# Are wallet holsters legal?



## jflecken

My dad just bought a new ruger .380 pocket pistol. A guy at the store sold him on a wallet holster. The kind that holds the gun and you just draw (gun and holster) and shoot. You never have to take the thing out of the holster. I have been told by others that this kind of holster has been banned by the BATF. Does anyone know about this or have heard anything? Any help or info would be helpful.


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## VAMarine

Yes and no: NFA Owners Association :: View topic - 1996 letter re: wallet holster/derringer combos


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## Steve M1911A1

The only wallet holster that has been "banned" by BATFE was one I used to make for the Hi-Standard Derringer. It was declared "illegal" because the leather part became "permanently fastened" to the pistol. (Words in "quotes" indicate that I have simplified the concept, but that the simplification does not tell the entire story.)

Wallet holsters which are not permanently attached are OK. "Not permanently attached" means that the pistol can be instantly removed from the wallet holster, without undoing any fasteners that hold it in place.

Wallet holsters for semi-auto pistols are not a really good idea, because the gun's slide can drag against the wallet's leather, which causes jams.

A much better solution is a pocket holster that "prints" like a wallet, but from which you draw the gun. The holster remains in the pocket when the gun comes out.
For particularly nice, well-made ones, click on: http://www.bearcreekholsters.com/back-pocket.php


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