Bob S. writes a good article for CHL newbies. He passes along some tips he acquired from his own experience.

1. Buy the firearm you are going to carry before you get your license.
2. Buy a cheap holster or two.
3. Carry around the house and yard for a while before venturing out in public.
4. Practice drawing from your choice of concealment.

You MUST go to his site and read his explanations, especially on point 2. The rest of this won’t make sense if you don’t first read what he wrote. I’d like to expand upon what he wrote and add a few more things.

1. Please do that. Before you get your CHL you should have proficiency with a handgun. In fact, it’d be ideal to take the test with the gun you’re going to carry. However, this is a bit of a mixed situation. Before you get your CHL you’re not carrying a gun anywhere. After you get your CHL you’re going to be carrying a gun all the time (right?). There are issues, such as carrying ergonomics, that are difficult to fully appreciate until you actually carry. Plus, you may have some incorrect notions before you carry. For instance, you may think you need the smallest gun possible, but I know lots of people that carry full-sized 5″ barrel handguns every day with no concealment problems. Or you might start out with a large gun and realize that for your daily carry situations that a large gun just isn’t going to work out. So while yes it’d be ideal to obtain your carry firearm before getting the CHL, it may not work out. One thing to always keep in mind is if the gun you have doesn’t work out, you can always sell it and buy something else. Or keep it and buy something else. The thing to realize is this is your life that you’re working to protect: don’t compromise. If what you have doesn’t work, if after carrying you realize things aren’t quite right, don’t let ego get in the way: change your carry setup.

The above goes in hand with point 2, because you do need to figure out how holsters work and what the right method of carry will be. And if it doesn’t work out, change up. I’ll say that right now I’m going through another refinement of how I carry. Minor tweaks in my holster setting (rising it up one notch) and my clothing. It just takes time to figure these things out and you just have to do it every day. Don’t be afraid to throw something away that isn’t working and seek a better solution. Once you believe you have a solution, don’t skimp on equipment. Again, this is your life on the line, value it accordingly and don’t compromise. Have good equipment that won’t fail you.

On point 3 well… if your experience was anything like mine it took many months for DPS to process the CHL application and return the license. During that time you can and should wear the holstered gun around the house. When you go out, wear the empty holster. Get used to the feeling of it all. Also get used to the feeling that “everyone can see I have a gun, everyone knows I’m carrying”. Actually no, the world around you will be oblivious. In fact something of a de facto tradition is the day you get your CHL to do a “Wally Walk“. The end result of the Wally Walk generally is a let down because… nothing happened, which is precisely the point. The other advantage, like Bob S. says, is by wearing around the house you can start to figure out issues like going to the bathroom, if your wardrobe works, and that you need to squat down and not bend over to pick things up off the floor.

On point 4, the best thing I can say here is to get proper training. But Bob S. and I have had these discussions before. 🙂

One thing that’s great about a CHL is it opens up a wide door of training opportunities. Most firearms schools will teach their intro/basic/beginner courses to anyone, because that’s how it goes. However if you want to get into their higher level courses you must demonstrate good character. A CHL is often the ticket to these higher level classes because it shows you’ve been through a background check and have other factors on your side to say that, compared to most of the public, you are a proven good egg. Take advantage of this fact. Seek and obtain all the training you can, not just in marksmanship but in tactics and mindset. Use of the gun is a last resort, so anything and everything you can do to improve your odds of never having to use it, all the better.

Some additional random things:

• Don’t skimp on equipment.
• Buy a good belt. If you’re going to carry via a hip-based method, buy a good proper gun belt. It will better support the weight and stressed placed upon your waist.
• Don’t be afraid to change things up. Carrying is a lifestyle change, so if you have to change your waredrobe, colors and clothing patterns, how you do things in a day, places you go (or now won’t go)… you cannot be afraid to do that. All a matter of what you find more important.
• Button-fly jeans don’t work out very well, guys.
• Speaking of the bathroom, if you just have to pee it’s OK to use the stalls if that provides you with more coverage. On the same token, you can come up with good technique that works that urinals.
• Of course, when you have to sit down in a public stall, that has other issues and I’ve yet to discover a single workable solution. You have to discover what works for you…. which could also include never being in a position to have to sit down in a stall.
• You will have lots of fantasies about heroics. It’s natural. Work to channel that energy into productive and realistic ends by seeking out training, especially mental and tactical training. Remember, the only reason you should draw your gun is if you or a loved one’s life is in grave danger.
• Make it a part of your daily life. Yes, it’s going to be weird and uncomfortable at first. Just keep wearing it all day every day. Make strapping on the gun as mundane as putting on your pants. Eventually it will be weirder to not have the gun on your hip.
• Once the gun is in the holster, leave it there. Don’t mess with it, don’t draw it, don’t fiddle with it. Just leave it alone.

All I’ve got for now.