It’s Christmas time! You’re out shopping, making lists & checking them twice, and trying to find gifts for the special people in your life. If there is a shooter, concealed carrier, knife enthusiast, or other prepared citizen in your life, then we’ve got some great gift ideas featuring practical and unique gifts!
Here are 10 Christmas gifts any prepared citizen would love to find under their tree:
Soft Armor Panel
Soft Armor panels have gotten stronger, lighter, and cheaper over the years. In fact, you can get a superbly small and light piece of soft armor for less than a hundred dollars. A small soft armor panel is an excellent gift for anyone who carries a bag daily. This allows them to have some form of movable cover wherever they go. Soft armor panels are a very original Christmas gift and it’s an item most prepared citizens don’t happen to have.
The Ally One from Angel Armor is ultra-thin and lightweight while exceeding NIJ Level IIIA standards for multi-round handgun protection. Multiple sizes ideal for backpacks, purses, briefcases, and laptop bags, they’re also compliant with TSA material regulations. An 8×11 panel is $119.00 and should give your loved one peace of mind wherever they go!
Steel Targets
If the prepared citizen in your life doesn’t have steel targets, the holiday season is a perfect time to correct that for them!!
Steel targets are so much fun; from hanging rifle gongs to dueling trees, there is a little something for everyone. Steel targets are excellent training tools that allow you to get instant feedback when you hit the target. They present a different challenge than standard targets, and you’ll learn to adore the ding sound a steel target makes.
Our friends at Action Target makes a large variety of steel targets at every price range, including a Rimfire Dueling Tree for $199!
A Quality Tourniquet
A tourniquet can literally be a lifesaver. Modern tactical tourniquets are easy to carry, highly effective, and very affordable. The two main TQs that are widely accepted by military and police are the CAT and SOF-T.
Able to be stashed in a pocket, a bag, or just kept in your car, these tourniquets are a must-have for every prepared citizen. The excellent team at Dark Angel Medical has everything you need including a CAT – Combat Application Tourniquet (GEN 7) for $33.99.
A New Gun is the Gift That Keeps on Giving!
If you are planning to get someone a new gun, you must love them because it’s an expensive and very personal gift to buy for somebody. If you know which gun your loved one wants and plan to buy it yourself, you need to adhere to your local and state gun laws before trying to gift a gun and make sure you do it all legally.
Better yet, get them a gift certificate or cash so they can shoot and select a gun that fits their grip properly as well as the way they decide to carry it if that’s how they intend to use it.
80 lower receivers and frames can also simplify the shopping process and eliminate much of the legal aspect of gift-giving a gun while giving a gift that doubles as a fun project you can do together in the future!
A New Knife
Rooty, tooty, pointy, stabbies are always fun gifts to give and get! They also cover a wide variety of price ranges. Avoid the cheap no-name knives that plague Amazon, tho – nobody likes a crappy piece of junk.
If price is a big concern, Kershaw and CRKT offer affordable, quality knives that won’t clean out your wallet. The Gerber Key Note is an adorable and unique little knife that’s an awesome gift to give.
For a little more money, Hogue or an original piece by our friend Kaila Cumings can’t be beat!
Take it up a Knotch With the 5.11 Operator Ax
Need and want are subjective terms. I doubt many people need the 5.11 Operator Ax, but a ton of people want it. The ultimate tool to prepare for disaster, this ax is a unique, high quality, well-made tool that packs over two dozen functions in a single 15-inch long tool!
This includes a hefty ax head, a hammer, crowbar, hex driver, sheet metal cutter, and so many more. The Operator ax is handy, even for those of us who aren’t breaching doors for a living. It’s a well-made tool perfect for camping, hiking, or prepping.
A Quality Holster, Obvi!
Yeah, we’re a holster company but to be honest, holsters are always great gifts. Our hybrid designs offer you all manner of concealed carry options and our legendary Lifetime Warranty can’t be beat!
From standard OWB and IWB rigs to light-bearing designs and appendix holsters too. CrossBreed Holsters offer the most comfortable products for concealed carriers. With gift cards available, you don’t even have to worry about knowing exactly which gun they carry or any aftermarket accessories they may have added to their EDC gun or what size leather gun belt they may need.
A Better Gun Belt
When it comes to comfortably carrying a gun, most concealed carriers don’t factor in a quality belt as part of their rig. A sturdy belt makes all the difference when it comes to concealability and safety.
You want a rigid and robust option the will support your firearm and prevent it from sagging or drooping. The CrossBreed Minimalist Belt is a low profile web belt featuring a sleek, metal, clasp style buckle, no holes, and infinite adjustment.
Ammo, Ammo, Ammo
Gun owners love ammo, and the more they have, the happy they are. All you need to know is the caliber they shoot, and you’re off to the races!
Ammo is one of those perfect gifts that fit into most Christmas budgets and be adjusted to different budgets and applications. An $8 box of 9mm is a good gift but a case of 500 rounds for $85 is a great gift. Ammo is a hefty stocking stuffer for anyone because you can never have enough, it doesn’t expire, and no matter how much holiday weight we put on, it always fits just right.
The Gift of Range Time
Does your local gun range offer memberships or gift certificates for range time? If so, that is definitely a great Christmas gift for any shooter! Range time allows them to shoot, train, and build their invaluable skills. A new or upgraded membership at their local gun range or even a gift certificate to take a course at an elite training facility like Gunsite Academy would put a smile on any gun owner’s face! Time together itself is an excellent gift and time at the range is obviously an even better time.
Merry Christmas!
Have we missed anything? What would you add to this gift guide? Let us know what you think in the comments below and of course, we hope you have a very Merry Christmas!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Travis Pike is a former Marine Machine gunner who served with 2nd Bn 2nd Marines for 5 years. He deployed in 2009 to Afghanistan and again in 2011 with the 22nd MEU(SOC) during a record-setting 11 months at sea. Travis has trained with the Romanian Army, the Spanish Marines, the Emirate Marines, and the Afghan National Army.
He serves as an NRA certified pistol instructor and pursues a variety of firearms based hobbies.