We readily justify our mistakes by uttering the cliché-ridden line, “Well, nobody’s perfect.”
Then again, this won’t hold water if someone calls the cops because youre waving a gun around in parking lot.
Mistakes may be unpredictable, but they sure can be prevented. Curiously enough, blunders are committed by unknowing newbies as frequently as complacent experts.
Complacency is the culprit, and every gun owner falls into this rut every once in a while. So don’t let your guard down and be aware of these concealed carry mistakes.
Contents
1. Believing that minimum training is enough
Having acquired your concealed weapons license doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re now fully equipped to handle every single situation with a gun tucked on your hip.
For the most part, the hunter safety course required to qualify for a license emphasizes on safe handling of a rifle in the forests.
More training will be required to fine-tune the basic lessons you learned. With every training also comes deeper appreciation of your responsibility for safe gun-keeping.
2. Wearing inappropriate clothing
Leaving gun imprints on the clothing and carelessly exposing your gun or even a small part of it are mistakes borne out of complacency.
Make sure you’re wearing the right gun concealment garment which leaves no printing or needless exposure that can draw people’s attention and cause a lot of trouble.
Some states may not be so strict about this, but exposing guns is illegal in many states.
3. Using low-quality holster
Your holster is an indispensable item when going for concealed carry.
Using a low-quality holster invites serious implications. As with concealment garments, you should look for holsters that fit your day-to-day routine and physique appropriately.
Quality holsters need not be too expensive, but should retain your gun as securely as it should.
Holsters have several functions aside from the obvious purpose of retaining and keeping the gun secure – they must also have added features, such as minimized imprint, quick access and easy re-holstering.
4. Touching the gun
Gun-owners often do this absent-mindedly – habitually touching the gun while they go on their usual activities.
The habit, however, does not go unnoticed by others. The seemingly innocent gesture tells others that you have a gun and where it’s located.
Stop fidgeting with your gun because it’s a clear giveaway of your weakness.
5. Adjusting gun conspicuously in public
Constant body movement could somehow shift the position of your holster.
This results to discomfort and, possibly, an unstable position for the gun. When this happens, prudence dictates that you re-adjust your holster in a private place, like a bathroom, dressing room, your car or a small obscured corner where you can discreetly fix or re-holster the gun.
6. Carrying gun occasionally
Carrying a gun is not unlike wearing a seat belt each time you drive or a parachute each time you plan to sky-dive.
The idea is to wear your gun at all times – be it at work all day, away from home, or making a beeline to buy some groceries.
Accidents and criminalities lurk all over the place, and they happen when you least expect them.
The next time you miss to bring a gun could be your last. Avoid being on the vulnerable and defenseless end be prepared and carry your gun always.
7. Maintaining the wrong mentality
Responsible gun owners who carry concealed maintain a mindset that endeavors to avoid any conflict.
They are people who value and respect the rights of others, and who lead low-profile lives.
On the other hand, people who strut with their hardware around thinking they’re invincible, almost always invite trouble or will pick a fight at the slightest hint of conflict.
Guns protect you from violence, not create one.
8. Disregarding the need to practice with self-defense ammunition
Some gun owners belittle the idea of practicing with self-defense ammos, citing budgetary constraints.
They’d rather use inexpensive bullets over self-defense shells. But just as you have your own gun preference, a gun also needs ammos that work well with it.
Practice with a number of other brands, don’t wait to find out the hard way that your gun doesn’t precisely complement your choice of self-defense shells or you’ll lose defending yourself and family.
9. Neglecting to brush up on gun laws
Going over gun laws – federal, state, or local – is every gun-carrying individual’s responsibility.
These laws vary by state, so you need to know the laws of the state you’re in as well as those you may need to visit.
It’s not such a big deal obtaining them; a quick search through Google will provide you the data in no time.
First, find out where or what states allow carrying concealed weapons or which of the four categories of concealed carry the states belong. From there the rest should be smooth sailing.
10. Not using a holster at all
Carrying an un-holstered firearm inside the waistband, pocket, purse, or clutch bag is ill advised.
These types (if you can call it that) of concealed carry run counter to established standards on proper and safe handling of weapons.
They can be taken away or misplaced easily. If you need to carry your gun, then do so properly.
Some mistakes may not immediately redound to a negative impact. This makes the gun owner think that it’s okay.
Repeatedly done, however, they become more ingrained in the person, so much so that they become the norm.
If some of these concealed carry mistakes sound familiar to you, it’s a sure sign of complacency. Then it’s probably time to unlearn a few things, and relearn some through proper gun training and discipline.
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