Why shouldn’t I carry my gun in my purse? As a female with a concealed handgun license it’s tempting to just toss your gun in your bag and go. After all you have it on you, right? As a woman it can be somewhat of a challenge to carry and still be sexy, fashionable or comfortable. I have several reasons why purse carry should be a last resort.
Purses are often targets for thugs and accidents/mishaps can happen. Also in the event of an incident your limited in response time and possible loss of control of your purse and firearm. In this article I will be going into more depth about these potential issue with purse carry.
The first thing to consider is purses are often the target of thugs. Today you are lucky if you just get mugged. Purse snatchers are becoming more violent. This year there have been many news stories of women being mugged and shot for their purses. I know this violence on a first hand basis. My mother was a victim of a snatch and grab gone wrong.
She parked in a relatively safe spot in front of the store door. She was walking up to the door and she heard a full on run behind her. She felt a tug on her purse and she held tightly to the strap and her mugger pulled harder. She refused to give in to her attacker and he then proceeded to assault her. The assault resulted in a broken foot, severely lacerated ear and no purse. Had her firearm been on her person that day the event may have ended a lot differently. The only saving grace was her weapon was not in her purse this day, during the struggle she had no opportunity to access the purse.
The second thing to think about is mishaps and accidents. It’s called an accident because you don’t expect it to happen to you until it does. What comes to my mind when I think about this is the woman shopping and her toddler retrieved her gun from her purse and discharged it in the store resulting in her death. The news is filled with stories of children accessing firearms from unattended handbags. Purses are often left unattended. Feeling relaxed at a friends party or just visiting a friend. Other peoples’ children can be unpredictable. Its easy to get distracted and forget it. I personally have left my own purse at work only to realize it was left behind when I arrived home.
Last is when you carry in a purse you may have then lost the option of quick access. Most times when the need for a firearm occurs it’s instantaneous, and a split second decision. So, I feel purse carry gives you less control over your firearm. If you don’t have a purse specifically made for carry you could be fumbling around in your bag losing much needed time to make a successful counter attack. A responsible gun owner must always have complete control of their weapon and I don’t feel if you purse carry you have that; even in a purse specifically designed for conceal carry.
As I come to a close I strongly feel on body carry is the most effective and responsible way to carry. It gives you full control, you always know where it is and always have the quickest access; all these things you lose by carrying in your purse. There are many options available on the market today to make on body carry more easy and comfortable for todays female.
I will say if you must carry in a purse, please use a purse made specifically for concealed carry. Learn to draw from it and practice. Always keep it on your body, preferable cross body. In a later article I will be going over the many options of holsters and carry items on the market today available for women.
