Is Appendix Carry (AIWB) Dangerous?
Is Appendix Carry (AIWB) Dangerous? Does Concealed Carry Appendix Carry (AIWB) Work? Why do people Appendix Carry? "If you Appendix Carry you will shoot your wiener off!". I have heard it all. It is like a bad word to so many. It brings our the claws in some circles when discussing concealed carry. These same people will look at something like the Urban Carry Holster, which does not have a rigged shell around the trigger guard like kydex, and praise it. Subtle leather allows for things to get into the trigger guard and cause a negligent discharge. A kydex or injection molded holster which encloses the trigger guard allows nothing to cause a negligent discharge while holstered. But the leather vs kydex thing is a different article. Just using it as an exampled of the hypocrisy I see in concealed carry discussions. I like appendix carry and find it the same amount of dangerous as any other way to carry. Each way to concealed carry is different and no one does everything. But appendix carry gets a bad rap. You either love of hate appendix carry for concealed carry. People are very concerned with their privates being shot off. Rightfully so, you only get one junk in your life. But lets break it down and look at it in detail.
You Will Shoot Off Your D$%k! Is it possible to shoot off your penis while appendix carrying? Yes, but given you have a hard shell holster enclosing the trigger guard it wouldn't be when the pistol is in the holster. You draw the greatest risk while re-holstering. Clothing, edges on the belt, etc. can all get in the way and cause a negligent discharge, particularly if you are trying to win the Guinness Book of World Records for fastest re-holster. Stop re-holsting so damn fast! This is true for any concealed carry holster positioning, it is a dangerous time period. There is no more danger with appendix carrying versus any other position.
Appendix Carry Lends Itself to Faster Manipulation of the Gun Whether it be magazine changes or support side draw, appendix carry owns other positions of carry. Dy default everything is in your workspace already, there is very little to no wasted movement. The center of your body is perfect for placement of a concealed carry gun. It also is great to control of the gun. If someone picked up on you having a gun and tried to take it from you, on the side of your body or the dreaded small of back is much more difficult than center front of body.
Get the Right Holster! There are thousands of companies making holsters. As well as lot's of materials used like Leather, Kydex, Injection Molded, Neoprene, etc. But the key is to get something specific to Appendix Carry. Some companies like T.REX Arms make appendix carry specific holsters. Just do a search on AIWB or Appendix Carry Holster, you will see tons of search results. I would point people to Raven, VEIL Solutions, CA Holster, Triton Holsters, G-Code, GunCraft, etc. I recommend a hard shell over the trigger area. Like Kydex or Injection Molded. This will ensure that nothing will accidentally make your gun go boom while holstered. With leather and the horrible neoprene you can have those materials bind up and get into the trigger guard and have a negligent discharge. That cannot happen with a Kydex holster.
Practice, Practice, Practice When first getting into Appendix Carry take it slow. Find a holster, get it in the mail and then dry fire practice like crazy. I always tell people with any holster, and the same applies here, dry fire draw 100 times and see if the gun dry fire goes off. If it doesn't then hope down that Super Mario pipe and enter level 2! Slowly progress with live fire. You could even go to a course with a professional instructor and work through it with them. Find a good instructor like Rockwell Tactical, Sheriff of Baghdad, etc. Never be afraid to ask questions, hell Sheriff of Baghdad has question and answer time every week on his Facebook. No reason not to be like a sponge and soak up free information from reputable sources.
In the end it is a personal choice. But do not take that choice away from yourself because your favorite supposed expert's Youtube gun channel personality said not to do it. Listen to all, research, try it out if your interested and find out for yourself!
