Should Women Concealed Carry With A Purse?

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There is a concealed carry question that is much more likely to come up when a woman is considering carrying concealed than when a man is thinking about carrying concealed. The question has to do with whether you should keep your personal firearm on your person or in a bag or other case.

This may seem like a contradictory question when it’s called “concealed carry,’ but follow me here. Hypothetically, it’s possible that a man who carries a briefcase to work everyday may wonder if he should keep his firearm in the briefcase or in a holster on his person. Similarly, a college student may choose to carry their firearm in their backpack instead on their person. I suspect, though, that these are rather infrequent questions.

However, most women in America still carry purses, and, at least in the case of my wife, those purses often have everything except the kitchen sink in them. Why not put your concealed carry weapon in that purse, too?

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It’s a good question, and a writer going by Matt E has some specific advice on that very issue. Matt E writes,

Carrying inside a purse is a relatively popular thing to do for women who are starting off. It seems like a great idea since it’s always with them and has plenty of space typically for a small handgun. The biggest issue with carrying a handgun in your purse is it’s much easier to get away from you or fall into the hands of someone because of theft. I never like keeping a firearm in a bag that can be tied to things with a monetary value. Purses will typically have a wallet in it which contains cards and cash so it becomes an easy target for a purse snatcher or thief. Putting a handgun inside the purse only makes it more complicated if your purse is stolen and could have been avoided if you have the handgun on your body instead of inside the purse.

If I had to give one piece of advice, it would be to be careful mixing valuables and your firearm in case you are ever targeted by a purse snatcher. It’s an extra risk that doesn’t necessarily need to happen. If you absolutely have to carry inside a purse, there are a number of carry-themed purses to choose from that have specific areas for firearms. It’s important to separate your firearm from other items so it doesn’t get buried by other items and has its own area. This makes training and drawing from the purse more consistent in case of an emergency. There are a ton of different purses on the market and my best advice is to do your research and look for a purse that will best fit your lifestyle.

Well, there you have it: carrying your firearm in your purse instead of in a holster on your body isn’t the ideal solution, but if you must carry that way, then have your gun in a dedicated pocket on the purse that is quick and easy to access.

Remember, it’s your own safety that you’re looking out for here, so keep the practicalities in mind when deciding how to carry concealed.

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14 COMMENTS

  1. Matt E is right. Beware of purse snatchers! They operate suddenly and quickly and can overpower the majority of women if there is a struggle.

  2. Yes all law abiding Women an Men who are willing ?? should carry. That said .A women’s purse is the wrong wrong way 4 them to carry. Even a woman of petite stature are offered many alternatives. A women’s curves offer them greater alternatives especially with sub compact model firearms – Shepherds skin holsters for shin contact carry..

  3. Yes, it’s hard to get anything done if your eyes have to be on a purse or bag 24/7/365… and we don’t want to put still another gun into the hands of the murderous Democrat junkies…

  4. Because of “Socialist Party” every one needs to protect themselves. No Police & BLM & ANTIFA attacking who ever.

  5. Absolutely nothing said about what the picture at the beginning of the article shows: SAFETY!! In recent years, mothers have been shot by their toddlers who reach into the purse and discharge the gun. What about a lipstick case getting caught in the trigger guard and the wrong motion discharges the gun, or the bow of the sunglasses pulling the trigger when the sunglasses are pulled out of the purse.

    It is the lack of safety awareness that helps fuel the liberal charge to ban our prized self-defense weapons.

    come on everyone, let’s think safety & practicality before jumping on “Purse versus Holster”.

  6. If anyone decides to carry their concealed carry firearm in a purse, it is prudent to do so in a purse specifically designed to carry a firearm. If the purse has shoulder strap, the purses designed to carry a concealed handgun, the shoulder strap has an embedded steel cable. Purse snatches usually carry a box cutter to cut the shoulder strap. The steel cable prevents the shoulder strap from being cut.

    These purses also have a seperate compartment to hold the concealed carried handgun. This prevents the handgun from being accidentally discharged.

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