginia--we have open carry.  i guess my question was more of a "what if" scenario.

the fact is, a lot, if not most people in wv have a gun--and a ton of them carry.  BUT IF one of our well-meaning citizens (read: libtard) wants to make an issue...could it become an issue?  could LEO get involved and have the whole thing become a hassle?

i know some people have mentioned carrying inside of a mall --well, you get all kinds of people in a situation like that.  the guys in the sporting goods store might not blink if you pulled your weapon and layed it on the counter---but the old ladies in the hallmark store might freak out when you bend over to pick up a low lying mother's day card and the snout of your .45 says howdy from underneath your jacket.

i am super careful and very conscientious when i carry, i'm just trying to determine the potential problems before they arise.

Quoted: What TargetNick said is very true. Me as an officer if I see someone printing they are going to see the muzzle of my pistol and several have since this is something I look for. I carry off-duty and do everything I can to make sure I don't print. Why give a potential bad guy the upper hand or a regular citizen a heart attack or you get to meet an officer like me.

Hey quick draw. Would you please read what you just said!! Think about it and ask yourself why you THINK you have the right to draw down on honest citizens who are not breaking the law. You would be a better public servant if you politely told the public you work for that they should be more careful about concealed carry. I'm sure any of them and most of us would have more "RESPECT" for a LEO with a better attitude. If you live long enough to read this, and still don't get it, a carreer change is definetaly in order. You should not be packing anything but somebody's groceries.

Quoted: What TargetNick said is very true. Me as an officer if I see someone printing they are going to see the muzzle of my pistol and several have since this is something I look for. I carry off-duty and do everything I can to make sure I don't print. Why give a potential bad guy the upper hand or a regular citizen a heart attack or you get to meet an officer like me.

Talk about giving a regular citizen a heart attack!!!! I have the upmost respect for most LEOs, but I'm having trouble with this! Do you hear yourself?

in all reality your state gives you a concealed weapons permit for newbies this is very very weird im just getting over it but believe me you will start to notice that you are the only one thinking about it

i have walkin in a store and got a soda or something or the best one at a very nice restaraunt witht he small of the back holster and the women pushed me under the table after a wise comment by me and the Glock is sticking out i looked around few people look but they dont say anything if they did it wouldnt be right then they would report it to the police,

with that said you have the states permission to carry a weapon you cannot totaly 100% all the time conceal it prints and occasional flashes are and can be exspected but if the deparpment gets repeated calls and complaints they will be erritated and warn you!  around here a shoulder rig is perfecly fine although i would have shirt over it lots of guys walk around right in the open me i just assume not draw attention to my self

my advise by a good holster dont cheapo out guy a good one to begin with and be happy i juggest a :
Milt spark vmII or Watch 6 both very comfortable IWB which hoold itit tight to you less prints
Shoulder rig
4 position holster

in that order  i find long long drives or special cases a should rig is better always good to have also while hunting,  but a good IWB is the best thing to have first and i suggest MILT sparks very nice holsters

Quoted: What TargetNick said is very true. Me as an officer if I see someone printing they are going to see the muzzle of my pistol and several have since this is something I look for. I carry off-duty and do everything I can to make sure I don't print. Why give a potential bad guy the upper hand or a regular citizen a heart attack or you get to meet an officer like me.

You sound dangerous.

Quoted: Quoted: What TargetNick said is very true. Me as an officer if I see someone printing they are going to see the muzzle of my pistol and several have since this is something I look for. I carry off-duty and do everything I can to make sure I don't print. Why give a potential bad guy the upper hand or a regular citizen a heart attack or you get to meet an officer like me.   You sound dangerous.

I just noticed he is from Texas. My girlfriend just took her CHL class. I hope she doesn't get shot

So, I live in NC and I want to take my dog for a walk down to the woods. Even though I have a CCP, I can't open carry in a holster? Can someone clarify this for me.

Quoted: So, I live in NC and I want to take my dog for a walk down to the woods. Even though I have a CCP, I can't open carry in a holster? Can someone clarify this for me.

According to packing.org, NC allows open carry.

I'm originally from an open carry state, and my experience with open carry is this:

If you're out in the country, in the woods, hunting, fishing, hiking, etc, nobody cares.  People who see you assume you're legit and law enforcement isn't going to ride you hard because they know open carry is legal and you're doing it out in the boonies.   I suspect that even if someone DID call in about you carrying in the woods, the dispatcher might determine that you kept your gun in your holster and were minding your own business, advise the cops as much, and you'd never be contacted.

If you strap on a gun and walk around a metropolis, inside a mall, or whatnot, a certain percentage of sheeple are going to flip out.  They're going to call the cops, the cops are going to HAVE to respond even if they know it's probably not an issue, and they're going to be ticked off that they had to respond to a BS call like that.  If they're cool with guns they'll probably scold you and let you go, but if they're not or if you're rude to them they're going to make your life hard.  They might charge you with some other crime like disturbing the peace.  Even if the charges don't stick, they'll have locked you up so they won't get more calls about you that night and they'll have succeeded in punishing you for what they view as wrong.

So my advice is not to put yourself in a situation where cops are going to be called.

But it never hurts to keep it concealed.  IMO it gives you a couple of tactical advantages and then you have absolutely no risk of a sheeple related problem.

I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice.  Call your doctor if you start seeing blue or growing a penis out of your forehead, etc.

like i said, we have open carry here in wv.  several years ago my family was in the wholesale tobacco/candy/grocery biz and we called on all sorts of stores all over the state.  it would not be uncommon to walk into a mom & pop store out in the God forsaken middle of nowhere and see owners and patrons alike , strapped to the teeth with big ass revolvers (the preferred handgun of "country folk").  ironically, the sight of some big ole fat pig farmer wearing his .44 magnum in a cowboy holster is strangely comforting.

Quoted: What TargetNick said is very true. Me as an officer if I see someone printing they are going to see the muzzle of my pistol and several have since this is something I look for. I carry off-duty and do everything I can to make sure I don't print. Why give a potential bad guy the upper hand or a regular citizen a heart attack or you get to meet an officer like me.

Being that Texas has concealed carry, how about using good tactics and checking them out to ensure they have a permit. Rather than assuming they are committing a felony. You can use sound tactics and still check them out without drawing down on them. I hate to bash a fellow LEO, but these type of posts feed the JBT comments. What if it's a fellow LEO? Read before you post, because I hope you didn't mean that the way it came out in print. And yes I have checked people for permits when their gun flashed or printed. But I approached them from a position of advantage and explained to them exactly what I wanted them to do and more importantly what NOT to do.  Most people around us didn't even know what was going on. Was I ready to draw if necessary? You better believe it.

As to printing, be careful of what you wear and you'll be fine. Most people have no idea what they're seeing, even if they do see your weapon print.