Concealed Carry Hints
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WHY would anyone WANT to carry a gun?! That is a question
you will doubtless hear quite often from those that lean liberal and
some of the time from others that tend to be more conservative. It is
a question that YOU will need to answer for yourself, and it is best
that you answer that FIRST.
The purpose of this document is to provide a free source for
the information you will find handy if you decide to carry a concealed
weapon. Please use the navigation at the top bar to skip to the
segment you prefer, or read it top to bottom as you prefer.
The somewhat thread-bare but none the less valid reasons for
carrying include, but are not limited to:
- Insurance
- Why do you carry insurance on your house? Do you think it is about
to burn down?
- Why do you carry insurance on your car? Do you think it is about
to be stolen?
A Concealed Weapon is a form of insurance, one that - must - be taken
seriously, because the mis-use of that tool can be catastrophic.
- Protect my family
- The police will protect me! - - Sure, if you can wait ten to
thirty minutes while they arrive.
- It is called LAW ENFORCEMENT for a reason. The PD/SO can NOT take
action until someone has broken the law, or shows beyond reasonable
doubt that they are about to break the law.
Many believe they have an obligation to protect not only
themselves but their family from harm.
I believe that is true, do
you?
Why Concealed Carry?
Why some people HATE guns
Sheeple?
The CC Permit Holder
provides quite a few thoughts on what we are and are not. The first
item that each of us MUST decide before you carry concealed is
are you ready to kill someone, if it is necessary, to protect
yourself or another from serious harm? If you can not say
with total honesty that you are, then DO NOT CARRY! The very
worst thing you could do is to go through the vetting process, get
your permit, begin to carry and then hesitate after you have drawn
your weapon to defend yourself or others. You MUST make that mental
commitment to take any necessary action, or you should NOT carry.
The following items are sequenced by importance to you. There can
be slight adjustments, but ALL are important.
- The first item you must do is to read and understand the laws in
your state concerning concealed carry! Read AND UNDERSTAND!
Handgun Law is a web site that
has state by state summaries of the laws pertaining to concealed
carry. That is an excellent starting point, but you also need to
refer to the specific laws/statutes in your area. Department of
redundancy department, UNDERSTAND THEM - before - you carry.
- Get some training! There are many that will whine/cry that
it is their "Constitutional Right" to carry concealed, therefore they
do not need training. WRONG! Two hundred years ago it
was "common knowledge" that guns were part of our society. The vast
majority of households had guns and almost everyone had what training
there was available. That is no longer the situation. While many houses
DO have guns, and many within those houses do receive training, that
training is not adequate for concealed carry (reference number 1
above).
In addition, those with an excess of testosterone tend
to believe THEY are uniquely able to handle their weapons safely,
just because they own one (reference number 3). Concealed carry
requires a unique skill set to be able to handle yourself and
anticipate situations that can easily occur. The more knowledge you
have about concealed carry, the more likely you are to NOT have
an unfortunate situation happen.
A few thoughts on training include:
Defensive Shooting and
Live Fire Exercises
Please note that the web page from the "Defensive Shooting" link
above has undergone significant update. If you have not read the
latest version, I suggest you do.
- Safety!
Gun Safety
is an essential item for anyone that handles, much less carries a gun.
You will often hear a gross oversimplification of gun safety rules when
someone says "Treat every gun as if it were loaded!" HOW DO YOU DO
THAT?! By following the FOUR rules presented in the linked page.
The following are hints from several people on Ruger Forums
- From allabtslfdef:
Concealed means concealed. If you keep that in mind you will be good to
go. I saw a signature one time that said always carry, never tell.
Those are good words to live by.
- From slinger56:
PRACTICE,and when you are tired of that, take a rest and then practice
some more. Next week,,,,,,,practice again. Practice with the gun,
holster, and concealed method(s) you plan on using. Practice on
realistic targets at realistic distances. If you need to, seek out
experienced folks who may train you or share tips on just HOW to get
that gun out of the holster without shooting your foot off, or without
muzzle sweeping half of your state in the process. Then, PRACTICE!
Don't worry about speed, focus on accuracy. Did I mention PRACTICE ??
- From Pat-inCO:
** One statement from a national shooting champion is worth mentioning
"You can not miss fast enough to win."
** Now a few things to think about (how do YOU want to handle these
situations):
~ Use of indoor facilities:
~~~ Urinal - Can you use the receptacle and have your carry piece
protected? In some places there is a long line of receptacles. Is there
one available that will put your carry rig against a blank wall?
~~~ Sit-down receptacle - Where will you place your gun while you are
"busy doing paperwork"? Is there one with a blank wall on the side
where your gun is?
~ Winter:
~~~ When you take off your coat, will your gun become uncovered? It
gets really hot with a heavy coat on, indoors. You also draw attention
to yourself if you are wearing a heavy coat indoors and sweating.
~ Summer:
~~~ Hot days often require different carry rigs. Investigate the
possibilities - before - you need them.
~~~ Think about techniques that allow you to have your gun "hidden in
plain sight". Some carry rigs (fanny pack, SafePacker) allow you to
have team logos sewn on. That will reduce the "gun" image.
~~~ Will your carry rig allow you to protect the gun from sweat?
Saves cleaning the gun every time you carry it.
** The last item is, exercise due diligence in your setup, then RELAX.
Just because someone looks at you, it does - not - mean they have made
your rig (If they stare, you may be in trouble ). Allow yourself to
relax while remaining aware.
- From JustPlainDirt:
First practice safe gun!
**Read "In the Gravest Extreme" before you strap on anything. If you
can't wait to get the book then at least, read every on-line article
and video you can about, for, from or with, Massad Ayoob. (don't do
like I did initially and discount this guy because his name sounded
like maybe a foreigner's.). Critique every single gun related crime
you can; as if you were an armed bystander. What would you do? How
would you do it? Put your mind in the shoes of victim(s). Create any
imaginary scenario you can think of with yourself, your family,
co-worker, friends, neighbor and include coming to the aid of a police
officer. Prepare yourself. If you can imagine it, it can happen! The
unimaginable happens all the time. If you have to shoot a home invader
at night, which direction is it safe for you to shoot from where you
stand? Do the same exercise for daytime hours. It seems ludicrous to
think about safety when you have to shoot somebody and, if you do, it
may get you killed. Know in advance!
** Learn who Jeff Cooper is and why you care. Research "The Lakewood Four"
(Nov 29, 2009), what if you had just stopped in for a latte? (There are
hundreds of these types of incidents that have gone down over the
years.) Know the laws of your state, understand 'felony force' and how
it applies to your incident. Practice close quarters shooting. A
bullseye at 15 yards is nothing like a tweaker* at two feet.
** And, certainly not the final word on the subject, but, it might behoove
you to know about, "The Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network"
** It is important to know how to shoot, it's imperative to know
when.
- From CARSINC:
Learn what to do and say if
you draw your weapon and don't fire. Learn what to do and say if you do
draw your weapon and fire. Retain a lawyer who knows concealed carry
and has a record of defending CCW cases. Carry his/her card in your
wallet and have the number in your cell phone. Never stop practicing
and training - you want muscle memory, not just the ability to draw,
point and shoot. Spend some time with someone experienced in CCW. Learn
situational awareness, who is around you, what are they doing. Avoid
situations where you have a high probability of needing a weapon.
- From BearTaylor:
** Avoid a gunfight if possible.
** Don't shoot anybody that doesn't deserve it.
** Never let a bad guy get control your weapon. If you do you're dead.
** Don't draw a gun unless you know you can pull trigger if you have to.
** Keep in mind that your bullet may continue on after passing through
your target.
** Get to know a good lawyer and don't say anything you'll live to regret
after an incident.
- From BuckeyeBlast
Train. Don't just go to the range and shoot paper while standing still.
Marksmanship does not equate to handgun fighting skills when you're
under stress. Join a range that has IDPA shoots. Don't be intimidated,
some of the guys are amazing, ask for instruction and then start
competing. You're shooting while moving at multiple targets, with some
form of stress, and you're starting off with drawing from concealment.
All things that could save your life.
** Don't cheap out on a holster. The last thing you want is something that
pulls heavy on your belt, doesn't conceal well, and could lead to
dangerous retention problems.
**Be smart, be mature. You'll find you're more calm when CCW'ing. It's
not just a right, it's now a responsibility. You represent all of us
when you carry. KNOW your laws, think about scenarios, ask questions of
others and yourself. If you do something wrong, it's likely to punish
all of us. Again, it's not just a right, it's a responsibility.
Remember that if nothing else.
- From martinj001
I did see mention of not cheaping out on the holsters, but you might
want to add not cheaping out on a belt too. If a person spends big
money on a holster and cheaps out on the belt to carry it on, it ain't
worth much. A good belt and a good holster are just as important as
the weapon that goes in them.
- From Tracer
You should choose a brand of pistol and type of caliber that number
one, fits your hand and feels good, second choose a caliber that you
can handle and shoot well from the get go.
- From Stirfry
1. don't just assume an IWB holster is the best way to conceal a gun.
2. "this gun/holster is so ______, I almost forgot I was carrying it"
... it not always a good thing.
3. if you carry a small or light gun, a "good gun belt" adds more bulk and stiffness than is needed.
4. a good holster, on the other hand, is mandatory.
5... sure, "hiding" the gun is important... but don't let that override
the need to access it when needed. (I pocket carry at times, but seated
in a car you will never be able to access it. plan/think ahead)
6. smaller is not always better (doesn't matter how easy it is to hide,
if you can't shoot it well)
7. laws, laws, laws!
- From ncspeedsix
Ask your local LEOs what type of ammo they use and consider using the
same in your gun. That way, if you are ever asked on the stand why you
chose to use a particular type hollow point in your gun, you can
respond that you were using the same round that the local police force
uses. This may seem trivial, but prosecutors may attempt to make the
defendant out to be overly aggressive in his selection of ammunition
for his firearm, and this will keep you covered.
Along those lines, consider using a firearm for defense that has not
modified in any way since you acquired it NIB. Ie, right out of the box
with the factory trigger etc. If your weapon is involved in a shooting,
you can be sure that ballistics experts will be examining it. If your
gun has a modified trigger, the prosecutor can use that against you by
arguing that you put a lighter trigger on your weapon so that you could
pump more rounds into your target at a faster pace, and therefore may
have used excessive force in stopping your threat. These may seem like
trivial details, but any advantage that the prosecutor has to stir up
the jury, you can be sure they will try to use to their advantage.
- From hariph creek
Once you've figured out your CC rig, wear it around the house until it
doesn't feel like a foreign object anymore. That way you will feel and
look natural in public. Thus avoiding constant adjustments, checks and
having shifty or guilty looking eyes when you look people in the face.
Some final Thoughts
- The BEST gunfight, is the one you were not even near.
Many seem to be looking for trouble and if you do, you could easily
find far more than you anticipated. There are significant legal
repercussions in the use of a firearm for anything but personal
protection (obviously not talking about target practice or hunting).
- If you are involved in a shooting and the Bad Guy (BG) turns to
leave, let him leave! There are many well documented cases where
the GG was totally in the right, until he took just one more shot than
was necessary to stop the incident, and ended up in SERIOUS trouble.
There was one where a doctor had
someone come onto his property and break in to his house. The good
doctor used a .22lr revolver to convince the BG of the error in his
ways. Once the BG turned to leave the doctor took one more shot (that
he swears was into the ground) as an additional warning to the BG that
he was being watched. That shot hit the BG in the butt. End result, the
doctor lost his farm, all of his guns, did jail time, and can NEVER
own a gun again. All, just for a "warning" shot. - - If the BG
turns to leave, LET HIM GO!
- Here is a diagram that I found in no less than twenty web sites
so I will rely on the source's name included in the diagram for
credit. It details some of the more prevalent errors people will make
when carrying concealed. Do your best to avoid them!
The following are links to information that seems very useful.
E-mail at:
w0ipl@arrl.net