concealed weapon permit

[tt11758]

See, nasty old men! And this one is a politician to boot. Ignore him on general principle.
FQ13

An Obama supporting college professor criticizing a politician who is a proponent of carrying a fine, American-designed handgun?!? 

Now I've heard everything.   

[Hazcat]

I think he used to babysit for Adam and Eve God.

FIFY

Close....

I think he used to be abysit for Adam and Eve God.

[Walter45Auto]

Matt, truth is, you'll end up carrying at least 6 different guns in the first few years you carry. The question is which one will you get first. The Glock is a good start. But they're double stack and that makes them fat and bulky, so they can sometimes be hard to hide (G30 especially.) You may WILL eventually end up wanting a thinner gun for times when you can't conceal the Glock. A good 1911 is a good choice, but a government model can get about as hard to conceal, due to the length of the grip. An officer's size 1911 is much easier. Yes the 1/4" of length does make that much different sometimes. And Let's face it, sooner or later you WILL get a mouse gun (I have a couple Kel-Tecs. One in .32, and one .380.) for when you can't carry the bigger ones. Oh, sure, I said I'd never carry a .380 or .32 as an Only gun, but that changed when I started working where there was a no weapons policy. My favorite one of mine to carry is my S&W J frame. It's a 649 in .357 Mag. If you see me wearing something with pockets, I have it on me. My Glock and 1911's have to be left at home when I have to have a tucked in shirt. But since it fits in my pocket, I can carry it always. Same reason people like their LCP's and Kel-Tecs. Best way to decide, and most fun, is go to a range where you can rent a good selection of pistols or get together with buddies who have pistols and go to the range. Shoot a bunch of them and see what you like. My first gun I carried was a Ruger P90.

[GUNS-R-US]

Now back on to the topic. Mathew, go check out www.handgun.us and check the page for Arkansas. They have a great PDF you can download to your computer. it had al the reciprocity info (witch is pretty good) and directions on how to get it! Good luck and welcome ranks of the Sheepdogs and DRTV!

[GUNS-R-US]

P.S. go to the New Member into and introduce yourself!

http://www.downrange.tv/forum/index.php?topic=19.1830

[Sponsor]

[bafsu92]

Matthew, as someone who's been carrying concealed for close to 20 years I can offer the fact that it's very subjective. So much depends on you, your body size/type, what your normal wardrobe is, do you go a lot of places you can't carry (gun on and off more than once or twice a day) all have to be considered pretty highly. One thing is certain, don't skimp on your holster if you want to be comfortable. You don't have to order custom leather but get a quality rig from a reputable make, even if you have to choose a gun that is $50-$100 less to do it. The mouse guns (Kel-Tec's, LCP's etc) are very nice to have but I only carry mine as a backup or as a last resort type of thing (you wouldn't have a gun on you at all if it wasn't for the tiny tupperware). You need to spend a lot of time shooting what you're carrying as your primary and the little .380's are not fun or pleasant to shoot. I've put about 300 rds through my LCP and it was miserable but I know it's 100% reliable. Most guns don't make it into my carry rotation unless I've put at least 500 rds through them.

The biggest thing to remember is you don't have to spend a ton of money to get a good carry gun. I've got somewhere between 30-50 handguns, several that cost or are worth well over the $1000 mark but my most carried pistol is a Taurus PT-145 that I bought at a pawn shop for $236. I've modified the frame slightly with a dremel tool and hand sanding to round the trigger guard, smooth some rough spots out and relieve a bit of material from under the trigger guard. I carry it as my primary in a Don Hume IWB holster that was around $39 with a single horizontal Safariland spare mag pouch that was about $18. It's super small and comfortable, smaller and lighter than my Glock 30. the grip only sticks up about 1.5" from my belt line and the mag pouch is thinner than my belt and is almost invisible. I easily and comfortably conceal this all day with shorts and a t-shirt and still have my LCP in my pocket. This gives me 21 rds. of .45 and 7 rds. of .380 that I don't even feel. The Taurus has never had a FTF or any other issue, I've now put at least 700-800 and it's 10 ring accurate from 15 yards in which is all I want in a compact self defense pistol. Just remember how you carry it is almost as important as what you carry. If you're constantly tugging on your pants because the gun is pulling them down or making them ride wrong on your waist or if you're walking with a limp or hitch because the gun or holster is rubbing or irritating your hip or leg then you're not really carrying "concealed". I see this quite a bit while I'm out and about, it's not hard for a trained eye to spot someone who's not properly concealing their weapon. If at all possible try to find a friend or someone who has the same gun your thinking about and see if they'll let you carry it for a day or two. I know my local shop will let you carry their used or range rental guns for 48 hours for $50. When you return it to make your purchase they then give you a $75 credit towards whatever you decide to buy. The extra $25 covers a good part of a decent holster. Sorry about the length of the post and good luck.