Tag: Concealed Carry

Concealed Carry Gives you Options in a Mass Shooting

Without a gun, you can run and hide. With a gun, you can run, hide, or choose fight back. Give yourself a fighting chance.

The shooting Thursday at a Kroger grocery store in Tennessee is an example of why anyone concerned about their personal safety should have a concealed carry permit and carry daily.

While information is still coming in, the shooter, who may have been a disgruntled employee or former employee, shot 13 people, killing one, and then killed himself.

People in Kroger had a few options, namely run or hide. People hid in the freezers and in offices. Others ran from the store. If you were carrying a weapon, you’d have the option to shoot back. You could save yourself and potentially others.

I’m not suggestion you have to run towards the gunfire. That’s the job of law enforcement, but you have that option. If the gunfire is moving towards you, then you can engage. If you have trained and stay calm, you can shoot the bad guy, possibly catching him by surprise, before he can get you in his sights.

How and Why I Carry Guns During Interstate Travel

Being a fairly hardcore survivalist demands sacrifices, but I prefer not to compromise on my personal safety. I carry concealed wherever I go, even when I am on the road.

I avoid travel on airlines and to states where I cannot legally carry concealed, like Maryland and New Jersey. For example, when we traveled to Lake Tahoe a few years ago for a wedding, I had to insist that we stayed on the Nevada side, not the California side. I also checked three guns.

My most recent trip took me through half a dozen states, all of which honor my concealed carry permit.

Carrying concealed in Florida was easy. I didn’t see a single “no guns allowed” sign on a restaurant or small business. It was also refreshing to attend a large public event without passing through a metal detector.

I even saw billboard advertisements on I-95 for shooting ranges, including one that offers a 600-yard rifle bay. Signs and ads like this are a positive thing and show wide acceptance of firearms. I don’t think I’ve seen one before outside of Las Vegas.

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Concealed Carry Challenges in an Era of Protests

With the increase of hate, anger, and violence, it may be time to reconsider your concealed carry decisions, including what you carry and how you would react under certain circumstances.

I’ve carried a concealed weapon for more than 20 years.  I made up my mind that very first day that I would kill rather than allow myself to be killed.  I also accepted the fact that I would willingly die to protect my family. 

Over the years, I took training classes from nationally recognized experts in handguns, self-defense, shotguns for home defense, urban carbine, tactical medicine, and the legalities of using lethal force.  I also studied martial arts.  I honed my shooting skills at in competition like IDPA, USPSA/IPSC, and three-gun matches.  There were years where I fired more than 10,000 rounds.

Over time, the gear has changed.  I’ve switched out guns and holsters as technology evolved.  I’ve upgraded tactical flashlights as LEDs got brighter.  I changed ammo and calibers to use that best meet the changing FBI criteria.  I’ve carried .38s, 9mm, .40, and .45, sometimes two at once.  I own body armor, both concealed kevlar armor and rifle plates in an external carrier.  I’ve got a shotgun by my bed, and once AR pistols with arm braces became legal, I upgraded my car carry to an AR pistol.

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