I have people ask me from time to time, "is there anything I can do before the class?" Actually there is a few things that a person who is going to take training can do. This is not to "take the load off the instructor", but to stimulate the thought process of the individual. This in turn will ensure they get more out of the training and also, to have question's that they can get answer's too then. As well as, save time having to break many things down to explain. The difference between a class that is prepared and one who is not sure of what they are getting into is night and day, and actually translates to 2-4 hours of quality training lost, due to having to slow down and break everything down. Let's look at what we could do before taking training for a concealed carry class.
Choice of firearm is one that comes up a lot, as what is right for me? This question, can be answered best by taking a Basic Pistol course. This way you are educated in the way to use a pistol, manipulate it, as well as, things that you need to understand. Grip, fit, trigger press and just the few you need to understand before spending your hard earned money on a pistol. A quality course, will have a few different pistols (semi-auto and revolver) for the student to try out so they can get and understanding. It is recommended that you take a Basic Pistol class few months before the Concealed Carry class, to give you time to purchase your pistol and by applying the information you learned, become proficient with it.
How are you going to carry the pistol for concealed carry? This is something that is individual based, as we are all built different. Many quality firearm instructor's offer intermediate classes to help the individual become educated in the differences. The main thing is you want to understand how your going to carry, before you take the course. Be aware that many Conceal Carry Instructor's will not allow a student to use an inside the waistband nor shoulder holster for the training. The reason is the real world fact of shooting your self and/or another person. These type holsters, as well as, appendix carry take special training and time.
Keeping the firearm from unauthorized people is your responsibility! How are you going to store your firearm safely in your home? This is something that needs to be thought of before actually purchasing the firearm, in my opinion. Each of us are different, if it is a home with children it will be stored differently than a home of just two adults. When you store a firearm in your home, will it also need to be readily accessible for home protection? Again a quality basic pistol class should address this, if not contact your a NRA Personal Protection in the Home or Personal Protection Outside the Home Instructor.
Do yourself and your fellow students a huge favor and read up. No, I am not talking about the latest Clancy novel, but you want to have an understanding of the laws that will apply and you will learn in your course. I strongly recommend purchasing and reading either Massad Ayoob "In the Gravest Extreme" or "Use of Deadly Force". Another Author who brings real world experience to the table is Andrew Branca, "Law of Self-Defense". One of these book's will give you a basic understanding of the law's that your instructor will cover. Reading ahead of time will, allow you to prepare some questions to ask your instructor, as well as, optimize your training time.
You have Insurance on Home/Auto and medical right? Before your class, it is a good time to educate yourself on Self-Defense protection plans. We carry rescue equipment to save our lives or the lives of those under our mantle of care. Once we survive the incident, we will have to protect all the things we all have worked for all our lives, money and possessions. There are several plans out there, two in my humble opinion are worth looking at. One is Armed Citizens Defense Network, the other is called "Second Call". The first is the oldest and the one started by experts in real world incidents. The latter is backed by the NRA and has a pretty good repetition. Educate yourself on plans, then ask your instructor about them. Many people only learn of these plans or the concept of having "protection" during the class. Many never follow up or stride to learning more.
Start practicing Situation Awareness now. This is a skill set that should be or will be covered by your instructor. It is your first line of defense, to gain time and distance. Being Situation Aware, can lead to stopping an incident from even happening. It will also allow you to start employing tactics to have the outcome of an incident in your favor. This does not mean that you have to live in "panic". This means you are more adapt of what is happening around you. Professional Instructor's call it living in yellow. Which this color coding system should be expressed in your training.
If you take this advise, I strongly believe that you will enjoy and gain much more out of your course. When the I.S.C.A.P.E. team, instruct's a concealed carry class, we cram a lot of information into it, because we know that majority of people will stop learning there. Deciding to "Carry" is a lifestyle change and a commitment. Students are often over-whelmed and shocked at the amount of information that one needs to arm themselves with, to physically, mentally and financially survive an encounter. As we say through out the class, "this is just getting the lid off the paint can, there is a lot more to this". We stress to take more training and education, not for the benefit of instructor's or organization's but for the student. I want more concerned, prepared and educated Armed citizen's out there, for the simple reason that "you could be using my family as the backstop, you better be in the right".
I hope this prepares and helps people get more out of their course.
Stay Aware and Train like your want to live,
Todd R. Mendenhall
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