July 20, 2021 by Vernon Vie
It is called by many names: CCW, Carry Permit, Conceal and Carry, Concealed Carry, Permit to Carry, License to Carry, Gun Permit, Etc. but the idea is the same. All of the aforementioned phrases refer to a government issued piece of paper or I.D. card that allows you to legally carry a handgun in certain public places. The rules governing the privileges of permit holders will vary by state, with some states’ regulations being much more strict than others. Currently, 36 states allow some form of Constitutional Carry. (carrying without a permit, check your state’s laws regarding concealed/open carry) Most states that require a carry permit also require an applicant to complete a firearms training course of some type.
Is it worth it? For me, the answer is: Absolutely yes! If you’re not sure whether or not a carry permit is right for you, then read on and I’ll lay out some of the benefits and risks associated with being a carry permit holder.
To carry or not to carry
For starters, lets take a look at some of the reasons you may want to get a carry permit.
There is no time like the present. Even if you are not planning to carry daily, or are not sure that you’d ever even want to carry, it may be beneficial to take the necessary steps now rather than “Whenever I get around to it”. Let me explain: In a lot of states(and especially on the federal level) firearms laws are in a constant state of flux. New restrictions here, old provisions there, etc. Minor things, usually. The problem with that is that those little things can tend to add up and before you can say “Second Amendment”, you are relegated to carrying a BB gun only on your property and only on Saturdays. In other words, don’t wait until it’s too late. If you already have your permit and your state’s laws change, at least you already have your permit!
“Good Citizenship” Card. Another benefit that most people may not even think about is that by obtaining your Carry Permit, you have physical proof, on your person, that you are not a convicted felon or known gang member, have not been adjudicated mentally deficient, and are most likely not a danger to yourself or to the public. Sort of like a “Good citizenship card”… I am NOT qualified to give legal advice, but in my experience, handing over your carry permit along with your Driver’s License during a traffic stop will likely ease the mind of the Police Officer who pulled you over. In fact, the Texas Dept. of Public Safety found that permit holders are far less likely to commit crimes than the general population….see where I’m going with this?
In the context of “Self Defense”, it’s good to have options. If you were to ask someone why they carry a gun, it is almost certain that their reply would include the words “Self-Defense” or “Protection”. There are myriad options for self-defense and personal protection. Some people train in the martial arts, for example. This can be a very effective means of defending oneself, depending on the style/discipline, individual skill level and the context of the situation. Less-lethal weapons such as stun guns, tasers, pepper spray and batons can also be very effective, but again, depend on the context of the situation. Finally, there are the lethal options: Edged weapons and Firearms, which also require the user to have a certain degree of proficiency to be truly effective. All of these have their advantages and disadvantages with no one of them being a one-size-fits-all answer to all your self-defense needs. Having a high-level black belt in Karate can be a fantastic tool in your toolkit, just as carrying a firearm can be. But in the author’s opinion, having a firearm as your only available self-defense tool could be a huge mistake. I find that it is best to research and explore all the options, to find out what works best for you and integrate those “Force Multiplier” options into your personal protection plan.
Training is fun! It is highly recommended that you do not let your “Carry Permit” training course be the first and last time you learn about firearms. Training with the pistol you plan to carry can be fantastically fun, rewarding, and is generally a good idea. Continued education and practice with firearms, like many other physical activities, can help ensure that you maximize your performance should you ever need to defend yourself or the life of a loved one, especially in a high stress situation. Honing your ability to consistently place rounds inside a circle printed on a piece of paper is a great place to start, but accuracy with your carry pistol is just a small piece of the puzzle, albeit a very important one. To become a well-rounded and responsible armed citizen, it is crucial to practice not only the fundamentals of shooting like safety, proper grip, sight alignment, trigger control, shooting stance, breathing, recoil management, etc. but also to learn and practice some more advanced skills. Drawing and presentation from concealment, moving while shooting, reloading, clearing malfunctions, weapon retention, shoot/don’t shoot scenarios, and distance management are also very important (and oftentimes neglected) components to achieving competence and confidence with your pistol. These things take time and dedication to master. While a number of them can be learned and practiced alone, it is advisable to seek guidance from a well respected and qualified instructor.
Valuable Life Skills Depending on where you go for your permit training class, you will learn some highly desirable techniques that anyone can use to help keep you and your loved ones Physically, Morally, Legally, and Financially safe! Concepts like Situational Awareness, Advanced Threat Detection, Conflict Avoidance, De-Escalation, Understanding how the body/mind reacts in times of threat, Use of Force Continuum, and Legal aspects of Self-Defense are all subjects that should be covered in class and can be implemented into your daily routine quickly and easily. Ensuring one’s personal safety includes many best-practices, a lot of those require no physical ability and, with a little practice, can be mastered by people of any skill level even if they are not carrying a firearm! Permit to Carry or Concealed carry classes can be the perfect place to learn the basics of all of the aforementioned concepts, with the added benefit of being able to get your carry permit if you choose to do so.
Carried firearms can be a great “Force Multiplier”. No matter how big and tough you are (or think you are) there will always be someone, or multiple someones, bigger and tougher. Statistically, in a self-defense incident a person is most likely to face multiple attackers rather than being targeted by a single assailant. Single moms with children, elderly persons, persons with physical disabilities. What about them? Would they stand a chance against multiple attackers showing lethal intent? Possibly, but their odds would be much greater if they had a Force Multiplier, such as a pistol, and were proficient with it. Realistically, your chances of being in an incident involving multiple attackers are higher today than in years past, and the last place you’d want to find yourself is facing down multiple attackers alone, with nothing to help level the playing field. Of course, violence is not the solution to to many of life’s problems….until that problem decides it wants to take your life. In those cases, force can be met with equal force. That is, if you have that option available.
Carrying Legally is in your best interest. Of all the benefits we’ve listed so far, this one may be both the most obvious and the most important. Whether you are a young lady looking to feel more confident walking around alone, or an older gentleman who wants to better protect his family, or anyone in between, it is certainly the best decision to carry legally if you decide to carry. Now, this may seem obvious to some of us but just think for a moment about all of the robberies, homicides, and other violent crimes you see on the news. Did they involve firearms? What percentage of those that did was the suspect carrying the firearm legally? This is a difficult statistic to nail down but published data on gun violence indicates that guns used in crimes were illegally obtained most of the time, ranging anywhere from 65%-97%! Why does this matter? It matters because if you are found to be carrying illegally, you may be barred from buying firearms in the future or maybe even from being in possession of a firearm at all! You would then technically become a criminal in the eyes of the law and be a part of the negative statistics. The vast majority of states in the U.S. have provisions for legal carry. Those statutes were carefully written and are constantly being defended every day, in every state, all over America. Don’t allow all that legislative effort and vigilance to be wasted.
However, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Two sides to every coin, if you will. At first, I found it rather difficult to think of a compelling list of reasons why getting a carry permit might not be worth it. I soon realized that there are a number of reasons “why not”. In my mind, the benefits so far outweighed the risks that I barely even considered them to be risks. After some careful thought, here are some things to keep in mind.
Your permit comes with a price tag. A financial investment is needed to get you legal. Carry permit classes can vary by instructor but are usually between $100-$350. Most states charge around $100 to process your application so your total initial investment can be between $150-$500 to get your permit. Once you have your permit, you’ll likely want a pistol to go with it, that can be had for as little as about $400 all the way up to the thousands. Then you’ll need a good holster (usually between $50-$200) for your carry pistol, which you may wind up purchasing a few of until you find one you really like. Don’t forget a few magazines worth of quality defense ammunition, and you’ll want to make sure whatever you’ve chosen cycles properly in your carry gun. The good news is that there are more options today than ever before, and you should be able to get properly set up, permit and all, for under a grand.
Carrying a gun is a huge responsibility! It’s true, there is a substantial amount of responsibility that comes along with carrying, perhaps even more so should you choose to carry openly. Walking around with a pistol visible for all to see leaves you open to scrutiny from law enforcement, anti-gun activists, and could even make you a target for criminals. It also requires you to be hyper-vigilant with situational awareness to ensure that you retain your pistol at all times. Many believe that carrying openly can act as a deterrent to baddies but the pendulum swings both ways, especially if you are in the minority and nobody else in the vicinity is carrying openly. Some people are so unsettled by the sight of a citizen with a gun that they cannot take their attention away from you and may even go so far as to call the police, reporting such things as a “person with a gun”. Trust me, you don’t need that in your life. I find that it is more advantageous to conceal your firearm in the vast majority of cases. Even when carrying concealed, you must pay extra attention to how you conduct yourself: being polite, watching your mouth, avoiding conflict, and de-escalating any potentially confrontational situations. After all, if push came to shove and an incident did happen you would likely be held to a higher standard because you’ve received “special training” and should’ve “known better”. There is even a small faction of gun owners that believe they are better off carrying illegally (with no permit) due to the “plausible deniability” factor. The basic idea here is that by not getting their permit and the training that goes with it, they would somehow be able to claim ignorance as a defense should they become involved in a defensive shooting incident! I understand the logic here, but wholeheartedly disagree.
In closing, the decision whether or not a permit to carry is worth it ultimately depends on you. Do you want to be able to protect yourself and your loved ones to the absolute best of your ability? Will you devote the time and effort to make physical safety and personal security a priority in your life? Are you willing to spend money on these priorities? Are you ok with the possibility of one day knowing that you could’ve tried harder, done more, done something? Ask yourself these important questions and answer them honestly. You will know.
