Last Saturday, I took a concealed carry class.  My hubby had been wanting me to take it for forever.  But I needed to be the one to make that decision.  I needed to do it for me.  Please do not think this post is me trying to convince you to buy a gun.  It is not.  It IS about making you think about how you would protect yourself.

Back to the class instruction.  My friend, Geri, took the class with me.  She said she had not shot in several years and was a bit nervous.  I had been out several times in the previous weeks, and still was nervous.  Several reasons for that.  Instructor. (he turned out to be awesome, yay Evan!)  Fear of not knowing what the class would involve.  TEST at the end.  And the biggy, I grew up shooting revolvers and shotguns.  Not semi-auto’s.  It would be to my advantage on my licensing to take the shooting portion of the class with a semi-auto, and I wasn’t a fan. I can burn one up now. 😉 On to my next point…

IF it is offered in your state and you make the decision to take the concealed carry class, don’t go in blind.  I had another friend that wanted to take the class, but she is unfamiliar with guns.  She wanted to know if she should still take it.  I gave her the instructor’s number and suggested she visit with him.  Now that I’ve taken the class I can definitely say, do not take the class if you don’t know guns.  Take private instruction first.  You will not only be confident, you will not hurt anyone in the learning process.  You can get an hour of instruction for about $50.  Money well spent if you are serious.  After the class, you STILL have to practice. It must come natural to you.   You cannot have enough instruction!

If you are afraid of guns and/or don’t intend on learning & practicing, you don’t need a gun.  You could simply end up hurting yourself or someone else.  There are other ways to defend yourself.

If you DO decide to go with a gun, you MUST be responsible at all times.  If there are or will be children in your home, or stupid adults, you do not keep the gun loaded.  You keep the ammo separate from the gun.  You keep the gun locked and in a safe place.  Make no assumptions.

Back to the class ~I aced the fifteen question class. (!)  They were basic safety questions.  The shooting was frustrating because my gun jammed, but the instructor was gracious enough to loan me a weapon and then I killed it! I started out with five rounds to the head, and was “gently” reminded that I was to shoot the heart area. 😉 (the requirement was 50 rounds)

There are a lot of examples given in the class to make you think of how you would properly handle different scenarios.  And that is the key…to make you THINK first.  People kill people.  Killing is not on my bucket list, friends.  But I do want to be able to defend myself & my loved ones, if necessary.

If you “google” the area you live in, you can find self-defense classes, concealed carry classes, shooting instruction, and other means to defend yourself.  I talked to a couple of the guys at Sports World. ( http://www.sportsworldtulsa.com/) and they showed me some good alternatives to look at for self-defense.  These people WANT to assist you.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions!  (By the way, I always sport my hot pink mace!)

* Also pointed out in our class ~ YOUR PHONE IS PART OF YOUR SELF-DEFENSE ~ CALL 911! *

This is “BABY”.  She’s the real owner of Sport’s World and the other folks just work for her. 😉 ( No offense guys, but Baby is why I love to visit your store!)

The point is: FIND WHAT YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH and then LEARN IT.  If you  “buy” a taser gun, but don’t read up on it and study defense strategies, it’s useless.  My private instructor taught me how to search my house, and how to barricade, if necessary.  THEN he gave me homework on practicing the process at home.  Heaven forbid any of us ever need this, but a little research and preparation could save your life. Something to think about ~

Life is Short ~ Peace is Sweet

Be Kind to Each Other ♥