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My Initial Experiences with Concealed Carry, by AceHigh
As I started my journey into preparedness, one of the areas I pursued was getting
my Concealed Carry Weapons (CCW) license (sometimes called Concealed Handgun
License (CHL) or Concealed Carry License (CCL)). I thought it might be helpful
to Survival Blog readers to share my recent experiences related to obtaining
my CCW license and getting to a point where I felt comfortable carrying a
concealed weapon in public. I know there is some concern regarding obtaining
a license that puts you on record as a gun owner/carrier, but that is the
trade off of being able to legally defend yourself and is a decision each
of us must make.
In a full TEOTWAWKI situation, concealed carry is likely not much of an issue,
as most everyone will be carrying openly. However, it is possible, if not likely,
that a less than full TEOTWAWKI will occur where there is increasingly more
crime and yet some semblance of law enforcement is still in place. This limbo
between where we are today and complete lawlessness may last a long time. You
could be considered a criminal by illegally carrying a concealed weapon for
self protection.
First, a little background regarding CCW. Most states are either “shall
issue” or “may issue” in regard to CCW licenses (nice of
them to offer something already provided for by the Second Amendment). Both
Illinois and Wisconsin do not allow concealed carry at all and a few other “nanny” states
(California, New York, New Jersey, etc.) are “may issue” and only
provide licenses in very limited circumstances. There is a complicated set
of state reciprocity (which states will honor another states license), especially
considering that many states offer non-resident permits and a few states only
honor resident permits. The best source I have found to understand the laws
pertaining to individual states is the HandgunLaw.us
web site. Even though
there are sporadic attempts to nationalize concealed carry, I do not believe
this
will
happen which is probably a good thing (the federal government, especially the
current one, would likely make things much worse).
I applied for and subsequently received my CCW license about 18 months ago
in Idaho, my state of residence. My first several months of carrying a concealed
weapon was limited to having my gun in the car (in a somewhat hidden spot)
anytime
I left the house. My concern was that, even though I had some experience shooting
handguns and rifles, actually carrying a weapon in public carries a high level
of responsibility and I did not have enough confidence in my ability in handling
the weapon or in having the proper mindset as to how to respond to the variety
of situations that could present themselves.
I made one of the best decisions of my life when I attended the Four
Day Defensive Handgun class at Front Sight. Not only did those very intense four days enable
me to gain familiarity and confidence in handling my Glock 23 but started me
down the road to good marksmanship. The range work (about 75% of the class)
focused on gun handling safety, proper mechanics for drawing the gun and shooting,
and shooting accuracy. Just as important was the classroom work at Front Sight
where they discussed a wide range of topics related to self defense, including
the legal ramifications of even a justified shooting and the color codes of
awareness. The most important thing presented was that you should only present
your weapon if you are in fear for your life or grave bodily harm and, if you
do present your weapon, you should be prepared to shoot until the threat is
stopped. This may sound simple but there are many shades of gray here that
each individual must come to grips with.
One of these gray areas involves protecting others. Of course, there is no
question regarding protecting my family who would get a higher priority than
even myself. My personal decision is that I would also use deadly force to
protect my friends. Here is where it starts to get gray. Do you protect acquaintances
or strangers? While it would be very difficult to stand by and let someone
be harmed or killed when you could have done something to stop it, the real
issue is: Do you know enough of the circumstances about the event? How do you
know for sure who the bad guy is? Is the person holding the gun seeming to
threaten someone an off duty cop or even another CCW who is restraining a bad
guy? You certainly cannot count on presenting your weapon to get everyone to
stop until it can be sorted out. Chances are pretty good that the bad guy (or
the off duty cop) holding the gun will not surrender and you will either be
shot or have to shoot them.
Another gray area is: how far do you go to protect your stuff? You are only
legally able to shoot someone if you are in fear of your life or grave bodily
harm. In most states, you cannot legally shoot someone who is just taking your
stuff. For example, if someone pulls a gun (or knife) on you and demands your
wallet, you could shoot them if you were in fear for your life. However, if
you see someone stealing you car and you shoot them while they are driving
away; you are likely in deep trouble. An exception (in most states),
called the Castle Doctrine, is that you do not have to be in fear for your
life if
the bad guy is inside your house. Be sure to check your state
laws on use of force!
Prior to the class, I had begun to read the defensive handgun forums primarily
regarding hypothetical and actual defensive scenarios. I highly recommend these
forums. My favorites are: Defensive
Carry Forum, Concealed
Carry Forum,
and the Glock
Carry Forum. Even though there are many different
opinions expressed on these forums, hearing them helps to solidify your own
mindset
as to what you would do in a variety of situations. It is important to think
this through thoroughly prior to carrying a weapon because there will likely
not be time to do so when a situation arises.
The main point is that you need to go out of your way to avoid a gunfight.
This is illustrated by the fact that in a gunfight, you risk everything (including
your life) and don’t win anything. The ramifications to your life of
even a good shooting are such that it is something to be avoided if at all
possible. Those ramifications can include financial ruin, losing your job,
tarnishing your reputation (at least among the non-violent types), or even
incarceration. Now that I am armed, I am more able to resist the macho urge
to stand up to someone because I know that escalation could be deadly. It also
doesn’t hurt to have witnesses that say you tried to walk away or de-escalate
the situation in case the unavoidable does happen.
After attending the Front Sight class, I made the leap and started carrying
in public all of the time. This is where you start to figure out the type and
manufacturer of holster which is going to work best for you. Most people end
up with a drawer full of holsters since it is difficult to evaluate a holster
without wearing it with different clothing options and sometimes in different
positions for some period of time. Again, the defensive handgun forums can
provide a wealth of opinions regarding the variety of holsters available. Some
holsters are adjustable for height and/or cant, which make them more versatile
but also extend the time to figure out the most comfortable concealed position.
I could write many pages on all of the options and types of holsters available
since I did considerable research and tried many of them personally.
To simplify, the most common holsters are either OWB (outside the waistband)
or IWB (inside the waistband). They can be worn in various positions (usually
described but referencing the numbers on a clock with straight ahead being
12:00). Many people carry “behind the hip” at 4:00-5:00 (for right
handed people) or 7:00-8:00 (for left handed people) with some amount of forward
cant (grip of gun forward and barrel angled toward the rear). That cant (typically
10-20%) allows for a more natural grip on the gun for drawing from that position
as well as provides better concealment than a straight drop. I could never
get comfortable with this behind the hip position, maybe because I am not very
limber and I have bad shoulders making it difficult to reach behind my hip
both for getting the holster positioned initially and for access to the gun
when needed.
The 3:00 position allows for a straight draw and is the most comfortable, even
when sitting. Since it is on the apex of your hip/waist, it is a little more
difficult to conceal but is a good option in winter when jackets and coats
are common. You just need to make sure that you won’t be put into a position
where you will need to remove your cover garment. I have found that a fleece
vest works very well to conceal a handgun at 3:00 and you can still wear and
remove a heavier coat and keep your weapon concealed.
I have gravitated toward “appendix carry” at about 1:00-2:00 using
an IWB holster, especially in the summer. It allows for excellent concealability
and access and can be concealed with just a light shirt. This position also
allows you to be able to visually make sure you are not “printing” (outline
of the gun showing through your clothes). There are a large number of IWB holsters
available and some of them allow a shirt to be tucked in between the pants
and the top of the gun if you need to have your shirt tucked in. I did have
to go up one size in pants to accommodate the holster and gun being inside
the waistband.
Cross draw is another option and works well for people who spend a lot of time
driving. Other options that have drawbacks but may be useful for some people
include SOB (small
of back) holsters, shoulder holsters, and ankle holsters.[JWR Adds: As
previously mentioned in SurvivalBlog I consider SOB holsters too much of a
risk for back
injuries, particularly for anyone on horseback, or that is riding motorcycles
or ATVs.]
I use a fanny pack (worn in the front) sometimes, especially when hiking.
A
fanny
pack
in
public
tends
to scream “gun” to
most law enforcement and some bad guys. For women, carrying in a purse is an
obvious
choice. However,
you have to be very careful not to set it down anywhere where someone else
could get access to it. A purse can also be the target of someone trying to
snatch it, which not only deprives you of your means of self defense but gives
your weapon to your attacker. There are other options that each individual
should look into to meet their specific need.
To maintain and even improve the level of proficiency gained at Front
Sight, there are a few approaches. The obvious one is to do a lot of shooting.
With the cost of ammunition these days, this can be very expensive. A .22 conversion
kit for your carry gun will help to minimize the cost of putting a lot of rounds
down range. An alternative is to mix in dry practice. Personally, I like to
try to maintain 10%-20% of my practice time as live fire but sometimes that
is even difficult to achieve. Dry practice can help to maintain muscle memory
for drawing, sight acquisition, trigger pull, and even malfunction clearing.
An obvious important safety concern when dry practicing is to absolutely
insure that the gun is unloaded. I know that sounds pretty basic but a clear delineation
of
starting
and stopping
dry practice will help to eliminate a very bad experience of a
negligent discharge. Unload the gun and double check that it is unloaded. Then
remove all ammo from the dry practice area. Check again to make sure the gun
is unloaded. Even then, make sure you dry practice target has a good backstop
and make sure you never point the gun at anything you would not want to destroy.
At the end of the dry practice session, remove any dry practice targets, load
and holster the weapon, and go as far as to say out loud, “The weapon
is loaded and dry practice is over.”
I have applied for and am awaiting receipt of my Utah non-resident permit which
will make me legal in more states (33 states in total). I am also planning
to attend Front Sight again in a few weeks and take the Four Day Practical
Rifle class to gain more proficiency with my battle rifle. I even talked my
wife
into taking the Four
Day Defensive Handgun class at the same time. - AceHigh in Idaho
