CCW Permit Doesn't Make You A Cop
September/01/2016 18:59
CCW Permit Does Not Make You a Cop: Implications of Minimum Training- by Jay Izienicki - Chief Instructor
Recently I have been in some long discussions with other firearms instructors talking about what appears to be a new trend in training classes at corporate type ranges, gun stores and even smaller training groups. From this seat it looks like businesses are more concerned with entertaining their students or just providing the state minimum training for a permit, rather than giving them useful instruction. This shift is leaving new CCW permit holders with less than needed training on not just gun handling skills but proper mindset, lifestyle change and the legal understanding that goes along with the responsibility of carrying a gun concealed.
This is not a business or instructor bashing article but instead one illustrating the gravity of seeking and obtaining proper instruction for a CCW permit and understanding the single most important thing about it. As a result of this article I hope you, the reader, will better understand the importance of proper CCW training and instruction - not just seeking out the cheapest state minimum class.
There are too many classes to count that are just revenue makers that meet the absolute minimum to pass as an approved permit class for a given state. If you can get the subject matter covered in 4 hours instead of 8 or 10 you can get more people through the class and that equals more profit. But does that type of class really do the student, and soon to be permit holder, carrying a gun on the streets, or the general public, any real good? Do people really want to take a class that is only the bare minimum? Individuals should want to really learn how to shoot, develop a defensive mindset, what the legal implications of carrying or using a gun are, the very real aftermath of using a gun in self-defense, and how to not just survive but win an encounter with a criminal threat. Do students really just want to get their permit and move on? Having a bunch of guns and going shooting in the desert with friends on the weekend does not count as training. I will tell you why.
The number one thing people with a permit need to understand clearly and immediately is that a permit does not make you a cop or deputy sheriff. Nothing can be further from the truth. It does not give you some secret squirrel law enforcement authority to arrest people and fight crime. It does not allow you to make decisions about who you perceive to be right or wrong and then act. You are not given some other special responsibility or duties that other average citizens don’t have. All this permit gives you is the authorization to carry your weapon concealed. Sorry, but that is it. If you want more, join the local PD or SO.
On the flip side, what it does do is add great responsibility to you as a permit holder. You are now bringing a gun into every interaction with people, both good and bad. It is a lifestyle change - you now have to wear different clothing and think differently when you carry your gun. You have to consider where you sit, what side of the street you walk on, what side your loved ones stand on, and what you are doing with your weapon hand at all times. You have to train realistically with your weapon on a regular basis. Yes, things have just gotten serious.
On the flip side, what it does do is add great responsibility to you as a permit holder. You are now bringing a gun into every interaction with people, both good and bad. It is a lifestyle change - you now have to wear different clothing and think differently when you carry your gun. You have to consider where you sit, what side of the street you walk on, what side your loved ones stand on, and what you are doing with your weapon hand at all times. You have to train realistically with your weapon on a regular basis. Yes, things have just gotten serious.
The second man out the door was John Winkler, an aspiring TV producer with the Tosh .O show, and he fit the general description of the suspect. When he bolted out of the apartment, attempting to escape the actual assailant that was in the apartment, deputies believed him to be the assailant and opened fire striking the first innocent man in the leg and then striking John Winkler in the chest, killing him.
The deputies had “the best of intent” in trying to protect a stabbing victim from a man they believed was the assailant, but they got it wrong. All of this happened with the deputies having the benefit of the situation called in by a witness, a description of the suspect, a location where it was happening and years of police training. Taking the life of an innocent person is a police officer’s greatest nightmare come to reality. In the end it turns out John Winkler was an innocent person just visiting friends when this all began.
What does this have to do with you, the CCW permit holder? If you were visiting friends at an apartment complex and this very same scenario happened right in front of you, what would you have done? Would you have acted with the “best of intent” to protect the first man bleeding and being chased down by the second man? Would you have fired on the second man and stopped what you perceived to be the threat? If so, you would have been wrong, you would be arrested and you likely would be going to prison for murder.
You have a permit to carry a concealed weapon to protect yourself and your loved ones. To protect them from what you know full well is a criminal threat against you or them. You do not have a permit to be a cop or deputy and jump into a situation that you have no idea who is the good guy and who is the bad guy – it is not your job to arrest people or solve crime (i.e. George Zimmerman). The police had most of the information in this example and got it wrong and all you would have had was one piece of information and one moment in time with people you did not even know. Making that decision and taking action based on that limited information is not a power given to any CCW permit holder.
You should not draw your weapon to defend anyone else unless you are absolutely confident that you know that person and know without a shadow of a doubt that they are not involved in any criminal activity, that they are truly the victim and that the other person is actually the criminal threat. This is a massive and necessary burden to impose upon yourself, because you are not with them at all times and you cannot be aware of all circumstances they have put themselves in. Don’t put yourself in the situation where you have to decide who is good and who is bad.
You can instead, however, be a good witness and get your loved ones to cover and safety. Should the attacker then turn their aggression and violence on you and your loved ones you can use deadly force to protect yourself if you now fear for your life and/or that of your loved ones.
This is critical information that should be covered and discussed with students in any CCW course. If you fail to discuss and understand this information due to a rushed class only concerned with numbers you are exposing yourself to risk. Remember, ignorance of the law is not a legal defense. You make a poor decision based on minimal training and you will pay the price. The end result of any good defensive handgun course should be that, after all the training, you are also qualified to get your permit. So, when deciding on a class for your permit you should consider the following and feel comfortable asking:
Does the course...
1. Only meet the minimum hourly requirements set by your state or does it go further
2. Require you to demonstrate understanding through written and practical testing
3. Cover mindset, awareness, legal implications and aftermath of a shooting
4. Require you to shoot your weapon with a minimum of 100 rounds
5. Require you to learn how to draw and shoot from concealed
6. Require that you perform correctly in judgmental shooting scenarios
It is also important to understand that you should still seek out professional guidance from a lawyer who specializes in 2nd Amendment law in your state. In an hour worth of time they can provide you with the most up to date and accurate information regarding the laws and answer your specific questions so you make the most informed decisions. This is the best investment any permit holder can make in their future.
At Latent Force LLC we talk about training in reality and how Prepared Defensive Action is critical to winning and surviving an encounter with a criminal threat. At the moment your life is in danger it is not the time to try and learn new concepts you once heard about. The actions needed to win and survive must be automatic and that can only come from regular training that is based in real life situations that a person can reasonably expect to find themselves in. Remember, when the moment comes to use deadly force you will not rise to the occasion you will fall to your lowest level of training. Do you really want that to be a state minimum class that didn’t even require you to fire your gun?
Stay safe, train in reality and keep your mind right. I'll see you on the range.