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Thread: The Encumbrance of Concealed Carry

  1. #1
    Supporting Business NH Shooter's Avatar
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    The Encumbrance of Concealed Carry

    It’s only been the last six years that I’ve been able to carry a concealed firearm legally. Though I have owned and shot handguns competitively for over 30 years, it was our move from Long Island, New York to New Hampshire in 2008 that fully opened the concealed carry door for me.

    It was with great joy and anticipation that once we arrived in the Live Free or Die state, I filed the necessary CC license paperwork and less than a week later with license in-hand, began putting together an EDC rig consisting of a Walther PPS in 9mm and a Comp-Tac Minotaur IWB holster. After a few weeks of the obligatory test firing and familiarization of both pistol and holster, I began “carrying” at every available opportunity to do so.

    Though entirely confident and competent with both the hardware and required CC mindset and legal knowledge, I believe it has been the trepidation from living in an anti-gun region that remains planted in my mind today – and I do not believe that is a bad thing. When I walk out the door carrying, my “programming” is far more processor-demanding then when I don’t.

    Along with booting up my SA to a state of heightened alert, I also kick the risk-avoidance routine into high gear: no screwing around with the nearly 400 horsepower under the hood of my Subaru, and making sure my driving etiquette is set at its highest level. One thing I’ve learned for certain is that if you’re both a high performance car enthusiast and an avid fan of CC, mixing the two requires an even greater amount of self-discipline.

    Maintaining full stealth and remaining fully concealed also places a load on the CPU, always being aware of where the pistol is on my person and making sure it remains out-of-sight, without being obvious that I’m doing so. Knowing what a LEO is trained to look for in a person suspected of carrying a concealed weapon has made me refine my self-check methods of making sure that the shirt/vest/sweater hasn’t gotten snagged on the butt of the pistol or some other wardrobe/holster malfunction hasn’t blown my cover. The more I’ve carried, the more I’ve refined my garment selection to ensure it functions as needed, but that stealth routine is always running somewhere in the background soaking up CPU resources.

    Then there is the matter of tactics if I actually need to use the concealed weapon for justifiable use of deadly force. This is much like leaving Adobe Photoshop open all the time, always running “what if” scenarios in the background and knowing that if the S truly did HTF, my CPU would be pegged at 100% just dealing with the “right here, right now” life or death struggle. Additionally, always lurking somewhere in the back of my mind, the realization that if I survive the encounter the long legal battle that might ensue could ruin me, actively factoring into the engage/don’t engage decision making process.

    It is all so demanding, so exhausting. Concealed carry is, quite frankly, a burden and pain in the mental ass. At least for me, I truly hope that it always remains that way.
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  2. #2
    Site Supporter Hambo's Avatar
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    Subaru? You weren't using the old CPU much that day.

    Armed or not, confrontation or not, being aware of what's going on is what keeps you alive day after day. Back in the day, those who blundered through life unaware didn't contaminate the gene pool because predators and hostiles culled them. Now the world is safe enough for people to stumble around like the Walking Dead with the processor in sleep mode. As Bertrand Russell said, "Most people would sooner die than think, in fact, they do so."
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  3. #3
    I don't find it an encumbrance. Just exercise some common sense.
    #RESIST
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  4. #4
    Site Supporter MDS's Avatar
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    Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is seeking something.
    I think the Man in Black wasn't thinking about ccw an SA, but he could have been. I've only been carrying for about 6 years, too, and I notice the same mental changes. But I don't think of them as a burden. The ccw has helped get my SA a little closer to where it should be anyway - it hasn't added a burden, it has reduced a deficiency. And ironically, since I carry all the time, on those occasions when I can't, my SA really goes through the roof. Going to the post office with the family is funny, I spend a lot more CPU on threat management than I think is worthwhile...
    The answer, it seems to me, is wrath. The mind cannot foresee its own advance. --FA Hayek Specialization is for insects.
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  5. #5
    Site Supporter Jay Cunningham's Avatar
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    When I dress like a dandy (which I oftentimes do) it can be a bit of a challenge. But I still work something out.

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  6. #6
    Site Supporter JodyH's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LittleLebowski View Post
    I don't find it an encumbrance. Just exercise some common sense.
    Yup.
    I'm naturally risk adverse when I'm out and about, I get my adrenaline rush in the appropriate environments.
    The more you carry the less you worry about your concealment, you know it's good.
    The more you raise your skill level (armed and unarmed) the less you have performance anxiety, you know you're capable.
    The more you ingrain good "tactical" habits and situational awareness the less you have to think about them.
    The more you know the legalities pertaining to the use of force the better you're prepared to work within in them, the less scary the legal system becomes.

    I'm not mentally encumbered by CCW at all.
    All I have to spend brain CPU cycles on is applying common sense to what life throws at me.
    "For a moment he felt good about this. A moment or two later he felt bad about feeling good about it. Then he felt good about feeling bad about feeling good about it and, satisfied, drove on into the night."
    -- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy --
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  7. #7
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    The weapon is there as insurance. I've read the saying before and it rings true: carrying is comforting, not comfortable.
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  8. #8
    Supporting Business NH Shooter's Avatar
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    Good points by all.

    Gear and shooting skills that you have confidence in, as well as confidence in possessing the needed knowledge to make good decisions, all become ingrained in the mindset needed for responsible CC. But I cannot honestly say I'm at that same level when I'm not carrying, though a good deal of it does carry over.

    If you become totally accustomed to carrying, to the point that it feels no different than when you are not, are you operating at your highest CC level? Or is that a sign that complacency may be setting in?

    Fixer - you posted while I was typing and yes, agreed!
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  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Jay Cunningham View Post
    When I dress like a dandy (which I oftentimes do) it can be a bit of a challenge. But I still work something out.

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    Now those are some tight pants.

    To the OP's point: I don't really think about my gun when I'm carrying it. I do occasionally mind game "what would I do if someone came in here shooting" but that's usually if I'm bored and in condition white anyway.
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  10. #10
    Site Supporter Trooper224's Avatar
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    I've done it for over twenty years and don't find it an encumbrance, it's simply just another thing I put on in the morning. Honestly, most new CCers tend to over think the entire process and act as if you're launching a rocket to Mars. In my opinion, if you're not armed you need to have an even great sense of SA since you're effectively a sitting duck. OP, could you have possibly used more computer analogies?
    We may lose and we may win, but we will never be here again.......
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