US20140027485A1

US20140027485A1 - Concealment holsters

Info

Publication number: US20140027485A1
Application number: US13/558,049
Authority: US
Inventors: Joshua Van Heusen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2012-07-25
Filing date: 2012-07-25
Publication date: 2014-01-30

Abstract

A holster to support a handgun in a concealed position inside a wearer's trousers includes a holster body with side walls defining an opening to receive the handgun. Interior surfaces of the side walls have yieldable means thereon to engage and yieldably retain a portion of the handgun, when positioned within the holster body, against withdrawal forces below a predetermined magnitude. A tab arrangement includes a downward tab joined to the outer wall by a bight portion to suspend the holster from the trouser waistband. A wing member extends rearward of the holster body and cooperates with the exterior surface of the inner side wall to conform to the rear region of the hip of the wearer. Shaped portions of the holster body maintain a spaced relationship between the interior surface and contact-sensitive regions of a handgun such as a magazine release button, a sight, and so forth.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to holsters, and in particular to concealment holsters for handguns, specifically a holster enabling a wearer to carry a handgun in a concealed position inside the wearer's trouser waistband.

BACKGROUND

It is often necessary in law enforcement and/or military operations for individuals, such as plainclothes and non-uniformed officers, to cany a concealed weapon. One reason is that members of the public seeing who see a handgun worn by an individual may become wary, uncooperative, aggressive, and so forth, and/or may recognize or reveal the wearer's status as law enforcement and/or military personnel, any of which may impede or otherwise interfere with the operation.
Various types of concealment holsters are provided with devices and mechanisms for retaining a handgun within the holster, such as straps or flaps that extend over a portion of the handgun, for example from one side of the holster body to the other. The obvious disadvantage of this type of holster is the inability to quickly draw the handgun in view of first needing to disengage the retaining means. However, police officers, security officers, and military personnel in a number of situations must be ready to withdraw and use a handgun in the line of duty at a moment's notice. Especially in an emergency situation, the wearer's life may depend on the speed at which he or she can withdraw and deploy a handgun. Of course, the situation may then change or dictate other needs, often requiring a handgun to be re-holstered just as quickly. Thus, retaining devices or mechanisms on holsters often represent an unacceptable difficulty in using such a holster, especially in such situations.
On the other hand, holsters without retaining means may fail to prevent a handgun from inadvertently coming loose of the holster, such as if the wearer is in a position in which the holster is inverted, and/or if a sudden force, such as a blow or impact, is applied to the holster.
Moreover, many concealment holsters present a somewhat bulky or bulging appearance when worn under clothing, undermining the purpose of the concealed nature of the holster. Some holster designs attempt to improve concealment by being designed to be worn on areas of the body other than at the hip, such as against the front or side of the user's torso, where clothing is generally more loose-fitting. However, such designs often require the wearer to reach for withdraw the handgun using an unnatural or non-fluid hand movement.
Additionally, many concealment holsters worn under clothing have a tendency to pinch a user's flesh and/or become slippery, either of which may lead to user discomfort. Moreover, a holster may change position against the body due to perspiration.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments of a concealment holster are disclosed herein. Briefly, the holsters may be adapted to be worn inside the trousers of a wearer, suspended from the trouser waistband and/or a wearer's belt. The interior walls (or portions thereof) of the holster embodiments may be adapted to receive and retain the handgun against a withdrawal force lower than a predetermined magnitude, but yield the handgun responsive to a larger withdrawal force. The exterior configuration of the holsters may provide a barrier between the wearer's skin and the portion of the handgun extending upward from the holster body, may conform the holster to a portion of the user's waist, such as the rear region of the wearer's hip, and/or may restrict the holster from moving relative to the user's body.
In particular, in some example embodiments, a holster body includes a pair of opposed side walls defining an opening through which a forward portion of the handgun may be received for positioning the handgun within the holster body, each side wall having interior regions disposed in spaced confronting registry for slidahiy engaging at least a portion of each of the opposing sides of the barrel and the trigger guard of the handgun, when received in the holster body, guiding the handgun into position within the holster body. In such embodiments, a region of one side wall has a first inwardly convex dimple formed thereon that is disposed to protrude into the interior of the trigger guard of the handgun when positioned within the holster body. A region of the other side wall has a second inwardly convex dimple formed thereon and disposed to bias a portion of the trigger guard of the handgun when positioned within the holster body. The dimples may cooperate to releasably retain the handgun positioned within the holster body against withdrawal forces below a predetermined magnitude and are yieldable to enable withdrawal of the handgun from the holster body responsive to a magnitude of withdrawal force above the predetermined magnitude. Such embodiments further include means supported on the holster to suspend the holster from the trouser waistband of a wearer.
In some embodiments, the aforementioned means include a tab arrangement disposed on a top end of the outer side wall, with the tab arrangement configured to bridge the upper edge of the wearer's trouser waistband and/or belt. In some of such embodiments, the tab arrangement additionally engages the bottom edge of the wearer's belt.
Some embodiments further include a wing member extending rearward of the opening defined by the side walls, with the wing member having an inward-facing exterior surface that cooperates with the exterior surface of the inner side wall to conform the holster to the rear region of the wearer's hip.
In some embodiments, the interior side wall is shaped to overlap the magazine release button of the handgun when positioned in the holster body, and further includes a concave pocket formed therein to maintain a spaced relationship between the interior surface of the inner side wall and the magazine burton.
Some embodiments include a forward wall defining a sight channel adapted to maintain a spaced relationship between the interior surface of the forward wall and the top surface of the barrel and/or a sight protruding therefrom, when the handgun is positioned in the holster body.
In some embodiments, an upward extension of the inner side wall forms a guard portion adapted to provide a barrier between the wearer and the portion of the handgun extending upward from the opening of the holster, when the handgun is positioned in the holster body.
In some embodiments, portions of the exterior surface of the holster are textured in a manner to engage, and resist movement relative to, the portion of the wearer and/or the wearer's clothing adjacent to the holster.
The concepts, features, and component configurations briefly described above are clarified with reference to the accompanying drawings and detailed description below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example embodiment of a holster constructed in accordance with the present disclosure, as viewed from the outer side wall and rear of the holster.

FIG. 2 is a rear elevation view of the holster of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the holster of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a portion of the holster of FIG. 1, taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is another fragmentary cross-sectional view of a portion of the holster of FIG. 1, taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the holster of FIG. 1 in a manner of being worn by a wearer and engaging the trouser waistband and belt of the wearer.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the holster of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a rear view of the holster of FIG. 1 in the manner of being worn by a wearer shown in FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the drawings, a non-exclusive, example embodiment of a holster 10 is shown in FIGs. 1-8. In FIG. 1, holster 10 is adapted to support a handgun indicated at 100 (and shown in dashed lines). In general, and as also shown in FIGs. 2 and 3, for example, a handgun includes a grip 102, a barrel 104 from which protrudes one or more sights 106, and a trigger 108 disposed within a trigger guard 110. Typically, a handgun will also include a magazine 112 housed substantially within the grip 102, and a magazine release button 114 disposed on the side of the barrel for releasing the magazine, such as for reloading. For the sake of example, handgun 100 and the components thereof are shown throughout the drawings in the form of a Glock 17 pistol produced by Glock GmbH, a popular style of handgun used by many law enforcement, security, and military agencies throughout the world. However, as will become clear from the description, the shape and/or dimensions of the holster 10 in accordance may be varied in accordance with the physical configuration of the handgun with which the holster is to be used, without departing from the scope of this disclosure.
Holster body 12 includes a pair of opposed inner and outer side walls 14, 16 that define an opening 18 adapted to receive a forward portion of the handgun. The term “inner” herein designates the side of the holster worn adjacent to the wearer's body. Although other materials and modes of fabrication are possible, holster 10 is shown to be formed of a single piece of material, such as a KYDEX® thermoplastic sheet, which is reversibly folded upon itself to form a holster body 12 that generally conforms to the exterior contour of the handgun 100, as explained below, such as to present a slim cross-section to assist concealment. Materials such as KYDEX® thermoplastic typically provide rigidity and formability, durability, and chemical resistance, while providing limited flexibility, and thus may allow holsters according to the present disclosure to be customized to any manner of handgun configuration while providing the features discussed herein.
As seen perhaps most clearly in FIG. 4, each of side walls 14, 16 includes an interior surface 20, 22 disposed in spaced confronting registry with the other, for slidably engaging the opposing sides of the forward portion of the handgun and guiding it into position within the holster body 12. The exterior surfaces of side walls 14, 16 are generally indicated at 28. As shown in the drawings, when positioned in the holster body 12, the rear or butt end of the handgun 100—that is, the rear end of the barrel 104, and the grip 102—projects from above the opening 18, with the forward end of the barrel 104, the trigger 108, and the trigger guard 110 shielded by the holster body 12. As such, the interior surfaces 20, 22 may be thought of as each including a barrel region 24 and a trigger guard region 26, for slidably receiving the respective barrel 104 and trigger guard 110 of the handgun 100.
The holster 10 includes yieldable means adapted to engage and yieldably retain the handgun, or a portion thereof, when positioned in the holster body 12 against withdrawal forces below a predetermined magnitude. For example, as shown in FIGs. 2 and 4, the yieldable means in holster 10 are in the form of shaped portions of the interior surfaces 20, 22 of walls 14, 16. More particularly, in the example embodiment, the yieldable means are in the form of first and second inwardly convex dimples 30, 32 disposed on the trigger guard regions 26 of each wall.
In holster 10, first and second dimples 30, 32 are disposed to engage the trigger guard 110 of handgun 100 when positioned within the holster body 12. Specifically, first dimple 30 is disposed to protrude into the interior of the trigger guard 110, and second dimple 32 is disposed to bias a portion of the trigger guard 110. As such, dimples 30, 32, for example owing to the inherent structural arrangement thereof, cooperate to releasably retain the handgun in position within the holster body 12. Moreover, the dimples 30, 32 are configured to yieldably flex away from each other, for example against the inherent structural bias of the material from which the side walls 14, 16 are formed, such as to allow deflection thereof sufficient to allow insertion or withdrawal of the handgun when a force of a sufficient magnitude is applied. The arrangement, shape, disposition, and/or other characteristic of one or both dimples 30, 32, and/or the material(s) from which the holster 10 is fabricated, may provide a desired degree of resistance against deflection from a neutral configuration, such as to determine the magnitude of the force that must be applied in order to withdraw the handgun from its holstered position within holster body 12.
Other embodiments of holster 10 may be provided with a different arrangement of dimples or other yieldable means adapted to function in a similar manner, such as arrangements that dispose the dimples 30, 32 on the opposite side walls than as shown, arrangements providing other dimples or formed portions of the holster body, and so forth.
Returning to FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, holster 10 is further shown to include a forward wall 40. In the illustrated embodiment, forward wall 40 is defined by the front folded portion of the holster body joining the side walls 14, 16. Although not required to all embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5, forward wall 40 of holster 10, and more specifically the interior surface 42 of forward wall 40, defines a sight channel, indicated generally at 44, which forms a spaced relationship between the interior surface 42 of the forward wall and the top surface of the handgun barrel 104. As such, the sight channel may provide clearance for sights protruding upwardly from the top surface of the barrel, including any sights that are integral with the handgun body (such as sight 106), as well as a separate sight that has been mounted to the gun barrel (not shown).
In the latter case, mountable sights are generally mounted with an adhesive strip or other coupling means, and the sight channel may thus protect the sight from being jostled or jarred out of alignment, or even detached due to impact, when the handgun is inserted into or withdrawn from the holster body. As noted above, the dimensions of the holster 10, such as the vertical clearance provided by the sight channel 44, may be varied from as shown in the illustrated embodiment, for example to accommodate mountable sights of different sizes. Such variations are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.
The holster 10 may be worn with the holster body 12 concealed inside the top portion of the wearer's trousers. As such, holster 10 is provided with means thereon to suspend the bolster from the wearer's trouser waistband, shown in the form of a tab arrangement 50 disposed at the top end of the outer wall 16 proximate the opening 18.
Although other configurations are possible, tab arrangement 50 is shown to include three downwardly-depending tabs 52 each joined to the outer wall 16 by means of an outwardly-extending bight portion 54 adapted to bridge the upper edge of the wearer's trouser waistband. FIG. 6 shows an example of how the example embodiment of holster 10 may be worn by a wearer, and its position relative to the wearer's trousers 200 and the trouser waistband 202.
Also, although not required to all embodiments, the tabs 52 are configured to engage a user's belt 204. Specifically, the bight portion 54 of the centrally disposed tab 56 is wide enough to bridge the upper edges of both the wearer's trouser waistband the wearer's belt, whereas the two outer tabs 58 are adapted to extend downward behind the user's belt and engage the bottom edge thereof, by means of an extended length that terminates in an upturned lower end 60. As such, not only does tab arrangement suspend the holster body from the wearer's trouser waistband and function to restrict downward movement of the holster bodv relative to the wearer, but the configuration of the tab arrangement, in the form of the tabs 52 that engage the top and bottom edges of the wearer's belt, may restrict upward and/or lateral movement of the holster body as well.
Although not required to all embodiments, the tab arrangement 50 of holster 10 is shown to be integral with the holster body 12; that is, the tabs 52 are shown as separate extensions of varying lengths of the outer wall 16 that are formed into the illustrated configuration. However, other modes of fabrication of the tab arrangement are possible and are within the scope of this disclosure.
Returning to FIGS. 1-3 and with additional reference to FIG. 7, holster 10 is further shown to include a wing member 70 joined to and extending generally rearward of the holster body 12. Although other modes fabrication are possible, the wing member 70 of holster 10 is shown to be integral with the holster body, and in particular is formed by rearward portions 72, 74 of the side walls 14, 16 with the facing interior surfaces thereof mated and held together, such as with rivets 76.
Wing member 70, and more particularly the inward-facing exterior surface 78 thereof, may conform to the wearer, and in particular to a specific area of the body against which the holster is worn. For example, wing member 70 of holster 10 conforms to a shape of the rear region of the hip of the wearer. Moreover, in the illustrated embodiment of holster 10, exterior surface 78 of wing member 70 cooperates with the exterior surface of inner wall 20 to conform the entire holster to the rear region of the hip of the wearer.
In particular, and with additional reference to FIG. 8, wing member 70 forms a slight angle with the inner wall 20, such that the holster shape sits comfortably against the rear hip region. The contour also functions to restrict lateral movement of the holster relative to the user. In addition, wing member 70 may contribute to a smooth unbulging appearance of the holster 10 when worn in a concealed manner, for example due to the shape of the outer wall 16 closely following the shape of the inner wall 14.
Moreover, although not required to all embodiments, the exterior surfaces 28 of the holster 10 are shown to be stippled or otherwise textured, such as to provide a frictional resistance against movement relative to the wearer, and/or to the portions of the wearer's clothing, adjacent to the holster 10. As such, the wing member 70 may be thought of as increasing the area of the textured exterior surfaces in contact with the wearer and/or portions of the wearer's clothing, which may increase the frictional resistance offered by the holster against unintended movement thereof, when worn.
The method of fabrication employed in the construction of holsters in accordance with the present disclosure may provide a wing member that remains in a more or less fixed orientation relative to the holster body, as in holster 10. However, other modes may provide one or more wing members having some flexibility, or a combination of fixed and relatively flexible wing members, and so forth. Moreover, additional or other wing members than as shown may conform a holster to any desired body regions. These variations are considered to be within the scope of the disclosure.
Returning to FIGS. 1-3 and with additional reference to FIGS. 6 and 8, holster is further shown to include a guard portion 80 extending upward from the inner side wall 14. Guard portion 80 is adapted to form a barrier between the wearer and the portion of the handgun 100 that extends upward from the opening 18 of the holster, when the handgun is positioned within the holster body 12. As shown in FIG. 8, at least a portion of the butt end of the handgun is disposed in close proximity to the wearer, such as due to the snug manner in which the holster fits against the wearer.
The guard portion thus may prevent the wearer's skin or clothing from being pinched between the handgun and the holster, such as during movement of the wearer and/or insertion of the handgun, and so forth. Depending on the wearer's physique, the guard portion 80 may additionally prevent bulging of the wearer's flesh against the handgun 100 (when bolstered), or into the region above the opening 18 (when the handgun is not bolstered), which may otherwise interfere with smooth withdrawal and/or insertion of the handgun relative to the holster. In a similar manner, the guard portion 80 may function as a moisture barrier, for example to prevent moisture from perspiration or otherwise from contacting portions of the handgun. The guard portion may be any suitable configuration, but is shown in the illustrated embodiment 10 to extend upward along the rear end of the barrel 104 of the handgun 100, then sloping downward toward the trigger guard 110, for example so as not to interfere with a wearer grasping the handgun grip 102.
As with the sight channel 44 defined by forward wall 40, holsters constructed in accordance with the present disclosure may include additional or other features adapted to maintain a spaced relationship between the holster and certain regions of the handgun 100. As mentioned above, a sight removably mounted to a handgun barrel may be more fragile than the handgun itself, in which case maintaining a spaced relationship between the interior of the holster and the sight may assist in preventing inadvertent damage or misalignment of the sight, such as due to unintended impact when withdrawing or inserting the handgun.
The magazine release button of a handgun is another example of a contact-sensitive handgun component with which inadvertent contact may be preferable, such as to avoid unintended release of the magazine from the handgun if the magazine release button is accidentally touched or jostled, such as when withdrawing or inserting the handgun.
Accordingly, holster 10 is shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 to include a concave pocket 90 formed in a portion of the inner wall 14. More particularly, concave pocket 90 is formed in a portion of the guard portion 80. As such, concave pocket 90 may provide at least two benefits: first, the concave pocket, as part of guard portion 80, may function as a physical barrier between the wearer and the magazine release button 114 of the handgun 100 when holstered, such as to prevent inadvertent contact with the magazine release button while the handgun is positioned within the holster body.
Further, the concave pocket maintains a spaced relationship between the interior surface of the side wall and the magazine release button when the handgun is positioned within the holster body. Due to the rigid nature of the material from which the holster 10 is fabricated, for example, this spaced relationship may assist in preventing inadvertent contact with the magazine release button even if the wearer's body presses against the corresponding exterior surface of the guard portion 80.
In a similar manner, other portions of holsters constructed in accordance with the present disclosure may be adapted to maintain a desired spaced relationship relative to other contact-sensitive components or areas of a handgun. However, such features, such as sight channel 44, concave pocket 90, and so forth, are not required to all embodiments. Such variations are considered to be within the scope of this disclosure.
Although the present invention has been shown and described with reference to the foregoing operational principles and illustrated examples and embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A holster for supporting a handgun in an at least partially concealed position inside the trousers of a wearer and suspended from a waistband thereof, the holster comprising:

a holster body that includes a pair of opposed side walls defining an opening through which at least a forward portion of the handgun may be received for positioning the handgun within the holster body;

each side wall having an interior surface, each interior surface including a barrel region and a trigger guard region, with said regions disposed on the side walls in spaced confronting registry for slidably engaging at least a portion of each of the opposing sides of the barrel and the trigger guard of the handgun, respectively, when received in the holster body, thereby guiding the handgun into position within the holster body;

the trigger guard region of one of the side walls having formed thereon a first inwardly convex dimple disposed to protrude into the interior of the trigger guard of the handgun when positioned within the holster body;

the trigger guard region of the other of the side walls having formed thereon a second inwardly convex dimple disposed to bias a portion of the trigger guard of the handgun when positioned within the holster body; and

means supported on the holster to suspend the holster from the trouser waistband of a wearer;

wherein the dimples cooperate to releasably retain the handgun positioned within the holster body against withdrawal forces below a predetermined magnitude and are yieldable to enable withdrawal of the handgun from the holster body responsive to a magnitude of withdrawal force above the predetermined magnitude.

2. The holster of claim 1, wherein the means to suspend the holster include a tab arrangement disposed on a top end of one of the side walls and adapted to engage the top edge of the wearer's trouser waistband.

3. The holster of claim 2, wherein the tab arrangement includes at least one downwardly depending tab joined to the side wall by means of an outwardly-extending bight portion adapted to bridge the upper edge of the wearer's trouser waistband.

4. The holster of claim 3, wherein at least one downwardly depending tab includes an upturned lower end adapted to engage the bottom edge of a wearer's belt.

5. The holster of claim 3, wherein at least part of the bight portion is adapted to bridge both the upper edge of the wearer's trouser waistband and the top edge of a wearer's belt.

6. The holster of claim 2, wherein the tab arrangement is formed integrally with the top end of the side wall.

7. The holster of claim 1, further comprising a wing member extending generally rearward of the opening defined by the side walls and having an inward-facing exterior surface; wherein the wing member cooperates with an inward-facing exterior surface of the inner one of the side walls to conform to the rear region of the hip of the wearer.

8. The holster of claim 7, wherein the wing member is substantially planar and is formed integrally with the inner side wall.

9. The holster of claim 8, wherein the wing member depends at an angle with at least a portion of the inward-facing exterior surface of the inner side wall.

10. The holster of claim 1, wherein the wing member is formed by rearward portions of the side walls with the facing interior surfaces thereof mated together.

11. The holster of claim 1, wherein one of side walls is adapted to overlap the magazine release button of the handgun when the handgun is positioned within the holster body, and wherein said side wall includes a concave pocket formed therein to maintain a spaced relationship between the interior surface of the side wall and the magazine release button when the handgun is positioned within the holster body.

12. The holster of claim 1, wherein the holster body further comprises a forward wall defining a sight channel adapted to maintain a spaced relationship between the interior surface of the forward wall and one or more of the top surface of the barrel of the handgun and a sight protruding upward therefrom when the handgun is positioned within the holster body.

13. The holster of claim 12, wherein the forward wall is integral with the two side walls and formed by a bent region connecting the two side walls.

14. The holster of claim 1, wherein the pair of opposed side walls consists of an inner wall configured to abut the wearer and an outer wall configured to be spaced away from the wearer, and wherein the holster further comprises a guard portion extending upward from the inner side wall from the opening, the guard portion adapted to form a barrier between the wearer and the portion of the handgun extending upward from the opening when the handgun is positioned within the holster body.

15. A holster for supporting a handgun in an at least partially concealed position inside the trousers of a wearer, the holster comprising:

a holster body including a pair of opposed side walls defining an opening through which at least a forward portion of the handgun may be received for positioning the handgun within the holster body;

wherein each side wall has an interior and an exterior surface;

wherein each interior surface includes a barrel region and a trigger guard region, with said regions disposed on the side walls in spaced confronting registry for slidably engaging at least a portion of each of the opposing sides of the barrel and the trigger guard of the handgun, respectively, when received in the holster body, thereby guiding the handgun into position within the holster body;

wherein each interior surface further includes yieldable means adapted to engage and yieldably retain a portion of the handgun when positioned within the holster body against withdrawal forces below a predetermined magnitude; and

wherein each exterior surface is adapted, when the holster is worn inside the trousers of the wearer, to engage and resist movement relative to the portions of the user and/or the user's clothing adjacent to the holster.

16. The holster of claim 15, wherein the means to suspend the holster are adapted to position the opening of the holster body substantially level with the trouser waistband of the wearer.

17. The holster of claim 16:

wherein the pair of opposed side walls includes an inner wall disposed adjacent to the wearer and an outer wall spaced therefrom;

wherein when the handgun is positioned within the holster body, a rear portion of the handgun extends generally upward from the opening;

wherein the holster further comprises a guard portion formed by a portion of the inner side wall that extends generally upward from the opening; and

wherein the guard portion is adapted to form a barrier between the wearer and the portion of the handgun that extends upward from the opening when the handgun is positioned within the holster body.

18. The holster of claim 15, wherein at least a portion of each exterior surface is textured.

19. The holster of claim 15, further comorising a wing member extending generally rearward of the holster body and having an inward-facing exterior surface;

wherein the pair of opposed side walls includes an inner wall disposed adjacent to the wearer and an outer wall spaced therefrom; and

wherein the wing member cooperates with the exterior surface of the inner side wall to conform to the rear region of the hip of the wearer.

20. A holster for supporting a handgun in an at least partially concealed position inside the trousers of a wearer, the holster comprising:

a holster body including a pair of opposed side walls defining an opening adapted to receive a forward portion of the handgun therethrough for positioning within the holster body, the side walls including an inner wall disposed adjacent to the wearer and an outer wall spaced therefrom;

each side wall having an interior surface disposed in spaced confronting registry for slidably engaging at least a portion of each side of the forward portion of the handgun and guiding the same into position within the holster body;

each interior surface including yieldabie means adapted to engage and yieldably retain a portion of the handgun when positioned within the holster body against withdrawal forces below a predetermined magnitude;

a tab arrangement disposed on the outer wall including a downwardly depending tab joined to the outer wall by means of an outwardly extending bight portion adapted to bridge the upper edge of the wearer's trouser waistband and suspend the holster therefrom;

a guard portion disposed on the inner wall extending upward from the opening and adapted to form a barrier between the wearer and the portion of the handgun that extends upward from the opening when the handgun is positioned within the holster body; and

a wing member extending generally rearward of the holster body and having an inward-facing exterior surface cooperabie with the exterior surface of the inner wall to conform to the rear region of the hip of the wearer.