Gun violence in the United States is at the forefront of public consciousness as, sadly, dramatic episodes involving firearms keep on happening, often a few days apart one from the other.
On Tuesday an 18-year-old gunman shot and killed 19 children and two adults at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The young man bought two assault rifles and ammunition for his birthday. The Uvalde shooting - the second-deadliest school shooting since the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre nearly a decade ago - happened only a few weeks after another massacre in a predominantly black neighborhood in Buffalo, New York. Here a white suprematist gunman, also 18, opened fire killing ten black people.
While US President Joe Biden and other policymakers proposed new restrictions on firearm access to address gun violence, there haven't been any major changes yet and guns are keeping on having a key role in American society. While gun violence is affecting communities, families, and children, firearms are glorified not just in films but in real life: considered by many as stylish accessories rather than dangerous tools, weapons seem to give the carrier an aura of coolness and empowerment.
In more recent years, this obsession with guns also spawned a trend for gun-friendly clothes and accessories produced by dedicated brands. Many of them were actually launched by women entrepreneurs who were finding it hard to conceal their weapons within their wardrobes. The main idea behind these designs is that you can carry a gun under tight fitting clothes.
Aimed at both men and women, but particularly at women, the collections of brands such as Tactica Defense Fashion, Asfaleia Designs, Hiding Hilda, Dene Adams, Incognito Wear IX, Shash Lifestyle and Cameleon Bags, include tactical undergarments such as bras, corsets and mid-thigh shorts that call to mind shapewear (but seem to be made with cheaper materials...) or leggings and yoga pants with special spaces for handguns.
Some of these brands are more focused on leather handbags and purses with holsters, special spaces and dedicated compartments that allow to quickly draw and fire a weapon. These designs are usually presented as key items to guarantee the personal protection of the gun carrying wearer. The more advanced designs, for example, also integrate pockets that allow you to carry ballistic-armor panels, turning your pack into a shield to protect yourself during an active-shooter situation.
In 2017 these brands debuted at the controversial "Concealed Carry Fashion Show" presented at the National Rifle Association (NRA) expo, while in 2019 there was the "Fashion & Firearms" concealed carry fashion show at the NRA's annual meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The proliferation of such brands remind us that there are millions of Americans who own a gun and have a concealed carry licence. All 50 states in the country actually have laws that regulate concealed carry licenses (usually residents apply for such permits via the state department of justice office).
However, some of the states make it more difficult than others to get these permits, but legislators worked to make it easier for those with the concealed carry permits to carry the same weapons across state lines through the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2019. Introduced in Senate in 2019, the act allows a qualified individual to carry a concealed handgun into or possess a concealed handgun in another state that allows its residents to carry concealed firearms.
According to a survey about a third of U.S. adults say they personally own a gun for personal safety and protection. For those who love guns, carrying concealed is a lifestyle, while brands producing carrywear claim it is about empowering and dressing up as you want without having to be afraid that something may happen to you.
You wonder if it wouldn't be more empowering not carrying a gun but being able to dress how you want without being afraid of being attacked, or being able to go to school everyday without being afraid of getting killed.
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