How to Safely Draw Your Gun from a Concealed Carry Purse

Imagine the contents of your purse at this very moment. If you were to reach your hand in without looking, could you quickly pull out a specific item? Or, would you have to dig around to find it? Now imagine that item is a firearm and your life depends on your ability to draw it out quickly!

In my post, “4 Ways to Make ‘Purse-Concealed Carry’ More Secure,” I mentioned that if you’re going to carry a firearm in a purse or bag, it’s important to practice your draw (i.e., the motion of removing the gun from its holster). A smooth and consistent draw is the goal. In a situation where fractions of a second count, the last thing you want is to fumble through your purse.

When I first started practicing this, I wanted to avoid forming bad habits; so I sought help from qualified NRA (National Rifle Association) instructors, who shared some tips and best practices with me (see below).

There are 4 Simple Steps:
Grip, Rip, Slap and Present!

To access the gun, you may need to unzip your purse. I was told it’s best to tug the zipper downward (if that is an option), so I’ve adjusted my purse’s zipper to allow for this. (See above).

1. Grip:

Be mindful of where the gun points when it’s inside the purse. Make sure when you grip the gun, it’s already facing the threat. You may need to pull the purse across your body to do this.

Keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot.

2. Rip:

Sequence when throwing the purse to the ground

Sequence when keeping the purse on your body.

Keep the gun pointed at the threat, as you rip the purse away from the gun. From there, you can either toss the purse to the ground or keep it hanging from your arm. Please note: the extra weight on your arm may affect your accuracy.

3. Slap:

Quickly bring your second hand to the firearm, to complete a two-handed grip.

4. Present:

Press the firearm out, extending your arms, to your preferred shooting stance.

According to gun pros and the NRA, the 4-Step method presented above is the ideal sequence . . . BUT if you don’t have time to rip the purse away, you can always shoot through the purse!

My experience has shown me, if you’ll practice these four steps, very soon you’ll be on your way to a smooth, consistent draw. Sure, it’s normal to feel slow and awkward at first. But just stick with it and give yourself a chance! Go one step at a time, familiarizing yourself with each step, and then put them together at your own pace. Remember, where there is consistency first, there can be speed later. With enough time and practice, your draw will become second nature, making you more confident and overall, safer.

And when you live feeling safer, you live feeling freer!

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“Chime-In!”

Have you (or anyone you know) ever had an encounter in which you/they were glad to have a purse-concealed gun?

Please share your story (even in brief form)!

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