Personal Safety is a daily routine for many Americans. We lock our doors at night, install smoke detectors and burglar alarms in our homes, keep fire extinguishers in our homes, practice fire drills, wear our seat belts when driving, and wear helmets when driving motorcycles & ATV’s. These are just a few of the general safety practices many Americans practice every day. With all this safety being practiced why do so many people keep insurance on things like homes, autos, lives, and other valuables? I can tell you the answer is simple; no one knows when they may experience a loss.
Nor do we know when we may become a victim of a criminal who will violently attack us. So a prepared person may chose to obtain a permit to carry a concealed handgun. In doing so they are preparing for an unforeseen event where their life or that of a loved one may be in jeopardy of imminent danger that could result in great bodily injury or death. With their tool of last resort they may have the opportunity to save their own life or that of a loved one.
The concealed carry permit holder is practicing the basic steps of risk management; they are taking steps to protect valuable assets, through planning, preparation, which should include attending training. Every step is an investment process, including attending training class into your personal safety. In this process they will learn how to make their own personal safety plan, which should encompass a plan for a wide variety of situations up to possibly surviving a violent attack. In some states there are requirements for prospective concealed carry permit applicants to pass a training course, but others like the one I live in do not.
I live in South Dakota, our state is a shall issue state and does not require any formal training to obtain a concealed carry permit. Our current state law (23-7-7.1) statute requires:
- A person to be 18 years old
- Have never pled guilty to, nolo contendere to or been convicted of a felony or crime of violence.
- Is not habitually in an intoxicated or drugged condition.
- Has not been found in the previous ten years to be a “danger to others” or a “danger to self” or currently adjudged mentally incompetent.
- Has physically resided in and is a resident of the county where the application is being made for at least thirty days immediately preceding the date of the application.
- Has had no violation of South Dakota’s firearms control laws, unlawful use of weapons, controlled substances, marijuana, constituting a felony or misdemeanor in the five years preceding the date of application or is not currently charged under indictment of information for such an offense.
- Is a citizen of the United States
- Is not a fugitive from justice.
Firearms Classes
The simple truth is receiving your permit and/or attending any state required training alone is not enough to complete your investment into your personal protection plan. First let’s talk about states with required training courses. These classes are a minimum standard of proficiency established by their legislators. Permit holders in states with these requirements only have to repeat the class once every 4 to 5 years. Now ask yourself, is one class required by the state at application time/renewal time enough to maintain the level proficiency necessary to protect them selves or a loved one?
A concealed carry permit holder should continue their education in self-defense, firearms, and personal protection skills. These skills are perishable and must be refreshed with continued training and practice. As one ventures down the road of maintaining their personal protection plan they could find them selves seeking out new information and different ways to maintain their skills. The reason they should do this is simple you do not want to become complacent in your skill levels. Remember if you’re in a state that does not require training attending a handgun training class can and will benefit you.
How would one find a class to attend? Well the NRA has made it easy for us to find courses by going to their website and using the Find a Course option. This option will enable a person to find the closest NRA Class in the desired discipline to their location. The NRA has different handgun classes ranging from first steps and Basic to Advanced Personal Protection outside the Home. You can also find instructors in the USA Carry Firearm Instructor Directory as well as classes listing in the USA Carry Firearm Events by State Calendar.
Closing thoughts:
Concealed Carry Permit holders must prepare in every way – physically, legally, mentally, tactically, and even emotionally for the realities of a life threatening encounter. You, the Concealed Carry Permit holder, can not forget you may have to use some level of force to defend your life or that of a loved one, but the force you use should be trained, reasonable, and justified. As prepared Concealed Carry Permit Holder “You are one of the good guys, you may need to fight, If ever in a position you have to fight ensure you are fighting the good fight!”
