Concealed Carry Success

 There are a lot of people who are new to either shooting pistols, or new to concealed carry and self-defense.  The statistics shows that many folks are arming up as a reaction to crime including illegal immigration.  The lack of prosecuting crimes in many cities with "woke" Soros backed prosecutors has encouraged the goblins to take bolder actions.  But knowing that citizens may be armed helps to constrain these same goblins.  Therefore, it was with great interest that I noted a piece at Ammoland by Ben Findley entitled 12 Steps For Concealed Carry Success. These 12 steps are a good overview, but I would add a 13th step: Pray every day that you never have to use your gun to defend your life or the lives of others.

Gentle readers can read the 12 steps for themselves. I would highlight several though that may be of interest.

The first is that training with your gun is vital. But the saying that live fire should be done with expensive carry ammo because after all, how much is your life worth? is not a valid argument. We each have a budget, and there are many things that demand our time and money. They must be prioritized. Remember that a gun is a tool, and not a multipurpose tool at that. I recommend most of your training being dry fire, which can be done at home. Occasional trips to the range should be regularly scheduled, mostly using inexpensive training rounds. You should run a few magazines loaded with your carry ammo before you carry it, however. Also, every 4 to 6 months you should dispose of the ammo you have been carrying and replace it with fresh ammo. You can just shoot the old stuff out, and then reload the magazines with fresh carry ammo.

The advice to carry always comes with a risk that only you can determine for yourself depending on where you work, what type of work you do, and other things including your family situation. My advice is to carry as often as you can within the law.  Unless you carry pretty much all the time, you may not remember that you have it in an emergency, or on the other hand, you may reach for it and it won't be there.

If you regularly wear a suit, you are good to go. But few people do these days. Being retired, I generally go about with a pair of slacks and a tucked in tee-shirt and a somewhat oversized unbottoned shirt over that as a cover garment. If you are new, it takes some getting used to, but you will soon learn that most people are not focused on you. Most people will not even notice if you are there. Just go about your business as you normally would.

Situational awareness is your most important weapon in your arsenal.  The gun is just a tool. Don't, in other words, be like most people. Look around you and be aware of the movements of others. Parking lots are often places where the goblins can strike from hiding. Be aware of people sitting in cars. Don't be one of those staring at their phones. Keep your head on a swivel and your eyes processing the scene. Note clothing styles that seem out of place, for instance. Avoiding places and situations that seem fishy is the best way to avoid needing you gun