10 Reasons to Carry Concealed

Concealed carry is far from being a “modern day” phenomenon. And it is also nothing new for women. But, society wants you to think this is a new idea, a new way of thinking for the “American gunner” (did you know that being considered and American Gunner or American Shooter never had a bad connotation until the 80s and 90s?). Current society wants you to think that women shooting and carrying guns is wild and crazy! Sure, maybe only to the guy who is trying to rape or kidnap her!!! Did you know that Eleanor Roosevelt was the only First Lady that packed a pistol everywhere she went, as First Lady and long after? Men and women should be carrying. You don’t like guns you say? Well, I bet you like someone who has guns and you would be thankful they are your friend if anything were to ever happen to you and that friend is there to hopefully protect you with that gun! But what happens when he or she isn’t there? What then? Am I insinuating that you should all of a sudden like guns and go out and get one? Absolutely not! But, you might want to at least learn to shoot one! You just never know when the Zombies will emerge, Red Dawn will occur or your home is broken into while you are alone! But if not, it’s ok… we can certainly still be friends! But if something happens and you come banging on my door you will be doing two things if you want to hold up with me: 1) Get a crash course on keeping my magazines fully loaded while I am picking off Zombies and 2) make sure that any of us shooting don’t run out of ammunition! Trust me, you will be busy!!! Ok, ok.. I’m off topic!!!

Reasons to Carry Concealed. Many have their opinions for either open carry or concealed carry… and we have already discussed this so I am not going to re-hash it, but I will have a point or two regarding it. Here we go.

– (Minus) 1 Reason of all time: “I carry concealed because it gives me a sense of power over everyone else and all I have to do is whip it out when the poo hits the fan and I will save the world!” If that’s you, you are officially an IDIOT and a person I want to stay away from because you are going to get yourself in trouble!

#1 – Carrying Concealed gives me the confidence that I can protect myself and my family and friends if a situation got to such a point. Note: The confidence does NOT come from simply carrying a gun. Too many people decide to get their CHLs, CCWs (whatever your state calls them) and then they think they are safe. They don’t practice at home. They go to the range a couple to a few times a year. They have never taken a defensive pistol course. And, most have never shot in any type of match to test their skills. Being good at something takes absolute dedication, persistence and practice! Strapping a gun on and knowing how to load it and pull the trigger is not even part of the equation. Learning how to do those things when your heart is pounding and your hands are shaking is a good start!

#2 – Carrying Concealed does not mean I am paranoid. Most people who carry intentionally stay away from bad neighborhoods and even verbal confrontations. We know the responsibility and accountability that comes with carrying a firearm. I’m not paranoid, I just have less to fear than the unarmed person!

#3 – Carrying Open will cause doubt in the mind of some criminals. If I openly carry (which is NOT a bad thing) I no longer have the element of surprise.

#4 – Carrying Concealed gives me a secret and makes me a formidable defender! In the Art of War by Sun Tzu, Tzu states “The general who is skilled in defense hides in the most secret recesses of the earth”. If you announce your means of defense and identify your position, you have lost the ability to do one of two things. 1) Retreat… Live to defend another day or 2) respond before the attacker realizes what is happening.

#5 – Carrying Open could possibly make me the first target and possibly the first victim!

#6 – Carrying Concealed in the State of Texas is the legal thing to do!

#7 – Carrying Concealed is my only option since I cannot carry a Cop! Ok, I agree, this is a stupid statement and I’m tired of hearing it, but, hopefully you get the point! Average 911 response time in the US overall is 22 minutes. Chicago it is 32 minutes and Detroit it is 58 minutes! Law Enforce will not be there to rescue you… you can almost bank on it! Unfortunately they will be there to clean up the mess, take the reports and draw the chalk outlines!

#8 – Carrying Concealed is not just the law, but it is my right. I hope that I will never have to use my gun in any other event other than to shoot targets at the range. But, unless your heads are buried in the sand, you know it is a dangerous world in which we live!

#9 – Carrying Concealed gives me positive opportunity. A bad guy will have to make a decision, or several… is anyone carrying, if they are can they get their gun out before I find out who they are and are they trained to properly use that gun in a situation like this? A positive opportunity because I have more things in my corner than he does. I’m concealed, I’m confident, I have already observed my surroundings and I am trained! Most of your street thugs do not go to the range, they do not practice, they do not aim and they are scared of getting shot! Trust me, I don’t want to get shot… but I will guarantee that my opportunity of fighting to stay alive is stronger than his opportunity to rob, rape or kill!

#10 – Carrying Concealed gives my family and friends a sense of calm and security, especially if they do not carry. If a “poo hit the fan” scenario were to develop I know my friends and family know that I am armed and know that I have training as well as that I practice often! They understand that this will give them a chance at survival so that won’t become statistics. Can I guarantee this outcome? Certainly not, but the odds are in my favor. I am all for stacking odds in my favor if it means we have a better chance at survival.

Let me emphasize a couple of points here so no one gets the wrong idea. I said I am trained and I practice. Yes, I am and I do. But, I do not have the training of a law enforcement officer nor a soldier, but the fact that I have given myself opportunity after opportunity to attend training classes to develop my defensive pistol skills and my consistent practice with my handguns gives me an advantage over most criminals. Am I as good as some LE folks out there? I would like to think so, maybe even better based on some recent conversations I have had about training with local cops. Training yourself and bettering your skills are a winning combination in any environment or aspect of life. You learn from those who are the best. The reason I take combat defensive pistol classes is that I know the training I am receiving is by people who have been there done that and it puts me in a very stressful environment to see how I react as well as how quickly I learn and adapt.

A few examples of doing the right thing by concealed carry permit holders:

Bystander Saves Cop’s Life In Oklahoma

Concealed Carry Permit Holder Saves a Wal-Mart Shopper’s Life

A Passerby In Wisconsin Saves Woman’s Life

Fun facts:

The Texas Department of Public Safety has already processed 256,000 new concealed handgun licenses YTD for 2013.

The number of women learning to shoot has increased by 76% for 2013 YTD.

Choosing to carry is a huge decision for any person to make. If you haven’t gotten the message yet chances are you won’t get it… You are NOT prepared for life altering decisions simply by taking a 4 hour class, scoring well on a written and a shooting test and then strapping that gun on you. The responsibility and moral implications are far deeper than simply learning to shoot a gun and then carrying it. If your life is threatened can you rationalize the outcome of your decision to draw your gun from your holster and pull the trigger in less time than it takes for your heart to beat one time?

Do you understand the terms “adrenaline rush”, “situational tunnel vision”, “loss of gross motor skills” (meaning your fingers loose dexterity), “loss of life”, “sight picture”, “is my safety on or off”, “do I have a round in the chamber or do I need to rack the slide”, “did I fire two shots or ten shots”, “what happens if my gun jams or misfires”, “what happens if I accidently release my magazine… do I have another full spare on me”, “where is the closest cover that I can shoot from or am I going to stand in the open… and do I have time to make that decision”, “what happens if I get shot”, “where will my bullet go if I miss my intended target”? If you can answer ALL of these questions you just might be ready when the time comes. But if you can’t, you need to seriously think about what you are doing and get more training. I can answer these questions for myself but I cannot answer them for you!

Ok friends, as always… Stay Focused!

Surviving a home invasion.

When i was invited to contribute as a guest writer, my first thought was with such a broad spectrum, what am I actually going to write about. Fate, or moreover misfortune, gave me my subject matter.
Firstly, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jerry Montague, and I am the COO and a partner in Dimension4Services, a full service private security and executive protection company operating here in the US, with offices in London and Munich, undertaking contracts in numerous countries. For obvious reasons i won’t go into specifics about my personal history, nor divulge where and to whom we are currently contracted. Needless to say we comprise of some of the best in their professions, from the UK, US and FFL forces.
To the task at hand; as I said, my subject matter comes from what could have been a very different outcome to an extremely dangerous situation, had the victim not taken professional advice and instruction in home invasion scenarios.
Although in numbers home invasions are a somewhat rare crime, and tend to be committed inside the circle of gang and drug dealer realms, they do happen to regular people going about their daily lives. People at risk can literally be anyone, but high end targets such as bank officials, jewellers or simply just successful affluent individuals, should keep in mind that in a volatile world they are not exempt.
Some of the techniques we teach are the same as the diplomatic protection service, and are extremely effective.
If you feel you are at risk, or simply want to be able to reduce the risks to yourself and your loved ones, look at implementing the following strategies.
1 Environment.
Know your neighborhood and your neighbors, try to learn a little of their routines, what they drive etc. This way any strange vehicles or activity at their homes or in the area can be reported, criminals do not like secure neighbourhoods and avoid them. Encourage your neighbors to do the same, better to be viewed as paranoid than a victim.
Alter your routes to and from regular destinations, and if you have more than one vehicle swap out randomly. Try not to park in the same place at work, the mall, school or other regular destinations, and always in well lit areas. Home invasions are not crimes of opportunity, they are planned and researched. So be aware of your environment, develop that sixth sense that yells somethings amiss.
2 In the home
Home invasions are overtly violent in their execution, the aim is to overwhelm and intimidate within the first few minutes, being prepared is essential. Practice scenarios with your family, have a plan and make sure everyone knows the drill. Choose a safe room, master bedroom is perfect, where you and your family are going to group. To improve the security of the room, alter the door to an outswinging one, it is far more difficult to breach and will gain valuable time. If you hear a noise always check it out, 99 times it will be nothing, but ignoring it could be the 1 time you shouldn’t have. Keep your cell phone in the bedroom at night, you can’t use it if its sitting on the kitchen counter, and even the car keys with the remote panic button work great, and are cheaper than an alarm system that can be disabled. Gather your family quickly and quietly, if you can stand watch in the hallway whilst another family member does this, and retreat to the safe room and lock the door. If your state allows the ownership of firearms keep one readily available, loaded and in the safe condition. Do not attach a flashlight to the rail, learn to utilise a separate light source, remember attached lights point in the same direction as the muzzle and you are going to be in a heightened level of stress. You want to be 100% before discharging your weapon. And remember you know the layout of your house better than anyone else, you can use this to your advantage, don’t turn on lights if you can help it, and use a flashlight to dab trace. An intruder faced with a bright flashlight doesn’t know whether its attached to a firearm or not, the upper hand is yours if you remain as calm as possible, and follow your planning with military precision.
In closing, if you buy a firearm for personal protection, seek professional training in its use, and practice regularly especially in the areas of tactical and defensive shooting. Our motto at Dimesion4 is “same gun, same place, all the time”.
If you would like further information regarding our services, we can be reached at dimension4 services@Gmail. Com