At Zendira, we love when fashion and function combine to make something beautiful. When it comes to concealed carry weapons (CCW), the handbag you decide to use to carry your firearm is a big deal. When choosing to carry a firearm, you are making a conscious decision to carry a life-saving and life-ending tool for personal safety.
Your concealed carry handbag needs to do a lot of things. It needs to look good, be effective at carrying your weapon, hold all your usual items, and it needs a design that allows for seamless draws of the weapon in a pinch. But before you purchase one and fill it with your essentials, we need to answer one big question: Are concealed carry handbags safe?
In this blog post, we will cover concealed carry handbags and their real-world safety considerations. It’s critical to know what to look for when selecting a concealed carry handbag to ensure the one you select is not only stylish and effective, but safe.
Are Concealed Carry Handbags Safe?
Yes, some concealed carry bags are safe to use for real-world, daily concealment of your CCW. However, please read on, because not all concealed carry handbags are created equal! Let’s talk about what makes a concealed carry handbag safe, and what could be unsafe.
A concealed carry handbag is more than an accessory. In all seriousness, it’s not how great you look that will stop a threat, it’s your ability to draw the weapon and make an effective shot that matters. Choosing a CCW handbag that is difficult to draw from makes the handbag absolutely unsafe, no matter how “cute” it looks.
What Makes A Concealed Carry Handbag Unsafe?
While this is the topic of some subjectivity, there are a few considerations that are not up for debate when determining if a concealed carry handbag is not safe for use.
Some of these factors that automatically make a CCW handbag unsafe are:
- No Dedicated Internal Compartment for the Firearm: If your concealed carry handbag does not have a dedicated, internal area for your firearm, it's not safe. You can’t just slip a firearm into your purse and expect to have the ability to grab it in an emergency for immediate use.
- Firearm Compartment Not Sized For Your Firearm: If your concealed carry handbag has a firearm compartment but it is either too big or too small for your firearm, it makes the CCW handbag unsafe.
- Strap Placement: The straps on your concealed carry handbag need to be thoughtfully engineered. Your CCW handbag should not have excess straps that hang at various angles.
- Flimsy Materials and Durability: If your concealed carry bag is made from cheap materials that will not hold up over time with regular, non-CCW use, then your concealed carry handbag is unsafe. Once you factor in the weight of the gun along with normal wear and tear, you will see the need for a durable concealed carry handbag.
- Zippers: Yes, zippers matter from a safety standpoint. Have you ever grabbed and pulled a zipper in a hurry? It often binds or becomes immobilized when opened or closed too fast, just like you would in a life or death situation.
Why Does All This Matter?
Your concealed carry handbag is an extension of your body. When you use it, it needs to be a sub-conscious reaction where your hand goes to the same spot and is able to grab your firearm correctly.
Your CCW handbag should have a compartment for the firearm sized to roughly match the size of your firearm. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but it does need to immobilize and stabilize the firearm to be in the right place for your muscle memory to act when the firearm is needed.
Fumbling through excess straps and/or having a firearm not in a specific place when it's needed is a recipe for disaster that could cost you your life or the life of someone you love.
Our Go-To For Safe Concealed Carry Handbags
Zendira is an artisan CCW brand dedicated to empowering women to not only carry a safe handbag but one that looks great, too.
Zendira handbags has built-in the same tactical belt material used by first responders to secure their holsters and other clip-on accessories. Simply use it to attach your current holster just like you already do on your pants.
Zendira has thoughtfully designed their CCW handbags with you in mind, from patent-pending designs, no zippers, and internal holsters. We know what it takes to make safe concealed carry handbags.
