The decision to become someone who is willing to defend what they love at all costs is not a trivial one. Owning a firearm can change your life, and it may call for a change in lifestyle. Those who have chosen to become protectors often value the following:
Safety First Mindset
Owning a firearm puts you in a position to protect yourself and others, but at a great price: while a firearm can be used as a deterrent, if worse comes to worse, the final outcome of practicing self-defense may lead to destruction. Therefore, if you plan on carrying, you should adopt a safety-first mindset. We teach core tenets of firearm safety in our courses, and we hope you keep these aspects at the forefront of your mind:
4 Basic Rules of Gun Safety:
- Treat all firearms as if they were loaded and verify the status of each firearm you handle.
- NEVER point your firearm at anything you would not be willing to destroy. Always be conscious of the direction your firearm is pointed.
- Unless you have your sights on your target and are ready to fire, your finger should NEVER touch the trigger.
- Always visually verify your target, as well as what is BEYOND your target.
Eagerness to Learn
As there are over 20,000 firearm laws and regulations throughout the United States, it’s important that you remain privy to your state’s (and state’s you may be traveling through) laws. These laws are frequently changing and breaking them can result in losing your self-defense tools.
We know it can be difficult to keep up with all of these regulations, which is why we’ve developed an app that gives you overviews of firearm and concealed carry laws across all 50 states. If you’re ever curious or concerned about a law, you can read it from right out of your pocket! You can download it on your carrier’s app store by searching for Legal Heat.
We also recommend learning your firearm(s). When’s the last time you’ve been to a shooting range? Marksmanship is something we should always be practicing!
Staying Situationally Aware
You never know when a dangerous situation could arise – at the mall, on a walk home, or on the way to your car. This is why situational awareness is a trait adopted by all protectors. Whether or not you own a firearm, practicing situational awareness can increase your chances of staying safe.
4 Tips to Practice Situational Awareness:
- Strategically position yourself – reduce your blind spots by placing yourself against a wall.
- Understand the layout of the area – where are the exits?
- Remove distractions – don’t idly play on your phone unless you know you are safe (and you don’t)!
Develop a mental code to assess situations. We use Cooper’s Color Code
- Condition White: One is relaxed and unaware of their surroundings
- Condition Yellow: One is relaxed, but aware of their surroundings
- Condition Orange: One has identified a point of interest that must be evaluated in case of threat
- Condition Red: One has identified a threat and is CONSIDERING to take forceful action if the situation requires it
Are You Ready to Become a Protector?
Take the next step in your self-defense journey! Sign up for a concealed carry course near you today – we not only teach you how to use your firearm, but we also discuss more about what makes one a protector. Here’s a snippet of some of the topics we cover in our classes: shooting fundamentals, vehicle transport, concealed carry techniques, state and federal law, and more! Sign up today!
