I put on a South Carolina Concealed Weapons Permit class this past weekend, and it occurred to me that people new to concealed carry may benefit from some guidance. So in this episode, I’m going to address some concerns and questions I’ve gotten as an instructor. I’ll be giving the answers to these as well as some tips to set you up for success as you begin carrying. So grab your favorite caffeine delivery beverage, and let’s get to it.
While I like to think that every episode of my podcast has something a new concealed carrier can learn from, I have done three episodes aimed directly at this demographic. If you belong to this group I strongly encourage you to listen to these three episodes: 5 Things To Practice As A Concealed Carry Permit Holder, Ten Mistakes You're Making As A Concealed Carrier, and Ten More Mistakes You're Making As A Concealed Carrier. While I may be reiterating some (OK, a lot) of the content from these episodes, there’s also going to be a lot of new material.
What’s driving me the most to do this episode was my state’s recent move to constitutional carry. While it’s been a long time in coming, we had a clean constitutional carry bill passed. Now, anyone who is eighteen years old or older who isn’t legally barred from owning a firearm can legally open or concealed carry in South Carolina. This is as the Founding Fathers intended, the right to keep and bear arms without infringement. But, remember what Uncle Ben said to Peter Parker, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Believe me, if you exercised your right of constitutional carry, just strapped on a gun and headed on out, without any training or research of the laws, while you may be legal, you’re still wrong. There are a lot of factors you may have failed to consider.
Let’s start with the legal aspect of strapping that gun on your hip. When you slid that pistol into the holster, you also slid your home, car, life savings, and anything else of value you possessed into it. Because that’s everything that will be up for grabs in a civil court if you’re ever sued for shooting someone. Bear in mind that while you may be cleared criminally in a shooting, here in the good ‘ol U.S. of A. anyone can sue anyone for anything civilly. And if you shoot someone, they’ll either sue you themselves, and if you killed your opponent their family, who may or may not have seen your opponent in the last thirty years, will sue you. Because their relative is always a “good boy just getting their life together and going to church.”
You need to make sure you’re prepared for the aftermath of a shooting before it takes place. I can’t recommend having some form of “insurance” that is specifically designed for what takes place in a defensive shooting. Just plug “concealed carry insurance” into your search engine of choice and you’ll find a lot of options. Compare what each offers and pick the one that works best for your particular situation. The one I have provides for bail, legal representation, and expert witnesses in all fifty states for a very reasonable annual fee. This will cover any criminal proceedings. Civil suits are on you. However, being cleared criminally may be beneficial to you in a civil trial.
You also need to know the laws concerning carrying and the use of deadly force, not only for your own state, but for any state you plan on carrying in. Do you know, not think, but KNOW where you can and can’t carry? How about where in your vehicle you can have a gun? You need to know these things to avoid inadvertently breaking the law. Remember the old phrase, “ignorantia juris non excusat” (Latin for "ignorance of the law excuses not"). It means a person who is unaware of a law may not escape liability for violating that law merely by being unaware of its content. And be especially knowledgeable about the laws regarding deadly force. Know the elements that justify using it against a person in your home state and any state you plan on traveling to and carrying in.
Once you fully understand the laws and the implications of carrying a gun, you’re ready to strap that smoke pole on your hip and get out to gettin’, right? Well slow your roll there Sparky, and let’s talk about that gun.
I’m going to go ahead and assume that the gun you have fits your hand, that you’re able to work the controls without shifting your grip, and that you can hit what you’re aiming at. If you were hesitant about any of this, you may have to start looking at another gun. It’s important that you’re able to do all that stuff if you’re going to depend on that gun for your life.
So, assuming you have the right gun, what’s your marksmanship like? If you’re able to shoot relatively tight groups at twenty-five yards, you’ve got the basics down. But there’s a huge difference between shooting on a static range and being in a gunfight. You’re not going to have the opportunity to take controlled breaths, get that perfect sight picture, and squeeze the trigger. No, you’re going to be dealing with a massive adrenaline dump. Your heart is going to be pounding like a jackhammer, you’re going to be sucking for air like a beached grouper, and your hands are going to be shaking like you have a terminal case of Saint Vitus’ Dance.
You need to move away from practicing marksmanship and get comfortable with training. Start at realistic gunfight distances, anywhere from three to seven yards. Every shot string you shoot should be started by drawing your gun from concealment. You know, because you’re not going to be walking around with your gun in your hand. You need to get to the point where you’re clearing your cover garment, drawing your gun, and delivering rapid, accurate fire. For some added realism, sprint twenty-five or thirty yards, then start your drill.
Use a shot timer and keep track of your progress. When you train, concentrate on doing the things you suck at; it’s the only way you’ll improve. For instance, if the time it takes you to draw your gun from concealment and present it to the target could be beaten by a Xanax addicted sloth, work on that until you get the time down. See where you’re losing time, and train on that until you get it right. Remember the adage; beginners train until they get it right, but professionals train until they can’t get it wrong. The faster and more accurate you are the better chance you have of surviving a gunfight.
Find a local club that hosts IDPA matches. IDPA is the International Defensive Pistol Association. You’ll be shooting scenarios, often those pulled from real life. You’ll be doing everything you need to get good at for a gunfight; moving, target discrimination, reloading, and shooting at moving targets. If you shoot club level matches where there aren’t any prizes or cash to win, you’ll find yourself surrounded by helpful, experienced shooters. You’ll hone your skills and have a good time doing it.
I'd like to take a moment to share some information with you about a veteran-owned business located in South Carolina that specializes in building custom modern sporting rifles on the AR platform. Fort Mill Firearms produces high-quality firearms one at a time, providing customers with a reliable and affordable option. They will work closely with you to create a rifle that meets your specific needs, whether it's for hunting, competition, range shooting, or personal defense. They take pride in using quality parts and offering exceptional customer service, all at fair prices. If you're interested in learning more, you can contact them at (803) 509-0100. I'll also include their contact details and website in the show notes.
Now, let’s address your paranoia. People new to carrying firearms are understandably paranoid about people looking at them. You open carry folks? Well, you are definitely going to be stared at, and you really can’t blame people. Armed people other than uniformed officers aren’t a common sight, so you’ll be attracting the attention you apparently really want. Have I ever told you that I think open carry is a supremely bad idea? If you haven’t heard it from me before, let me reiterate it. Open carry is a supremely bad idea.
Now you folks carrying concealed, if you’re wearing the right kind of clothing, and carrying your weapon in a proper holster attached to a proper gunbelt, then no, everyone is not looking at you. When you’re out in public, take a look around at your fellow humans. How many of them are so self-absorbed in their own thing that they don’t even notice you? How many are buried in their phones? Are you seeing that the vast majority of the population has the situational awareness of a freaking rock? So unless you do something to deliberately attract attention to yourself (like open carry) hardly anyone will even register your presence.
One of the common things that people who are new to carrying guns do is constantly check their gun. This will definitely attract unwanted attention to you. Why are you checking on it? Are you making sure it’s still there? If you’re new to carrying it, you won’t need to periodically touch your gun to make sure you still have it, because you’ll feel like you’ve got a boat anchor attached to your pants. You’ll definitely know it’s there. But don’t worry, once you get comfortable with wearing it you may tend to forget you have it on.
And while we’re on the subject of carrying the gun, let’s talk about how to do that. If you’re the type to just tuck a gun in your waistband or drop one in your pocket, someone needs to slap you in the head. To safely and effectively carry a gun you need a decent holster. The holster needs to completely cover the trigger guard so you don’t have a negligent discharge, what we refer to in the trade as a sub-optimal experience. The holster has to hold the gun securely while you’re walking and running. You don’t want your gun coming loose and skittering along the aisle at the local Wally World causing Karen to have heart attack. And your holster has to position the gun in the same place every time.
Now granted, this is sage advice for us guys. We have it easy, as we wear pants with belts. You ladies on the other hand have it a good bit more difficult. Depending on what you’re wearing, your build, and other things that impact where and how you can carry a gun that I’m not even aware of, your options may vary. At the minimum though, your holsters also have to cover the gun’s trigger guard and hold the gun securely.
And gunbelts people, gunbelts. Those skinny leather dress belts are not made to support the weight of a gun in a holster. Spend the money and get a quality gunbelt. I’ve got a MagPul Tejas gunbelt I’ve been running for about fifteen years, and the thing still looks brand new. I got a Nexbelt EDC gunbelt as a Christmas gift a couple years ago, and it’s pretty righteous as well. I’ll put links to the belts and holsters in the show notes. Consider the gunbelt as the foundation of your carry system. You wouldn’t build your home’s foundation on sand, so don’t build your carry system foundation on a soft, floppy, leather dress belt.
If you’ve never heard the term situational awareness, the long, drawn-out definition is the ability to perceive, understand, and effectively respond to one's situation. It involves comprehending a given circumstance, gathering relevant information, analyzing it, and making informed decisions to successfully address any potential risks, hazards, or events that might occur. The short answer is being aware of what’s going on around you. You can’t develop a plan of action to mitigate a threat if you don’t identify it in advance. And you can’t identify a threat in advance if you’re buried in your phone, or absorbed in anything other than the environment around you.
Situational awareness, more than any martial skill, level of marksmanship, or weapon will keep you safe if you would only use it. Avoiding danger is always preferable to any armed encounter. If you’re walking down the street and see someone coming toward you that looks a little hinky, put some distance between yourself and the perceived threat. Distance is life, as it gives you reaction time and options. Cross the street. If the threat crosses the street, go into a store if one is nearby. Cross back across the street. Do whatever you have to do to avoid the threat. Move towards cover that you’ve already identified, and be prepared to defend yourself if it comes to that.
When you left the house the last thing you were looking for was a confrontation of any kind. Getting into an altercation only disrupts your plan for the day, and could result in serious injury or death. Does it not make sense to avoid one if at all possible? Be aware of what’s going on around you, who is doing what, avenues of escape, and have a plan formulated before you need it. It’s easier to implement a plan than come up with one on the fly.
There is a whole lot more I can come up with, but I’m going to keep this episode in line with the time of the other ones. I figure twenty minutes of me talking is about all you can stand. I’ll do the next episode on avoiding problems and de-escalating them if you can’t avoid them.
That’s it for this episode. There’s a whole lot more that I could spew out, but I’m trying to keep the time of these podcasts consistent. I’m going to ask for some help here, and ask you to submit ideas for topics you’d like me to cover in these. Just shoot me an email and let me know what you want to hear. My email address is in the show notes.
I have open slots in my Saturday, May 18th South Carolina Concealed Weapons Permit class. I put a link to it in the show notes.
As always, if you liked what you heard here, consider letting a like-minded friend know about our podcast. We’re listed in all the major directories, or you can listen in at our website. Until next time, shoot safe.
