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I looked for a topic on this and did not find one. Excuse me if I overlooked it.

Maybe it's just me but seems that IWB prints the least. I have a Blackhawk paddle holster that is comfortable to carry concealed but "I" can notice a slight bulge even when wearing a large t-shirt or dark golf shirt.

I guess someone might think it is a cell phone or something.

Is there a definition on what illegal printing is?
What amount of printing is acceptable?

Mark G26 wrote:I looked for a topic on this and did not find one. Excuse me if I overlooked it.

Maybe it's just me but seems that IWB prints the least. I have a Blackhawk paddle holster that is comfortable to carry concealed but "I" can notice a slight bulge even on when wearing a large t-shirt or dark golf shirt.

I guess someone might think it is a cell phone or something.

Is there a definition on what illegal printing is?
What amount of printing is acceptable?

This is just commen sense. If the outline is clearly a handgun, then you are not concealing. If it is just a bulge, then you are fine.

Texas Penal Code

§ 46.035. UNLAWFUL CARRYING OF HANDGUN BY LICENSE
HOLDER. (a) A license holder commits an offense if the license
holder carries a handgun on or about the license holder's person
under the authority of Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code,
and intentionally fails to conceal the handgun.


Texas Government Code
§ 411.171. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
(3) "Concealed handgun" means a handgun, the presence
of which is not openly discernible to the ordinary observation of a
reasonable person.

Many people have cell phones, pagers and PDAs hanging off their belts while their shirt is untucked. Before you got your CHL, how many times have you cared about it? How many times have you noticed it? A bulge is not big deal. Non-CHLs typically are not looking to see if your body is symmetrical. I've had the butt of my pistol sticking out at a Hooters restaurant. Sitting on a bar stool does that. No one said a thing. The ones that notice will probably assume you're a LEO and won't say anything. It's unlikely that someone will notice. If someone does notice, it is unlikely that they'll do anything about it.

propellerhead wrote:Many people have cell phones, pagers and PDAs hanging off their belts while their shirt is untucked. Before you got your CHL, how many times have you cared about it? How many times have you noticed it? A bulge is not big deal. Non-CHLs typically are not looking to see if your body is symmetrical. I've had the butt of my pistol sticking out at a Hooters restaurant. Sitting on a bar stool does that. No one said a thing. The ones that notice will probably assume you're a LEO and won't say anything. It's unlikely that someone will notice. If someone does notice, it is unlikely that they'll do anything about it.

Thanks Propellerhead,

That is a point-on response I was looking for.

I walk around like I have a tire around my waste.


I have a Huge work Phone(Palm Treo 650) that really sticks out. I carry a crap load of Keys that bulge my pant pockets out, I have crap in my wallet that makes it about 2-3" thick. Then I have my Benchmade Mini-Rukus that bulges my front Right Pocket, then I have my personal Phone that also sticks out. When my CHL comes in I have no idea how I'm going to do it with a Colt full size 1911 and extra mag carrier.

Honestly with all the stuff I'm carrying I'm not worried about printing as my Palm TREO is thicker than my 1911. So it'll just even it out actually.

Being new to concealed carry, I must admit that I'm still a little confused about what concealed really means. I've read many threads on this forum that talk about consequences of printing (hysterical women running screaming through the aisles of the walmart, children crying, and panic reaching a level of intensity that makes an earthquake seem mild), however, I'm still not clear on what would happen legally as long as the exposure was not intentional or threatening.

I've seen guesses on this forum about where a person conceals using a picture as a basis of those gueses (most were wrong). It's kinda fun to guess, but even knowing that the person in the picture was carrying, I couldn't make out "printing". It seems to me that "printing" or the perseption of printing is very subjective. I can't believe that a bulge can be categorized as "printing", if so, some of us are in real trouble.

So, given that the law is written around the concept of "concealed", isn't the fact that someone may be printing moot as long as the weapon is "concealed". Since other threads point out that some forms of concealed cary are obvious giveaways (vest, fanny packs, belt clips/loops), if printing is bad, why wouldn't those obvious methods of concealing be bad (if not illegal)?

I have always considered "concealed" to be just that; NOT OBVIOUS!

I for one, think that printing, although perhaps not very considerate given the panic potential mentioned above, is something that we must live with. As long as it doesn't violate the "concealed" provision of the law, it's just part of life. Total stealth would be great but I don't see it as a 100% of the time option given the restriction posed by the human body and acceptable fashion trends.

I think Mark G26 has an interesting question. Is there an acceptable level of printing? If so, I don't think it can be defined clearly even if you fall back on the legal definiton of "concealed". I think the answer is more social than legal so I do the best I can with what I have and hope that I at least remain non-obvious and "concealed".

I was told by my Instructor is that printing is when it is OBVIOUS and there is no question that you have a gun. Meaning you can make out the Grip, and part of bbl.


IMO a BULGE is not printing. I carry a big PDA and it bulges a lot. How would someone know if I have my gun or a PDA there. You can't.

RubenZ wrote:I walk around like I have a tire around my waste.


I have a Huge work Phone(Palm Treo 650) that really sticks out. I carry a crap load of Keys that bulge my pant pockets out, I have crap in my wallet that makes it about 2-3" thick.
.

Empty your wallet out man! My buddy has one of those 3" thick wallets and i have looked through it and he doesnt need or use about 2.75" worth of it. money, CC, couple pics and some id.is all i carry unless it is something I need that day. Just messing with ya....

We wouldn't have this problem if the goverment would give us our Type 1 phasers alreasy... Geez, how many more letters do I have to write to them on the subject.... I want my PHASER!!!! Oh yeah, and nuclear powered AA Batteries :-)

This is a question I have wondered about as well.

I am pretty sure that 5 years ago, when I knew nothing about guns and cared less, I would have never noticed the bulge about my waistband. But I am also pretty sure that anyone who knows what to look for could spot that I am carrying with no difficulty.

I'm not too concerned with bystander panic; I suspect that anyone who might panic is, like I was, not clued in enough to realize the situation.

I am way more concerned about harassment by LEOs. I would hate to lose my CHL because a LEO saw my gun and felt that it was not concealed enough. On the other hand, a parka in Dallas in August might be a bit uncomfortable ...

Perhaps this is just a symptom of noob CHL paranoia ...

You can't lose your license because a LEO feels it is not concealed enough.

swiven wrote:This is a question I have wondered about as well.

I am pretty sure that 5 years ago, when I knew nothing about guns and cared less, I would have never noticed the bulge about my waistband. But I am also pretty sure that anyone who knows what to look for could spot that I am carrying with no difficulty.

I'm not too concerned with bystander panic; I suspect that anyone who might panic is, like I was, not clued in enough to realize the situation.

I am way more concerned about harassment by LEOs. I would hate to lose my CHL because a LEO saw my gun and felt that it was not concealed enough. On the other hand, a parka in Dallas in August might be a bit uncomfortable ...

Perhaps this is just a symptom of noob CHL paranoia ...

I think it's natural to be self-conscious about it when in reality 99% of the public is not looking at your waistband area and most of them wouldn't know what they were looking at even if they did.

As an LEO, I carried for 5 years before the CHL law was passed and have carried since, and I have only been made once - when I let my untucked shirt ride up over the handle of my gun while bending down to get something off the bottom shelf at a store. And the kid who made me just said, "Cool!" and walked off.

And all the time I was an LEO I carried a Beretta 92FS IWB. Believe me, that's a BIG FAT HEAVY gun to be carrying with shorts and a t-shirt in the summer. No one ever said a thing to me, pointed, called the police, called security, etc. In short, no one noticed.

Just do what you're comfortable with. The more natural it is to you, the less attention you'll draw to yourself. People in stores, etc. are looking at stuff, trying to corral their kids, walking around in a daze, whatever. They aren't looking at you and trying to figure out whether that slight bulge is a gun.

It also helps if you have a wife or GF or friend or family member around you. When I carry mine, I always ask my wife - Can you see my gun baby? She always has the same answer, no, but I want to. hehe

Just cover it up and go on about your bussiness...no one cares.