‘Why I carry’ (part 2)
Starting Out
After passing the concealed carry class, I discovered that taking the class was the easy part. The first time I carried a gun was a nerve racking experience. I knew that everyone I met was going to “know” I had a gun and would be panicked.
I started by carrying the gun in one pocket and the magazine in another. My inexperience lead me to believe I’d somehow accidentally discharge the gun. With time, I got more accustomed until I felt funny going anywhere without it. I would try to get to the range and practice but didn’t get out as regularly as I “should.”
It was a year after getting my permit that I had the chance to do more than practice. The lessons I learned took me to the next step on my conversion journey.
Safety
We’ve all heard the lists of do’s and don’ts but it all starts before you get to the range. You have to ask yourself, “do I want to die today?” “Do I want to kill someone else today?” “Do I want to destroy anything with my firearm today?” Sound a little over the top? The answers seem obvious. But if you answer, “no,” you must make the decision that you will do nothing that compromises safety in any way.
At the risk of embarrassing yourself; at the risk of taking more time; at the risk of embarrassing others, you will never compromise safety for any reason. When you pick up a firearm, it’s deadly serious.
Mentors
When you are starting out, find a mentor or several mentors. Books, DVDs, the internet, etc, are all fine but you need to find someone you trust who has a wealth of experience because nothing takes the place of experience. When you’re just starting out, you don’t have any so borrow and learn from someone else’s. You need personal, face-to-face, on the range time.
I’ve had great mentors; my dad and my grandfather when I was starting out. They taught me how to be safe and how to take care of a gun in the context of hunting. Defensive shooting is entirely different but that initial familiarity was important. I found a great mentor in a local NRA certified instructor who, with a phone call and the price of ammo, is always willing to take me out and give me pointers, let me shoot different guns.
Call the NRA or go on the web to find a local NRA instructor. Call your local shooting supply store and ask them whom they recommend. If you have a local outdoor television show, call the station and talk to the host. Trust me, these guys aren’t real “Hollywood types” they are a whole lot nicer and more approachable. They’ll, more often than not, be happy to help.
I’m lucky, one of my closest friends was an LEO instructor and has competed in three-gun competitions, cowboy shooting…all kinds of things. He’s forgotten more than I’ll ever know about shooting. I trust and admire him. I have a standing invitation to get together with him and shoot and train whenever schedules allow. I finally took him up on it as I was looking to make a purchase and wanted to shoot the various guns.
Pick Your Gun
Whatever is in your budget, feels comfortable in your hand, and is at least a 9mm. It’s not the gun, it’s the shooter. As Dr. Ignatius Piazza of Front Sight fame says, “Any gun will do if you’ll do.”
The choice is a personal one and can be different for every shooter. It’s your choice. Even if all your friends are comfortable with a particular make, model, or caliber, if you’re not…you won’t carry it. Then, it doesn’t matter which gun you chose. I looked primarily at the Springfield XDs and the Glocks. Both great guns. If I could afford it, I’d buy both. It comes down to personal preference.
Initially, I had looked at the .40 caliber models. I was worried that 9mm was too small, that .45 was too much gun, etc. But my mentor said something that made sense to me. “If you can get a bigger bullet and shoot it comfortably, go bigger.”
Well…okay. Even though I really like the ergonomics and the beefier guide rails on the XD, I wanted a .45. Springfield doesn’t make an XD in the sub compact size in a .45 so, I went with the Glock.
Now, I have what I will call, “refined,” hands…okay, they’re little, sissy, girlie hands (no offense to sissies). I was unsure about whether or not I could hold the double stack Glock 30 but I wanted more than 6 bullets in a single stack Glock 36 magazine.
Again, my mentor, “I’m going to make sure I know how to make every shot count. It’ll be a rare situation indeed when I meet more than 7 bad guys at once.”
Could I actually conceal anything bigger than the slimmer Glock 36? Lots of questions. Questions that are only answered with experience and training.
Practice and Training
Practicing is not training. Practicing is shooting a couple of magazines at a paper target. Training is learning to get comfortable with your gun, your grip, your stance, etc. before you ever go to the range and start shooting. Training is what will actually prepare you for conflict and confrontation.
My mentor introduced me to the Glock, showed me it’s features, told me what to look for if I was looking at purchasing a used gun, and then showed me how to field strip it. Then, we worked on stance, grip, presentation, etc. Then, I spent the duration of “Blackhawk Down,” disassembling and reassembling the Glock.
Practicing is simply repetition. Training is what gives practice meaning and value. For example: If you learn an effective grip and train slowly building speed to attain that effective grip, then you can repeat the effective grip again as practice until your muscle memory makes the effective grip automatic. Practicing an ineffective grip gives you nothing more than an ingrained bad habit.
This came back to haunt me on the range the next day.
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