Flashbang!

You're walking to your car after shopping, hands are full, you're digging through your purse for the car keys, and it's dark out.  All of a sudden two males with hoodies drawn around their faces jump out of a car and run toward you with a gun yelling for you to give them your purse.  You give them your purse and they decide they don't want a witness so they shoot.

It's a late evening, cool breeze, and perfect for a run.  You take off on your normal path, be it your neighborhood or park, and as you're halfway through your goal distance a guy jumps out of nowhere and tackles you.  He's got one hand with a knife against your throat as he tells you to be quiet or he's going to kill you.  It's now dark, you're a mile or more from home, and no one is around to hear you scream. 

You stop at the corner gas station to buy your lotto or grab a drink when someone walks in and points a gun at you.  Tells you to get down then points it at the clerk and orders him to open the register.  Say you have your kid(s) with you and they start crying, frustrating the gun-wielding robber who then points the gun at one of them. 

These are scenarios for some of you to think about, reality for some of you who have been through it.  Whatever your experience, what would you do?  Some of you would get robbed or raped, or worse...killed.  Then there's some of you who would think like I do and whip out whatever concealed weapon you have to drop the SOB.  Call it paranoid, I call it prepared. 

I grew up in a country town where daddies taught their daughters to shoot, and mommas taught them where to aim.  It was never about protection then, more about knowledge and self-sufficiency.  I moved out of that small town and joined the biggest gun club in the world, the military.  Becoming a Marine was the growth and change I needed to realize my personal strength.  It wasn't until my career in law enforcement that I discovered knowledge and personal strength wasn't enough protection off-duty.  Yeah, even cops are victims. 

Close your eyes and think about one (or all) of the above situations.  Put yourself as the victim, feeling the fear and anger build.  Think about what you would want to happen.  You want to win.  You want the bad guy to pay.  Most important, you want to be able to protect your loved ones.

One of the most useful sayings (pretty much a mantra for LEOs) is "You're body won't go where your mind has never been."  This means if you don't think about the worst that can happen then you won't know how you can respond.  In a moment of crisis you act or you freeze.  If you freeze you lose, and sometimes that loss may be someones life.  Whether you carry a pocket knife or a handgun, make sure you know how to use it in moments that you least expect to. 

I'm all about my Kershaw (pocket knife) and lately I have been carrying my .380 S&W for easy concealment.  I was recently introduced to what some of my dear friends call "The Boob Holster".  It's aptly named the Flashbang and for the past week I have carried it to test it's efficiency and concealment.  Friends have inquired about how you retrieve your gun from it.  Do you take off your shirt?  Do you have to unsnap the bra? Can you see it in tighter shirts? What about wearing it while you workout or run? 

Here's my answers to those questions:

No, you do not have to take your shirt off to retrieve your gun, although this could be a very effective distraction as you "flash" the bad guy to get your gun. 

No, you do not have to unsnap your bra or the holster to retrieve your gun.  It is surprisingly quick to reach up your shirt front, grab the handle of your gun, and before you blink you've pulled it out of the holster and already have a shot fired at the bad guy's head. 

Yes and No as far as seeing it in tighter shirts.  I wear clingy shirts sometimes and even wore it under my workout clothes one day.  I asked a few people if they could see where my gun was concealed and they kept looking for it around my waist and legs.  When I told them it was in my bra (guys will unintentionally...and intentionally, stare when you tell them) they said they would've never known.

I wore it once to workout and that just isn't conducive to lifting weights or doing the Insanity workout.  Running with it was fine, I did have to wear an underwire bra though.  It's the best support for the holster.

The website I ordered mine from has videos that show the quick draw methods and also how you can position the holster.  I wear mine high for better concealment in some clothes and low for comfort in others.  It's a good tool for women who want to carry concealed without having to wear baggy clothes

For my fellow gal pals that carry concealed, if you have a personal favorite please share.  The more knowledge we can spread about self-defense and female friendly tools for protection, the better.  

"I’m a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf.”