November 2, 2021 by Phillip Nelsen
So, you’re considering applying for your concealed carry permit (CCW permit). First off, we applaud you Concealed carry laws are finding themselves in national headlines once again. As the Supreme Court begins hearing oral arguments over New York handgun licensing law that goes back over 100 years, we decided it was time to discuss just a few of the reasons why more law-abiding gun owners like yourself should consider applying for a concealed carry permit as well as some of the benefits of concealed carry.
Top 10 Reasons More People Should Conceal Carry in 2022
To Protect Your Family
One of the most sacred duties an individual has is to protect his or her family. It doesn’t matter if that means defending your significant other, children, or parents, we are all responsible for the wellbeing of our family members. One of the most effective ways to protect your family is to obtain a concealed carry permit and carry concealed whenever possible. You can never know when criminals are going to strike, and you need to be prepared should a self-defense incident arise.
You Don’t Have Time To Wait For The Police
Even under good conditions, when you call 911, it is going to take roughly 10 minutes for the police to respond. Of course, this number changes drastically based on the severity of the crime, the geographic size of the city or town you’re in, and the size of the police department. The population density of your area can play a role too since densely populated areas tend to deal with more traffic congestion.
When you’re in a life or death situation, police response times aren’t going to matter because every second is going to make a difference. Even if the police were on the scene in half the average response time, you or a loved one could be seriously injured—or worse—in that time. In the end, you are responsible for the well-being of your family and yourself and need to act accordingly.
You Can’t Rely On Someone Else To Save You
One of the most common arguments I’ve heard from concealed carry opponents is that we don’t need firearms because we have the police to protect us. Not only is this argument wrong from a legal standpoint, but it also fuels the dangerously ignorant belief that once you call 911 that knights in shining armor are coming to save you….they aren’t. Why? Because contrary to popular belief, unless you’re under state custody, there is no legal duty for the police to protect you. This precedent has been reinforced by majority opinions passed down from both the Federal and Supreme Courts. Ultimately, you have to take responsibility for your own safety and you cannot expect others, including the police, to come to your rescue. Your best course of action is to get a concealed carry permit and be prepared to defend yourself should it become absolutely necessary.
Deterrence
A serious benefit of concealed carry is that it is one of the most effective measures that states and municipalities can enact to deter and discourage violent crime. In a landmark study of FBI data completed by John R. Lott, Jr., Ph.D., it was found that states with shall-issue concealed carry laws saw a reduction of at least 5% in the number of murders, rapes, and aggravated assaults committed. The logical conclusion here is that criminals are less likely to attack an individual when they know they could be carrying a firearm. This also means that as the number of Americans with concealed carry permits continues to increase, criminals will have to seriously consider whether or not they want to risk the threat of a well-trained and well-armed citizen stopping them dead in their tracks.
Violent Criminals Are Out There
While crime has been steadily decreasing, it is by no means gone. The danger posed by criminals is ever present, and if you’re caught unprepared you can wind up in serious trouble. According to statistics from the FBI, in 2019 there were more than 8,000,000 crimes that fell under either “violent crime” or “property crime.” If you have a concealed carry weapon, you have the tools needed to keep yourself from becoming a statistic.
You’ll Develop A Greater Respect For Firearms
One of the major benefits of concealed carry licenses is the increased level of respect you’ll have for your firearms. Why? Because when you begin the process of getting your concealed carry license, you’ll have to go through hours of firearm and self-defense training. You’ll learn everything from basic firearm safety and weapon maintenance to the State and Federal firearms laws. At Legal Heat, our concealed carry training classes are designed to teach you everything you need to know to meet and exceed the educational requirements required to apply for your concealed carry license.
You Gain The Tactical Advantage In Dangerous Situations
While there are certainly arguments to be made for open-carrying a firearm, there is one distinct advantage that concealed carrying provides you that open carrying cannot: the element of surprise. Think about it, if a criminal can identify individuals who can act to stop them (those who have their firearm out in the open for everyone to see), those will be the first individuals that criminal targets.
The entire point of carrying a concealed weapon is to gain a tactical advantage over potential threat actors. A benefit of carrying a concealed weapon gives you the ability to catch a criminal off guard. They might be cognizant that someone has a gun, but they won’t know it’s you until you make your move. If you broadcast the fact that you have a weapon, and are likely trained to do so, you’re making yourself a criminal’s number one target.
You Become More Aware of Your Surroundings
Let me clarify. We’re not saying that having a concealed weapon on your person instantly improves your situational awareness…it doesn’t. However, situational awareness is one of the most important aspects of carrying a firearm, and if you’re serious about your safety, you’ll be developing your situational awareness every time you walk out the front door.
Now if you’re wondering why situational awareness is so important, there’s a pretty simple answer. If you’re not aware of your surroundings, you won’t be prepared to act in self-defense should the need arise. Being unaware completely negates any and all benefits of concealed carry. If you want to know more about situational awareness and learn how you can be prepared, we highly recommend you go check out this article.
You Are In An High-Crime Area
This specific reason doesn’t apply to everyone, but if you live or work in an area with high crime rates, you should carry a concealed firearm in the interest of protecting yourself. If you live in a state that requires “good cause” to obtain a concealed carry permit, this reason alone could be enough to convince the state that carrying a concealed firearm is paramount to your personal safety.
Because It’s Your Right
Outside of protecting yourself and your family, the fact that you have a constitutional right to keep and bear arms is the best reason for carrying a concealed firearm. While there are situations where an individual forfeits their rights—such as by committing a felony— the vast majority of Americans maintain the individual right to keep and bear arms in the interest of self-defense.
This was affirmed by the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia who delivered the majority opinion for the 2008 ruling on District of Columbia v. Heller. The majority decision held that “the inherent right of self-defense has been central to the Second Amendment right.” You have a right to defend yourself and your loved ones, and that is honestly all the reason you need to concealed carry.
Carrying a concealed firearm is a serious matter that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Although some states now allow residents to carry without a permit, we strongly recommend that anyone wanting to concealed carry sign up for a safety class. Concealed Carry Classes are designed to teach you everything you need to know to qualify for a concealed carry permit. Good instructors want to ensure that you carry within the scope of the law. That’s why top quality instructors teach you many of the federal and state laws pertaining to concealed carry.
We also recommend that you become a U.S. LawShield member. When you sign up for a membership, you’re joining more than 800,000 gun owners that trust U.S. LawShield to partner them with experienced program attorneys should you be involved in a self-defense shooting. When you join, you’ll gain access to their 24/7/365 attorney-answered emergency hotline and will have all your attorneys’ fees covered throughout the full legal process.
Phil Nelsen is a nationally recognized firearms law attorney, expert witness, college professor, author, and co-founder of Legal Heat, the nation’s largest firearms training firm.
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