There are a variety of holsters on the market for women. Concealed carry leggings with pockets for the gun, belly bands and corsets with gun pockets. You see these unique products marketed everywhere, but how do you know they’re safe? Your holster needs to have following four qualities to be considered safe:
- Hard-sided trigger protection
If you are inserting your gun into the pocket of a pair of concealed carry leggings, a belly band, a corset, a sticky holster, or any other type of “gun bucket” advertised to merely hold your gun in place, this is not safe. None of these options include hard-sided trigger protection to ensure that the trigger cannot be manipulated from the outside, or from anything it might get caught on on the inside.
- Molded to your specific gun model
Your holster should conform to the exact shape and dimensions of your particular gun model. If there is any space surrounding your gun inside the holster, this leaves room for debris to enter the space. You’re also left with points where contact is not being made with the holster, for less effective retention.
- Good retention
After the last two points, this should be self explanatory. Friction is not retention. A compression pocket is not retention. If your gun isn’t being securely held in place by something form-fitted to secure it, you’re at risk of having it fall out while moving, bending, running, fighting, using the restroom, picking up a child, etc.
- Allows for safe reholstering
Some people leave this off, but I don’t really see why. You need to be able to reholster safely. This means that your firearm should not flag (be pointed at) any part of your body while reholstering. If you have to use your other hand to hold a soft-sided or pocket holster open to insert the gun, you’re flagging your hand. If your holster is worn in such a position that your arm needs to point toward your body while reholstering, you’ll be flagging yourself.
So where do you find a unicorn holster that meets all of these important safety standards? It’s not as hard as you’d think.
Kydex.
Kydex is the gold standard for holsters. It allows you to carry easily in the safe positions, and it meets all of the safety checkpoints above. If you’ve just purchased a gun, your first holster purchase better be a kydex holster. This will be your bread and butter. You will always be able to trust the security of your firearm when carrying in a well-made kydex holster.
Where can I purchase?
Moms Who Carry has your safety in mind, which is why we’ve developed a line of quality kydex holsters, equipped with clips that will suit a female wardrobe. We offer beautiful designs in additional to your traditional black kydex.
BUT WHAT IF I WANT TO CARRY WHILE I’M WEARING…….
Don’t let your outfit choices prevent you from carrying safely. There are various affordable options that you can use in conjunction with your kydex holster, to allow you to support your holster on something other than your waistband. A few examples include the Comfort Concealment Belt, the Crossbreed Belly Band, or the Phlster Enigma.
This is where it breaks down into personal preference in what separate rig you might reach for to support your kydex holster. But if you’re falling for the gimmick products, sacrificing safety for fashion, or simply following trends without making sure they line up with the points above, you’re doing yourself a disservice and it could cause harm to yourself, or even to those around you.
Check out the variety of holsters from Moms Who Carry, all of which will work with the above options, even the Enigma!
