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Easily Concealed Guns
Are Feared By Two Social Groups
Criminals and Politicians
But I Repeat Myself
1. Your Concealed Handgun is for Protection of Life Only!Draw it solely in preparation to protect yourself or an innocent third party from the wrongful and life-threatening criminal actions of another.2. Know Exactly When You Can Use Your Gun!
A criminal adversary must have, or reasonably appear to have:When all three of these attack potential elements are in place simultaneously, then you are facing a reasonably perceived deadly threat that justifies an emergency deadly force response.The ability to inflict serious bodily injury (he is armed or reasonably appears to be armed with a deadly weapon), The opportunity to inflict serious bodily harm (he is physically positioned to harm you with his weapon), and his intent (hostile actions or words) indicates that he means to place you in jeopardy -- to do you serious or fatal physical harm. 3. If You Can, Run Away!
Just because you're armed doesn't necessarily mean you must confront a bad guy at gunpoint. Develop your "situation awareness" skills so you can be alert to detect and avoid trouble altogether. Keep in mind that if you successfully evade a potential confrontation, the single negative consequence involved might be your bruised ego, which should heal with mature rationalization. But if you force a confrontation you risk the possibility of you or a family member being killed or suffering lifelong crippling/disfiguring physical injury, criminal liability and/or financial ruin from civil lawsuit. Flee if you can, fight only as a last resort.4. Display Your Gun, Go To Jail!
Expect to be arrested by police at gunpoint, and be charged with a crime anytime your concealed handgun is seen by another citizen in public, regardless of how unintentional or innocent or justified the situation might seem. Choose a method of carry that reliably keeps your gun hidden from public view at all times.You have no control over how a stranger will react to seeing (or learning about) your concealed handgun. He or she might become alarmed and report you to police as "a man or woman with a gun." Depending on his or her feelings about firearms, this person might be willing to maliciously embellish his or her story in attempt to have your gun seized by police or to get you arrested. An alarmed citizen who reports a "man with a gun" is going to be more credible to police than you when you're stopped because you match the suspect's description, and you are found to have a concealed handgun in your possession.
Before you expose your gun in public, ask yourself: "Is this worth going to jail for?" The only time this question should warrant a "yes" response is when an adversary has at least, both ability and intent, and is actively seeking the opportunity to do you great harm.
5. Don't Let Your Emotions Get The Best of You!
If, despite your best efforts to the contrary, you do get into some kind of heated dispute with another person while you're armed, never mention, imply or exhibit your gun for the purpose of intimidation or one-upmanship. You'll simply make a bad situation worse -- for yourself (see rule #4).
Purchase a concealed carry fanny pack and carry an unloaded gun with magazines at the ready in the compartment. You will be just "Six Seconds From Safety" as you can open the case and quickly lock and load your handgun should a use of lethal force situation arise. Not as good as a concealed carry law, but a lot better than it used to be!
31 States now have laws allowing individuals to carry concealed handguns. In the most careful scientific study of such laws yet done, which will be published in the Journal of Law and Economics in January, John Lott finds that concealed-carry laws deter violent crimes and produce no increase in accidental deaths. In an advance look at his findings, he argued at this forum that if more states had such laws, thousands of murders could be prevented.
