Tag: texas concealed carry

There’s a stretch of the year in North Texas where the heat stops being weather and starts being a personality. You walk to your truck and the steering wheel tries to brand you. The dog refuses to go outside until sundown. And if you carry concealed, the season brings a very specific problem that nobody warned you about when you bought your first gun: how do you actually hide a firearm when you’re wearing shorts and a t-shirt?

It’s one of the most common questions we get across the counter once summer hits. Folks who carried comfortably all winter under a jacket suddenly feel like the whole thing is impossible in July. The good news is that it isn’t. People carry concealed in brutal heat all over the South, every single day, and most of them figured it out through trial and error and a little advice from someone who’d been there.

This is that advice. No lectures, no “well actually,” just the practical stuff that actually helps when the temperature has a comma in it.

A quick note before we start This guide is about comfort and practicality, not the law. If you’re still sorting out whether you need a License to Carry, what the signage rules are, or where you can and can’t carry in Texas, start with our full Texas concealed carry guide first — then come back here for the summer-specific stuff.

Why Summer Is Genuinely Harder (You’re Not Imagining It)

Winter carry is easy mode, and most people don’t realize it until it’s gone. A jacket, a flannel, a hoodie — any of them will swallow a full-size handgun and never tell a soul. You get spoiled. Then summer arrives and takes away your cover garment, your waistband real estate, and your patience all at once.

There are three things working against you in the heat, and naming them makes them a lot easier to solve:

• Less fabric. Thin cotton and athletic wear print far more easily than denim and wool. The outline of the gun shows through.
• More movement. You’re more active in summer — reaching, bending, getting in and out of a hot vehicle — and lighter clothing shifts more, which means your setup has to actually stay put.
• Sweat. Nobody likes to talk about it, but a steel slide against bare skin all day is a comfort and corrosion problem. It’s solvable, but you have to plan for it.

Every recommendation in this guide is really just a way of answering one of those three problems. Once you see it that way, the gear conversation gets a lot less overwhelming.

Strategy One: Carry a Smaller Gun (At Least Sometimes)

This is the simplest lever you can pull, and it’s the one people resist the most. If you carry a full-size duty pistol all winter, summer is a reasonable time to consider a smaller everyday option. A compact or micro-compact prints less, weighs less, and forgives lighter clothing in a way a larger gun simply won’t.

This isn’t about “downgrading.” Plenty of people run a two-gun rotation — a larger pistol for cooler months or open-cover days, and a slimmer one for the dead of summer. The micro-compact category has gotten genuinely good over the last few years, and a gun you’ll actually carry beats a bigger gun that lives in the safe from June to September because it’s a pain to conceal.

If you’re thinking about adding a summer carry gun to the rotation, our honest comparison of the most popular concealed carry pistols is a good place to start — it’s written by people who sell all of them and don’t have a dog in the fight.

The honest version We’re not going to tell you the gun you already own is wrong. If it conceals fine for you in summer, keep carrying it. A second smaller gun is an option, not a requirement — and it’s a real cost. Don’t let anyone shame you into a purchase you don’t need.

Strategy Two: Rethink Where You Carry It

Carry position matters more in summer than any other time of year, because position is what decides whether a thin shirt gives you away. Here are the realistic options and the honest tradeoffs of each — not a sales pitch, just what tends to work in the heat.

Position	Why it works in summer	The tradeoff
Appendix (AIWB)	Conceals very well under an untucked t-shirt; the gun sits flat against the body and is easy to cover.	Takes practice to find a comfortable, safe setup. Not everyone’s body type loves it. Worth trying before committing.
Strong-side IWB	The classic, most forgiving for most people. Hides well under an untucked shirt at the 3–4 o’clock position.	Can print when you bend or reach. A slightly looser shirt solves most of it.
Pocket carry	Genuinely useful for the smallest guns when you’re in shorts or athletic wear with no belt.	Only works with a true pocket-size gun and a dedicated pocket holster. Slower to access.
Belly band / waistband wrap	Carries without a belt — perfect for gym shorts, athletic pants, and “I’m not wearing a real waistband today” situations.	Less stable than a rigid holster and can get warm. A good one is worth the money; a cheap one isn’t.

A note on holsters: Good 4 Guns doesn’t sell holsters, so we’ve got no reason to push you toward any particular brand. What we’ll tell you is the same thing we tell people at the counter — a quality holster that fully covers the trigger guard and holds the gun securely is one of the most important purchases you’ll make, and it’s not the place to save twenty dollars. Whatever position you choose, get a holster built for your specific gun.

Strategy Three: Dress Around the Gun

You don’t have to dress like you’re going on a cartel raid to conceal in summer. Small, normal wardrobe choices do almost all of the work, and none of them look tactical:

• Pick prints and patterns. A patterned shirt breaks up the outline of a gun far better than a solid color. A plain white tee is the hardest thing to conceal under; a patterned camp shirt is one of the easiest.
• Go one size looser on top. Not baggy — just not skin-tight. A shirt that skims the body instead of clinging to it hides a waistband gun without looking like you’re hiding anything. And to be honest… it allows for better air flow in the heat.
• SLIGHTLY darker over light. Darker shirts show printing and sweat less than light ones. Be careful with this one though, because they also absorb heat faster.
• The untucked camp shirt is your best friend. Short-sleeve, slightly structured, worn open over a tee or on its own — it’s breathable, looks completely normal in Texas summer, and conceals a waistband gun beautifully.

Strategy Four: Deal With the Sweat Honestly

This is the part most guides skip, and it’s the part that actually drives people to stop carrying in summer. Here’s the straight talk.

A handgun riding against sweaty skin all day will rust if you ignore it. It’s not dramatic and it’s not instant, but it’s real. The fix is simple: wipe the gun down at the end of the day, and keep up with light maintenance through the summer months. If it’s been a hot, sweaty week, give it a quick clean and a wipe of oil — it takes five minutes.

If you want a refresher on doing it right, our handgun cleaning walkthrough covers it step by step. For summer specifically, the move is more frequent light maintenance rather than one big cleaning — a quick wipe-down beats letting sweat sit. (One of us has a regular carry piece that is copper plated- guess which one- and it will literally form salt crystals if not cared for properly in the summer.)

On the comfort side: a holster with a sweat guard or backer keeps the slide off your skin, which solves most of the discomfort and a good chunk of the corrosion problem at the same time. An undershirt does the same job in a pinch. Stainless and modern coated finishes handle moisture better than older blued guns, but none of them are immune — so just stay on top of it.

The five-minute summer habit End of the day, gun comes off: a quick wipe-down with a clean cloth, a thin pass of oil on the slide, done. Do that consistently and summer carry never becomes a corrosion problem. Skip it for three sweaty months and you’ll see the difference.

A Few Real-World Situations

The pool, the lake, the river. Swimming and carrying don’t mix, so plan for storage. A locked container in the vehicle is far better than leaving a gun loose in a glovebox or, worse, in a bag on a towel. Think about this before you go, not in the parking lot.

The hot car. A closed Texas vehicle in July is an oven, and that’s hard on ammunition and optics over time. Don’t make your car your permanent gun storage. If you have to leave it, leave it secured and don’t make a habit of it.

Outdoor work and yard days. This is where a belly band or pocket setup earns its keep — you can carry without a belt while you’re sweating through chores, and it stays put while you move. Dog them all you want- but the belly bags are back for men and women both- let fashion work for you here and find a good one for moments like this.

Cookouts and gatherings. Lighter, smaller, well-concealed is the whole game here. Nobody at the barbecue needs to know, and with a patterned shirt and a compact gun, nobody will.

The Bottom Line

Summer carry in Texas isn’t about white-knuckling through the heat or buying a closet full of tactical gear. It’s about making a few small adjustments — maybe a slimmer gun, definitely a smart carry position, a patterned shirt, and a five-minute end-of-day habit. Do those things and carrying in 104-degree weather stops being a problem you dread and goes back to being something you just do.

And if you’re standing in your closet in June feeling like none of this is working, that’s exactly the kind of thing we’re here for. Come see us in Van Alstyne, or send us an email. We’ve all solved this for ourselves, and we’re happy to walk you through what worked — no pressure, no judgment, no upsell you didn’t ask for.

Got a summer carry question we didn’t cover? Stop by the shop — we’d genuinely rather you ask than guess.

Good 4 Guns · Van Alstyne, TX · g4gusa.com

We get some version of this question at the counter almost every day: “Do I need a permit to carry in Texas?” The short answer is no — most eligible adults 21 and older can carry a handgun in Texas without a license. But the short answer leaves out a lot you should know about Texas concealed carry, and the stuff it leaves out is the stuff that keeps you legal.

Texas adopted constitutional carry (also called permitless carry) in September 2021. That was a big change. Before that, carrying a handgun in public without a License to Carry was a criminal offense. Now it’s not — for most people, in most places. Those two qualifiers are where the details live, and the details matter.

This article is our attempt to lay out the basics in plain language. We’re not lawyers, but we are gun store owners in Texas who help people navigate this every day. Here’s what we think you need to know.

Constitutional Carry: What It Actually Means

Constitutional carry means that most Texans 21 and older can carry a handgun — openly or concealed — in most public places without obtaining a license. You don’t need to take a class, pass a test, or apply for a permit. If you’re legally eligible to possess a firearm, you can carry one.

To be eligible, you generally must be at least 21 years old (with some exceptions for 18–20-year-olds, which we’ll cover), must not have a felony conviction, must not have certain recent misdemeanor convictions, must not be subject to an active protective order, and must not be prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law. That last one covers a range of situations including domestic violence convictions, active restraining orders, dishonorable military discharge, and unlawful drug use.

The key point: permitless carry doesn’t mean unrestricted carry. It means you don’t need a license. You still need to follow every other rule about where, how, and when you can carry. Most people who get in trouble don’t get in trouble because they’re carrying — they get in trouble because they didn’t understand the restrictions.

Open Carry vs. Concealed Carry

Texas allows both open and concealed carry under constitutional carry. The rules are slightly different for each.

Concealed carry means the handgun is not visible based on ordinary observation. It can be in a holster under your shirt, in your waistband, in a bag, or anywhere else that keeps it out of sight. There’s no specific holster requirement for concealed carry — but we’d strongly recommend a good holster for safety and retention.

Open carry means the handgun is visible. Texas law requires that any openly carried handgun must be in a holster. It doesn’t have to be a belt holster specifically — shoulder, ankle, appendix, and chest holsters all qualify. But carrying in your hand or tucked visibly into your waistband without a holster does not.

A practical note: just because you can open carry doesn’t always mean you should. In certain settings, open carry draws attention and can make other people uncomfortable. Many experienced carriers choose to carry concealed simply because it avoids unnecessary conversations. That’s a personal choice, not a legal one.

Where You Cannot Carry — Period

Texas law designates certain locations as absolute no-carry zones. Carrying a firearm in these places is a felony, regardless of whether you have a license. These include schools and school events (K–12 premises, school buses, school-sponsored activities), polling places on election day, courts and court offices, racetracks, secured areas of airports (past TSA checkpoints), and correctional facilities.

For some of these locations, having a License to Carry provides a narrow exception — for example, LTC holders can carry concealed on public college and university campuses, while permitless carriers cannot. We’ll come back to that.

The Signs on Every Door: 30.05, 30.06, and 30.07

This is the part that confuses people the most, and honestly, it’s the part where we see the most mistakes. Texas has a specific system of signs that businesses and property owners can post to restrict firearms on their premises. Understanding these signs is not optional if you carry.

SIGN	WHO IT APPLIES TO	WHAT IT MEANS
30.05	Permitless/constitutional carriers (people carrying without an LTC)	No firearms allowed on this property for those carrying without a license. This is the general trespass-with-firearm notice.
30.06	LTC holders carrying concealed	No concealed carry by license holders on this property. Does not apply to permitless carriers (though other signs might).
30.07	LTC holders carrying openly	No open carry by license holders on this property. Concealed carry may still be allowed unless a 30.06 is also posted.
51%	Everyone	This business makes 51%+ of its revenue from on-premises alcohol sales. No firearms. This is a bar, and it’s a felony-level prohibited location.

The critical takeaway: if a business wants to prohibit all firearms, they need to post all three signs (30.05, 30.06, and 30.07). A single sign doesn’t necessarily cover everyone. Read every sign, every time. If you’re told verbally by someone with authority that firearms aren’t welcome, leave. Don’t argue it on the premises.

Violating a 30.05 sign is a Class C misdemeanor (up to a $200 fine). Refusing to leave when asked escalates to Class A misdemeanor criminal trespass. Violating 30.06 or 30.07 carries similar penalties. These aren’t catastrophic charges, but they’re entirely avoidable if you’re paying attention to the front door.

So Why Would Anyone Still Get an LTC?

This is probably the second most common question we get, right after “do I need a permit.” If you can carry without one, why bother?

There are several practical reasons. First, reciprocity. If you travel out of state and want to carry legally, many states recognize a Texas LTC but don’t recognize permitless carry from another state. Without an LTC, your legal carry stops at the Texas border. Second, campus carry. LTC holders can carry concealed (with some exceptions) on public college and university campuses in Texas. Permitless carriers generally cannot enter campus buildings with a firearm. Third, the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act. LTC holders are exempt from the federal restriction on carrying within 1,000 feet of a K–12 school. If you live near a school or your daily route passes one, this matters more than you might think. Fourth, bypassing the NICS system. A valid Texas LTC serves as an alternative to the FBI’s NICS background check when purchasing from a dealer. You still fill out a 4473 — that doesn’t change — but as long as your LTC is valid and hasn’t been revoked, the dealer doesn’t need to call in for FBI approval. This matters because the FBI is not a tech company. The NICS system goes down more often than you’d think, and when it does, anyone without an LTC is out of luck until it comes back online. Customers with a valid LTC aren’t bypassing safety laws — Texas already runs a thorough background check as part of the LTC process — they’re bypassing tech headaches.

The LTC requires a four-to-six-hour training course, a written exam, and a shooting proficiency demonstration. The course covers legal use of force, conflict de-escalation, and safe storage in addition to marksmanship. You must be 21 or older (18 if active military or veteran). The application goes through the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Our honest take: the training alone is worth the time, even if you never plan to leave Texas. Most of the people who walk into our store carrying under constitutional carry have never taken a formal class. The LTC course forces you to learn the legal framework, practice your shooting under evaluation, and understand use-of-force law. That knowledge protects you as much as the firearm does.

What About 18 to 20 Year Olds?

This area has shifted in recent years. Following a federal court ruling, the Texas Department of Public Safety began issuing LTCs to adults 18 and older who are otherwise eligible. Permitless carry generally applies to those 21 and older, but the 18–20 age group can now obtain an LTC to carry legally under special circumstances. (FFLs still cannot legally sell you a handgun if you fit in this age gap… the rules here are tricky) If you’re in this age range and want to carry, the LTC is your path — and the training requirement that comes with it is genuinely valuable for younger carriers.

Carrying in Your Vehicle

Texas law allows most people to carry a concealed handgun in their vehicle without any license, under the Texas Motorist Protection Act. The handgun must be concealed (not in plain view) and you must not be engaged in criminal activity, prohibited from possessing a firearm, or intoxicated. If the handgun is visible — say, on the passenger seat or in a door pocket — it must be in a holster.

If you’re pulled over and you have a firearm in the vehicle, Texas law does not require immediate disclosure for permitless carriers unless asked. LTC holders must present their license if they are carrying and are asked for identification. However, many attorneys and most experienced carriers recommend disclosing calmly and clearly. Keep your hands visible, tell the officer where the firearm is, and follow their instructions. Don’t reach for anything without being told to.

The Mistakes We See Most Often

After thirteen years of running a gun store in Texas, here are the most common misunderstandings we see:

“Constitutional carry means I can carry anywhere.” It doesn’t. The prohibited locations list is long and the signage system is specific. “Permitless” means no license required, not no rules.

“The signs don’t apply to me because I don’t have an LTC.” The 30.06 and 30.07 signs apply to LTC holders specifically. But the 30.05 sign applies to you. And if a property owner verbally tells you no firearms, that applies to everyone regardless of what’s on the door.

“I can carry in a bar as long as I’m not drinking.” If the establishment has a red 51% sign, it’s a prohibited location regardless of your sobriety. Restaurants that serve alcohol but derive less than 51% of revenue from alcohol sales are different — you can carry there unless it’s posted otherwise.

“I don’t need training because I don’t need a license.” Legally true. Practically unwise. Carrying a firearm without understanding use-of-force law, safe storage, and marksmanship fundamentals puts you and everyone around you at risk. The license isn’t the point — the knowledge is.

Still Have Questions?

We talk about this stuff every day. If you’re thinking about carrying for the first time, trying to decide between permitless carry and getting your LTC, or just want to understand what the signs on the door mean, come in and talk to us. No appointment needed, no purchase required. That’s what we’re here for.

And if you’re ready to start carrying and need help choosing your first handgun, we’ve got a guide for that too.