The old adage that “bad guys don’t use holsters” is not always true. In the past week, several of my law enforcement brothers and sisters have sent me a link to a new concealed carry option allegedly coming to market sometime in the relatively near future.
Called the ABDO — Latin for “hide” or “conceal” — the Patent-pending holster design looks like a really large smartphone. The manufacturer — European American Armory — said on its website the plastic holster is worn from the belt, allowing guns such as the Pico Beretta, Diamondback DB380, Kel-tec P-3AT, Ruger LCP, and Seecamp 32 to be hidden in plain view.
“This simple and unique device offers fast and easy concealed carry at your fingertips,” said a passage on the EAA Corporation website. They further explain that “With the innovative quick-latch system, ABDO opens by a swipe of your thumb, making your pistol readily accessible.”
I’ll give the manufacturer the benefit of the doubt here and hope that their target audience for this product is the law-abiding and legally armed citizen. But hope is not a strategy, and luck is not a tactic.
As with any product like CCW holsters, we all know that the problem is not the tool, it’s the person — and their intent — who is using it.
In the event that you encounter someone who decides upon this option as their chosen concealed carry method, use all of your observational skills to assess your subject, and be aware that the draw from this thing can be pretty quick. Check out the video, and remember to remain vigilant, always.
