Good guy with a gun? Try these concealed carry bags

In July 2022, a gunman opened fire in a Greenwood, Indiana, mall. It took him just 15 seconds to kill three people. No doubt, he would have killed many more were it not for the quick reflexes of 22 year-old Elisjsha Dicken, who efficiently dispatched the assailant with his legally-carried Glock handgun.

“He engaged the gunman from quite a distance with a handgun — was very proficient in that, very tactically sound and as he moved to close in on the suspect he was also motioning for people to exit behind him,” said Greenwood police chief James Ison.

Not even CNN can find a way to regret Dicken's actions. What it can do is insert this gem of passive-aggressive lib-splaining: "Making Dicken’s heroism perhaps even more remarkable is the fact cases of an armed bystander attacking an active shooter are rare, according to data from the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training at Texas State University."

And so, the usual cycle plays out: armed civilian stops active shooter, media steps in (if it even reports it at all) to remind us that the "good guy with a gun" is a myth.

Is it, though? CNN cites ALERRT, which provides the FBI with its data. According to these figures, good guys with guns stopped only 4.4% of shooting incidents in recent years. According to economist John Lott, who runs the non-profit Crime Prevention Research Center, the number is at least 34.4%. Lott contends that errors in reporting and classification keep the FBI's statistics artificially low.

Lott's case is convincing, and you can judge it for yourself here. At any rate, it's unlikely anyone in that mall was second-guessing Dicken's choice to stay strapped. Perhaps Dicken's sensible, responsible risk mitigation would be more palatable if we explained it with a metaphor: think of the gunman as one of the unvaxxed, spewing COVID cooties at innocent bystanders, until our hero courageously draws his N-95 mask ...

If you want to mask up while driving a car without any passengers, have at it. Just let your neighbors prepare for the worst in their own way. You never know, you might be grateful you did.

There are a number of American companies making excellent concealed carry bags. (Before making a purchase, consider factors such as the size of the bag, ease of access, security features, and comfort for daily carry; and always ensure that the bag complies with local laws and regulations regarding concealed carrying.)

Vertx's compact but feature-rich S.O.C.P. Sling easily passes for a regular waist pack. Similarly, none of Maxpedition's Prepared Citizen line of backpacks would look out of place on a subway or college campus. 5.11 Tactical's Daily Deploy Push Pack combines cross-body comfort with discreet design. CrossBreed Holsters's ingenious Purse Defender fits inside any purse or handbag, while GTM Original makes concealed carry purses stylish enough to satisfy the most fashion-forward "Gun Tote'n Mama."