Five Rules For Concealed Carry

Five Rules for Concealed Carry

1)   Your Concealed Handgun Is For Protection Of Life Only.
      You may only Draw it solely in preparation to protect yourself, your family, or an
      innocent third  party from the wrongful and life-threatening criminal actions of another.

2)   Know Exactly When You Are Authorized Under The Law To Use Deadly Force

• The perpetrator has the ability to inflict serious bodily injury;  They are  visibly armed or reasonably appear to be armed with a deadly weapon (I.E. A knife, a screw driver, a gun, a hammer etc.) or any other instrument which has the ability to inflict death.   Even the fist of a person can be used to cause serious bodily injury and even death if the act were to continue for a prolonged period of time.   Another example is a person who has been trained in the use of Martial Arts and knows how to strike their opponent with speed and accuracy (They themselves become that 'lethal weapon).
   

• The perpetrator has the opportunity to inflict serious bodily harm (They are physically positioned to harm you with their weapon),
  and their intent (hostile actions or words)  indicates that they have the means to place you in jeopardy of physically serious or even
  fatal harm.
   

• The perpetrator has the means to place you in jeopardy with the intent to do you, a loved one or even innocent bystander serious   or fatal physical harm

.   (Please note:  Any person authorized to carry a concealed Pistol/Weapon is authorized to use deadly force against another if another human being   that is in your presence is being threatened by great bodily harm or has potentially been placed into an action that appears to demonstrate that another human being is about to be placed into the same categories with the above 3 elements: Ability, Opportunity and the Means.)

Note: When all three of these "life-threatening" elements are in place simultaneously, then you are facing a reasonably perceived deadly threat that
can justify an emergency situation requiring the use of deadly force.

If You Can Flee the situation, then by all means, Flee!

Just because you’re armed doesn’t necessarily mean you must confront a bad guy at gunpoint. Develop your  own "situational awareness" skills so that you can be alert to detect and avoid trouble altogether. Keep in mind that if you successfully evade a potential confrontation, the single negative consequence involved might be your bruised ego, which should heal with mature rationalization. But if you force a confrontation you risk the possibility of you or a family member being killed or suffering lifelong crippling/disfiguring physical injury, criminal liability and/or financial ruin from civil lawsuit. Flee if you can, fight only as a last resort.

 
4) Display Your Gun - And You Could End Up In Jail.
If you "brandish" your firearm, you should expect to be arrested by police at gunpoint. You may be charged with a crime anytime your concealed handgun is seen by another citizen in public, regardless of how unintentional or innocent or justified the situation might seem, unless you live in an "open carry" state such as Virginia, the potential for violating local ordinances still exists. Choose a method of carry that reliably keeps your gun hidden from public view at all times, if this is the case. Obviously if you live in an open carry state, your firearm may be visible and no charges will be filed unless it is brandished keeping in mind that the opposite may be a violation if you 'conceal' your weapon.   You have no control over how a stranger will react to seeing (or learning about) your concealed handgun. He or she might become alarmed and report you to police as a "man or woman with a gun." Depending on his or her feelings about firearms, this person might be willing to maliciously embellish his or her story in attempt to have your gun seized by police or to get you arrested. An alarmed citizen who reports a "person with a gun" is going to be more credible to police than you when you're stopped because you match the suspect's description, and you're found to have a concealed handgun in your possession.   Before you deliberately expose (brandish) your gun in public, ask yourself: "Is this worth going to jail for?"  The only time this question should warrant a resounding 'Yes' is when a person has both the ability and intent of causing you, a loved one, or even perhaps an innocent bystander's life to be in imminent danger of death and even in circumstances involving a of a women being raped or beaten by an over-powering opponent.    You are NOT brandishing your weapon if someone happens to see it behind your open jacket or coat.   First of all their testimony would have to include the fact that you made them aware by some form of threat (Pulled your jacket, shirt or coat aside to display your weapon), otherwise,

in the kind of society we live in, unless you are obviously a Law Enforcement Officer, this can bring tension into an otherwise 'calm' situation.   Don't risk even 'giving' the appearance that you are some kind of rouge gun-toting person.   Remember, your weapon is there for protection, NOT enforcement!  That's up to law enforcement to 'enforce' the public

 
5) Don't Let Your Emotions Get The Best Of You.
If, despite your best efforts to the contrary, you do get into some kind of heated dispute with another person while you’re armed, never mention, imply or exhibit your gun for the purpose of intimidation or one-upmanship. You’ll simply make a bad situation worse -- for yourself (see rule #4).

Use of Deadly Force for Lawful Self-Defense
In receiving a license to carry a concealed firearm for lawful self-defense, you are undertaking a great responsibility. A license to carry a concealed firearm is not a license to 'Kill'.   I am sure you share my hope that you will never find it necessary to use a firearm in self-defense, but. If you do, the law will protect you only if you have acted within the law. Those who are choosing to arm themselves with firearms should, therefore, be armed with the most indispensable weapon of all ........ knowledge.

Concealed Carry Facts & Statistics
Today, there are only 2 states that do not have a right-to-carry or shall-issue laws.  States with right-to-carry laws have lower overall violent crime rates, compared to states without right-to-carry laws. In states whose laws respect the citizen's right-to-carry guns for self defense the total violent crime is 13% lower, homicide is 3% lower, robbery is 26% lower and aggravated assault is 7% lower.