J. Terry Stewart

7. Wardrobe

Once you start to carry you need to always be aware of whether your clothing does an adequate job of covering your holster. If you elect to get a permit, it allows you to carry a concealed weapon. If it's not concealed, why bother with a permit? Whatever you wear, you must check to see whether the gun is printing (which other people may notice) and make sure it stays concealed. Suppose you're reaching for something on the top shelf at the grocery store -- will your shirt still cover your gun? If it doesn't, the little old lady walking by you may report a "man with a gun." If she does, you may have some explaining to do.

If you're going to use an inside-the-waistband (IWB) holster you probably will have to move up one pants size to accommodate it. Regardless of how you carry, it is your responsibility to make sure that the gun stays concealed. You're probably going to have to buy some new clothes and you'll definitely need to spend time in front of a mirror whenever you go out. Are you sure you want to do all that?

6. Responsibility

If you decide to carry you are taking on an awesome responsibility and one which will probably dictate some fundamental changes in your life. When you're out with your "non-carrying" buddies can you have a couple beers at the restaurant? There's nothing stopping you but it still is probably not a good idea.

What will you do if you see a situation developing but one which does not directly involve you? While we can never explore all of the variables that could be applied to that scenario, it behooves you to examine as many of them as you can. Obviously, this is much better to do from the comfort of your recliner or in a bull session with a friend, rather than when you find yourself in the middle of something. Again, we cannot plan for every contingency, but the more thought we put into the things that might happen, the better off we will be when something does.

Given that you are armed, you must be the cooler head in any situation. If you draw, it cannot be because you got mad or someone insulted your spouse. When any legislation in favor of concealed carry is proposed, the anti-gun forces always sing the same old song of doom and gloom: every traffic accident will result in gunfire and we will soon return to the era of Dodge City. We know that this is absolutely not true but we cannot allow our actions to fuel their argument.

That is a lot of responsibility. Are you sure you want to accept it?

5. Knowledge of the Law

If you choose to carry, you better also choose to make sure that you understand all of the pertinent laws for your state. When are you justified in shooting and when are you not? What if you feel threatened but not necessarily in fear for your life? What are the consequences if you elect to get involved in a situation that you could have avoided? What about coming to the aid of someone you do not know? If you visit another state are you still legal to carry? The laws vary from state to state. You need to do the research so that you do not find yourself in trouble for an action that you assumed was legal. That research will take some time and effort. Are you sure you want to do that much work?

4. Awareness

If you elect to carry, your life just changed. Nearly everyone goes about their business pretty much oblivious to most of what is going on around them. This is no longer an option for you. You must be constantly aware of your surroundings and the dynamics of what is happening around you. Does the convenience store closest to you have its windows covered with posters and advertising so that the interior is not readily visible from the street? What about the guy standing at the corner of the building when you pulled into the parking lot? Do you actually look at the back seat before you get into your car? Who else is going in your direction when you leave the mall, heading for your vehicle? Did you notice the cars parked around you and whether or not they are occupied? It is very easy to relax and settle back into a state of complacency. If something doesn't feel right, even if you cannot specify what it is, move on. A lot of problems could probably be avoided by simply looking around and deciding that you'll get milk or fill up with gas at the next place down the road. Are you willing to maintain that higher state of awareness?

3. Practice

If you intend to carry, you need to practice regularly. Standing and shooting in a booth at the range will develop accuracy and allow you to learn the mechanics of the gun, both of which must become second nature to you. What happens if you have a malfunction? You have to quickly define the problem and get the gun working again without a lot of thinking. Understand also that shooting at the range is very different than shooting under stress. Stress causes all kinds of things to happen, most of which are not good. Try to find some kind of event to participate in which will allow you to shoot on the move or from behind cover, or shoot at moving targets or from different positions or all of the above. Doing this helps teach you how to shoot better and to deal with the stress that occurs when we get outside of our comfort zone. Your chief concern should be improvement rather than where you finish in the standings.

However you decide to carry the gun, you also need to practice getting it from the holster to firing position. This can be done at home (with an empty gun...) as much as necessary. You can also practice reloading at home. I've read that an action must be repeated a thousand times before it becomes a matter of muscle memory. If you work long enough, you can get to the point where the gun coming up will stop "automatically" where the sight picture is just what you want. It does take time and repetition, however. Are you sure you want to put in the time it takes to reach that point?

2. Attitude

Suppose you find yourself confronted by someone demanding your wallet. If your first thought is "I've got a gun, he's not getting my wallet," then you might want to have a look at your attitude. What is there in your wallet that is even worth the risk of getting hurt? Are you looking for an opportunity to draw that gun or are you doing everything you can to avoid being in that position in the first place? Are you sure that you want to put your attitude under that microscope? The results may not be what you first expect...

1. Aftermath

If you are involved in a shooting, the adrenaline will be pumping like crazy and you will be fired up. If you can, you need to take as much time as you can to calm down and get your thoughts together. Go back over the events and try to focus on as much detail as you can recall. Even if all you did was to show the holstered gun to the bad guy you need to call the police as soon as possible. If he makes the call first and says "I was just walking down the street and this guy pulled a gun on me," the police will act accordingly. Until they can sort out the facts, he is considered the victim and they're looking for you.

Readers of this magazine know that even if a shooting is completely justified, you are very likely to be sued and end up in court. In our hypothetical case you're one of the good guys, you did everything right and in the end you are completely exonerated. The emotional and financial burden that you have had to bear, however, has been considerable. Knowing what could happen, even when you do everything right, are you still sure that getting that carry permit is an action that you want to take?

If the answer is yes, then you had better be absolutely sure. When you take on the responsibility that is inherent with carrying, you will never again look at the world in the same way.

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