Carrying a handgun might require that you change some of your everyday habits, like possibly eating at different restaurants, not entering certain stores and, if you’re really serious about always carrying refraining from traveling to or within states that have unfriendly gun laws. It can also change the way you dress.

If you carry in a shoulder holster, you must always wear a jacket or shirt that allows access to your arm. If you decide to carry IWB, like I do, you have to buy bigger pants. Luckily, I’ve always been slender, so going up in pants size didn’t bother me; I had to do it to be able to carry a gun the way I wanted to.

Currently, I buy 34- to 36-inch-waist pants, unless I’m buying TAC-pants with the stretchy waist, which is something I recommend to everyone. Tac-pants are comfortable, tough and have room for everything I want to carry, and they look good with an un-tucked shirt. Did I mention that they are comfortable?

On a normal work day, I wear slacks with a dress shirt tucked around my Kimber. The loops on my Milt Sparks show, but I’ve found that I can cover them pretty well by fluffing the shirt. Drawing from this outfit requires a sharp pull, which must be practiced, on the shirt to get it out from around the gun.

On the typical weekend, I’m out and about in either blue jeans or TAC-pants and either, depending on the season, a lightweight shirt or long-sleeved T-shirt. This outfit provides for decent concealment while allowing easy access to my Kimber. I can even get under the shirt and draw my gun without using my free hand.

Some people say that the clothes make the man. Personally, I don’t care; I just want to carry a gun.