ReloadWrap.com Concealed carry courses: 5 simple principles of concealed carry

CONCEALED CARRY COURSES:

5 SIMPLE PRINCIPLES OF CONCEALED CARRY.

    Thank you for checking out our concealed carry courses. Here we will talk about some carry ideas / thoughts that we think are important and relevant for those who want to protect themselves or others by means of carrying a concealed firearm. First, why would you listen to anything that "I"  have to say? Well I am a retired Police officer with over 22 years of experience. In addition to that I have carried a gun for approximately 25 years in total. As a police officer I have had a lot of training with firearms and how to use them. Prior to retiring in 2018 I was a certified firearms instructor with over 8 years of instructing experience. I was also the team leader for my department's tactical entry team and helped to create it at my department. Some of my duties was that of a detective supervisor over all crimes at my agency, including homicides. I say all this to state that I do have some value to offer with my experience. I am not a Navy Seal or a Delta Operator but I think I understand what carrying concealed is about. So with that all said I do appreciate you taking time to read these periodic discussions to help build your mind up. 

So let's start off with our topics: 5 PRINCIPLES

1. Keep it Simple: I have learned a lot over the years and one of the things that stuck with me is that training for 8 hours or during a class about a new tactic or defensive posture is great until it's over and you forget all you learned within a few weeks. I know we all do it, so unless one learns a new skill and practices it "ALL THE TIME" it will perish. Now here's the truth I don’t go shooting that often because of the cost and availability of places to shoot. It's not an excuse it’s just reality so does that mean I am not prepared.... No. I believe that you can prepare with mental drills and adhering to simple principles. Principles like: Always carry a gun when you go out! Always carry a reload for the firearm you are carrying! Always be prepared to use it if needed and lastly you should realize that there are bad people out there who will KILL you without hesitation! In other words Keep it simple, no need to get crazy. Shoot and practice when you can, get that trigger time in. However by far you should be able to simply "think" about carrying every single day pondering its implications. So do that at least, never take it for granted, and always think about "What if".
2. Always carry: Sounds funny but I know folks who have carry permits but don't carry all the time. It's like playing Russian roulette when you got out.... I wonder if it will happen today? Remembering to keep it simple you should Always, Always, and Always carry when out. I suggest that you even carry at home too, but that will be another discussion for later. Let's face it if you are not always willing to carry what are you actually accomplishing?  You and your family are now exposed. The public at large is exposed too from you being a well rounded, prepared, concerned citizen who, well... was not able to intervene when it happened that day. So please always carry and get into the habit of "Absent from the house, present with a gun" mentality. If you can remember to grab your cell phone, you can remember to arm yourself.
3. Always carry a reload: I know here is my plug for my product right? In 2009 I was doing what I always did when off duty, carrying concealed. Well once I became a firearms instructor for my department I started to think differently. I also started hearing about "Active shooters" and all that craziness that goes with that. Well hey I was smart enough to carry a firearm so that was enough right? Well not quite. Imagine if you will that you were smart enough to get a carry permit, buy a gun and start to carry it. Your confidence is increasing and you can take on the world, you don't look for trouble but deep down you know you are ready for it if it comes..... Well one day it happens you are at Walmart (or insert local store name here) and an active shooter walks in and starts shooting. Your life has come down to this point and you may not make it, but you are armed and you are gonna fight! You pull out your concealed firearm and exchange some rounds with the bad guy and as stress/murphy's law dictated your gun malfunctions or runs out of ammo!!!!! So now what... well if you did not carry a reload you might get killed. So this is why I designed ReloadWrap. ReloadWrap is simple, it works, it's convenient and it’s affordable. It’s like insurance for your gun.... now that's done let's move on
4. Be prepared to use it: I also know folks who even though they carry appear, at least to me, to not be willing to use it (AKA pull the trigger). As if to them it's just a great deterrent to have. These folks are partially correct that a gun is in fact a great deterrent but without the willingness to use it, it slowly turns into a liability. We used to be taught that as a police officer that every encounter there was a gun there! That gun was the one we carried on our hip. So if the bad guy was unarmed it was still a bad situation, because if bad guy was determined enough they would kill us with our own gun. So carrying is a risky proposition and proper handling/decision making is absolutely necessary for proper use. So come to terms with taking a bad guys life. I haven’t had to do so, so I don't have experience with it, but I am willing to in fact "pull the trigger" if needed. It took some time to get there and it's hard, but once you have seen the depravity of Humans up close, you know that you may have to use that option to save yourself or a loved one's life. This one requires deep inner thoughts and soul searching so that's up to you arrive there.... moving on to the last principle
5. Realize what you are up against: here is another hard topic to grasp but a needed one. So even though I told you I was in fact "willing" to pull the trigger, does not mean that I wanted to pull the trigger. In fact through my 22 plus years as a cop I didn't have to shoot anyone and for that I am glad. However I was exposed to some bad folks! I live a fairly normal life, not too much excitement so my exposure to bad stuff was strictly limited to my on the job stuff. I wasn't living on the street nor was I in a gang when I was younger. So I respect life and other people as my upbringing has taught me. However there are folks out there who do "live on the streets", "are in gangs", and "do not respect life" so they are at the opposite side of the scale of behavior. So in my honest opinion bad folks have an advantage over us "good" folks in that they will not hesitate to kill you if the situation presented itself. Whereas us "good" guys want to avoid trouble if possible and always gravitate to people's good nature as a rule of thumb. Thus bad guys have a violence advantage over us as they are willing to us it more readily then we would. So we have to form mental exercises and watch bad stuff on TV to remind us that they are out there. Once your realize that there are folks who would just as soon kill you then look at you, you are now there at the proper understanding of reality. So now what? Well lets recap

     The solution to the above principles: Always have tools on you that will help you win the fight in the best way possible. You will not know in advance when the attack comes, it will just develop and you will have to coop with it. A lifelong pursuit of "AWARENESS" is key to being able to process these things when they do come along so always be thinking and avoiding if you can. However when it does come at your doorstep, be prepared to swiftly repel violence with your own SWIFT VIOLENCE!!  Easier written then done, but that's why you need to use your best weapon that you have...... your MIND.    

ReloadWrap.com has developed and sells a Universal pocket holster that fits magazines, revolver speedloaders, and speed strips so that concealed carriers will always have an extra reload on them. The author is the designer and owner of ReloadWrap. The author has many years of experience as a lead trainer and appreciates the opportunity to offer training to responsible gun owners.