The primary key to safely carrying any gun is to make it a lifestyle decision.  That is to make this decision so important to you that it becomes part of what defines you as a person.  In this manner you are always aware of your firearm.  You are aware of where it is at all times, and how carrying that firearm changes the way that you respond in the different situations that you encounter throughout your day.

So what does that mean?  Different situations for different people, lifestyle choices, part of who I am?  I would like to start from one end of the spectrum and work towards the other.

For instance, lets say you're this guy, and you live on a big Texas ranch:

Well then probably the safest pistol this guy could carry would be the one that would guarantee success every time, he's used to having loaded guns around, it is part of his life.  He would probably choose a revolver with no awkward safety devices to get in the way.  He's got plenty of room and really isn't concerned about concealing the gun either, so it would likely be a big one with a big easy to grip handle.

So that's one end of the spectrum.  Let's go all the way to the other end now.  You could be a famous person like this guy:

No, I don't mean James Bond, the character, I mean the actor.  Once you reach a certain level of fame I think it is a no brainer that you don't protect yourself, it just doesn't work, you're surrounded by people all of the time; you need to hire people to protect you at this point.  I'm not sure there is a handgun around that would make any sense at all for you to have if you're famous.  It is more of a liability than anything else at that point.

If you're somewhere in between then you've got to take a good long look inside and consider a lot of variables, these things include:

• Do you have kids around?  Do you have your kids' friends around?
• Are there a lot of kids in your neighborhood?
• Where do you work?
• Do you commute long distances?  After dark?
• Do you live in an apartment with thin walls?
• Does your house have a lot of windows?
• Do you have a lot of passengers in your car? Like do you take coworkers to lunch?
• Do you frequent the bar after work?
• Are you a small person or a big person?
• Do you live in a hot or cold climate?

All of these things and many more have an effect on what kind of firearm is the safest for you, if any.  You may feel more comfortable with your firearm locked in a safe in your car versus sitting in a holster with ready access if you often have kids or coworkers in your car.

If you commute long distances alone, especially after dark, you are safest with a no-safety type revolver, always ready to fire.   Why? well you don't have anything to worry about except protecting your life during this commute.  No kids will try to grab it, and no coworkers will accidentally even see it.

If you're looking for the safest gun for home protection then you may be safest with a shotgun.  That way you don't worry about the bullets going too far and hitting a neighbor for instance, you also don't have to worry too much about aim.

I'm not trying to write a comprehensive view on the safest gun rather I'm just trying to show that it is different for every person and every situation.  The safest gun for you to have this morning may be different from tonight due to a change in situation, or surroundings.

The best thing to do is plan your day, think about your situations and be aware of what's going on around you, and know yourself, know and understand the limitations of your chosen lifestyle.  Those more than anything else will help you decide for yourself what is the safest carry pistol for you.

We're always looking at ways to safely carry in the car here at SafeCarry.com and we've decided to go ahead and mount a handgun in a center console. The only problem now is that none of our vehicles have a console big enough to hold a handgun and still close! We have a few close friends and maybe even a relative or two that would, maybe, consider letting us test this out, but we decided there has to be an easier (and less risky) way to try this out.

So we went down to our local junk yard, Austin Vee Dub, because hey, if we we're going to buy a console, we might as well buy a cool one right? Yeah baby! After a few short hours of scouring the yard, we came upon the perfect specimen.

This is actually a pretty small console arm rest. That's why it is so perfect! This option isn't only for those of us with large trucks or SUV type vehicles, although, when we first asked the very nice people at Austin Vee Dub, they did mention we should try a large Truck or maybe a Van. At any rate this is now our test console.

Admittedly it is small, and so we chose to mount a holster for a small gun or a medium to small gun. For this experiment we chose to mount a Glock 19 - 9x19 into the center console. One thing that I don't have pictures of is the tray that used to be below the lid, so ok, for this to work we had to remove the tray, which came out by removing two tiny screws. Not a big deal. Once the tray was gone the Glock fit nicely into the console.

I'll create a step by step and include it for anyone considering buying one of our holsters for this mounting situation, but here are some pictures of the final:

The pictures aren't in any particular order. The holster is fresh off the press from our new Austin based shop, check out our store for more information on the holster.

Of course, if you put this back into the car, with the rest of the interior things would probably get a little cramped, once you pop the lid on the console, it is likely to actually be in your way as you try to maneuver your elbow around to grasp and draw the pistol. You are also limited as to how much of the gun's handle you can actually grasp.

Even with these drawbacks, having the holster securely mounted in the console also has many advantages over letting your gun flop around in there loose! You at least know how to draw the gun and where it will be. You can also continue using the rest of your console without fear of burying your handgun under your wallet, or phone, or lipstick, or your favorite {insert item here}.

Total mounting time was approximately 20 minutes. Possibly would add a little time if you're in your car for cramped space and getting your seat out of the way so you have access to the side of the console.