In the world of self-preservation there is self-defense. The first thing a person should be doing is situational awareness. You should be aware of what is going on around you and avoid any possible bad situations. Whatever you do, don’t escalate any situation to make it worse.
A - Always
B - Be
C - Carrying
You own the gun for protection and self- preservation, so it does not make much sense if you do not Always Be Carrying. You practice, I hope! You get training, or you would not be here at the USCCA. With that said, take classes for training and pay attention to what is being taught so you can take that to the range and work on those skills. Practice shooting while moving and practice doing reloads.
Just remember your ABC’s and Always Be Carrying safely!
I agree whole heartedly with always carry, but very few people actually do that. Very few. Unfortunately.
Lots of people say things like “you’ll be fine there” or “there is a police station across the street from where we are going it’s fine” or “this is a safe city” or “someone I work with carries” or “I’m with my husband a lot and he carries” or “I’m not one of those people that has to always have a gun” or “fill in the blank I’ve heard them all”
One of the things I think ‘we’ need to work on is getting those who can legally carry to actually do so regularly
Have they never heard of Murphy? These days he’s everywhere, all the time. In addition, sh^t doesn’t happen on our schedule! Or any schedule for that matter. Or any place in particular for the exception of “gun free zones”, that you can be sure of!
I get the impression, anyone that is legal to carry and doesn’t, is for one of two reasons. One of the two tools has not been mastered.
I wish this were true, but I’ll wager that most USCCA members don’t carry all the time.
Similarly, I’ll wager that most cops don’t carry all the time.
I’ll also wager that most IDPA competitors don’t carry all the time.
No matter what group I learn more about, I learn that, as someone who pretty much carries all the time, I am an extreme outlier. If you pretty much always carry, you are the outlier.
Many people won’t carry at work, won’t carry when they go out to a restaurant or bar (…), don’t carry when they go to get their car washed, don’t carry when they travel, don’t carry when they go to the dentist, don’t carry to the sporting event, you name it.
The question is, how do we get more people to do the same?
My father RIP when he wanted to get me to do something I didn’t want to do he would be real nice to me and let me know he wanted me to do it because he loved me. I always fell for it. One can accomplish a lot of things with love. I think that’s the reason it’s difficult.
Nathan 5-7,
I understand what you are saying. I really do. But the facts you state make me very sad.
Maybe I am an outlier, maybe i am an extreme gun carrying right wing lug-nut.
The small “Family” I have @ this point in my life is precious to me. I will protect them and myself.
At all costs. With my life if necessary.
I am fortunate to have a job where protection is my profession. I have had some jobs for as little as
a few weeks. To be unarmed is so foreign to me that I get hinky when I am forced to lock up my gun
before I clock-in. That is not a healthy way for me to survive in this current climate.
I DO NOT live in FEAR, but I am extremely cautious and very aware of my situation at all times.
To be unarmed is to be a sheep. I am not a sheep.
There may come a time I will have to defend myself or others the way this is all playing out.
I have been in the past and last time I checked (5 minutes ago) I am up to the task today.
One hopes to never get in a gun fight ever again but then if you do not carry all the time why are they here now? Why are they members of USCCA? Why have Insurance/lawyers/firearms and enough ammo to invade Poland?
I understand all cannot carry All the time. Certain situations demand they be unarmed.I do not go into those situations, I just don’t. Life is precious to me and to give mine up without a fight is unacceptable.
For one thing, even though it’s called the US Concealed Carry Association, there are a ton of benefits to membership beyond carrying. Not all members are licensed to carry, not all members even own a gun. The training and education for firearms is great, and also non firearm stuff. Situational awareness, non firearm self defense topics, first aid, a lot of the countering the mass shooter threat is not about you carrying a firearm, etc. And the additional benefit where members are additional insureds on the self defense liability insurance policy the USCCA purchased, that coverage is triggered by any lawful act of self defense not otherwise excluded…it doesn’t have to be with a firearm (although it could be).
That’s cool, but, also makes you an outlier within an outlier population. For example, I flew commercially this week, as I do often. I can’t carry a gun onto a commercial aircraft, so, I can’t carry then.
I’ve also had to have surgery or gone under at the dentist etc, I can’t carry then, and I don’t avoid medical care because of it.
I couldn’t even get a license to carry a gun in my state if I didn’t disarm to go into the government building/court building to apply for the license after I moved here.
I couldn’t go in person to get my kid’s birth certificates without going into the court building, and I can’t carry there. I even see cops with empty holsters there because they are police and not the deputies assigned to that location
I couldn’t get a passport without going into the post office.
I have kids who are in school, and sometimes I need to go into their school.
I suspect a lot of people are similar. For some, saying no sorry I can’t go to your school function or your sports activities have fun is a non-starter. Etc
So, if you can simply carry all the time by avoiding those situations and more…that puts you into an elite group
If you’re asking me to hug Biden so he’ll close the border, among a thousand other things, you’re out of your mind! Love is not getting us out of any of the situations we’re in. Actually, I think love got us into most of our bad situations. Welfare, affirmative action, need I go on?
Love didn’t stop the Vietnam war, it surely won’t stop the Chinese and the cartels from killing us!
Love may help stop siblings from killing each other, but world wide problems and the loss of sovereignty, killing in the streets, not a chance.
It’s going to take way more than that. It’s nice to think like that!
As the Warden of a "Prison chain gang " once quipped to Paul Newmen’s character in “Cool hand Luke”
“We have a failure to communicate”… that is what we are experiencing today.
We have a “divider in chief”, a criminal of the highest order leading a Crime family of criminals.
The system that may not have ever been fantastic to it’s citizens but was fair, is now 100% corrupted.
It is now more dangerous on the streets of America than it ever was in it’s short history.
There are factions out there now that are FREE to do as much damage as they wish.
It is State sanctioned HATE ! Weaponized IRS agents, and now because of this doddering
pedo we have a wide open Border w/ the enemy at the gates.
There is no penalty when someone does something illegal anymore…unless the corrupt system
wishes to send a message to “the other side of the aisle”. For instance the Marine defending himself
and fellow train passengers in NYC and the Soros-backed DA bought and paid for is trying to throw the book at him for subduing a 42 X’s repeat offender and mental patient. His time will come. Karma is a Bitch!
To some of you people here I am preaching to the choir. To some I guess nathan57 we will just have to agree to disagree. I have no problem with that. I am not nor ever will trying to convert anyone to my way of thinking. This is still America, you are all free (for now) to believe what you believe.
but don’t think (or fool yourselves) for a second that forces are out there now planning our destruction. It’s there plain as day if you just look.
Today I believe (as I have since I was old enough to vote) that defending yourself, your people, your country “from ENEMIES Foreign and Domestic Terrorism” is a valid cause!
If you choose NOT to carry, if circumstances prevent you from carrying, if you feel that you don’t NEED to carry all the time those are personal choices. And you are FREE Men and Women to make those choices.
I believe in every fiber of my being that if the SHTF I will be ready. I will step up (AGAIN). Twice in my life I was in a situation where I reached for my hardware and it wasn’t there… I didn’t like that feeling. I have made a choice now and I can live with that decision. no one has to follow my decisions. I don’t think less of anyone who doesn’t carry all the time. This works for me and me alone. So you can call me an ‘Outlier’
within an Outlier population. that is your right. And I really don’t give a S—. I will not lose sleep because of someone’s opinion of me. Sticks and stones and all that.
But to go into a Gun free Zone mall…to shop! Is sheer lunacy. Times Square is now a GFZ…how’s that working for them already…School zones with their false arbitrary dome of protection…ask a parent who buried their child how they feel about that now! Is this too harsh for some? It is REALITY! How many of us have been threatened, followed, assaulted recently by someone we never met before? but because we were Trained, Self protected, Armed we stopped something before it got hairy! We may have even saved someone we didn’t even knows life! There are pluses and minuses in every decision we make.
I can live with my decisions. I just hope you can too.
You are going to have to hug a lot more people than Biden. Biden is the puppet of the people in power. It is the people one has to convince.
Edit- I think love did stop the Vietnam war. It just took a long time. I think love stop the Uvalde school shooting it just took a long time to find someone with the love.
I think .556 rounds stopped the Uvalde A–hole Sir. Jus’ sayin’
Love is GREAT ! Love is Wonderful Brother, I have LOVE for each and every
one of my Brothers and Sisters in my NEW USCCA family.
I want us ALL to live in PEACE and Safety.
Is it asking too much to be able to take the Subway without
fear of being shanked, thrown on the tracks, bitch slapped?
Is it too much to ask to (if we have to) have a gubment that isn’t
lining its pockets with OUR monies and catering to every RADICAL FACTION
(Trans, “Migrants” MS13) out there? just cause they think these individuals
will give them their vote? Are they trying to be All Inclusive? or is it something more
Sinister…Its something more sinister folks.
Spread the LOVE around , It’s FREE! but pass the Ammunition!
