Concealed Carry Corner: Carry Guns Of Urban and Rural Americans
Welcome back to another edition of Concealed Carry Corner. Last week, we took a look at some of the pros and cons of backup guns. If you happened to miss that article, be sure to click the link here to check it out. This week, I want to talk about the major differences in carry options between urban/suburbs and more unpopulated rural areas. Although we are all a part of the gun community and have decided to carry a concealed firearm, the guns that are chosen by people who live in their areas are some of the most interesting conversations that I often have with other concealed carriers. Let’s take a closer look at carry guns of urban and rural Americans.
Urban Carriers
When it comes to carrying in a populated city or area, oftentimes there’s a general trend among concealed carriers. Most people will opt for a smaller compact or sub-compact option to carry with their work clothes or everyday clothes that may be more in trend than others who are in rural areas. This will most likely be something along the lines of a SIG P365, Glock 43X, or Springfield Hellion due to their smaller footprint and higher capacity. There’s a fairly significant amount of individuals who just want to carry a small handgun to defend themselves and nothing else.
This is perfectly fine and I’d say roughly 60-70% have a normal reliable pistol that’s no frills but it does the job just fine. Out of most people I’ve chatted with over the years I would say 80-85% of people carry something similar in size to a Glock 43X or less just because of the fact of being small and easy to conceal. When it comes to younger concealed carriers, things can sometimes get really interesting compared to the vast majority of other carriers. These are often times the people go with rare firearms rather than the popular options I talked about earlier.
Wealth Sometimes Plays a Factor
When it comes to urban carrying, there’s a wide variety of income brackets that allow for either end of the spectrum to result in wild choices. I have seen everything from the cheapest Hi Points to various Damascus steel Cabot pistols as carry guns. If you go to any major city, there’s often times a higher-end shooting facility offering the best options on the market. This is typically a short drive from some of the roughest gun shops in the city.
One of the best examples I’ve ever seen is the city of Charlotte, NC. There was a stunning shooting facility with every type of high-end handgun or manufacturer. I then drove just over two miles down the road to another shop and this was in a strip mall with bars over the windows. This shop had drastically different firearms with more of a focus on older used guns along with more affordable options. Almost everyone at the counter was looking at handguns between $200-350 compared to the higher-end shop that had individuals looking at Nighthawk and Alchemy pistols.
The important takeaway from this when it comes to urban carry is the fact that no matter what your social status is people want to carry concealed pistols. Some will choose higher priced options as a statement or “flex” as the kids say these days but what it all boils down to is the fact people are choosing the option to defend themselves.
Rural Areas
One of the wildest groups of concealed carriers in the United States has to be the rural parts. Depending on what part of the country you are visiting, you can find anything from 10mm 1911s and 410 revolvers to a full-size handgun in an outside-the-waistband holster. The name of the game for rural people is function over form. Some of the craziest carry guns have been from people in small towns of 800 people or less. The concept of having firearms in public is normalized way more than in a city center or suburb.
As a result, you tend to see people open carrying way more frequently and somehow it feels normal because the small-town factor really makes it feel like a perfectly acceptable action where urban areas would cause issues and stress to non-gun owners. If I had to pick between the two, I much prefer to spend time with rural carriers than people in the more populated areas just because they usually have a thoughtful reason why they carry a certain firearm rather than the rarity of their carry gun.
People Aren’t The Only Threat
Another really important factor to consider about rural carriers is the threat of animals more than other humans. Depending on where you go, the threat of snakes, cougars, or bears is a real threat depending on your location. The whole idea of a 10mm pistol started out from the idea of bear protection and this whole concept has created a dozen options on the market just for pistols to defend yourself from larger wild animals.
Down in the southern states and states like Texas, Missouri, and parts of Oklahoma, people will carry handguns just for snakes and walking around their property. Something that wouldn’t be lethal to a human threat is incredibly effective against a snake. The whole reasoning behind a snake gun is still for protection but the firearms will be completely different than someone living in the city carrying a Glock 43X.
Overall Thoughts
It’s easy to judge people based on what they carry, but there are several factors that go into what a person carries from location, socioeconomic status, and what their needs are for a self-defense handgun. When taking all the factors into consideration, it’s easy to see how someone could carry something that may not be normal for the vast majority of people but for their particular life may make a good bit of sense.
Which group would you consider yourself to be a part of? Be sure to leave your thoughts down in the comments below. If you have questions about carrying concealed or firearms in general, feel free to shoot me a message on Instagram @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there and we will see you next week for another edition of Concealed Carry Corner.
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