One of the better options I’ve seen in regard to containing and protecting a firearm within a non-gun-dedicated, commercial pack, purse or bag (or even one with a gun compartment), is a just-announced product from Galco. “Carrysafe” is an elasticized nylon, thumb-break holster that will retain the gun and position it for the draw as well. The holster, attached to a stiff leather backing plate, is infinitely adjustable for carry angle and the plate itself allows for a further-adjustable attachment to the bag’s interior if desired.

Not only should any bag successfully conceal the firearm but it should also protect it, carry it safely and present it to you in such a manner that it can be drawn cleanly and efficiently under the stress of a deadly force engagement.

As such, purses present even greater issues. Not only do all of the containment concerns apply, but as they are more visible and carried in a variety of ways, there are matters of style as well performance to consider. In the past, gun-carrying purses often looked just like what they were. And with such little thought given to fashion or design, they, like fanny packs, all but announced to the world that a gun could be found inside. Other purses that didn’t go that route, often stood out because they were not in sync with the times or with the overall look of those women who could have put them to good use. But today, firms like Galco on the high end (making all but outright designer knockoffs) and Gun Tote'n Mamas or Woolstenhulme in the middle (both with a wide range of designs for a variety of needs and activities) make bags that you won’t be ashamed to be seen with and that contain many of the features thought to be beneficial in such a device.

Still, how purses are worn or carried and how the gun is drawn from them must be looked at closely. Obviously, the gun should not be visible to others; either through its sidewalls or when the bag is opened for any reason. Yet the gun must also be reachable in ways that will not delay access to it during the draw. Magnetic closures or properly engineered hook-and-loop seals often outshine zippers, which can clog, break or bind. Additionally, the gun must be carried and drawn in such a way that the user does not trace any part of their limbs or torso when it is produced. Far too many designs (and many promotional images of them) violate this basic tenet of gun safety.

Even simple things like shoulder straps should be considered. Not only mustn’t they interfere with the production of the firearm but you need to decide about their construction. Some makers reinforce them with unseen internal wires or Kevlar-like materials for strength and to prevent cutting by thieves. A good thought until the idea is thought through. Perhaps a heightened awareness of one’s surroundings and those who occupy it would be a better counter to purse snatching than depending on an over-the-shoulder or around-the-arm strap so sturdy that it might dislocate a shoulder or break an arm rather that give way under attack.

Some of this is a bit more complex than it first might seem but all of it is common sense driven, and none of it should keep you from making an off-body selection or learning how to protect the gun it contains. It’s just that with this type of carrier, there are some additional considerations above-and-beyond the usual thoughts given to the more traditional body-borne holster.

Out of Sight But Never Out of Mind Just as I believe fanny packs have long been passé for most traditional applications, I am also firmly convinced that various shoulder bags, backpacks and “urban” carrying devices are still only now coming into their own when it comes to “Off Body” gun possession.

Other than their sometimes “militaristic” appearance (although here that could be made to work as a fashion statement of sorts at times), I really like some of the things that Maxpedition has done in this area and that others like Tuff Products, and Gun Tote’n Mamas are doing as a result of the path they blazed. Shoulder bags like this one from Woolstenhulme that don’t look like you just shipped back home from some foreign war zone, but that still have a readily accessible gun compartment are often the kind of thing that passers-by never give a second look. Just make sure that you can reach the gun while you’ve got it on.

But like the purses and fanny packs, you also need to make sure that you can safely produce the gun. Most important in this respect is that the muzzle never traces any part of your body. And while most people rightfully believe that this includes the crossing of one’s hands and torso while the firearm is being brought to bear upon the threat, it also relates to the positioning of the firearm while it’s being carried so that you grab the grip and not some other part of the weapon when the draw is first begun. Therefore, while a gun compartment is a good idea, an internal holster is better.

Large portfolios and briefcases are another case in point.

Simply tossing a firearm loosely into a briefcase creates all of the same problems previously mentioned. Loose items carried in the bag can work their way into the bore of any firearm and into the open chambers of a revolver. With pistols, safety levers can be moved out of position and magazines can be released. The draw can be affected for the same reasons, as any gun can move out of position or become blocked by other carried items so that a proper grip cannot be made as part of the drawing process. However, the biggest issue regarding an unprotected firearm floating around inside a briefcase is that the trigger can be exposed to inadvertent contact with anything else inside the bag.

While the Galco “Carrysafe” is an ideal solution to protect a firearm carried in a non-gun-dedicated, commercial pack, purse or bag (or even one with a gun compartment), BLACKHAWK! accomplishes much of the same thing with its Adjustable Hook Back Holster. Not only is it compatible with the “loop” covered linings and dividers in their bags, but also with some of those found on competitor and even non-gun-dedicated off-body-carrying packs, pouches and cases.

That said, there are some excellent compartmentalized briefcases from companies like BLACKHAWK!, Uncle Mikes, Woolstenhulme, and The Concealment Shop that easily blend in with most any environment and give no clue that there is a gun inside. They not only keep the gun properly positioned for a ready draw from within an unseen location (even as you go in and out of the bag) but they carry the pistol or revolver safely at the same time. Just make sure that you don’t overfill the bag to the point where either it becomes too clumsy to utilize (a problem with some purses and fanny packs too), or that it weighs so much that you are tempted to leave it behind. The whole idea here, after going through all the effort to obtain a concealed weapons permit, is to have the weapon with you and not sitting on your desk while you go out to lunch or off to a meeting.