Concealed Carry Defender: Do You Have What It Takes?

I (John Lovell) am one of the last people ever to deter you from owning and carrying a firearm everywhere you go, and I'm certainly not doing that here. But I am encouraging you, maybe pleading with you(?), to get good concealed carry training. It can save you a lot of trouble in the end.

After literally decades operating with and training people on pistols and other guns, I've seen and heard a lot of stories from people who wish they'd had a gun, and from people who wished they'd known how to use it when the time came.

Even experienced operators have done a stupid, mindless thing or two with their weapon–sometimes resulting in embarrassment and sometimes resulting in tragedy.

RELATED | Getting Started with Concealed Carry

Depending on what state or country you call home, you may or may not be required by law to take a test to receive your concealed carry permit. In my state, for example, you only have to be a certain age and pass a criminal background check. In other states, you sit through some lectures and then demonstrate safe handling of a firearm.

Hopefully you know that neither of those bureaucratic layers means you are ready to skillfully strap your smokewagon and enter the world without fear.

Even if you've been to the range a half dozen times or two dozen times and your "experienced friends" have taught you a thing or two about presenting and firing your War Poet CR920 at the paper targets, you may only have succeeded in building false confidence.

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Being able to safely clear a chamber, to properly disassemble, clean and assemble your weapon, being able to send a group of 9 mm into the center mass of a paper target are all excellent beginnings to your journey in concealed carry.

But are you ready to use that gun, in split seconds, to draw down on an attacker to protect yourself, loved ones and the innocents around you?

Concealed Carriers Need Quality Training and Lots of Repetition

If you fancy yourself as someone with a one shot one kill ratio with your Glock 19 but you've never deployed your piece under duress, you may need a reality check.

A good, safe place to receive such a reality check is at a concealed carry class provided by experienced, qualified firearms instructors. Our in-person Pistol 1/Pistol 2 classes are an excellent beginning.

RELATED | Situational Awareness 101

Of course we also have a whole series of virtual training modules available on the Warrior Poet Society Network where our instructors walk you step by step through proper firearm use all the way through tactical applications.

These online courses serve as an in-depth introduction that can help prepare you for range drills and in-person training down the road.

The Most Complicating Factor: You Are An Easy Target

One of the first things I drill into students in my Pistol 1 classes is just how soft a target most of us are until something wakes us up. And with people living on their smartphones and life becoming increasingly automated, it's become easier for us to go on autopilot.

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Here are some things to keep in mind as you continue your journey toward becoming a concealed carry defender:

First of all, yes. I encourage you to pursue becoming a concealed carry defender. But this first means you need to find the right gun, immediately get your permit, and immediately after that get into the right instruction and training so you're learning the right habits for safe and effective firearms operation in tactical situations.

Bad guys are ambush predators. If you've ever watched a nature video, you probably know that the lion or the cheetah always goes for the weakest and slowest, most defenseless member of the herd. It's the way with predatory humans, too. They want easy targets. If you are going to become a defender, your first goal is to become a hard target.

Defenders aren't easy prey. If you're reading this then I doubt your the kind of person who goes stupid places at stupid times with stupid people. You're probably more situationally aware than the average person. Concealed carry defenders stand tall and send the message with their awareness and alertness that they will not be taken without a fierce fight. What message do you send to the world when you're out and about with your friends, family and loved ones?

Defenders know how to deploy their tools when it matters. There are multiple common sense reasons why, as a defender, you can't and won't enter daily life like the common man or woman. In the words of Vito Corleone, you should spend your "entire life trying not to be careless." This is because you know that life or death fights happen in seconds, not minutes. This means you have split seconds to react. And this means you'll have to fall back on your instruction, your training, and your instincts when/if the ambush occurs.

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That's why it's of life and death importance that you Train Hard. Train Smart. Live Free.