Thinking About Getting A Concealed Carry Permit?

You’re not alone if you are. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that concealed carry and personal defense is what’s driving the recent uptick in gun sales. 

Applications for “concealed-carry” permits are soaring in many states, some of which recently eased permit requirements. The numbers are driven in part by concern that renewed gun-control efforts soon could constrain access to weapons, along with heightened interest in self-defense in the wake of mass killings in Newtown, Conn., and Aurora, Colo. 

People are beginning to realize they are and always will be their own first responder and are getting a permit to carry a concealed firearm with them because a cop is too big to carry in a holster. 

Ladies, It’s Time to Stop Expecting Someone Else to Protect You

“I don’t know what I would do if I was alone and something happened.”

Sound familiar?  Unfortunately, it probably does.  Whether it’s nature or nurture, most women have an expectation that someone else will step in to protect them in a life-threatening situation.

I’m not going to get into any feminist arguments about this subject, but the truth of the matter is, many of us women expect others (our men, neighbors or even strangers) to protect us from bodily harm.  It’s reasonable for us to expect that our parental figures would protect us from the boogie man and bumps in the night when we were younger, but all too often, this mindset often carries over to adulthood for many women.  

I will admit that I lived most of my life with a victim mentality and I never thought about changing my dangerous and possibly fatal mindset.  It was only after I became proficient with a firearm and started competing that I realized I was no longer dependent on anyone else to protect me. Looking back, I realize how unfair this mentality and expectation was to my loved ones and myself.  I also feel quite fortunate that I’ve made it this far, considering I had no skills or plan to protect myself and unfairly relied on others to do something extraordinary on my behalf.

The good news on this subject is that there has never been a better time for women to learn to protect and defend themselves, and you don’t have to relegate yourself to Tactical Elite Operator Combat Courses or any other type of training that may seem intimidating or uncomfortable.  There are several great options out there for women who would like to learn to use a firearm in a non-intimidating environment with other like-minded women.  I chose the women-only route when I got my start with shooting, and I’m glad I did.  The women I received my training from are some of the best competitive shooters in the world, and we are very lucky to have the opportunity to learn from them. 

Babes with Bullets – These wonderful ladies hold a series of camps held across the US, offering a three day firearms training program for novice women who have little or no handgun experience.  This is where I learned to use a firearm and as a bonus, learned the basics of practical pistol competition. 

A Girl and A Gun Shooting League – A ladies only organization established by women shooters for women shooters for pistol, rifle and shotgun sports.  The league is designed to take beginners to whatever skill level they wish to achieve, and provide experienced shooters with more opportunities.  They have chapters across several states, click the link to find a chapter in your area.

The Well Armed Woman – Local groups of women around the country that meet monthly to practice, learn and grow as shooters. Creating opportunities for women to be introduced to issues important to women shooters, learn safe gun handling skills and train together.  TWAW also has chapters across several states, click the link to find a chapter in your area.

The Cornered Cat – Defensive handgun classes for women with compassionate instruction, and usable shooting techniques that work well with female body types.  Click the link to find a class in your area.

Will Shooting Firearms Competitions Get You Killed?

Short answer: No. Doing dumb gun stuff in the midst of a gunfight gets you killed.
You can avoid doing dumb gun stuff under pressure by shooting practical pistol matches because they help vaccinate you against such things, one match at time. However, if you treat a real gunfight like it was a shooting match, you’ll be in a world of hurt.

Long answer: 

Massad Ayoob is probably THE most respected firearms instructor and personal defense consultant alive today. He literally wrote the book on personal defense with a firearm and his MAG40 pistol class is considered to be one of the best classes for dealing with what happens before, during and after the defensive use of a firearm. What does he say about shooting practical pistol matches? 

“A shooting competition isn’t a gun fight, but a gun fight is most definitely a shooting competition.” 

And he prefers IDPA as well.

Another firearms expert, Todd Green, formerly of Beretta, H+K, Sig-Sauer and now of pistol-training.com, explains his reasons why he recommends shooting competitions. 

“Possibly the biggest benefit of competition is that it is often the most stressful shooting many people will ever be exposed to. While obviously not the same as being in an actual gunfight, shooting in a competitive event in front of peers and strangers will do a great job of showing you just how easy it is to make mental mistakes under stress. Learning to stay focused on the task at hand and building experience fixing mistakes under pressure both have legitimate real world payoffs.
At the end of the day, there are pros and cons to competition shooting for the ‘defense-minded’shooter. But, the pros are pretty universal and the cons are really only cons if you let them be.“ (Emphasis in the original) 

Here’s some more expert opinion from top firearms trainer Mike Seeklander: Marine veteran, former law-enforcement officer and host of The Best Defense on Outdoor Channel. 

“I’ve always been a proponent of competitive shooting, as long as the individual competing understands what they are going to get out of shooting matches. They’re going to love it. They are going to get some energy from it. They are going to want to do it more. It will make the average person, especially the average police officer who doesn’t get to train much, WANT to train because every human wants to be better at something. BUT the rules of the game are different than the rules of defense with a gun.” (emphasis in the original)

So, will firearms competitions get you killed?

Yes, if you expect that a gunfight will play out by the rules of your game of choice. 

But if you want to shoot accurately and quickly during one of the worst days of your life, you may find that regularly shooting practical pistol competitions like IPDA or USPSA will provide you the skills and mindset you need to survive a gunfight and come out on top. 

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