Short-barreled or – snub-nosed – revolvers are also extremely concealable. Easy to use and with a simple malfunction drill, they can be loaded and stored, ready to use, for lengthy periods. Going back to the 1830s, revolvers or “wheel guns” have been a favorite for self-defense as they allow five or six shots at the ready for self-defense. Today, both firearms and techniques have continued to evolve. Likewise, some of the earliest semi-auto handguns, such as the Pieper Bayard of 1908 and John Browning’s Colt Vest Pocket of the same era, were marketed for their ability to be easily concealed inside one’s clothing. The first revolver marketed by Smith & Wesson, their Model 1, was a small, pocketable wheel gun pitched for vest carry. When it comes to the concealed carry of firearms, the practice goes back literally centuries, with the gentlemen of old often toting small, purposely-made pistols on their person for resistance against brigands or highwaymen ready to relieve them of their funds, and, in many cases, their lives. Neither porcupines nor pufferfish advertises their defense against predators, but they most definitely have them.

The fact of the matter is that the carry of concealed arms likely goes back to the first cavemen who decided that– while a big stick carried outwardly was effective in warding off violence to their person– appearing to have no stick while tucking a nice, pointy one away quietly in their furs for unexpected trouble, also had merit. They are also very wrong in that assessment. While some media pundits and talking heads will paint the current boom in legal concealed carry as some sort of shocking new development in society.

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