A great article on CCW

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Glenn E. Meyer

New member
Thanks to our friend moderator at THR and contributor here for noting this fine article:

http://www.shootingillustrated.com/index.php/18228/concealed-carry-myths/

Concealed-Carry Myths
Many new concealed-carry permit holders subscribe to a variety of myths that could have potentially deadly consequences. Here are five of the most common.
By Paul Markel
December 15, 2011


It's really well done. I see lots of this with beginners and friends who carry.

Glenn
 
M

MLeake

New member
I also got a "Not Found" message. Interested in the article, if you can fix the link, GEM.

NM, looks like mehavey fixed it, and I found it via google anyway. (I'd have fixed it, but mehavey beat me to it.)
 
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Glenn E. Meyer

New member
Fixed it in the OP - works for me now.

One part that people need to take to heart is

It really is not possible to train yourself. You can practice on your own, but unless you’ve had professional instruction you are likely just ingraining bad habits. A good training course will teach you what to practice and the best ways to do so.
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I beg friends to train but they think that shooting at a rock in the country is training.

Why do I care - because if I argue for things like campus carry, I get folks saying - we would trust you but not someone like ...
 
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mehavey

New member
Glenn E. Meyer said:
I beg friends to train but they think that shooting at a rock in the country is training.
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+1

But the real training must be in your head.
He who is able to reach competent decision first,...
lives.

.
 
C

C0untZer0

Moderator
Furthermore, at last count, there was a grand total of one state that had absolutely no provision to allow their citizens to carry a concealed handgun.
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Oh jeez, remind me again what state that is?
 
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mete

New member
Many years ago I got a carry permit and with it a sheet of instructions .Included was the gem "Only carry the gun when you're going to need it " I just laughed.
Over the years I have been very unsuccessful at convincing people to get good training. They say ''I have a right to have a gun , I have a right to carry a gun " But that's where it stops ,sad story.
 
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ProShooter

New member
Good read....Got a chuckle out of the "Hand me down" gun..

Just yesterday, I had a family come to class. The husband walked up to me at my table and put down a somewhat triangular shaped thing, wrapped in yellow stained plastic. I asked what it was and he said it was his gun, and he knew that I needed to check all firearms coming into the room.

I took the rubber band off of the stained plastic, and found a beat up leather? holster partially wrapped in an old handkerchief. Removing the hankie, I found a beautiful conditioned chrome, Ivor Johnson .32 top break revolver, with a patent date of something like 1908. "It was momma's gun", the man said...

Got to love it......
 
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Tom Servo

Staff
I beg friends to train but they think that shooting at a rock in the country is training.
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I would supplement that with two additions:
  • YouTube is not a training tool
  • "Boyfriend" does not equal "firearms instructor."

I see it from behind the counter all the time: "I'm afraid of _____. I need a piece for, uh, concealed. Something with a clip. OK...how do I get the thing to go forward....OK. Give me that, a holster, and some hollow tips. What do you mean I can't load it at the counter? I'm carrying this for defense."

That, or husband/boyfriend/brother comes in with a woman, tells me what she needs, recommends something small and impossible for a beginner to shoot well, and informs her that she doesn't need to practice since "most encounters take place within 6/10/12 feet.

Training? Nah, he's just trying to sell you something, baby. Also, we only want to spend about $150.

You're sitting next to these folks in the restaurant, or on line at the local grocery.

(While I agree with the "hand me down gun" part, I have successfully taught several folks to use such guns effectively. One student insisted on keeping and carrying (in the purse, no less) her father's captured Luger. She'd later shoot a would-be burglar with it.)
 
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Glenn E. Meyer

New member
Here's a Mythbuster or two:

Most encounters aren't ALL encounters.

If the average is 2 shots at 6 feet - that doesn't mean all encounters are 2 shots at six feet.

You can't maintain perfect situational awareness at all time.

People do get close to you in real life and surprise you.

You won't always be able to reach for your gun with your dominant hand and strike a gunfighter pose (see the Ginyu force in Dragon Ball Z for posing).
 
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pax

New member
I would supplement that with two additions:

  • YouTube is not a training tool
  • "Boyfriend" does not equal "firearms instructor."
Click to expand...

Tom Servo, great post.

On the YouTube front, there are some good videos and a few really excellent ones. Unfortunately, untrained people truly cannot tell the crap from the good stuff -- not because they're stupid, but because they simply do not have the background to see the difference. Except for the most egregious stupidity (which we all love to laugh at), almost everything on YouTube looks pretty good, some of it looks very exciting and downright cool. As long as the people in the video sound like they know what they're talking about, or look (to the untrained eye) like they know what they're doing, it must just be jealousy or meanspiritedness or something when a person with training says, "Uh, that's not good."

Think of YouTube as a table with a multi-course meal spread out on it. Some of the dishes taste excellent, some taste terrible, and some look and taste good but are full of poison. Now enjoy your meal... :)

pax
 
S

spacecoast

New member
Very good article, especially the "gun zen" section (for me). I have a private range available at my northern home and always make a point of practicing my draw-and-empty-the-mag-or-cylinder-as-fast-as-possible-at-5-yards technique when I'm there with my SD guns, but particularly the J-frame Smith and Ruger LCP that I carry regularly. Knowing how both you and the gun reacts to true rapid-fire shooting is essential, and it's not as easy as it sounds to keep 5 or 7 shots COM.

I wish more public ranges would permit this kind of practice, but sadly it's rare in my neck of the woods.
 
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Tom Servo

Staff
see the Ginyu force in Dragon Ball Z for posing
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I actually googled that. Lord help me.

I've spoken with three people this year alone who admitted to injuring themselves with negligent discharges. All had CCW permits, none had taken any kind of real-world training, and one of them admitted that the discharge happened while practicing a draw drill the guy had learned on YouTube.

I'm not denying that there might be some good information on there. There is. However, people are taking the internet as a primary training resource, rather than as a supplement.

My All-Time Favorite Bit of Shocking Advice came from an overbearing husband back in February. The wife was (or rather, he was) looking for a home defense gun. I pointed out that her (or rather, his) choice kicked like a mule, discouraged practice, and had marginal sights. His response was, "whatever. Just point at the dark shadow and pull the trigger 'till the clip's empty."
 
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