text: when is it okay to have a holstered pistol on you? i read in a gun magazine once that a woman being attacked by a man shot him in the stomach twice and went and filed a police report, and in the end had no consequences against her. not sure if he died, but he could've. was she able to keep the armed weapon in her purse like that legally? check with your state.  there are a couple of states that you don't need a concealed permit to carry.