What he said...Excaliber wrote:Virtually everyone is aware that some fanny packs contain guns, and some don't, just like some bulges under shirts are 1911's and some are cell phones and medical devices. LEO's who actually do have experience with bad guys often choose this carry method, especially in warm weather, because it solves the problem of how to effectively conceal a gun large enough to be of some comfort if things go south. They know that some good guys and some bad guys will suspect they're carrying a gun, and they could care less because they're legal, reasonably discreet, and it doesn't matter. The same is true for knowledgeable and licensed non-LEO's.
It's true that bad guys will recognize a fanny pack as a possible repository for a weapon. This is particularly true when the sag of the pouch and the apparent strain on the wide strap make it clear that there are either gold bars or a big gun in there.
It is also true that bandits' occupational choice requires they be astute at choosing victims who aren't carrying. The guys who fail this test end up with abbreviated careers and in the news as a warning to others.
I've literally seen the pre-approach "danger scan" work in real time on more than one occasion when a bad guy's target scanning glance locked on the fanny pack and he decided he didn't need to ask me for the time after all.
Anyone who has a defensive strategy that depends on getting to his gun after he's let a bad guy select, approach, interview, position, and confront him and has actually been robbed doesn't have a fanny pack problem - he's got a crime dynamics knowledge issue and a situational awareness problem.
I have a fannypack. It's not my primary method of carry, but I do occasionally use it - bike riding, trips to the gym, quick runs to the store with my (as someone else called them...) "Guitar Hero" shorts on. But I also have both a Maxpedition Fatboy S "man bag" and a Safepacker that I sometimes use to carry a gun in. There are days when my back just hurts too much to put any kind of gun on my belt - either IWB or OWB - and I want to carry more than my pocket snubbie. I am perfectly comfortable with these carry methods because:
- Most people just aren't that observant. They don't notice "printing" either. They are oblivious to most of what happens around them, unless they hear a sudden "BANG!" or see a violent, out of the ordinary motion.
- Like Excaliber said, those who will notice are either LEO, other CHLs, or predators. I don't worry about LEOs or other CHLs. I make eye contact with potential predators so that they know I have them under surveillance. I let them draw their own conclusions about what's in the fannypack/bag/Safepacker.