The reason we carry a concealed handgun is 100 percent for lethal defensive purposes. It is not a talisman to ward off bad intentions of others; it is not an ego boost or a tool to embolden the carrier to venture into dangerous areas or situations they would not venture into normally. The CCW (Concealed Carry Weapon, sometimes CCDW, CHL, depends on your state definition) does not check some imaginary block that proves you are finally a serious member of the readiness community. The defensive handgun is the great equalizer; the properly trained 110lb housewife with a firearm is now on equal or better footing than the 250lb repeat felon kicking her front door in. The physical manifestation of the right of self defense in modern society is the concealed carry handgun.

We do this as reluctant participants as a concealed carrier. None of us should be happy that we must carry a CCW. You are in the wrong place if carrying a gun around is something you are glad you must do. Carrying a firearm in society is no more a joyful exercise than putting your seatbelt on to drive. Don’t misunderstand me, we should enthusiastically embrace it as a means of defense and exercise that God given right with extensive knowledge and combat focused training. However, carrying a gun consistently is a pain in the fourth point of contact…and is an incredible responsibility. Anyone who thinks otherwise has not done it for very long.

Let’s look at some statistics that highlight the seriousness of it all:

The charts above are just the actual shooting stats that resulted in justifiable homicide. How many more robberies, assaults, rapes, and abductions were stopped by the presence of a CCW or a non-lethal self defense shooting? I don’t know, but I guarantee it is a lot. It is reasonable for a law abiding Citizen to have interest in the CCW lifestyle, with these numbers and the violent madness happening all around us it just makes sense.

With the expansion of Constitutional carry states and the continuous surge in concealed carry interest I wanted to get you thinking about what makes a good CCW holder. What is your idea of the “perfect” armed Citizen who carries concealed? Who do you want in the movie theater with you and your family? Or at the grocery store around your wife? Ego-carry is an unfortunate side effect of CCW popularity, thinking that just having the gun on is enough. Is that who we want in the community? Picture them in your mind and then read on.

General Traits of good CCW holders:

 Proper mindset and situational awareness (SA). They understand the “why” and the life-altering consequences of carrying a concealed firearm. They have developed a sense of what is happening around them and have an extreme aversion to doing stupid things in stupid places with stupid people. They understand the gun is not an ego boost nor is it a talisman to ward off bad people. They understand the “soft” skills like psychology, awareness, and de-escalation are just as important as a 1 second draw and a good B8 score at 15 yards. They are critical thinkers who have internalized training lessons, defensive tactics, laws, and safety rules.

 Good armed Citizens have a cool head and checked ego. They exercise control over their emotions under stress. Grown men and women who cannot manage or regulate their emotions have no business carrying a handgun. Violent outbursts and unhinged behavior have no place in the responsible CCW world.

 They understand and can apply the federal, state and local laws to everyday life. While we may not agree with local or federal gun laws, they are the law of the land until it changes. A full understanding of regulations and the places you travel to or through is imperative.

 They understand how the 5 firearm safety rules relate tactically to real world situations. The firearm safety rules can be dismissed as an overly restrictive list derived by some bunch of old NRA dudes being overly cautious. But when we apply them to real life and apply them tactically, they make perfect sense. Knowing the “why” behind them allows experienced and trained gun handlers to know when and if a rule bending risk is warranted or unavoidable. Before anyone gets the underwear twisted up this is written about extensively in our book series - the short version example is sometimes it is absolutely unavoidable to have a muzzle briefly cross over a friendly outside of a training environment…as always there is tactical context to these exceptions. So don’t go and muzzle your buddy at your next range session and tell him “don’t worry, Jack said it is good training”.

 Use a well-maintained firearm with a proper belt and holster. The community loves to discuss and highlight hardware. Some of these same people in the community also love to stick a poorly maintained striker fired micro pistol with ball ammo in a 20 dollar nylon holster on their old GWOT riggers belt. A good pistol carrying individual looks at their CCW as a system; adequate gun, Kydex holster with quality hardware, proper belt, handheld light, and proper clothing choice.

 They have a standard routine and the means to secure the firearm when it is not worn. Too many times, I see crime reports of car break ins in nearby suburbs and a gun is stolen. From an unlocked car at night parked in the driveway. Wow. If it isn’t on your person, it is secured. Secured does not mean a locked car the driveway. Yes, there are instances when you must leave a firearm in your vehicle. O boy, I can hear the whistle screeching now, “yoUr veHicLe isN’t a hoLsTEr!” Ok I get it - but government buildings, schools, and other prohibited places while running errands or going to school plays are a real thing. All it takes is a one in a million chance of your “illegally” carried gun being enthusiastic cop spotted and it is prison food for Christmas. Have a way to legitimately secure your CCW in your vehicle when you have to head into those restricted places. When you are back at home also have a reasonable, well thought out way for you to still maintain fast access while preventing young hands from getting on your CCW.

 They consistently carry their gun (legally). We hit on this one a bit the last few months…always carry when you can legally do so. There can be a tendency to leave your setup at home if you are just running out to the gas station or “aren’t expecting trouble”. Unpack that thinking a bit, if you were going somewhere and expecting trouble why would you go at all? Carry your gun whenever it is legally allowed. Yes, it is inconvenient and takes discipline, but that is an easy fix by first choosing a setup that you will be willing to carry daily. Have a plan to carry when you are not willing to carry your primary CCW (very short outside times like garage cleaning, lawn mowing, taking the dog out briefly, going to the mailbox etc) Our regular readers know what I’m gonna’ say next… J Frames keep you honest. This practice of using a small less capable firearm (J Frame size revolver, micro compact etc) is not a substitute for a proper CCW. Have a plan for these carry gaps and resource your plan with the tools. If you belt up your Glock 17 and spare mags to change your oil in the driveway on Saturday morning more power to you. But I’m just going to throw a pocket holstered micro or J Frame in my woman-enticing cutoff BDU shorts and call it good as I get to wrenching.

 No alcohol or drug use EVER when around firearms. Another big one to consider. I’ve seen this far too often around so called trained professionals. They will power up on suds and brown water and sure as the day is long they are carrying a gun. It is a recipe for disaster; stupidity on steroids. If you unpack the logic and legal aftermath it is obvious insanity. No one in their right mind would think it is prudent to get in a defensive shooting while their BAC is influencing their logic circuits. It doesn’t matter if you took down Osama Bin Laden while he was robbing the Frosty Cream, any prosecutor worth a damn is going to try very hard to get you behind bars. And by the way after the government prosecutor’s case is over here comes the leftover family of the assailant you sort of remember shooting looking for their payday.

 Good CCW holders know just because they can justifiably use lethal self-defense does not always mean they should. This is not meant to come across as a passive nonviolent voice from the hipster wilderness. This is pure action and consequences wargaming. Stand your ground, castle doctrine, he made the choice to break in, not me. Yeah, I agree and fully understand, and that is the letter of the law (in the sane states with reasonable self defense laws for their Citizens). Do not let this idea derail your decision cycle to your own detriment or family’s safety, second guessing or hesitating is not tactically sound. Fast tactical decision making is not the same as hesitation, and I am speaking directly about decision making. Burning a legit criminal down when there were other options (legally not required options by the way) may not always be the better course of action for you. Remember a while back when I wrote about my carjacking anecdote when stationed in Fayetteville? A legal justifiable shoot scenario that turned into a nothing event because I made a split-second tactical decision and took the non gun option. This in turn brought about months of life as usual with me not going to court. Leisurely afternoons of not meeting with a lawyer to help defend my justified actions. Months or years of me not having to write a check for my defense. Again, don’t read into this or mis-apply it. It is just something to consider as you hear and read the chest puffing “I wish a MFer would” egos yappin’ on the socials. Remember sometimes justified violence is the only option, but sometimes it isn’t. And to be crystal clear none of this is for the bad guy’s benefit, he deserves zero consideration in the equation. This decision-making consideration is 100 percent about you and preserving your current way of life as it is.

 And finally, the good concealed carrier can shoot. They practice and train with their setup to the point where they are consistently accurate, fast, and safe with their firearm. The shooting part was left until last intentionally. The smallest / shortest / least likely component of carrying a CCW becomes the most critical. However, it takes the most time, effort, and money to develop. It doesn’t matter if a carrier does everything else right, if they cannot quickly put combat effective hits on an assailant it is all just ego-carry peacock jewelry storytime…hell yeah man, I carry a gun!

Mentor a new handgun owner, a budding CCW carrier, or your younger family members to develop these attributes. The physical / technical skills of shooting and the other associated physical and mental skills must be taught and habitually practiced. The approach going into the CCW world is where you will set them up for success. You yourself may be new to this whole CCW idea - and that is great. Take the time to develop yourself; take a great big wide angle look at the new responsibility you are stepping into. There is a lot more to it than just buying a gun and taking the 8 hour class to get your permit (thankfully in many states they have gone Constitutional and do not require it). Even so you have a responsibility to yourself to learn this as early as possible. For all our friends reading this who are mentoring and guiding other shooters I hope this discussion and the logic behind it will give you some good material to mentor a new CCW carrier…or two.

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