As we continue our War on Terrorism, and as homegrown terrorists and crimes abound, I find great solace in carrying concealed. I like the idea that I am not helpless when confronted by danger, but I am trained, armed, and ready to defend myself and others. But this leads to the question of, "How shall I carry concealed?" I spent a great deal of time early this year researching purses for concealed carry. I found most of them to be flimsy and ugly, made with fake leather that would soon wear out and straps that were too thin for weight distribution. I loved Galco's Pandora purse and bought it within a day of seeing it. It has held up well. But as I load my gun, two extra magazines, handcuffs, knife, Leatherman, and other normal things in my purse, then tote it around daily, my shoulder has become irritable. What if I were to carry concealed in more than one place? Switch it up now and then? So my hunt for a concealed carry product began again. There are many places to carry concealed, and many companies who make concealed carry products, but one company that stood out to me was Flashbang Holsters. When I walked the floor at the last SHOT Show, I saw a lot of products for males, for either gender, or for females, but they were sold and designed by men. Sure there may have been a stray woman in the booth, but she wasn't talking or making eye contact. And in keeping with that theme, the salesmen wanted to talk to my husband, because as a female, I was his appendage. Even if the salesmen at the booths that had products for females had wanted to talk to me, the fact remained that I did not want to talk to strange men about what I could potentially keep in my bra. Flashbang holsters are by a woman, of a woman, and for a woman. Although I have seen many a man with nicer pecs than I possess, I have not heard of a man carrying concealed there. With that in mind, I am led to believe that only a woman would understand that fit well. Secondly, and this really oughtn't be second but it's my pet peeve, they make products for women that are NOT JUST PINK. See? A woman understands that to have a female product, you do not need to make it pink to appeal. You need to make it well. I gave the gals at Flashbang Holsters a call and had a good chat about what I carry and what I need to carry it in. Yes, they actually took time to talk! My back-up gun is a .40 caliber Glock 27. For a small gun, it's a big small gun. So a week later I received three good quality products to try- the Flashbang for the Glock 27, the Rugar LCP, and an Ava, which is a well-made classy looking holster to carry my Glock 27 inside my pants' waistline.

As expected, the Glock 27 was not a good fit for an average-sized female, unless muffled under winter clothing. Photo courtesy Laurel Yoshimoto

I have to say, even after watching the videos and reading the instructions, it took me three tries before I could steel myself enough to put a loaded gun that close to my breast. I really like my body sans holes, and I have shot too much and seen too many videos to be unaware of just what a .40 caliber hollow point would do to that precious appendage. But, after looking closer to assure myself that the holster really was covering the trigger guard, I finally managed to wear the Flashbang. I am 5' 6" and 135 pounds. I have all my original parts and am fairly normally proportioned. I found that, unless I put on a muumuu styled shirt, the Glock 27 just is too thick of a gun to not look like, in my girlfriend's words, "a third breast that pops out." While disappointing, I wasn't surprised. The sales lady I talked to actually warned me that the big gun plus my average chest probably wouldn't work too well, hence the Ava.

The Ruger LCP was a much better fit for women of all sizes. Photo courtesy Laurel Yoshimoto

I put the Glock away and tried on the Rugar LCP. Now this could work. I started going through my closet to see what shirts I could wear. As long as the shirt wasn't skin tight, it was very passable. Surprisingly enough, it was actually comfortable too. Maybe it's because my infant son used to fall asleep with his head in that same spot, but the weight was pleasant, not offensive. And the draw! I have spent some time working on drawing quickly from my purse. Even with practice, it takes time to get the gun free of the leather and point it in the right direction. But this? Wow. This was comparable to drawing my competition gun from my CR Speed holster. It was fast. It was also addictive. I walked around the house for a while, drawing down quickly on lamps, door knobs, coffee cups, and potted plants. I finally had to stop when my young son asked me what I was doing. "Mommy's playing, sweetie..." While the idea of carrying in my bra had gone from scary to exhilarating quickly, especially after feeling how secure it was and how fast it drew, my practical husband asked me, "Why would you try and hide something in your bra? That's one of the first places men look. It would have to be really well hidden." That was a good point that, as a female who doesn't usually stare at other women's chests, I had not thought of. I guess some men do have a habit of giving a lady a once (or twice) over, even when she isn't wearing a name tag. I was pretty sure that the Rugar would ride in secret just fine, but my XY half had a point, and I had a Glock 27 to carry.

The Ava from Flashbang Holsters is an inside the waistband leather and thermoplastic hybrid holster. Photo courtesy Flashbang Holsters

I changed out of the Flashbang and slipped on the Ava. It fit in my shorts well, and since I am used to carrying a gun on my hips, it felt just fine. My purse weighed practically nothing without the gun in it, and my hips hardly felt the weight. There were some shirts I couldn't wear with the Ava, but that still left me about half my wardrobe to choose from. In the winter months, with a jacket thrown over, I will be set. Not wanting to keep new toys to myself, I had a few of my girlfriends try out the holsters as well. They came to the same conclusions I did about fit, size, and we had some talks about what to wear for which occasions (Ava to the baseball game, Flashbang to church, and back in the purse on that hot date). These holsters were good products that offered us more freedom in movement and fashion. Not being tied down to just one heavy option to shoulder was a good thing. For me personally, I am definitely adding these options to my concealed carry accessories. I feel comfortable wearing them, they secure my gun well, and they offer the spice of variety to my wardrobe. - Laurel Yoshimoto Laurel is an average shooter who fell in love with shooting sports eight years ago. She resides happily with her loving husband and young son in Southern California and is proud to serve in Law Enforcement.