If you’ve looked into carrying concealed or you are a life long concealed carry holder, chances are you’ve looked into concealed carry badges. Concealed carry badges are a bit of a contentious topic in the CCW world. In short, proponents say it’s an easy way for you to identify yourself as not a threat to law enforcement and bystandards. Opponents say a Concealed Carry badge is cheesy, confusing to authorities, a waste of time and unnecessary. In this blog, we review the pros and cons of carrying a concealed carry badge as well as review some of the most common badges on the market.

Pros To a Concealed Carry Badge

Carrying a concealed carry badge is a decent way to help separate yourself in the event of a shooting. In the heat of the moment, law enforcement will be looking to quickly and accurately identify good guys from bad guys. By pulling out your badge and presenting it you are able to give a certain amount of recognition.

Keep in mind, pulling anything out while police are in the heat of the moment might get you shot if it looks like you’re reaching for your gun, that’s also on your person.

While law enforcement may not be able to read that your badge says “concealed weapon” they will be able to recognize that you have a badge and badges are associated with law enforcement or security offers. Many experts recommend that if you are involved in a shooting you should holster your weapon, pull out your badge, and extend your arms. This allows anyone coming to the scene to see that you are unarmed and quickly identify you as a “good guy”.

Concealed Carry Backpacks

Another pro to having a concealed carry badge is to avoid panic or confusion for civilians. Most concealed carry badge holders will place their badge next to their firearm. In the event they accidentally show their firearm, an onlooker will see the badge next to it and again assume they are licensed to carry the firearm. A badge and concealed carry insurance tend to be the two things you can do to help up your chances of making it through a concealed carry shooting encounter.

In short, having a badge is a way to legitimize the fact that you have a concealed carry weapon. It’s a quick recognition to others that you are doing what you’re supposed to be doing and you’re licensed in some way to have the firearm that you are presenting.

Cons To a Concealed Carry Badge

First and foremost concealed carry badges can kind of be a pain to carry. If you’ve ever spoken to a police officer who carries off-duty you will know that badges are a pain to carry. Badges are bulky and users are always trying to figure out the best way to display it. When carrying concealed the overall goal is to keep the weapon concealed. A badge just makes that task a little more difficult.

Concealed Carry Guns

Another con to carrying a badge is the fact that a badge is not official and should not take place of your credentials. Concealed Carry Badges may be purchased on Amazon or other websites and there are no governing laws that dictate what a badge should look like or have. This means that the badge itself carries no official weight and no law enforcement will see it as an official item.

Concealed Carry Purses

Finally, most people see a badge and assume law enforcement. If someone sees you carrying a badge they could mistake you for a law enforcement officer. In theory, this could turn you into a potential target or it could force you into a situation that you are not trained for because someone assumes you’re law enforcement.

The Best Concealed Carry Badges

We looked through the internet and found that there are a huge amount of very cheesy concealed carry badges. If you’re looking for something decent that won’t cost you a lot of money check out our list below.

Concealed Carry Gold Badge and Wallet

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This is one of the better wallet/badge combos we found that offers a fairly slim profile. Most of the other ones we came across look like something George Costanza would wear.  The price is certainly right one this combo and probably your cheapest option.

Custom Concealed Weapons Permit Badge

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This badge is available through the website badgeandwallet.com and allows you to fully customize your badge to include your state and permit number. These badges run around $60+ but certainly offer a very professional look.

Standard Concealed Carry Badge

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If you’re looking for a fairly standard Concealed Weapons/permit Badge check out NICs Law Enforcement Supply. At around $28 this is a pretty inexpensive badge and looks fairly official. It’s a pretty solid option if you’re looking to get something inexpensive with good quality.