The Concealed Carry Lifestyle

This 45-minute video presentation of the “Concealed Carry Lifestyle” seminar is presented by Klint Macro and is based on his article A Citizen’s First Responder Infrastructure, which was originally published here on the Personal Defense Network.

Topics covered in this presentation are:

1. Understanding Personal Safety Concepts
2. Developing a Personal Protection Plan
3. Understand the Legal Aspects
4. Obtaining the Proper Hardware
5. Defensive Skills … Not Marksmanship Skills
6. Mental Conditioning
7. Maintenance and Con-Ed

The cornerstone of all defensive training is situational awareness. If we can collect and process information and make proactive decisions to avoid negative and/or dangerous situations, perhaps we will never need to use a defensive tool.

Our own personal protection plan must be adaptable and defensive in nature. At home we can “war game” and perhaps even drill our plans. In public, we will most likely not have the ability to pre-program a defensive strategy, so we should come up with the best plan that we can. Even a not-so-thorough plan is much better than no plan whatsoever.

Anytime we deal with a firearm, there are potential legal ramifications. Whether we are purchasing, storing, carrying, concealing, or using a firearm defensively, the law is a factor. We must be educated about the law where we live, where we are going, and where we are passing through to get there. We must also accept that using a firearm to defend ourselves and loved ones may very well place us in legal jeopardy afterward.

When obtaining “defensive hardware” for concealed carry, there are many things to consider. When choosing a defensive firearm, ammunition, holster, storage device, and any accessories, a family first responder should be concerned with reliability and efficiency.

Although calculated and choreographed marksmanship skills may help someone in a defensive context, evidence tells us it is unlikely. We must learn to use our defensive tools in a way that works well with what the body does naturally under the stress of a Dynamic Critical Incident.

A failure of imagination can lead us to a fail. Through visualization, we can perhaps avoid a freeze and develop appropriate contingency plans that can help us prevail during a worst-case scenario.

Any professional must have a regimen of continuing education to evolve and develop as said professional. Why would a family first responder be any different? We owe it to ourselves and our family to continually better ourselves through education, training, conditioning, and skill development, so if we are left with no choice but to use that tool of defense, we will be more efficient and not only win the physical encounter, but also survive the legal and financial aftermath that may follow.