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Why are there no mass
shootings at firing ranges? |
A decision to carry a concealed weapon, after all, carries with it an awesome responsibility – why would I decide to be responsible for the myriad of issues that comes with it? By deciding to carry a concealed weapon I have decided that I am willing to take a human life if necessary. I have decided that I am willing to be put in the position to quickly decide in an emergency situation whether or not to run, shoot, or even if my decision will be the correct (and legally defensible) one. Finally, this decision carries with it a notable change in lifestyle.
But despite all that, I made a conscious
decision to carry a concealed weapon. In this article,
I would like to document and share my decision
making process with you to help you understand
what makes a normal citizen make such a
potentially life changing decision. This article will chronicle the decision making
process, the social responsibilities of carrying
a concealed weapon (as I understand them to be),
and the significant lifestyle changes that one
goes through once getting the permit and
carrying a firearm.
Making the Initial Leap:
For the research, I consulted many sources, among which being the National Rifle Association, the U.S. Concealed Carry Association, and various other Internet discussion forums. Then, there are numerous blogs, discussion forums, and news sources documenting the many instances where an armed citizen was able to save themselves and others around them by carrying and calling upon their weapon.
For the training, I relied partly on my prior experiences handling firearms, which told me that constant training is always needed. It started out as a venture to take my spouse to a basic pistol course, to get her familiar with firearms, and to pick up new insights on concealed carry for myself. From there, training evolved into regular visits to the range, getting involved in competitive shooting events, and constantly reading articles and books from noted authors on concealed carry and self defense. Training and gaining new knowledge about firearms and self defense is a daily part of my routine these days.
Now for the seemingly more philosophical yet most important part - the “why” part - of this whole decision process: It has become painfully clear to me that even in a small town like the one in which my family and I live, there are still bad people who wish to do others harm. We still hear about home invasions, store robberies, people getting robbed in their own driveways, and various other violent crimes, right here in our part of the state! A major city with noted gang activity is not far away – it is only a matter of time before the criminals get bored and decide to take their show on the road. And because I have a spouse, children, and two dogs, all of whom I love very much, I am willing to protect them. My willingness to protect them includes using deadly force if necessary.
The Philosophy and the
Reasoning:
My willingness to protect my family goes beyond a mere philosophical need to prove that I am a good person and provider, however. I believe that I have a personal responsibility to protect them and provide for their safety. This responsibility is found in Biblical teaching, and further rooted in my own beliefs. The Supreme Court has made it perfectly clear that the government and police have no obligation to protect us as individuals (a noteworthy example being the 2005 case of Castle Rock versus Gonzales). In a more recent case in Madison Wisconsin, a young woman (student) was slain. She had called 911 but her call for help was ignored, the 911 operator hung up, and police were never called to investigate. So I am responsible for myself as an individual, and for my family as individuals. I accept this. I am perfectly willing and able to take on this obligation and do my part.
My willingness to protect my family goes beyond a mere philosophical need to prove that I am a good person and provider, however. I believe that I have a personal responsibility to protect them and provide for their safety. This responsibility is found in Biblical teaching, and further rooted in my own beliefs. The Supreme Court has made it perfectly clear that the government and police have no obligation to protect us as individuals (a noteworthy example being the 2005 case of Castle Rock versus Gonzales). In a more recent case in Madison Wisconsin, a young woman (student) was slain. She had called 911 but her call for help was ignored, the 911 operator hung up, and police were never called to investigate. So I am responsible for myself as an individual, and for my family as individuals. I accept this. I am perfectly willing and able to take on this obligation and do my part.
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Why do I carry a
concealed weapon? THIS is why! |
"When I started my research on guns in 1995, I disliked firearms... My views on this subject were formed primarily by media accounts of firearms, which unknowingly to me systematically emphasized the cost of firearms while virtually ignoring their benefits. I thought it obvious that passing laws that permitted law abiding citizens to carry concealed firearms would create many problems. But research has convinced me that laws that require right-to-carry permits to be granted unless the applicant has a criminal record or a history of significant mental illness reduce violent crime and have no impact on accidental deaths."
Source: "Culture Affects Our Beliefs About Firearms, But Data Are Also Important," 151 U. Penn. Law Review, 1387, 2003
I want my family to be
safe, but beyond that, I want my entire
community to be a good and safe place to live.
If my carrying a concealed weapon contributes to
the uncertainty and uneasiness that the criminal
vultures feel about committing crimes in my
community, then I am not only perfectly happy
with that, but I feel that I am part of the
solution and not just a passive bystander to a
greater threat.
The Practical Side of Carrying a Weapon:
By the way - this isn’t by
any means meant to be a recipe for others to
follow. My strategies won’t work for everyone.
And there are far greater numbers of experts out
there who can tell you more about tactics,
training, and self defense than I could ever
hope to. Rather, I hope to give some examples of
some things that have helped me, and to help you
decide for yourself what will work best for you.
So now that I have made
this decision, how does it affect my daily life?
Surely, one doesn’t just strap on a gun and go
walking around. There are certain places an
armed citizen can and cannot go, and certain
things an armed citizen has to do a bit
differently than before. As I mentioned before,
the decision to be an armed citizen affects not
only the person who is armed, but practically
everyone around them. There is still a lot of
fear and apprehension about guns out in the
community. Some people believe in the right to
be armed, but simply choose not to be. Then
there are others who don’t believe that citizens
should have guns at all, as well as those who
are morbidly afraid of firearms. The latter is a
result of lack of education (about firearms) and
misinformation from a biased media in my
opinion, and I will speak more to that in a
later segment in this series.
A recent cartoon I saw on
the Internet depicted a person who was carrying
a concealed weapon making the statement: “Having
a concealed weapon is like wearing Power Rangers
underwear; both are very cool, but you don’t
dare show anybody.” There is a lot of truth to
that. Having a concealed weapon, in my opinion,
means that it stays concealed – period! There
are a variety of reasons, not the least of which
is that we keep our handguns concealed primarily
because it keeps the bad guys guessing and gives
us the element of surprise. Secondly, quite a
few states have “shall issue laws for concealed
carry permits, but not all of those states have
“open carry” laws. This means that if you have a
concealed firearm, it must stay concealed, lest
you be arrested for public menacing. And
finally, firearms just make some people
frightened. I submit that those fears are
irrational, but those fears are very real to
those people; why put them through needless
worry and stress? They have every right to feel
as comfortable in their surroundings as we do.
And their worry and stress tends to lead to
unwanted attention drawn to yourself, and
perhaps the requirement to explain yourself to
law enforcement when those more frightened
people freak out and call the police.
Wardrobe decisions are
just something that has never plagued me before.
I was in the Navy for twenty years – my daily
attire was chosen for me. After leaving the
service, I have been mostly a jeans and t-shirt
kind of guy. Even when I am at work, jeans and a
decent sport shirt or polo shirt are considered
appropriate for my office. But carrying a
concealed weapon means that your attire has to
support concealment. Flaunting a weapon for the
reasons that I have already discussed is just
not something that I want to do.
Colorado is an open carry state, and I have a
permit, so either way I am covered. But the
fewer people who know I am carrying the better.
In fact, when I took my daughter to the mall
recently, she had no clue I was carrying my
handgun. Concealed means concealed – it’s as
simple as that for me.
The particular handguns
that I carry at the moment both seem to be most conducive to being holstered. They are fairly small (compact, but not sub-compact), but I feel I can retrieve them from a paddle holster on my hip
better than some of the other types of holsters
I have tried. And I tried several holsters
before making this decision. I have a few other
holsters that I try from time to time. As moods
change and clothing changes, so too can the
holster if needed.
My main carry gun, the Bersa .45 UC, is large
enough, however, that an in-waist-band holster
scheme doesn’t seem to feel very comfortable at
all. The paddle holster keeps it fairly high on
my hip, but I still need to wear a long shirt or
sweat-shirt to keep it concealed. I just bought
some long shirts and leave them un-tucked –
voila! Seems to work well in cooler weather, but in the
summer I have to change that strategy a bit.
Concealment vests are a good idea, but the looks
of some of them on a person seems to scream out
“Hey! I’m carrying a gun!” I found that a photographer's vest is a good choice as photography is a popular hobby in these parts. A small fanny
pack works well when I go to the gym or am wearing sweats for a long walk or something. Sweats and exercise shorts don't usually have pockets, so it is perfectly normal to see someone in such attire wearing a small fanny pack for carrying wallet, iPod, keys, etc.
The type of holster and
how to conceal were really the biggest decisions
I had to make. Once I chose the best way to
conceal my firearm so I could comfortably carry
it around, the big issues were over. Beyond
that, however, there are other things that I
feel are necessary. Being in the information
security biz, the term “defense in depth” is a
large part of my daily vocabulary. Securing
information takes a variety of tools to keep
networks, computers and data safe. Self defense
is really no different. A firearm is not always
going to be the best or only method for defense
from an attack.
There are many types of
attacks, and there are many types of defenses.
Criminal attacks are not the only attacks. And
certainly there are people who feel bold enough
to get in your personal space because they are
angry for whatever reason, but they aren’t
really intent on committing a violent crime. I
live in an area with lots of wildlife. We have
foxes in the neighborhood regularly. Bears and
mountain lions have been known to come down out
of the mountains, as have coyotes. There are
stray dogs as well. For example, at least twice
in recent weeks while walking my dog, some stray
dogs have attacked me and one other person near
me while I was out. My dog is small, so I picked
him up, and kicking the attacking dogs was
enough to send them off. On a walk the other
day, a gentleman and his dog were attacked by a
large dog, and the dog drew blood. If I had not
turned around to retrieve a forgotten item from
the house before the walk that would have been
my dog and me getting attacked. But had that
happened to us, would drawing my weapon and
shooting the dog been a viable solution?
Certainly not! It was simply a case of a large,
strong dog getting away from its owner. A good
shot of pepper spray would have likely turned
the dog away, and the dog would have lived. The
owner would have been upset, but that would have
been their problem. When animal control showed
up, I think they had enough to worry about
explaining how their big dog got away and
attacked someone.
The point is that a
firearm is not always the best or even most
responsible defense. Shooting a dog or their
owner, or even just shooting an obnoxious jerk
that is getting in your face, for example, will
probably land you in jail. But using the amount
of defensive force commensurate with the attack
is usually considered reasonable and prudent. If
someone refuses to get out of your face and is
getting close enough to be a threat, a shot in
the face with pepper spray may do the trick. A
potential attacker approaching in a dark parking
lot may be scared away when a tactical grade
flashlight is shined in their eyes, temporarily
blinding them. I don’t care how “bad” you think
you are – someone flashing a tactical grade
flashlight in your eyes gives you pause to think
about what else that person might also be
carrying. So carrying other defensive tools
might also serve as a deterrent in that it says
that you are prepared and willing to act – and
escalate your actions if warranted.
Having multiple tools at
your disposal is a wise decision. So for that
reason, besides the firearm, I carry other items
such as a cell phone, pepper spray, a knife, and
a flashlight. I consider these items the
absolute minimum. And the beauty is that these
additional items are relatively small, and I
don’t have to feel like I am carrying a hardware
store around in my pockets. Even if I am in a
place where I cannot carry a gun for legal or
other reasons, the other items are usually
acceptable and legal.
By choosing the right
types of self defense items, you will also have
useful tools to deploy in multiple ways. For
example, a good defensive flashlight and certain
types of pepper spray come in the same shape and
size of a kubotan stick. These can then be
easily used to jab into bony or fleshy parts and
inflict a great deal of pain in a close-in
encounter. Surefire, for example makes flashlights
which have a crenellated strike bezel which can
also be used as a close-in striking tool to
inflict injury and pain. A good tactical
flashlight will help you look inside and
underneath your car in a poorly lit parking lot,
and will also temporarily blind someone who is
approaching you.
Having defense in depth
provides a greater deal of security than simply
replying on one single tool – just as you have
many tools to do all your household chores, so
should you have many tools to provide for your
safety.
In the following sections, I would like to focus one of the most valuable self defense weapons available – the human mind. And while I am by no means a psychologist or expert of emotional well being in any way (I am a computer geek, after all), I do know that being aware, mentally prepared, and decisive in action is a key ingredient to survival.
Situational and Environmental Awareness:
In all honesty, I feel that a significant part of our society is made up of unaware, self consumed individuals. For example, I ride a motorcycle – and I can’t begin to tell you the number of times I have been cutoff and almost hit by people on their cell phones or engaging in other activities while driving which distracts them to the point that they can’t even pay attention to what is going on around them. These people can’t stop for simple stop-signs, and even by one woman I observed was eating a bowl of cereal (I’m not kidding) while driving her minivan. Some people seem to always be on their phones, and the funny thing is, they don’t really seem to be talking about anything earth shattering.
Then there are just those who seem to be looking at their shoes all the time, or are obviously in another place while they are out and about. I have a name for these people: they are simply the “unaware” of our society. Unfortunately, the criminal element is aware of these people as well, and they have their own name for them: “Victim!”
In my refusal to be a
victim or to allow myself to be caught unaware
by some piece of street scum who is looking for
his next victim, I am chosen instead to be aware
of what’s going on around me. I wish I could
offer some advice on how to train yourself to do
this, because for me it just comes naturally. I
was in the Navy, and spent a great deal of my
time on the flight deck, and working around
aircraft. Our saying was: “Keep your head on a
swivel.” To this day, I find myself being aware
of everything around me. I was fortunate; this
is part of the incidental training that I
received due to my profession. For those of you
who need some training in this arena, I suggest
you read
“How to Win a Gunfight: Gaining the
Half-Second Advantage”
by Tony Walker (ISBN
0-7414-4341-4. This wonderful book is full of
insights on how to become more aware, and how to
practice some of the other elements of self
defense.
So what does one do to get rid of the stress and anger? We all get angry, we all get stressed. And in the case of having to walk away from a situation, it is likely that pride and dignity will suffer to some extent. For me, physical fitness plays an important part of that stress relief. I’m not a spring chicken any more, so going to the gym regularly helps to relieve stress, but it also helps to add longevity and quality to life. In fact, one of the other aspects of self defense is agility, stamina, and the ability to gain (as Tony Walker puts it) that “half-second advantage.” An hour in the gym and I feel totally different and recharged.
But since I’m mentioning stress relief, there is another technique that my wife and I use for stress relief: going to the range! And no, I’m not talking about taking along effigies of our most hated co-worker or anything like that. We participate in a weekly shooting league at our favorite indoor pistol range. Each week, the targets are varied, the distances of the targets are varied, and the scoring is varied. For about an hour a week, we go to the range, the shooting scenario unknown to us until we arrive, and we spend that time concentrating on those targets and getting the best score that we can. During that time, we are thinking of nothing else! All thoughts of our hectic work day have literally vanished, and we are all consumed in having fun at the range. We share ideas on shooting techniques, we meet new people, and we enjoy talking with the proprietors on the gun shop. This relates to physical fitness also because we are practicing new and varied ways to shoot, different types of targets, and shooting at different ranges. In other words, we are getting a frequently changing look at the dynamic of shooting and practicing with our weapons. We go home and talk about the evening at the range and just enjoy the fact that we have yet another activity that we enjoy doing together. Having that aspect of my life in solidly good shape allows me personally to put everything else into place as well.
Constantly on my mind when I am out and about is an awareness of other people, particularly who are the “good guys” and who are the “bad guys.” I try not to be judgmental, but let’s face it: you can just tell sometimes, who are the average citizens walking around, and who the lower forms of human existence are. Going to the mall, for example, it is painfully obvious who the vultures are because you can see them sizing up everyone, following people around, and in general looking like they have no purpose in life other than to find their next victim. This is the same behavior seen on nature channels when the jackals are sizing up their next meal. It is just obvious, sometimes, that they aren’t there to do their shopping and leave – they just seem to be there perpetually as if that is their place of employment. Well, perhaps it is. I’m suspicious of everyone, and I spend a lot of time observing people. Unless you are completely unaware of your surroundings, you kind of have an idea who you can (mostly) ignore, and who you need to keep your eye on. Being aware is to be prepared, and being prepared means you are watching them more closely than the rest. The best thing I try to do is just avoid the places where these maggots seem to congregate the most, but sometimes what you need is at the place where the vultures hang out: The shopping mall and Wal-Mart seem to be the two most likely places where the dregs of society can be found here in my small town.
So for these reasons, and
more, I have decided to become an armed citizen.
As you can see, such a decision requires a lot
of thought, and for many people like me, is not
an easy decision. But now that I have made the
leap and obtained my permit, I have now stepped
into a new life. In the next article, I will
talk about how some of my daily wardrobe habits
have changed to accommodate my carrying a
concealed weapon, and the types of other things
that I have to think about carrying. But as you
will see, I don’t look on any of this as a
burden or an inconvenience. I look at this as a
necessary part of life as an armed citizen.
To me, carrying concealed
means just what it implies. I don’t want anyone
to know I am carrying a firearm, or any other
weapons for that matter. It is important to me
that the bad guys don’t know who is carrying –
it keeps them guessing. And I know that there
are a lot of frightened people out there who
freak out at even the mention of firearms. Why
put them through undue stress? In fact, as I am
sitting here typing this from a public coffee
shop, none of the people here have a clue that
there is an armed citizen in their midst – and I
intend to keep it that way. I’m not going to
change their minds about the benefit of being
armed in the time of our brief encounter – so
why try? Why go through having to explain to
them that their fears are irrational and that
they are safe as kittens around me? It just
isn’t worth it, but it is worth avoiding the
situation altogether.
Beyond the act of
concealment, I consider self defense to be a
matter of employing the right tools for the job.
That is why I carry a variety of self defense
items such as cell phones, a knife, tactical
flashlight, and pepper spray, and of course - my
wits.
As you can see throughout
this article, I have tried to illustrate that I
do indeed consider being an armed citizen to be
a serious and awesome responsibility. These
aren’t the ravings of some “gun nut” who just
wants to be able to carry his “toys”
everywhere. This is the mindset of a free man
who values his and his family’s safety above all
else. Self defense is a basic human right. I
owe it to my family to live a long life and
provide for their well being and safety. This
is my responsibility, not that of the
government. I don’t want to rely on anyone else
to carry out those responsibilities which are
mine alone, but at the same time I don’t want
anyone thinking that they have the right to take
my abilities to perform my duties as a
responsible citizen away from me. The founders
of our country made it clear that we were
endowed these rights by our Creator, and that
idea is still valid today. Technologies have
changed, and the population of criminals has
increased from their day, but what was spoken
then is still valid now. My right to defend
myself and my family is absolutely and
unequivocally non-negotiable!
"The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible to live without breaking laws."
- Ayn Rand
