Float like a dragonfly, sting like a bee. No one knows you’re packin’, cuz their eyes can’t see…

DeSantis enters the concealment holster ring in a big way with the introduction of the V84 Dragonfly shoulder rig. This vest style, vertical shoulder holster is the heavyweight champ of build quality and durability, but a stealthy flyweight when it comes to conceal-ability.

Originally designed for Investigators of a large Federal Bureau, this clever gun holster/magazine pouch packs a knockout of technical features. The materials used are championship caliber and will go the distance anytime, anywhere. Military spec webbing and fasteners attach the foam padded Senior Ballistic Nylon sections for an almost infinitely customizable, comfortable fit.

And like a good fighter, the V84 Dragonfly hangs in there - literally. DeSantis knows you don’t want any slips during a fight, so they’ve suspended the holster and magazine pouch from a wide, y-type harness that won’t shift.  And even as you lure your opponent into a rope-a-dope sucker punch, the Dragonfly will be totally invisible - until you decide to draw.

Laaaaadddies and Gentleman! In a u-nan-imous decisionnnn: the new world’s champeeeon of vertical shoulder holsters: the DeSantis Dragonfly!

Don’t be counted out.  Come out swinging with the ultimate counterpunch: DeSantis Dragonfly.

You know how it is in the aftermath of the apocalypse. Law and order has left the building. Heavily-armed, leather-clad biker bullies rule the roads. You’re constantly having to repel attacks by blue-mohawked road warriors trying to tap your stash of petrol. Every baddie with an attitude and their floozy wants to fill up their dead dino-fueled muscle car over your dead body – literally. What’s a good guy supposed to do?

Just because chaos rules doesn’t mean you have sit back and tolerate it. Show those post-apocalyptic hooligans you mean business.  Show them you’re mad. Then show them your Mad Max.

Before all hell broke loose, the Mad Max was a popular holster only available from custom holster makers. Now DeSantis has updated the end-of-this-world gun skin for those of us left to appreciate it. The Mad Max is a tuck-able, inside the waistband holster specially designed to fit Glock, S&W, Springfield and many other surviving gun manufacturers.

The versatile design comes complete with 1¾” belt loops AND injected molded “j” hooks for total tuck-ability. Even brainchow-craving zombies won’t know what hit them when you draw from your consummately concealed Mad Max.

So the next time you’re scorching down a deserted roadway scouring abandoned vehicles for diesel fuel, be prepared. Have your Mad Max ride shotgun. Made from premium saddle leather, the hand-crafted Mad Max will easily survive your next nitro-boosted escape run or until the next apocalypse – whichever comes first.

"DeSantis didn't invent concealment, we just perfected it". And perfect it we did!

Concealment holsters are the foundation of DeSantis Gunhide^® and we work hard to improve upon them every single day. Our designs have been honed over 40 years with feedback and collaboration from our friends and customers at the FBI, Secret Service, Customs Service, TSA, DHS and many others. Our unparalleled effort and experience has made us the trendsetter for our industry and the most copied holster line in the world.

We are constantly creating new, cutting-edge products for the latest in firearms offerings. This year alone we are unveiling eight completely new holster models with over 1000 new fits. We continually invest in the newest manufacturing technology so we may offer you the finest engineered holsters in the world.  What originally took me hours on the kitchen table can now be made in minutes - only better in every way! Making a single custom holster that looks and fits well is easy. Making 1000 holsters exactly the same, all perfect in every detail, requires ENGINEERING. That's what you get from our products: consistency, accuracy, dependability. Engineering is why our products are superior not only to custom makers, but to our mainline competition in every detail. Then again, some technology just can't be improved upon. We still use time-tested saddle stitchers designed in the 19th century.

Similarly, our Constitution has withstood the test of time and continues to be relevant in an age of rapid political and technological change.  A wariness of tyrants drove our Founding Fathers to explicitly protect every American citizen's right to own a firearm. Even as the number of foreign dictators and terrorists has dwindled abroad, the number of guns sold here at home has risen fast. In August 2011, the number of NICS (National Criminal Background Checks) rose 13.5% over August 2010, making it the 15th straight month of gun sales growth.

Some credit the current White House administration for the surge while others cite growing number of states that now permit concealed carry. The ability to legally conceal and carry may have removed the stigma of gun ownership for a larger group of image-conscious consumers. 40 states have now written reciprocity laws to recognize one another's concealed carry permits. The U.S. House of Representatives even passed a bill mandating CCW permit recognition nationwide.

While our world may be changing rapidly, we here at DeSantis Gunhide^Ⓡ hold to a few constants. Instead of outsourcing abroad, we make our holsters right here in the U.S.A. DeSantis is a hands-on, family-run business in an era of increasingly depersonalized multinational companies. Whether it is for our men and women in uniform, emergency crews who showed their bravery on 9/11, or private citizens wishing to exercise their 2nd Amendment right, we will always outfit Americans with the highest quality holster products.

With 2011 winding down, we honor those who fight to defend our freedoms, cherish our loved ones, and look forward to a bright future in 2012.

Your life just changed for the better. After years of dreaming about it, you are now a parent. That initial high of “baby love” quickly fades as your mind spins out over the awesome responsibilities you have just assumed.  Besides providing the basics of food, shelter and love to your little one, you are now a role model and protector for your new expanded family. One of the ways you’ve chosen to uphold that responsibility is to own a firearm. But is your pre-child, arms-bearing life incompatible with your new babe in arms? Or, let’s say you already have a family and want to purchase a gun for personal protection, but then you end up rethinking your decision out of concerns for your child’s safety.

The “gun debate” is obviously a serious one for parents. Everyone must make a personal choice about gun ownership in their own household.  But at the same time, you might be surprised to learn that this “choice” has essentially been made for you. The fact of the matter is, you need to educate you children about guns regardless of whether you choose to own one or not.  Here’s why.

You are morally against guns. You have never owned one and you don’t ever want your children exposed even to toy handguns or rifles. In reality, this stance is the equivalent of saying you don’t want your teenage daughter to ever listen to Rihanna or watch a Jersey Shore episode. Good luck with that. The reality of our society is that guns are as ubiquitous as pop culture - maybe even more so. It is estimated 45% of American households own guns. There are presently believed to be 355,029,250 million guns in the USA - and that’s just counting the ones owned legally.  Over 400 guns are sold in this country per minute. When you consider there is one gun for every 1.17 of us, there is a high probability that someone you know owns a firearm. And that someone could be a friend of the family. That household could even be place where you send your child for play dates. So not owning a gun does not relieve you of any responsibility for your child’s safety.  Chances are, someone you know, or someone your child knows, owns a firearm.

Of course, this may seem like common sense to most of us. It is hoped that responsible owners store their gun in a child safe area and stow the ammunition and weapon separately. But as any parent will tell you, children are enterprising and crafty. You may think they don’t know where that key to your gun safe is, but what if they find it? It’s definitely possible. The safest way to approach the issue is to  assume children are going to find that gun. Now what?

If you don’t educate your kids about firearms, that first problem that arises is that they could easily confuse a real gun for a toy. But even toy guns -say BB/pellet guns- are dangerous. Air guns, when pumped up to maximum pressure can hurl a projectile at nearly the velocity of a bullet. That’s not the kind of “toy” you want your child to handle unless they understand how to use it safely.

The NRA's Eddie Eagle GunSafe is a good starting point for child firearm safety. The program instructs children: “stop, don’t touch, and immediately alert an adult” if they find a gun.  That’s a wonderful idea if your child follows directions, but many don’t. It is also irresponsible to underestimate the tactile allure of a gun for children. As adults, most of us are drawn to the powerful look and feel of a handgun.  Why should we assume kids are any different?

Understanding that kids will often not be able to resist touching a handgun, there are a few available safety options. A gun lock will certainly throw up a road block against any curious child.  Project ChildSafe, in cooperation with law enforcement agencies and gun enthusiast organizations, offers a gun safety kit that includes a steel cable-type lock with instructions and a safety tips booklet. While this is an admirable service, gun enthusiasts warn that these locks are ultimately ineffective. Security expert Mark Weber Tobias has written an extensive critique of cable and trigger locks (read it here) and argues that a determined child can easily breach any such deterrent device.

Today, technology is probably your best weapon against youthful curiosity. Biometric technology is an excellent choice for responsible parents wanting to keep a gun in the house with children. Biometrics is a method of security authentication that relies on traits unique to a particular individual. You’ve probably seen retinal scans and such in sci-fi movies; but this technology is nolonger the stuff of fiction. Companies have developed (with mixed success) firearms whose trigger and butt are outfitted with RFID chips or Dynamic Grip Recognition technology that can detect unique hand and finger characteristics. The weapon is only operational when used by a single, imprinted individual. But some gun enthusiast organizations oppose such technology, citing it as an insidious form of gun control. Also, biometric weapons are not readily available for consumer applications, and will no doubt be prohibitively expensive for “the 99%” once they are.

However, biometric gun safes are available from several manufacturers at affordable prices right now. These devices use an individual’s unique fingerprint to access the weapon and ammunition inside. They cannot be opened by even the most determined child. The other advantage of biometric safes is that they offer the option of storing a weapon and ammunition together so that a gun is ready to use at a moment’s notice.

For the same reason you probably don’t drive one of those tissue box-sized “Smart” cars (i.e., because you share the road with Land Rovers and Chevy Tahoes), your responsibility does not end with gun safety in your own home.  Once you assume your child will get his/her hands on a gun outside of your supervision (and you should), then the best way to ensure situational safety is to directly address the potential danger instead of ignoring it. Educate your children about guns. Period. Even if you don’t believe in owning one. It’s the responsible thing to do. Then, as a parent, take a deep breath and realize: you can control your child’s interaction with a potentially dangerous firearm. It’s all up to you.

“DeSantis didn’t invent concealment, we just perfected it”.

News

October 31, 2011

NEW PRODUCT AVAILABILITY FOR DESANTIS INTRUDER HOLSTER!

AMITYVILLE, New York – DeSantis Gunhide®, a division of HELGEN Industries Inc., introduces the Intruder® holster for the Ruger LC9, Kahr PM45, S&W Bodyguard 380, S&W J Frame, & Kimber Solo.

The Intruder® is designed to be the best concealment holster without compromising comfort.  This tuck-able and adjustable (height and cant) holster is backed with soft, top-grain premium steer-hide.  The leather front is finished with a supremely durable polyurethane film for lasting beauty. Each Intruder® is molded from genuine Kydex® sheet to exact specifications.  Available in black.

The style #105 retails for $64.95. Please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery.

DeSantis Gunhide® is a leading manufacturer of city, state and federal law enforcement agencies, military, as well as the hunting and shooting industries around the world.  DeSantis Gunhide® delivers a full-range of holsters and accessories to meet and exceed the needs of its customers.

For more information, please visit www.desantisholster.com or email us at sales@desantisholster.com.  You may also speak with one of our Customer Service Representatives at 800-GUNHIDE.

Ahab and Moby Dick. Kirk and Khan. Holmes and Moriarty. Politicians and a straight-forward answer. What do these pairings-forged-in-hell have in common?

Hero, meet your nemesis.

Like Ying and Yang, bound together for all eternity, the bete-noire eludes his obsessed pursuer in an elaborate game of cat and mouse, ultimately baiting the hero to his doom. But thanks to sequels and trilogies, someone will return to hunt his/her next enemy.

In ancient mythology, Nemesis was a winged horse of a different color. This high-borne goddess (daughter of Zeus) was less of an antagonist and more

neutral dispenser of justice. Essentially, Nemesis was the winged bearer of just deserts - and we’re not talking creme de menthe parfaits.  Hers is the origin myth for “what goes around comes around.” Today we’d probably call her Karma. For a visual aid, just imagine the cast of CHICAGO in black leather and fishnets singing “He Had It Comin’!”.  You get the idea.

Just like the goddess who inspired it, the DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster rewards it’s wearer and reserves bad karma for the other guy. Why? For one thing, there’s the element of surprise: no one will ever know you’re wearing a concealed holster. The ingenious design, customized especially for your individual weapon, won’t telegraph any tell-tale gun lines. To everyone except you, the Nemesis appears to be a wallet or a cell phone.

But when you need her, Nemesis is there to reward the good karma you’ve been building up with all those Senior Center volunteer hours and spontaneous bouquets for your girlfriend. Once you draw, Nemesis releases your weapon quickly and safely - like Perseus’ sword unsheathed on Medusa’s snake-y head.

And in this case, being tied to your nemesis for all eternity is probably not such a bad thing. Once the Nemesis holster is in place in your pocket, it ain’t movin’. Not ever.  The space age, viscous rubber sheathing ensures that. Your weapon will be where you want it, when you want it, come hell, floods or fire-breathing Chimeras.

So, go ahead;  make your piece with Nemesis. She’ll reward your good deeds. And as Sun-Tzu might say: Keep your enemies close, but your Nemesis closer.

Super Fly. You know the name; you know his game. Tough, rugged.  Slick as lubed lightning, but sticky when he needs to be - as in stickin’ it to “the man”.  A suave, city sophisticate keeping a low profile, yet ready for anything - like the occasional bad dude making a move for his diamond-studded money clip. A reluctant hero and protector just keepin' it real (safe) in the urban jungle.

No, we’re not talking about Youngblood Priest, the Jujitzu choppin’, lady-killin’, mac daddy criminal played by Ron O’Neal in the 1972 movie Super Fly.  But the characteristics of this quintessential “Blaxploitation” anti-hero also happen to make for a great concealed holster. We’re talking, of course, about the DeSantis Super Fly, the world’s premier concealed pocket holster.

A decendent of our ground-breaking Nemesis holster, the Super Fly is exactly as advertised: “Fly” gone all Sci-Fi. The inside surface is coated with a high-tech, urethane-coated pack cloth, making for friction-free draws with no flaws. Every time. The outside surface is just the opposite: sticky and secure. The rubberized fabric keeps your weapon right where you expect it to be.  

There is also a wealth of stealth to be had with the Super Fly. For that extra-fly hide, there’s a reversible (and removable) flap that further disguises your firearm. Super Fly is also super versatile. The design is ambidextrious and therefore, southpaw-friendly. And, you can stow your bro’ in a front or back pocket, just in case you like keeping your “junk in the trunk”.

So roll on over to DeSantisHolster.com and discover your inner Fly. DeSantis Super Fly. Suckah.

One knowledgeable gun salesman who writes for a respected self-defense blog suggests that buying a personal carry weapon is a lot like buying shoes: the decision criteria are very...personal. You need to know which size, color, brand and style trips your trigger. You'll also need to know what kind activity you'll be engaging in when using said aforementioned shoes. Six-inch stilettos aren't going to cut it for your daily morning jog. And what kind of clothes/accessories are you going to wear with your shoes? Unless you work in Hollywood, those Smashing Pumpkin-orange Puma Clydes are going to look a little conspicuous when matched with a Hugo Boss suit.

The reason we buy our own shoes? The decision matrix is extremely individualistic. So, it would seem kind of foolish to ask someone else to buy your shoes for you, right?

Now let's put the shoe squarely on the other foot. You're an experienced shooter. Maybe you were a LEO or maybe you were a contestant on TopShot or maybe you just watch a lot of vintage Dirty Harry movies.  Naturally, when a gun newbie like your girlfriend or your Uncle Gary becomes interested in purchasing their first handgun, they shoot a path to your door. First, let's assume you really are a responsible, experienced firearm user with wagonloads of experience. What do you do when someone comes and asks you to buy a gun shoes for them? (For the purposes of this article, pretending you didn't get their text is NOT an option.)

Well, here at DeSantis we know many of our customers, precisely because they are responsible firearms users and experienced concealed carry wearers, often get pulled into this exact predicament. Problem is, you are such a pro, that it's probably been a long time since you've thought about considerations unique to the first time user. So here's a few suggestions on how to handle this delicate request from a relative or just a relatively annoying acquaintance:

1. What size are they: petite female or large green ogre? Let's face it, in almost every context, size matters. If the gun feels too heavy or too clumsy, a new shooter will not be able to aim it well. Same effect if it is too light. In fact, if the gun doesn't fit their hand like a glove, it may end up in the hatbox at the top of the closet, never to be used again. Easily adjustable sights are also a must for any selected weapon and experts recommend at a 4" to 6" barrel for new shooters.

2. What's your sport, Sport? Is your Uncle getting a weapon for home defense or is he planning on plugging water buffalo in Nambia? A .22 isn't much good at slowing a charging grizzly, but a Springfield XD 45 would probably stop Smokey. By the same token, hand guns for home defense are already more challenging to aim and shoot when compared with a rifle or shotgun which can be steadied with extra arm and shoulder.  You don't need to up the aim ante with a heavy gun that makes a new shooter’s tendons ache.

3. One word: recoil. This comes into play most when discussing gun weight. Who strolls into a store and asks, "Yes, I'd like a cumbersome, antiquated, heavy weapon, please". No.  Most new shooters want to purchase a gun that reminds them of their iPhone: light, portable and simple to use. That's great, you'll no doubt tell them, except for one problem: recoil. Your girlfriend wants to kicks some ass, but that cute “pop” gun she wants is most likely going to kick hers like a bronco at a rodeo show. If you want her to stay in the saddle, it's best to find a compromise with respect to size and weight. Ditto for ammo. You already know this, but you'll have to explain to your Uncle that, the higher those little numbers behind the "period" the more recoil you're going to get. That's why many gun pros recommend .22 ammo for newbie shooters. It has the least "bite". Hit the target first and leave stopping power to James Bond.

4. Double your action. You might find it amusing to manually cock back the hammer on your pistol like an exclamation point in an action movie, but that's probably a challenge new shooters are NOT looking forward to. They've got enough on their pie plate with holding a steady aim and not shooting themselves in the foot (literally). So be a prince and steer your maiden toward the DA (double action) section of the shop with pistols like the Ruger LC9, for example.  It's safer for her (and probably you too.)

5. Laces or Velcro? Whichever gun you help your friend choose, make sure you include trigger adjustment from a good gunsmith as part of the deal. For inexperienced shooters, pros are going to recommend a pull in the range of 2-3 lbs for predictable and easy action. No hair triggers for newbies, please.

6. You know how you to tie your shoes, but can you dance in them? The second most important choice you'll help Uncle Gary make is who his handgun instructor will be. In other words, don't give him a choice. Make proper post-purchase instruction part of the deal for helping him pick a pistola. This may seem like a no-brainer - and it will be officially sans cerebellum if you don't direct your loved one to the nearest gun class. Do it.

So there you have it. A gentle pistol purchase manual for your nephew Nathaniel.  Now you’re all set to hone in on the range. Of course, you might want to consider a bullet-proof vest for that first target shooting trip with your new protégé. Let’s be safe out there.