imported post
BB62 wrote:
btw - the NRA does not have a concealed carry course,
It DOES have two different "Personal Protection" courses that heavily discus concealed carry, and, more importantly, the laws that pertain to concealed carry.
Back to the OP: I would say that most likely, they remember the CC creed of "be as unobtrusive as possible". DO NOT stand out, DO NOT get in people's faces.
When you consider open carry vs concealed carry, which is most likely to NOT be noticed?
OR, it could just be these:
1.
We don't carry firearms so that we can ignore other basics of personal safety. Every permit holder that I know realizes that almost all dangerous situations can be avoided by vigilance, alertness and by simply making wise choices about where we go and what we do. We don't walk down dark alleys. We lock our cars. We don't get intoxicated in public or hang out around people who do. We park our cars in well lighted spots and don't hang out in bad parts of town where we have no business. Using a gun is the last resort.
2.
We don't think we are cops, spies, or superheros. We aren't hoping that somebody tries to rob the convenience store while we are there so we can shoot a criminal. We don't take it upon ourselves to get involved in situations that are better handled by a 911 call or by simply standing by and being a good witness. We don't believe our guns give us any authority. We also aren't here to be your unpaid volunteer bodyguard. We'll be glad to tell you where we trained and point you to some good gun shops if you feel you would like to take this kind of responsibility, but it's your choice. Except for extraordinary circumstances, your business is your business, don't expect us to help you out of situations
you could have avoided.
3.
We are LESS likely to be involved in fights or "rage" incidents than the general public. We recognize, better than many unarmed citizens, that we are responsible for our actions. We take the responsibility of carrying a firearm very seriously. We know that loss of temper, getting into fights or angrily confronting someone after a traffic incident could easily escalate into a dangerous situation. We are more likely to go out of our way to avoid these situations. We don't pull our guns to settle arguments and especially do NOT attempt to threaten people into doing what we want.
4.
We are responsible gun owners. We secure our firearms so that children and other unauthorized people cannot access them. Most of us have invested in safes, cases and lock boxes as well as other security measures to keep our firearms secure. Many of us belong to various organizations that promote firearms safety and ownership.
5.
Guns are not unsafe or unpredictable! Modern firearms are well made precision instruments. Pieces do not simply break off causing them to fire. A hot day will not set them off. Most modern firearms will not discharge even if dropped. There is no reason to be afraid of a gun simply laying on a table or in a holster. It is not going to discharge on its own.
6.
We do not believe in the concept of "accidental" discharges. There are no accidental discharges! The gun fires when we want it to or it was a negligent discharge. We take responsibility for our actions and have learned how to safely handle firearms. Any case you have ever heard of about a gun "going off" by itself or by accident was the result of negligence on somebody's part. The recognition of our responsibility and familiarity with firearms makes us among the safest firearms owners in America.
7.
Permit holders do their best to keep our concealed weapons exactly that: concealed. However, there are times when an observant citizen may spot our firearm or the print of our firearm under our clothes. We are very cognizant that concerns about terrorism and crime are in the forefront of the minds of most citizens. We also realize that our society does much to mistakenly condition our fellow citizens to have irrational fears about firearms. We would encourage citizens who do happen to spot someone carrying a firearm to use good judgment and clear thinking if they feel to need to take action.
Please understand that it is very uncommon for a criminal to use a holster. However, if you feel the need to report having spotted a firearm we would ask that you please be specific and detailed in your call to the police or in your report to a store manager or private security. Please don't generalize or sensationalize what you observed. Comments like "there's a guy running around in the store with a gun" or even simply "I saw a man with a gun in the store" could possibly cause a misunderstanding as to the true nature of the incident.
8.
The fact that we carry a firearm to any given place does not mean that we believe that place to be inherently unsafe. If we believe a place to be unsafe, most of us will avoid that place all-together if humanly possible. However, we recognize that trouble can occur at any place, at any time.
Criminals do not observe "gun free zones". If trouble does come, we do not want the only armed persons to be perpetrators. Therefore, we don't usually make a determination about whether or not to carry at any given time based on "how safe" we think a location is.
9.
Concealed weapon permit holders are an asset to the public in times of trouble. The fact that most permit holders have the good judgment to stay out of situations better handled by a 911 call or by simply being a careful and vigilant witness does not mean that we would fail to act in situations where the use of deadly force is appropriate to save lives. A review of high profile public shooting incidents shows that when killers are confronted by armed resistance they tend to either break off the attack and flee, or choose to end their own life (reference the Colorado Springs church, December, 2007). Lives are saved when a violent criminal encounters resistance. Lives are lost when the criminal can do as he pleases.
10.
The fact that criminals know some of the population may be armed at all times, deters violence against all citizens. Permit holders don't believe that every person should be armed. We recognize that some people may not be inclined to carry a firearm for personal reasons. However we do encourage you to respect our right to arm ourselves. Even if you choose not to carry a firearm yourself please oppose measures that limit the ability of law abiding citizens to be armed.
As noted before: criminals do not observe "gun free zones". Help us by not supporting laws that require citizens to be unarmed victims.
11.
Those with concealed carry permits are quite likely the most conspicuously law-abiding people you will encounter. In the majority of states with a permitting system, the permit-holder has voluntarily submitted him/her self to a background check involving local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. Most often, fingerprints have also been taken and submitted to the state or federal agencies for verification. Rest assured that we are not criminals carrying under the shield of the law. Multiple levels of government have concurred that we have and continue to, follow the law. In addition, we have spent a great deal of money on training, equipment, and the permitting process. We are not eager to jeopardize any of that through misconduct. We are well aware that if we misbehave, we can lose every last penny of that investment, as well as our very freedom.
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Several of which fit both CC and OC.
