Welcome back to another edition of Concealed Carry Corner. Last week, we talked about navigating unwelcoming areas. If you happened to miss that article, be sure to click the link here to check it out. This week, I wanted to look at some of the realities of self-defense and how it starts to change your behavior over time. When people start carrying a concealed firearm, they oftentimes think it’s as simple as putting their gun on and heading out, but it’s certainly more than that once you start living in it every single day. Let’s take a closer look at some of the realities of self-defense.
Carrying Concealed Changes Your Perspective
One of the most unexpected things that occurs when you start carrying a concealed firearm is how much your perspective changes on daily tasks and where you go as a whole. When I first started to carry back when I was 21 many moons ago, I was incredibly excited to have everything set. Most 21-year-olds would be excited about going to the bar, but not me; I was all about being able to carry concealed from the first day I was legally allowed. Fast forward almost two decades and life has changed drastically for me. I have absolutely no desire to go out and drink in social places and tend to stay at home way more than when I started carrying.
The idea of changing how you view people and being more aware isn’t something that magically happens overnight. In the beginning, you are constantly scanning and it can feel like information overload. You start to fall into traps where you can go into information overload by overthinking and looking for people that may or may not be a threat. Over time, though, you start to calm down and realize things out of place stick out significantly more than what you first expected. Everything eventually calms down and stops over-assessing everything. You stop being stressed about every potential issue and become more comfortable carrying in daily life.
Your Behaviors Change
One of the biggest shifts in my daily life when I started carrying my gun is how much my behaviors changed when out living daily life. The fact that you have a loaded handgun on your body now forces you to shift your mindset to ensure that you’re being the best possible version of yourself. Whether that’s holding the door for your fellow person or stopping all forms of road rage or aggressive driving, it’s important to be the absolute best version of yourself every single time you leave your home because you have the responsibility to be the better person with a concealed firearm. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard young concealed carriers say they don’t worry about anything since carrying a firearm, but it’s not the correct mindset to have when a firearm is the absolute last resort you use and only use it when all other options are either exhausted or not possible.
Any type of ego or bravado needs to be thrown aside the moment you slip your holster on and you need to be the voice of reason when out in public. Some of you may not agree with me and that’s perfectly acceptable, but you must keep in mind that you have an unfair advantage with a concealed handgun and you should not engage in arguments or try to make situations worse in any way when carrying because it’s your responsibility due to your advantage. As a general rule, I work to defuse any type of confrontation and allow them to feel like they win because it’s not worth escalation even remotely. The best rule is to always act like you have a jury judging you in a potentially bad situation. Certain activities you may have loved before will oftentimes not be worth the trouble and you’ll either want to go elsewhere or relax at home. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard people say how surprised they are that their habits change, but once you start taking your responsibility seriously when carrying a firearm, there is definitely a shift.
Some Things Aren’t Worth The Risk
So when we talk about our priorities and preferences shifting, what does that mean? From my personal experiences, I go out to the bar or venues drastically less than what I did before carrying a concealed handgun. When you have a mixture of emotions and alcohol, nothing typically good comes from that and you should never introduce a handgun into that equation. Going out at night and taking your firearm just isn’t worth the risk. For me, I didn’t go out nearly as much after carrying a concealed firearm.
Other events like concerts or large social events I avoid for the same reason and the higher security could put you in a really awkward situation that you may not want to explain to your friends or family. If you still want to do those events, all you have to do is leave your firearm at home and you can absolutely go to those places. For me, though, I cut down on the amount of social events I went to because it just wasn’t worth the risk to me.
Overall Thoughts
It may sound crazy, but the longer you start to carry a concealed gun on a regular basis, the more your actions will change you because of the environment as well as the limitations your license allows you to be with a concealed handgun. They say you’re a product of your environment and this is a perfect example of where you stop going to places you cannot go with a handgun and, as a result, stop wanting to go because it starts to become an inconvenience when carrying.
Let me know what other places you stopped going to once you started carrying concealed in the comments below. If you have questions about carrying or firearms in general, feel free to shoot me a message on Instagram @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there and we will see you next week for another edition of Concealed Carry Corner.
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