What piqued your interest in getting your permit to concealed carry?
Are you freaking out about riots springing up and want to have a fighting chance to defend yourself?
Or are you traveling for work and want to protect yourself no matter where you are?
For me, I like to camp and backpack. Some of the areas I camp are prone to bears and other big things that might try to eat me.
My motivation to get my concealed carry permit was to carry my Glock 27 when I wanted to enjoy nature without becoming an intimate part of the local food chain.
That changed when I actually took the course and had the permission of the great state of Wisconsin to concealed carry.
Below are some situations you might not have thought of that you should definitely keep in mind if you are thinking about getting your concealed carry permit.
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Things I Wish I knew Before I Carried Concealed
1. Feeling Like Everyone is Looking at You
When you legally carry your for the first time, you’re going to feel like everyone is looking at you.
Remember that big zit you had in high school and everyone was looking at you? Yeah, it’s not that bad, but it’s the same sort of feeling.
You’ll realize almost everyone doesn’t know. However, you will have to modify some of the ways you do things depending on where your holster is.
For example, if you carry your gun at the 4 or 5 O’Clock position (behind your right hip), your gun may print (how the outline or imprint of your weapon) when you bend over to get something off the bottom shelf at the grocery store.
To remedy this, you can either stop buying the cheap cereal in the bags on the bottom shelf and get real Fruit Loops, or you can squat with your back straighter to minimize the bulge.
Or check out our Best Holsters Any Way You Carry article to get the least printing one possible.
2. The Responsibility
This may seem like a given, but now situations require you to have a zen-like calm about you.
Think about those times you’ve been cut off when driving and your blood pressure skyrockets. If you get into an argument and someone sees you have a gun, they could feel threatened.
You can’t flash your gun to win an argument.
If you remove your gun from your holster, you need to genuinely fear for your life. It needs to be a scenario where it’s a you or them outcome.
If it’s not, there are other consequences you may face like assault with a deadly weapon, or at a minimum, brandishing a firearm.
Neither of these are things you don’t want to deal with, ever.
One way to get SOME piece of mind is with CCW insurance. It’s one of those things you’ll really wish you had if you ever have to use your weapon…even if it was a righteous shoot you’re still going to need help.
3. All of the Places You Can’t Go When You are Carrying
When you aren’t carrying a weapon, you can pretty much go anywhere you want. When carrying, you need to be a little more cautious. Those no gun signs are your Kryptonite.
You will learn pretty quickly there are a lot of places with a no gun policy.
It all depends on your local laws, so make sure to check those out — you can start with our guide to CCW Laws For Every State.
Depending on where you live, a religious building like a church, any state or federal building, pretty much any place that has anything that has to do with children, movie theaters, a lot of stores, bars, and event venues are all no-go places when you legally have a gun on your person.
Some states have laws like, if a business makes more than 50% of their business from alcohol on any given day, then it is illegal to carry inside the building.
Situations like that are tricky and you’ll need to use your best judgment. It’s not like you’re going peek your head in the door to ask the owner to see his books for the last year so you know whether you can bring your gun inside.
You need to err on the side of caution; avoid the business or don’t carry inside.
4. What Do I Do With My Gun When I Can’t Take Inside a Store With Me?
This happens a lot. You’re out running errands, and you come to a store with a no guns allowed sign on the door.
What do you do?
You have a few options.
First, you can choose another establishment. As you can tell by watching the news, spineless bad guys love to target gun-free zones.
Going inside leaves you unable to protect yourself.
The second option is to lock your gun in the car. This is the go-to option most of the time because, unless someone who wants to steal your gun knows you have it in the car, it should be secure.
Making sure your weapon is secure in your vehicle isn’t as easy.
Sure you can put it in your glove compartment or center console. But more and more, car manufacturers are removing the locks.
A good alternative would be a personal safe that installs in your vehicle. You’ll have a metal structure with a lock and peace of mind for the times you can’t take your gun with you.
The third choice is not to bring your weapon with you if you know you can’t have it on your person.
If you’re taking your kids to the waterpark, it’s a pretty good bet you can’t carry it with you. Situations like these put you in a predicament where you need to decide whether to take it with you when you leave the house or not.
5. Reciprocity
One thing I did look into before I took my CCW class was where my Wisconsin permit would be valid.
What I found out was, if I go to Minnesota, they do not accept my state’s permit, and therefore I can’t carry there.
In this situation, you have a couple of choices. If you frequent a state, you can get get a permit for that state.
Some states offer non-resident CCW permits. The other option is to take the class for a Utah non-resident permit. Utah, if you didn’t know has one of the most widely accepted concealed carry permits.
If you decide to go the route of a Utah non-resident permit, keep an eye on which states accept it.
There are many easy to use reciprocity maps to help you check which states accept your state’s permit.
6. How Much of a Pain It Is to Travel
Traveling while carrying, at least initially, adds some inconvenience to your trip. Most states allow you to keep your weapon on you while you drive as long as you stay in the vehicle.
Others require you to have it locked up and unloaded.
Make sure you know the transportation rules of the State’s you are driving through. It will help you avoid incident if you have an unexpected meeting with law enforcement.
You won’t have to rely on the “I didn’t know that wasn’t legal here, it is in my State.” plea.
These days, flying is the worst. Take an inconvenient situation and make it more time consuming… no thank you. The TSA has been a little better with things like guns on a plane. Follow some simple TSA rules for flying with a gun.
No matter how you travel, when you don’t have your gun on you, make sure it is in a hard sided case with a lock that only you have the key to (No TSA locks!).
Check out our Best Gun Cases for all our suggestions for both hard and soft cases.
You don’t want someone to be able to pry the case open and slide your gun out.
That sort of defeats the purpose, right?
7. Training and Practice
While these are not mandatory, the thing is, if you aren’t an accurate shot or freeze when the time comes to defend your life, there is no real reason to carry a weapon.
A lot of sites talk about going to the range and practicing. The thing is, they have access to a really cool range with all sorts of equipment and targets.
Most people can’t train this way.
Most cities have an area where you can shoot. You may need to drive 30 minutes to get there, but you should be able to find one.
What you are trying to do is create good muscle memory. You want to be able to draw your gun from your holster and bring it to the exact same shooting position every time.
You need to do this over and over and over again. You can practice at home with Safe and Effective Dry-Fire Training.
Going to the range regularly will let you get a feel for your trigger, the recoil, reacquiring your target after you fire a round, and more. There is no real substitution for live-fire training.
You might be one hell of a shot in video games, but it’s very different squeezing a real trigger.
The better you practice, the less you will need to think about it in the heat of the moment.
Be A Responsible Gun Owner
Overall, your life will change when you decide it’s time to exercise your right to bear arms and carry every day.
But if you do find yourself in a defensive gun use…do you have the right “concealed carry insurance?” I walk through why I chose USCCA for its education of how to prevent dangerous encounters, what to do during one, and the aftermath. Plus all memberships get personal liability insurance.
You will also find yourself being more observant and aware of your surroundings. You will also find yourself avoiding more potential drama than you did before you carried.
What were some things you found out after you started concealed carrying regularly? Check out even more CCW info in our Concealed Carry Guide page.
152 Leave a Reply
I look at shooting and conceal carry through a self-defense glass. However, there are always relatives of the bad guys who will not hesitate to sue whoever shot their poor Johnny, who would not normally hurt a fly! They claim this even when Johnny was caught on film robbing someone with a gun. Being righteous in a shoot may not protect you from being victimized in court.
I look at shooting and conceal carry through a self-defense glass. However, there are always relatives of the bad guys who will not hesitate to sue whoever shot their poor Johnny, who would not normally hurt a fly! They claim this even when Johnny was caught on film robbing someone with a gun. Being righteous in a shoot may not protect you from being victimized in court.
I look at shooting and conceal carry through a self-defense glass. However, there are always relatives of the bad guys who will not hesitate to sue whoever shot their poor Johnny, who would not normally hurt a fly! They claim this even when Johnny was caught on film robbing someone with a gun. Being righteous in a shoot may not protect you from being victimized in court.
One thing I will tell you Trevor. TSA has a key to every lock. Unless you have a custom made lock, they can and will open your case and mess with your stuff. I know this from personal experience. They have never damaged anything important, but just re-arranged things. The lesson I learned is that all locks are TSA locks.
I travel with my guns regularly, TSA always asks for my keys to open my pelican case. My locks are standard run of the mill “master” locks available everywhere. I have also SIDA badge privileges and can attest that your claim is false.
Are you bringing your gun to your seat or is it in checked luggage?
And how is he supposed to do that have you never flown before?
TSA's own rules forbid their staff from taking your keys and opening your inside lock box. If they feel the need to examine your gun, they are supposed to have YOU open the box for them, and SHOW them the condition of the gun.
Yeah right TSA has a key to every lock in the world, sorry but that’s a ridiculous claim.
Thanks for the great article, still contemplating getting ccl, definitely a big responsibility, mostly wanted for hiking however reciprocity definitely needs to be known , also the zen thing is great advice as I have so many times almost gotten into a fistfight and realize can't be doing that either , damn !
Good article on conceal carry. I have experienced all of the points. I just went through a rather extensive and lengthy process to get a permit in NJ. I had one in the past in PA. I think my most valuable learning is range shooting is not tactical shooting. You really need to practice holster draws and mag changes, your life may depend on it. Also remember most most LEOs never draw their weapons during their career. There are many things that can be read into that last sentence. I see it as a reminder, if you are smart you can avoid the need for deadly force. We all know it is reserved for when you have no other option. I am grateful I have that option. The State kept it from me for 6 years. I will retain my permit for the obvious one but also to tell the State leave my rights alone.
I have a .454 Alaskan...is there a good "dot" that doesn't stick up too far and won't get misaligned by the recoil?
I grew up around guns, hunting, and safety. We took gun safety, survival, and shooting classes in jr high in Oregon (1988). I think this is a great guide for people thinking of getting a permit. Do I really need one or I just want to look cool. Also people who have permits to be reminded of their responsibility. 1 other thing, if you have kid(s) you will not be carrying as often with them around. I like having the ability to do so, but I hardly do. But that is me, thank you for this article Trevor.
Seems strange to me that when someone attempts to provide GOOD general information there are so many nit pickers scurry out of the woodwork to tell you what you missed or what does not apply to one issue or another. Thanks for your articles.
I’m guessing you live in the state of Wisconsin as well as I do. I find some of your statements not accurate at least not in Wisconsin. It doesn’t matter if there are 100 no gun signs on the door of a establishment. If you decide to go in the most that can happen is you would get a trespassing ticket and that’s only if you refuse to leave after being asked. You can even go into a bank in the state of Wisconsin with a gun if you choose. Federal buildings and bars are pretty much of limits. You should look into joining Delta defense to get more accurate information.
Logic and the law-HUH? You can buy a pistol on line and have it shipped to an FFL. The seller will ship it by say PRIORITY MAIL. The postal carrier will likely with out a concealed carry permit, thorough several states, likely braking laws but it is OK-HUH?
What if the sky falls?
definitely weird....but US postal workers ARE federal Employees...maybe they're exempt, lol.
Eric, I checked some of the states offering nonresident Concealed Carry Permits and was surprised to find out that Idaho has reciprocity with more states than Utah, including your neighbor Minnesota.
funny that Utah and SC aren't buddies....I'll check Idaho lol
I believe the privately posted “No weapons policy” is probably a state by state thing. Check your local laws before testing it. A few years ago Starbucks tried to impose a no weapons policy in the State of Washington, which is an open carry state. The local gun owners turned out in mass and that store ended up totally packed with customers openly carrying a firearm on their hip, until Starbucks finally backed down and reversed their decision.
Only people who are incompetent to own a firearm sit around and pull the trigger expecting the gun not to go bang. Dry fire is training yourself to have a negligent discharge.
@owsley
Your comment confirms your incredible ignorance...
I suggest educating yourself as to what dry fire practice is all about and why it is an important part of overall training.
People practice dry fire to overcome a flinch while shooting. The first time they fire a live round the flinch comes back. Number one rule of gun safety, don't pull the trigger and expect the gun not to go boom Alex.
It appears, while you claim to know all about everyone, you do not know more than a few, if any, who dry fire practice, or why the do it.
I, never, dry fired my gun to overcome a habit of flinching. I have, on the other hand, done it to get used to the trigger of my gun, while, also, practicing acquiring the target.
AT ALL TIMES I hold a gun, I am aware of where it is pointing, and what or who would be in danger, if it went off.
Thanks Kelly, that's more like it, I thought. To overcome flinching? Maybe just a few newbies.
Donnie,
The first rule of gun safety "always assume a gun is loaded"!
1.5 rule "don't take gun classes from Donnie"!
Just because someone puts up a sign, doesn't make it a LAW...they can ask you to vacate the property, but (in most states) you're not violating the law if you still carry concealed onto private property with a 'no weapons' sign. I tell people that they can't take away my RIGHTS with a sign...LOL
People like you are why gun owners ('nuts') are looked on with distrust and generally unliked. What kind of jerk goes onto private property and then cries about the rules of the establishment?
If you tell me to take off my shoes when I come to your house and I refuse because "you don't get to tell me what to wear", and then track mud on your carpet, am _I_ the jerk for doing a thing you've asked me not to, or are YOU the jerk for 'infringing on my rights to step where I want, when I want". The answer is me. I'm the jerk. If I don't like your rules, I can choose to go somewhere else.
You don't know why they have the sign. Maybe the owner is a Vet with PTSD and seeing a gun is a major trigger. Maybe their dog is trained to attack anyone with a gun.
Your 'right' is to choose the establishment based on their rules.
When you have a 'Karen' moment because you chose to break their rules, you make us ALL look bad and make people MORE likely to pass gun laws, not LESS likely.
I don't hat to say the obvious. You are WRONG! CCW may be legal with the exception of PRIVATE PROPERTY and Government Buildings. A restaurant, Post Office, Bank, grocery store, etc. can have a "NO WEAPONS" policy, with the exception of "Uniformed Law Enforcement."
They can have the policy, but it isn't a crime to ignor their policy in most states.
Gun-free business managers know they can call the cops and have you "trespassed." If you visit the store again, the manager may call the cops, and the cops may cite you. A citation will result in a court appearance. If you are found guilty it may affect your legal ability to carry concealed. Check your local laws before relying on any legal advice, including this.
I did check my local laws. Law enforcement can only request you to leave the premises. It is only if you refused to leave after being requested to leave by law enforcement that law enforcement can issue you a citation for trespass. It is that little thing about cops not having the legal authority to make a warrantless arrest (or issue a citation) for a misdemeanor unless the misdemeanor is committed in their presence. To give you a citation for a misdemeanor trespass on the business owners word that he told you to leave the police have to go to a judge and get a warrant.
I don't hat to say the obvious. You are WRONG! CCW may be legal with the exception of PRIVATE PROPERTY and Government Buildings. A restaurant, Post Office, Bank, grocery store, etc. can have a "NO WEAPONS" policy, with the exception of "Uniformed Law Enforcement."
I don't hat to say the obvious. You are WRONG! CCW may be legal with the exception of PRIVATE PROPERTY and Government Buildings. A restaurant, Post Office, Bank, grocery store, etc. can have a "NO WEAPONS" policy, with the exception of "Uniformed Law Enforcement."
I don't hat to say the obvious. You are WRONG! CCW may be legal with the exception of PRIVATE PROPERTY and Government Buildings. A restaurant, Post Office, Bank, grocery store, etc. can have a "NO WEAPONS" policy, with the exception of "Uniformed Law Enforcement."
I don't hat to say the obvious. You are WRONG! CCW may be legal with the exception of PRIVATE PROPERTY and Government Buildings. A restaurant, Post Office, Bank, grocery store, etc. can have a "NO WEAPONS" policy, with the exception of "Uniformed Law Enforcement."
I don't hat to say the obvious. You are WRONG! CCW may be legal with the exception of PRIVATE PROPERTY and Government Buildings. A restaurant, Post Office, Bank, grocery store, etc. can have a "NO WEAPONS" policy, with the exception of "Uniformed Law Enforcement."
I don't hat to say the obvious. You are WRONG! CCW may be legal with the exception of PRIVATE PROPERTY and Government Buildings. A restaurant, Post Office, Bank, grocery store, etc. can have a "NO WEAPONS" policy, with the exception of "Uniformed Law Enforcement."
I don't hat to say the obvious. You are WRONG! CCW may be legal with the exception of PRIVATE PROPERTY and Government Buildings. A restaurant, Post Office, Bank, grocery store, etc. can have a "NO WEAPONS" policy, with the exception of "Uniformed Law Enforcement."
I don't hat to say the obvious. You are WRONG! CCW may be legal with the exception of PRIVATE PROPERTY and Government Buildings. A restaurant, Post Office, Bank, grocery store, etc. can have a "NO WEAPONS" policy, with the exception of "Uniformed Law Enforcement."
I don't hat to say the obvious. You are WRONG! CCW may be legal with the exception of PRIVATE PROPERTY and Government Buildings. A restaurant, Post Office, Bank, grocery store, etc. can have a "NO WEAPONS" policy, with the exception of "Uniformed Law Enforcement."
I don't hat to say the obvious. You are WRONG! CCW may be legal with the exception of PRIVATE PROPERTY and Government Buildings. A restaurant, Post Office, Bank, grocery store, etc. can have a "NO WEAPONS" policy, with the exception of "Uniformed Law Enforcement."
I don't hat to say the obvious. You are WRONG! CCW may be legal with the exception of PRIVATE PROPERTY and Government Buildings. A restaurant, Post Office, Bank, grocery store, etc. can have a "NO WEAPONS" policy, with the exception of "Uniformed Law Enforcement."
I don't hat to say the obvious. You are WRONG! CCW may be legal with the exception of PRIVATE PROPERTY and Government Buildings. A restaurant, Post Office, Bank, grocery store, etc. can have a "NO WEAPONS" policy, with the exception of "Uniformed Law Enforcement."
I don't hat to say the obvious. You are WRONG! CCW may be legal with the exception of PRIVATE PROPERTY and Government Buildings. A restaurant, Post Office, Bank, grocery store, etc. can have a "NO WEAPONS" policy, with the exception of "Uniformed Law Enforcement."
I don't hat to say the obvious. You are WRONG! CCW may be legal with the exception of PRIVATE PROPERTY and Government Buildings. A restaurant, Post Office, Bank, grocery store, etc. can have a "NO WEAPONS" policy, with the exception of "Uniformed Law Enforcement."
I don't hat to say the obvious. You are WRONG! CCW may be legal with the exception of PRIVATE PROPERTY and Government Buildings. A restaurant, Post Office, Bank, grocery store, etc. can have a "NO WEAPONS" policy, with the exception of "Uniformed Law Enforcement."
I don't hat to say the obvious. You are WRONG! CCW may be legal with the exception of PRIVATE PROPERTY and Government Buildings. A restaurant, Post Office, Bank, grocery store, etc. can have a "NO WEAPONS" policy, with the exception of "Uniformed Law Enforcement."