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Female gun ownership and the rise of fashionable "carrywear"
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/female-gun ... carrywear/

• The number of women who own a gun is rising -- an estimated one in five women in 2017 -- and the firearms industry is taking notice.

• The new generation of firearms for females are not just pink, but designed for a woman's frame to be lighter, slimmer and have less recoil for women with license to carry.

• It's not just firearms, but also apparel and accessories called "carrywear," including leggings, purses and holsters that women want customized to their needs.

For women who own guns, roughly a quarter of women who own guns say it's solely for protection versus recreation, as opposed to just 8 percent of men, according to the Pew Research Center.

Hosting our 5th year ladies day shot at our club. I am not aware of any other private clubs in Texas that offer a free all day event for women only. I am glad that our club choose to invest and promote shooting sports for women.

I'm still noticing at our local gun shows, there are guns for women, but no purses or holsters....I'm actually doing the research to change that....I'm finding I could do it with not too much start up money, just have to find the "not too much". It's a thought.

SewTexas wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 9:35 pm I'm still noticing at our local gun shows, there are guns for women, but no purses or holsters....I'm actually doing the research to change that....I'm finding I could do it with not too much start up money, just have to find the "not too much". It's a thought.

My Sis bought purses for herself and my Niece at the NRA show in Dallas (she loves it). My niece usually carries on her person......now if I can just get my Sis to do the same.

IMO, the purse market is still highly lacking, and a lot of it is sexist to boot. I won't even look at most of the products, which are toward the frilly or rhinestone-y end of the spectrum. And/or the construction quality just isn't there. And/or the prices are ridiculous for what is offered. And/or the design has not been thought through. Handguns are freakin' heavy - add a full leather purse to that and it just becomes a ball and chain. I'm partial to tech fabrics to lighten the load. Leather is extremely heavy. It sure looks nice, but I gave it up because of the weight.

I recently added an Air Marshal 3 to my holster collection (Kangaroo Carry, which IIRC is located here in Houston). I was pleasantly surprised - it's very comfortable to wear, and the shoulder strap does not interfere with the breast - I think even large-breasted women would be OK with it.

Furthermore, because I wear a cross-body purse 100% of my time in order to keep my hands free, having the Air Marshal 3 on the side opposite my purse actually makes my body more balanced than if I were not carrying at all. I have walked for miles with concealed carry on my left side and cross-body bag on my right side, and it was ideal from a weight distribution perspective.

At least that holds true in cooler weather. The Texas summer heat is the bane of our existence of course when it comes to devices like the Air Marshal 3.

I actually do like the Montana West/American Bling style, but I recognize that many don't, and that wouldn't be the first brand that I would carry. I've done a bunch of research and have found several brands that are affordable and would be stylish enough to carry next to the top brands.

WTR wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 11:13 pm

SewTexas wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2019 9:35 pm I'm still noticing at our local gun shows, there are guns for women, but no purses or holsters....I'm actually doing the research to change that....I'm finding I could do it with not too much start up money, just have to find the "not too much". It's a thought.

My Sis bought purses for herself and my Niece at the NRA show in Dallas (she loves it). My niece usually carries on her person......now if I can just get my Sis to do the same.

I've finally realized that many won't. They want the leggings or the dresses or whatever. You can now buy the leggings, but they are $80 a pair! you can buys garments to wear under dresses or skirts, but if you live in Texas you can really only wear them until May or so. Purses are..."easy".

I think one key is that everyone needs to understand that there is a trade-off that will need to be made between comfort, appearance, and functionality.

In the article linked at the top of this thread, a woman is quoted as saying that she couldn't find anything as "cute" as her Lulu Lemmons that would allow her to carry. My initial thought was "duh". After all, as a man, I can't find clothing that will look as professional as a pair of nice slacks and a tucked in dress shirt, while still allowing me to carry as effectively as I can with an untucked shirt, and a nice, thick gun belt. There is always a trade-off. As for comfort, we are all used to the saying that "carrying is supposed to be comforting, not comfortable."

I do think that the goal should be to minimize these trade-offs. But I also think that it is unreasonable to say that carrywear needs to be as attractive, and as comfortable as non-carrywear or it is useless.

I think one key is that everyone needs to understand that there is a trade-off that will need to be made between comfort, appearance, and functionality.

True, but it is a trade off many choose not to accept- a huge percentage of licensees don't carry, for those exact reasons. Closing that trade off gap is a both a business opportunity for entrepreneurs and a blessing for the LTC crowd at large.

My initial thought was "duh". After all, as a man, I can't find clothing that will look as professional as a pair of nice slacks and a tucked in dress shirt, while still allowing me to carry as effectively as I can with an untucked shirt, and a nice, thick gun belt.

but if you could, and that was your dress code, wouldn't you? Men get away with frumpy a lot easier than women can.


Everyone has their own obstacles when they start carrying. Unfortunately for women, fashion is a big deal. So any options that a woman would like and wear, that facilitates carry, is good, IMO.

flechero wrote: Wed May 01, 2019 11:30 am

I think one key is that everyone needs to understand that there is a trade-off that will need to be made between comfort, appearance, and functionality.

True, but it is a trade off many choose not to accept- a huge percentage of licensees don't carry, for those exact reasons. Closing that trade off gap is a both a business opportunity for entrepreneurs and a blessing for the LTC crowd at large.

My initial thought was "duh". After all, as a man, I can't find clothing that will look as professional as a pair of nice slacks and a tucked in dress shirt, while still allowing me to carry as effectively as I can with an untucked shirt, and a nice, thick gun belt.

but if you could, and that was your dress code, wouldn't you? Men get away with frumpy a lot easier than women can.


Everyone has their own obstacles when they start carrying. Unfortunately for women, fashion is a big deal. So any options that a woman would like and wear, that facilitates carry, is good, IMO.

Every session they are adding extra people that are allowed to carry for extra reasons. They want lawyers and judges to be able to carry in court rooms for example, I can't remember where that's at. But these people wear suits and dresses. You've got to be able to do so with the right holster for a man, with the right, ummm, under-garment-holster or purse for a woman. These are all tricky decisions.
So, yeh, anything that helps anyone carry with comfort is good.

flechero wrote: Wed May 01, 2019 11:30 am

I think one key is that everyone needs to understand that there is a trade-off that will need to be made between comfort, appearance, and functionality.

True, but it is a trade off many choose not to accept- a huge percentage of licensees don't carry, for those exact reasons. Closing that trade off gap is a both a business opportunity for entrepreneurs and a blessing for the LTC crowd at large.

My initial thought was "duh". After all, as a man, I can't find clothing that will look as professional as a pair of nice slacks and a tucked in dress shirt, while still allowing me to carry as effectively as I can with an untucked shirt, and a nice, thick gun belt.

but if you could, and that was your dress code, wouldn't you? Men get away with frumpy a lot easier than women can.


Everyone has their own obstacles when they start carrying. Unfortunately for women, fashion is a big deal. So any options that a woman would like and wear, that facilitates carry, is good, IMO.

I agree with you completely, and didn't mean to imply otherwise. My point was that it will be well nigh impossible to completely close that gap, especially if a woman likes to wear tight fitting clothing that seems to be very popular nowadays.

Soccerdad1995 wrote: Wed May 01, 2019 11:55 am I agree with you completely, and didn't mean to imply otherwise. My point was that it will be well nigh impossible to completely close that gap, especially if a woman likes to wear tight fitting clothing that seems to be very popular nowadays.

This isn’t just a female issue. I can recall several threads posted over the years, on this forum, by young men who were new to carry, and wanted members to help them figure out how to carry concealed without giving up their skinny jeans and little brother's tight fitting shirts. I’ve had identical face to face conversations with young men at my church, who came to me for similar advice. My answer both here and in person has always been this: Bottom line for both genders (there are only two) is that if you place a higher value on being fashionable than on being armed, and you’re unwilling to make compromises to attain it, then you’ll never find a way to be adequately armed. Period.

My wife has had her carry license since early 2009. Until very recently, she owned no jeans that had belt loops, and steadfastly ignored giving even the slightest amount of thought to including belt loops on any pants that she buys. Consequently, she never wore any of the holsters I bought for her for any of her three handguns. And because she never bought pants that would accommodate a gun belt, she also never bought any blouses that would accommodate un-tucked concealed carry. (She’s not an open carrier at all.) she only briefly flirted with carrying in some kind of belly band holster, but studiously ignored making that into a habit too. So in the end, she’s made a by-default decision to carry a gun in her purse. Thank God that at least most of the time, that purse has a CCW feature in its design. Otherwise, we’ve been married a little over 30 years now, and I know when I’m licked. I don’t bring it up anymore.

She can and does do whatever she wants....which may end up getting me killed some day because she’s unwilling to make any fashion compromises, and I’ll have to cover for the deficiencies in her choice of carry method by rushing to place myself between her and harm. I just pray that she doesn’t accidentally shoot herself in the foot - or me in the back - while fumbling for her pistol in her purse.

I DO love her very much, but there’s only so much you can do to get someone to place the same importance on something that you consider important.

Soccerdad1995 wrote: Wed May 01, 2019 11:55 am

flechero wrote: Wed May 01, 2019 11:30 am

I think one key is that everyone needs to understand that there is a trade-off that will need to be made between comfort, appearance, and functionality.

True, but it is a trade off many choose not to accept- a huge percentage of licensees don't carry, for those exact reasons. Closing that trade off gap is a both a business opportunity for entrepreneurs and a blessing for the LTC crowd at large.

My initial thought was "duh". After all, as a man, I can't find clothing that will look as professional as a pair of nice slacks and a tucked in dress shirt, while still allowing me to carry as effectively as I can with an untucked shirt, and a nice, thick gun belt.

but if you could, and that was your dress code, wouldn't you? Men get away with frumpy a lot easier than women can.


Everyone has their own obstacles when they start carrying. Unfortunately for women, fashion is a big deal. So any options that a woman would like and wear, that facilitates carry, is good, IMO.

I agree with you completely, and didn't mean to imply otherwise. My point was that it will be well nigh impossible to completely close that gap, especially if a woman likes to wear tight fitting clothing that seems to be very popular nowadays.

I thought so... I was trying to add emphasis not imply we were on different pages. Clear as mud, huh?

soooo, all of her shirts are tucked? wow, that's highly unusual for a woman today. Nothing against your lady's style choices, I'm very pro- personal style choices, just sort of pondering "out loud" I have a clip on style holster that I love, but I don't think they make it so that you can tuck in also. hmmmm

SewTexas wrote: Wed May 01, 2019 2:50 pm soooo, all of her shirts are tucked? wow, that's highly unusual for a woman today. Nothing against your lady's style choices, I'm very pro- personal style choices, just sort of pondering "out loud" I have a clip on style holster that I love, but I don't think they make it so that you can tuck in also. hmmmm

I assume you were asking me.... no, actually she wears her shirts untucked most of the time, it’s just that her shirts are fairly form-fitting (is that the right fashion term?) and too narrow waisted to be useful for concealed carry. Add that to the fact that she almost never wears a belt because most of her pants lack belt loops; so there’s nothing there to support the weight of a gun even if she were so inclined. In any case, I conceded a long time ago that her choices are hers, and I can’t win that argument - even though I know I am right from both a tactical and a gun safety point of view. Harmony in my home is more important to me than "winning".