If you are going to Carry, Carry

Carrying a firearm concealed takes some accommodations. Often wardrobe changes are needed to fit an IWB holster or prevent printing. That is only one aspect of changes a new concealed carrier may experience.
 
Another aspect is that it takes getting used to. That is one reason for the title.
 
If you intend to carry concealed, do it! Do it every day in everywhere it is legal. By carrying all the time, you will get used to the extra bulk and weight. You will get over the need to pat your gun. A pickpocket watches their mark for the pat that tells them where the valuables are. The pat will only draw attention to where you have something valuable or remove any doubt that the bulk is a firearm.
 
Carrying every day will condition you to the point where it becomes natural. It will get to the point where when you don’t carry you will feel if something is missing. At that point it will have become comfortable. Well, mostly.
 
When you are carrying regularly you will experience what all of us do, what do I do when…
 
This list starts with the inevitable “I need to go to the bathroom.” We have seen multiple news reports of a gun found in a bathroom stall. We need to make that aspect of carrying in public something we don’t have to think about, we just do what we need to and maintain control of our firearm at all times. There are many others we will come across.
 
I always check event venues for any restrictions. One time I did my due diligence and was confident I could carry. Even though the venue did not have a restriction (by my states law they couldn’t) the event put up metal detectors. All we had to do was put all the metal we had in our hands as we went through. While I can legally carry into the venue this put me in a situation where I would be disclosing that I was carrying, or I would be brandishing.
 
You need to have a plan for how you will handle these situations. While a mental exercise can get you thinking about options, facing the situation will give you experience.
 
There is another, with more serious ramifications. We carry and get training, so we are hard to kill. We know the law, so we are hard to convict. If you only carry occasionally, when you feel you are going somewhere less safe, you are inadvertently giving ammunition to the prosecutor.
 
Imagine the scenario where the prosecutor says; “You went in there armed just looking for trouble, didn’t you?” By concealed carry being a regular part of your day-to-day life you totally negate that argument.