There are testable performance standards for all sorts of protective equipment, from eye shields to body armor. So, why isn’t there more conversation about how to test your concealed carry gear to see if it’s actually suitable for the role? Look at your carry gear like you would any other piece of personal protective gear: eye protection, hard hat, steel-toed boots, etc.
Evaluating Your Personal Protection Gear
In order for them to actually fit the role appropriately, they have to meet a certain set of performance standards in the “worst-case scenario.”
Let’s use Eye Pro as an example:
It’s not considered “good” just because it stays on your face all day, looks good, and doesn’t pinch your nose. Good eye protection will stop shards of debris that are hurtling toward your face.
But for some reason, once the discussion shifts to holsters, performance suddenly takes a back seat to comfort, aesthetics, and cost.
The fact that it allows you to conveniently stuff a gun in your pants all day and have it stay in roughly the same place isn’t actually the primary function of the holster. The holster is there to support your weapon during A FIGHT!
So, it needs to be able to keep the gun in one spot during an entangled grapple but still allow you to establish a strong firing grip on the gun one-handed and deploy the firearm in the fight.
You don’t evaluate the performance of a Formula 1 car by doing 30 MPH in the parking lot.
