This essay is about a boring CCW accessory. Now, I’m going to tell you ahead of time, this is not going to be a sexy purchase. This is not a new pistol, it’s not a new holster, it’s not a new knife, it’s not a piece of equipment that you can brag to your friends about owning. This is not something you want, but if you are somebody who actually carries on a daily basis and is concerned about adhering to the law, it’s probably something you need.
This is a Galco Defense planner. The official title for this thing is an “off-body” holster. It’s designed to look like a day planner that guys like me used to carry before we started carrying smartphones. Now, if you go onto concealed carry forums, you’re going to hear from half a dozen people telling you that off-body carry sucks, and you’ll forget to bring your pistol along, and those people may very well be right. I agree with a lot of those criticisms, but I still think you need this thing, and let me tell you why: During the course of an average day, you will visit a certain number of places where concealed carry is prohibited: schools, post offices, public parks, and what have you. Now, going into any of those places with a firearm on you is a felony, so if you’re making your way through the day and you decide to go to the post office, you need to take your firearm off before you go in. The virtue of things like this is it gives you a place to discreetly and securely store your pistol when you visit prohibited places, thereby preventing you from inadvertently committing felonies. If it’s easy and convenient, then you’re more likely to actually do it, and if you create those good habits, then you’re a lot less likely to accidentally get caught violating the law.
Now, I know some of you are going to say that you carry so deep that no one will ever notice you’re carrying, and I know some of you are going to say that you don’t actually think you’d get charged for carrying. It’s possible that you’re right, but I do not understand why you would risk it. This little leather case costs less than a hundred dollars. I would charge several thousand dollars to defend someone from the kind of charges that would result from something like this, to say nothing of the hassle and embarrassment involved with it. I mean, do you really want to be the guy who gets his face in the paper and has to spend money on an attorney just because you’re an idiot? I don’t want you to be that guy. So buy one of these Defense Planners, and you’ll have a place to put your pistol when you take it off and leave it in your car.
I’m a lawyer who practices bankruptcy, criminal defense, and family law. If you need an attorney in any of those areas, give me a call at six-one-eight, five-four-two, five-five-zero-zero and I’ll do what I can to help you.
