I’m not sure Woolrich Elite Series Tactical makes the world’s best concealed carry clobber. A friend of a friend was not enamored with their twill jacket; one of the buttons was hanging by a thread within a week, the Velcro breast pocket wasn’t properly positioned for an effective draw and the rubber band pocket inserts wouldn’t hold Glock mags. I recently purchased a Woolrich shirt with a false button at the bottom that really needs three magnetic closures. But hey, Woolrich is doing well with their CCW clothes. So well that The Old Gray Lady has worked-up a snarky review of their work from their usual anti-gun perspective. Only it’s not snarky. Or anti-gun. To quote Poombaa, what’s goin’ on here? Check it out . . .
The chinos, which cost $65, are not for commandos, but rather, the company says, for the fashion-aware gun owner. And Woolrich has competition. Several clothing companies are following suit, building businesses around the sharp rise in people with permits to carry concealed weapons.
Their ranks swelled to around seven million last year from five million in 2008, partly because of changes to state laws on concealed handguns.
That’s it? No reference to racist tactistupid Old Fat White Guys (OFWGs)? No blood in the streets or Wild West metaphors? Nope. Are you ready for this?
Gun experts suggest that there are many reasons for the growth in the number of people with concealed-carry permits. They say it is partly due to a changing political and economic climate — gun owners are professing to want a feeling of control — and state laws certainly have made a difference.
After a campaign by gun rights advocates, 37 states now have “shall issue” statutes that require them to provide concealed-carry permits if an applicant meets legal requirements, like not being a felon. (A handful of other states allow the concealed carrying of handguns without a permit). By contrast, in 1984 only 8 states had such statutes, and 15 did not allow handgun carrying at all, said John Lott, a researcher of gun culture who has held teaching or research posts at a number of universities, including the University of Chicago.
Only one state, Illinois, now forbids handgun carrying in any form, but the legislature is considering a change.
A majority of states have long allowed the open carrying of handguns, said Mr. Lott, who also provided the data on gun permits. But the reality, said Mr. Lott and other gun experts, is that people do not want to show others that they are carrying a weapon or invite sharp questioning from the police.
While the Times editorial board is pro-gun control all day long, the appearance of gun neutral copy in the paper’s U.S. section is, in a word, fabulous.
Before you type the word “winning” in the comments section below, remember that the struggle to defend and extend American gun rights is a never-ending battle. And unfurl your umbrella. Flying pigs have been known to defecate from time to time. [h/t Don]