When I was about 7 years old, I was playing cops and robbers with a friend. I was the robber and I had my toy gun stuck down the front of my pants, just like I imagined a bad guy would carry his pistol.
My father, who taught me my first lessons concerning firearm safety, looked at me for a second and then said, “that is a real good way to blow your brains off.” My father thought a lot like Spiro Agnew, the 39th vice president of the United States, who felt that too many young people did their thinking with their butts instead of with their heads.
In my case, my father obviously thought my brains were somewhere else. His comment really resonated with me, and I moved my brains back where they should be and never stuck my toy gun down the front of my pants again.
That lesson from my father was so ingrained in me that I repeated his words of wisdom to my own children and to the students I taught during the Texas Concealed Handgun Course at Texas A&M University.
For the last couple of years, one of the most popular concealed carry methods has been the appendix carry, where one sticks the handgun down the front of the pants, with or without a holster, thus indexing the muzzle somewhere between the groin and the juncture of the hip.
In defending appendix carry, one author wrote that 95 percent of thugs can’t be wrong. Actually, that many thugs can be wrong about appendix carry and a lot of other things.
The two primary issues I have with appendix carry are safety and comfort. First, appendix carry violates the second rule of concealed, or open, carry, which states, “Never point a gun at anything you are not willing to absolutely destroy.”
Second, appendix carry is definitely uncomfortable with a full-size semi-automatic pistol or revolver. Sitting or bending over pushes the muzzle of the handgun into one’s groin area. You must remember to put on your shoes before you put your pistol on when carrying appendix style.
Smaller semi-auto handguns like the S&W Shield, and compact 1911s and Glocks, as well as S&W J Frames and SP 101 revolvers, are a little better comfort wise, but can still pinch a little.
When speaking of where to carry a pistol or revolver, most instructors compare the body to a clock, with the navel being 12 o’clock and the placement of the gun and holster being 1 to 4 o’clock for right-handed folks and 11 to 8 o’clock for left-handed folks. In the case of appendix carry, the gun and holster are placed at 1 o’clock for right-handed people and 11 o’clock for left-handed people.
Some proponents of appendix carry claim they carry a double-action semi-auto pistol that can’t go off regardless of where they carry it. That is stinking thinking and most professionals will tell you so.
Others will point out that even those of us that adhere to the FBI carry that just a tad behind the hip at 3 to 4 o’clock, or 9 to 8 o’clock can experience unintended discharges, even with the 1911’s “Cocked and Locked” style safety.
That is certainly true, but the difference with the FBI carry is one might get an embarrassing butt burn if the pistol discharges. But when carrying in the appendix position, a discharge will result in catastrophic injury, including castration or death if the femoral artery is hit. That is the reason that the International Defensive Pistol Association competitions, and the NRA’s Practical Police Course, do not allow appendix carry.
If you are wondering if any professionals or well-known firearms teachers advocate appendix carry, the answer is yes. Jerry Barnhart, Craig Douglas, Ken Hackathorn and Todd Lewis are some of the top trainers in the business. And all carry and train others to carry appendix style. Massad Ayoob teaches appendix carry, but I’m not sure if he ever carries that way himself, since every time I have seen him he was wearing his holster in FBI carry.
So what are the advantages of appendix carry? One advantage is that it is harder for someone to disarm someone who uses the appendix carry. Another stated advantage is that its proponents claim it is the fastest draw because our hands are naturally forward of our hips more often than they are behind us. Actually, my hands seem to generally hang just above my pelvis.
Appendix carry is also generally more comfortable for women than it is for men because of their high hips and short torsos. Proponents of appendix carry also claim it is easier to draw from a sitting position if necessary.
I’m a little skeptical that appendix carry facilitates a faster draw than the FBI carry, but it is hard to argue with Hackathorn and Barnhart. Besides, most of us who have been taught by some of the top trainers know that the fastest draw has nothing to do with which style of carry one prefers.
However, the second-fastest draw can be influenced by the method of carry, and the argument between FBI carry and appendix carry will continue for some time.
So, if you carry concealed or openly, think hard about how you carry your handgun. Make sure your carry style fits your circumstances, and stay safe.
Smokey Merkley was raised in Idaho and has been hunting since he was 10 years old. He was a member of the faculty of Texas A&M University for 25 years. There he taught orienteering, marksmanship, self-defense, fencing, scuba diving and boxing. He was among the first DPS-certified Texas Concealed Handgun Instructors. He can be contacted at mokeydo41245@hotmail.com.
