The concealed carry community has grown exponentially in the past decade. More good guys roaming armed is a good thing, as public locations filled with people who may be carrying defensive handguns prove a significant deterrence to criminal activity. However, a noticeable trend has emerged within the most devout of this community: looking the part.

With the growth of the concealed carry culture, as well as the broader gun community, has come an identity that many fully embrace, and there is a look that goes along with this identity. An entire industry caters to this identity by producing clothing and accessories for it. There are so-called “tactical” shirts, pants, jackets, and even footwear. The truth is, such clothing does nothing to really enhance the practical capability of those wearing it, so the benefit is limited, but the liability is of growing concern.

Once again, many will argue that the general public does not notice such things. True. The general public does not, but is it the general public that poses a safety concern in this regard? Tactical and firearms-related clothing and accessories are now widely recognizable among both police and criminals, the two demographics from which you don’t want attention. This is not to insinuate that the armed citizen is doing anything sinister and must avoid contact with law enforcement, but that remains an interaction best avoided, as telegraphing the fact that you are carrying weaponry is a good way to have an encounter with law enforcement that is not wanted.

Considerations for Handling the Police Response

The far greater concern is, of course, the criminal element, and going into the next year of this nation’s course, discretion and concealment are more important than ever. The criminal threat in the Continental United States has changed significantly, and so must the tactics and lifestyle of the concealed carrier. Wearing clothing and insignia that is associated with a gun lifestyle is a good way to expose your capabilities and tip your hand, thus sacrificing your greatest advantage, which is concealment.

Where once the much-maligned IDPA vest, also referred to as the “shoot me first vest,” was, indeed, a good option for concealing a strong-side worn gun in warmer weather, the concealed carry community quickly realized that it was an obvious tell that one was carrying a pistol. Sure, the general public does not realize this, but bad actors certainly do. In contemporary times, the shoot-me-first vest has fallen out of favor with younger gun carriers, but a constant obsession with “tactical” pants, shirts, jackets, footwear, and hats persists. Once again, the general public does not notice, but the criminal element does.

The Changing, Smarter, Threat

Gang violence is escalating in the United States, greatly fueled by the influx of unmitigated and unvetted people who simply walk into our nation through an open border. Central American drug cartels have set up shop in numerous vicinities throughout the country, and, make no mistake, many terrorists have infiltrated. If you stick to the position that the local crackhead who attempts to rob you in a parking lot will not know the difference between tactical pants and regular jeans, that assessment is likely accurate. However, gang members, cartel members, and terrorists will have the capacity to pick out the tactical-looking guy in the crowd.

As we move into a new age of lone wolf and possibly coordinated attacks on civilian populations in our homeland, the concealed carrier on the scene will likely be the most effective means of stopping carnage, as has been the case many times over in past years. Statistics are clear: when armed citizens are present, mass casualty events end much sooner, with much less loss of life, than when killers are free to slaughter until police arrive. A key component to this success is that the armed citizen is actually there when it happens if one is present. However, there is another component to this success: the armed citizen goes unnoticed by the perpetrator, whereas uniformed officers are seen and avoided or seen and taken out first. There are numerous examples of both strategies used by mass killers to deal with identified uniformed law enforcement.

Looking like a gun carrier puts a target on your back, just as wearing a uniform does. Why would one choose to hope for criminals and killers who are too stupid to know what this look is rather than just avoid the look? You can fight just as well in jeans and a t-shirt as you can in tactical pants and a 5.11 jacket. You can run just as well in sneakers as you can in tactical shoes. And, please, resist the urge to actually wear clothing with firearms brand insignia on them.

Rather than look the part, focus on being the part. Carry a concealed handgun, train with it, and blend in with the regular people a