Concealed Carry: 5 types of training you need!

Your concealed carry permit is not enough!

Really.  Your concealed carry permit course didn’t fulfill the training that you really need to live a safer life.

A CCW permit course is typically structured to meet a set of minimum requirements set forth by the State that issues your permit.  Often times the course requirements never get much beyond safe gun handling.  Of course gun safety and safe gun handling skills are important, but they only scratch the surface when it comes to the skills that are needed to defend yourself and those that you love from a potentially lethal violent attack.

This leaves the responsibility on your shoulders to make sure that you get the training that you need to carry a concealed handgun safely, comfortably and securely and to make sure that you have the skills you need to be able to use your concealed carry handgun should you need to.

In my opinion, the responsibility for quality training belongs on your shoulders.  Carrying a concealed handgun is a God given right that is guaranteed by our constitution.  I believe that making sure you have quality training is a responsibility that goes along with the right to carry a concealed weapon.  That responsibility is yours.  It isn’t mine, it isn’t the State’s.  It is your responsibility to make sure that you have the proper training to carry and use your concealed handgun.

The problem is that there is very little information available on what proper training is for those that carry a concealed handgun.  In addition, much of the training you need to carry a concealed handgun responsibly has very little to do with your concealed carry handgun.

I have worked hard to provide quality information through the SSA Podcast and to students that have taken my concealed carry course through Safety Solutions Academy, but I thought it was time to deal with the issue of concealed carry training here on the SSA blog.

Your training needs to continue beyond your concealed carry course.

It would be nice and neat and convenient if you could wrap up everything you need to know to live a safer life in a simple 8 hour course with a quality instructor.  That, however, just isn’t a possibility.  The body of knowledge pertaining to concealed carry is large and there are very few instructors that understand it well enough to do it justice at all, let alone in an 8 hour session.

The fact is that 8 hours (or even 16 hours) is just enough time to scratch the surface of concealed carry training.

Recently I spoke with Bob Mayne of The Handgun World Show.  We talked specifically about the different areas of training that need to be explored by people that carry concealed handguns.  It was a great discussion and I think you would enjoy it.

You can listen to that conversation here:

It really boils down to the fact that once you put that CCW permit into your wallet and strap on a handgun you have a long ways to go before you have met the training responsibility that you owe yourself, your loved ones and the other innocent people around you.

What kind of training do you need to supplement your concealed carry training?

Well, I’m glad you are still reading.

Additional Concealed Carry Training: Medical Skills

I think medical courses are some of the most under rated concealed carry training opportunities that are available.  In fact, I think that people should have medical training even if they never plan on carrying a gun concealed.

There are three main reasons why I make this statement:

1. You are much more likely to have to deal with a medical emergency in your life than you are to face a violent encounter.  The stakes of both are high and as a result medical skills become paramount skills for those that are interested in safety more than the ego boost that just carrying a gun provides.
2. If you carry a gun because you believe that you may face a violent attack, then you must realize that you could face the consequences of that violent attack.  Simply put, you or someone you love could be injured from the violence.  If you don’t have medical skills you could “win” the violent encounter and stop your threat and still lose your life or the life of someone you love before medical professionals arrive or are cleared to enter the scene.
3. There are risks associated with carrying and training with a concealed handgun and other self-defense skills.  If you or another person is injured you need to have the skills to deal with the medical emergency that could follow.

I’d say it’s hard to argue these points.  They are valid regardless of your view of guns and your willingness to carry a concealed handgun or not.  The only thing the above logic relies on is your ability to accept that you have control over your wellbeing and the wellbeing of those that you love.

Just after the spree murders at Umpqua Community College in Oregon I talked with Caleb Causey, Dr. John Edeen, MD, and Rob Pincus about medical responses to spree killings.  You can watch that video here.

Each year I host Caleb Causey of Lone Star Medics for these very reasons.  You can find out more information about the medical courses Caleb teaches for those that carry concealed (and those that don’t)   by visiting his website or checking out the Safety Solutions Academy Medical Courses here.

Additional Concealed Carry Training: Unarmed Skills

Unarmed Combative Skills seem to be a tough sell to the gun crowd.  I see that as a major problem.  Many people feel that if they carry a gun they are covered.  After all, if you have a gun you are carrying the trump card. Right?

I would say, “WRONG!”

If you have the attitude that a gun is going to solve all of your conflicts then you are asking for problems.  Let’s take a look at why you might need to have solid unarmed self-defense skills to compliment your concealed carry handgun:

1. There may be times that you don’t have your gun and you need to defend yourself.
2. You may face violent circumstances where your gun is simply too much force.
3. There may be times when even though you have your gun and are justified in using it you cannot access your gun until you have physical control of your attacker.

There may be times that you don’t have your gun and you need to defend yourself.

I think that most people would agree with all three points here.  No matter how dedicated of a concealed carrier you are, there are times when you don’t have your gun on your person.  If you are having a hard time coming up with a time when you are unarmed, you need to shower more often…

You may face violent circumstances where your gun is too much force.

Keep in mind that although your concealed carry gun certainly is a trump card that will end any fist fight, the problem is that your victory could also land you in jail.  A handgun is to defend you and other innocent people from a lethal threat.  If you use a handgun in a situation where innocent life isn’t in danger, you may very well enter the ranks of the criminals.  You better have other skills and maybe even other tools to be able to deal with threats that aren’t potentially lethal.

There may be times when you cannot access your gun until you have physical control of your attacker.

Violent attacks are often ambush situations and it is entirely reasonable that you may be in reach of or maybe even in physical contact with your attacker.  In these circumstances, there is a narrow set of circumstances where accessing your handgun is the right choice.  Understanding those circumstances and how to create the opportunity to access your concealed carry handgun depends on quality unarmed combatives training.

Steadfast Defense and Safety Solutions Academy are partnering to make sure that you have access to quality unarmed combatives courses in North East Ohio.  Steadfast Defense owner, Brad Kidd, will be teaching quality skills to folks in the Cleveland metropolitan area in 2016.  You will be able to find information about these unarmed self- defense courses here.

In addition, Steadfast Defense hosts Craig Douglas of Shivworks in the Cleveland area annually.  Craig is an outstanding instructor and teaches his highly interactive Extreme Close Quarters Concepts across the nation.  We are luck to have the Cleveland area and NE Ohio as one of his regular stops.  If nothing else, make sure you get enrolled in Craig’s Friday night session where he teaches what might be the most valuable block on instruction in self- defense, Managing Unknown Contacts.  This block is training that you cannot be without as it teaches the most important violence avoidance techniques that you need to know.

Make sure to get the unarmed defensive skills you need to supplement the fact that you carry a concealed handgun.

Additional Concealed Carry Training: Legal Skills

The actions you take before during and after a violent attack can have a significant impact on the legal battle that you could face in the aftermath of a self-defense incident.  Having proper training in the legal aspects of self-defense and the use of lethal force can keep you from making critical mistakes that can lead to future legal problems in both criminal and civil proceedings.  Many mistakes that concealed carry folks make are directly related to ignorance.

There are excellent books that can help you to understand the complexities of self-defense laws and sort out the internet silliness that is often shared on this topic.

The Law of Self Defense by Andrew Branca provides legal information on self-defense laws for all 50 States and helps the concealed carry permit holder to understand how the cases of self defense are applied.  The intent is a guid that will assist you in making the high stakes split second decisions that a violent encounter requires.

Deadly Force: Understanding your right to self-defense by Massad Ayoob is known as the definitive work on self-defense law in the United States.  Massad Ayoob shares decades of knowledge as an expert witness in self-defense and use of lethal force cases with you the concealed carry permit holder.  Deadly Force lays out the legal basis of the use of lethal force and also delves into the moral and ethical aspects of the use of force.

Each year I host Massad Ayoob through Safety Solutions Academy for both his MAG-20 and MAG-40 courses and every year students are educated and entertained by this industry icon.  If you carry concealed you need to train with MAssad Ayoob and learn the armed citizens rules of engagement.

You can hear conversations that I have recorded with Mas here and here.  They are certainly worth your time to listen.

Additional Concealed Carry Training: Criminal Psychology

Not a single person reading this post would jump into the ocean for a swim and have the expectation that sharks are going to play by our rules.  I know that the odds of facing a shark attack are very small, but at the same time you and I both know that a shark is a shark and it is carefully programmed to do shark things and a shark is going to do those shark things without regard to how we feel about it…

What surprises me is this:  Everyday, people walk around in the big bad world expecting violent criminals to follow the rules that you and I follow.  Just like sharks, these violent people are programmed (primarily by the violent culture they have developed in) to do violent people things.  Average people just don’t get it.  Just because violent people look you doesn’t mean that they are going to behave like you.  Assuming that they do is like swimming in the ocean with a bloody steak in your trunks.

Dr. William Aprill understands violent criminals like Ryan Johnson understands the great white shark.  He brings his understanding to those that carry guns professionally and as concealed carry practitioners so that they can carry on life with a deeper understanding of how the violent criminal behaves and selects his victims and make quality decisions on how to avoid violent crime and properly prepare for the violent crime that they cannot avoid.

You can find out more information about Dr. William Aprill and his courses here.

Additional Concealed Carry Training: Defensive Handgun – Concealed Carry Handgun Training.

Making sure that you can efficiently operate your concealed carry handgun is an important topic.  If you face a potentially lethal threat your handgun may be the best solution to that situation.  If you can’t use that handgun well, however, your concealed carry handgun may end up being more of a liability than a help.

It is for this reason that you need to get enrolled in a quality defensive handgun course so that you can understand the concepts and principles that surround how to use your concealed carry handgun to defend your life and get the training time under a professional to make sure you can actually perform the skills you will need most.

Safety Solutions Academy offers its Critical Defensive Handgun Course on a regular basis and it is designed to be THE course when it comes to improving your concealed carry handgun skills.  We routinely have students from all skill levels comment on the amount of improvement that they see over the course of the two day Critical Defensive Handgun Course.

This review from Chip is the perfect example:

I am currently in training for an overseas deployment with a federal agency and before I left, I spent time training with Paul and Safety Solutions Academy.

The techniques and concepts that this agency is teaching are very similar to what Paul teaches, but the biggest difference is Paul is a better instructor. Because of Paul’s mentorship, my reaction times and drawing from cover has significantly improved and I haven’t been throwing shots after reloads because I take that extra split second to acquire my sights to ensure I get the hit I need to get.

It doesn’t matter if you are an expert or a beginner, you need to have regular, quality training with your concealed carry handgun to make sure that you are as competent as possible with your defensive tools.  If you haven’t trained with your concealed handgun recently, get enrolled in Safety Solutions Academy’s Critical defensive handgun course now.

Your concealed carry training shouldn’t be the pinnacle of your preparation.

At Safety Solutions Academy we provide high quality concealed carry training.  In every class, we explain to our students that as good as the training is, all we can do in the short amount of time we spend together for that concealed carry course is scratch the surface of the training they really need.

If you have your concealed carry permit, great.  Make sure that you continue that training.  Make sure that you have the proper experience with medical skills, unarmed self-defense skills, the legal aspects of self-defense, an understanding of criminal psychology and firmly grounded defensive handgun skills.

Your concealed carry permit doesn’t make you safer.  Carrying a gun doesn’t make you safer.  Having a well developed and well rounded set of defensive skills and the willingness to use them is the key to your safety and the safety of those that you love.

Get on out there and get some training!