• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Loadout Room

The Loadout Room

Professional Gear Reviews

Hardcore Gear and Adventure

Menu
  • Shooting
        • Pistol
        • Pistol Accessories
        • Rifle
        • Rifle Accessories
        • Shotgun
        • Machine Guns
        • Air Guns
        • Ammunition
        • Optics and Sights
        • Weapon Lights
        • Tips & How-To
        • Concealed Carry
        • Holsters
        • Suppressors
        • Precision Rifle Shooting
        • Firearms Training
        • m243The M24: America’s Headhunter
        • skorpFull-Auto Fun — Shooting the full-Auto vz. 61 Škorpion
        • p320-full-leftSIG Sauer M17/M18/P320 Pistol Just Can’t Seem to Escape Safety Controversies
        • TISAS_10100520_1__98179Tisas 1911A1 U.S. Army Review: Best Budget .45 ACP WW2 1911 Clone?
    • Close
  • Gear Reviews
      • Mission Gear
      • Camping Gear
      • Survival Gear
      • Medical Gear
      • Adventure & Travel
      • Knives & Tools
      • Overland
      • Disaster Preparedness
      • Footwear
      • Womens Gear & Clothing
        • Hunting in TexasThese 5 ATV Dealers Will Get You Ready For Hunting Season in Texas
        • ac65a540-2ef3-4598-8d11-afdf53f46e94.__CR0,0,970,600_PT0_SX970_V1___Streamlight ProTac Rail Mount HL-X: A Thoroughly Bright Review
        • Bluetti 2 handsfree power backpackBluetti Handsfree 2 Review: The Ultimate Power Backpack for Off-Grid Adventurers
        • The Gallagator 10 day pack on the shoreline next to a hiking trail.Day Pack – Mystery Ranch Gallagator 10 – The Best Yet?
    • Close
  • Men’s Lifestyle
      • Fitness
      • EDC
      • Eyewear
      • Watches
      • Electronics & Technology
      • Downtime
      • Mens Clothing & Accessories
      • Manly Skills
      • Style & Grooming
      • Gentleman Drinks
      • Crate Club
        • Tom and Blake Sell TeaHow Sasquatch Tea Is Revitalizing a Stagnant Tea Market With Veterans and Outdoorsmen in Mind
        • redcat-blackwidow-articleheaderWar of Words: In the Ultra-Competitive Defense Tech Industry, Storytelling is a Secret Weapon
        • Photoroom_20250525_074933Juggernaut Tactical Frame Review: The Best Upgrade for Your 365
        • craft holstersCraft Holsters Makarov Tuckable IWB Holster Report
    • Close
  • News
  • Video Demo
  • Buying Guides
  • Shop
  • Advertise

Concealed Carry: A Reality Check

Concealed Carry: A Reality Check

When we go to a concealed carry permit class, we learn what we can and can’t do, where we can carry, where we can’t, and what the state says is justifiable use of deadly force. But, what I have never heard in any class I have attended, (I attend a class every six months, since laws change daily), is the psychological effect of having to use your gun in self defense. The first reality check I had happened the first time I was forced to pull my firearm: a day that I will never forget. Yet, on that day, I was all too happy I got my carry permit in the first place, and it became the driving example I use to encourage others to get their own carry permit.

The Weight of Responsibility

Concealed Carry: A Reality Check
Some things cannot be conveyed fully in the short time an instructor has to teach them in the classroom. One of these is the stark possibility of having to use your firearm against a living person.

When a person decides to get a carry permit, and to carry a gun for self defense, they need to understand the weight of responsibility that a carry permit comes with. As a permit holder, you have the ability to carry a gun that could save your life, or someone else’s life, but that also means you may have to take the life of one or more aggressors to do so. Further, you need to make an effort to learn and stay up to speed on the constantly changing minutiae of the laws pertaining to concealed carry. The responsibility is huge, and by taking time to learn more laws, and understand them, along with appropriate firearms training classes, you will be ready when it comes time for you to put on that holster in the morning.

Grave Implications

Consider this: one bullet could end someone’s life. They will never breathe again, smile, see their family again. Nothing. Taking a human life, even though they were trying to end yours, is something you’ll never forget. For instance, to this day, I can remember the entire event that caused me to first draw my firearm, aiming it at the 25-year-old man that was punching his pregnant girlfriend so much she lost her baby. I can remember yelling for him to stop hitting her, and to lay on the ground on his belly with his arms to his side, and I remember after ordering him to stop for the third time moving my trigger finger onto the trigger. Just as I was ready to shoot, he stopped and complied with my orders. I almost took this man’s life, and that changed mine. But, the fact that I was able to at least save the life of the victim comforted me in the end. The other four times I have pulled my firearm each had different circumstances, from saving my own life from someone trying to run me off the road, to someone trying to break into my house, but each time I’ve been comforted knowing I am still alive because I was prepared.

Be Prepared

When making the decision to concealed carry, take time to understand that one day you may have to take a life to save your own, or someone else’s, and that your life will never be the same afterward.  Be mentally ready before carrying your firearm, and be sure you know what the laws are regarding concealed carry and justifiable use of force in your state. The more you prepare now, the better you’ll be able to respond.

Share This

More From The Loadout Room

Comments

Primary Sidebar

Most Read

  • SIG Sauer M17/M18/P320 Pistol Just Can't Seem to Escape Safety Controversies
    SIG Sauer M17/M18/P320 Pistol Just Can't Seem to Escape Safety Controversies
  • Mossberg 930: the affordable 12 gauge auto-loader
    Mossberg 930: the affordable 12 gauge auto-loader
  • Mossberg Shockwave Versus Remington Tac 14
    Mossberg Shockwave Versus Remington Tac 14
  • Springfield Range Officer 1911: Full Review
    Springfield Range Officer 1911: Full Review
  • Breek Arms Sledgehammer: The AR-15 Charging Handle That Gas Can’t Touch
    Breek Arms Sledgehammer: The AR-15 Charging Handle That Gas Can’t Touch

Find Us on Facebook

Recent Comments

  • Ajita Sherer on Streamlight ProTac Rail Mount HL-X: A Thoroughly Bright Review
  • Leland on Streamlight ProTac Rail Mount HL-X: A Thoroughly Bright Review
  • Winston Smiths on Mossberg 930: the affordable 12 gauge auto-loader

Latest From SOFREP

War Stories

SEAL Tales: That Time We Took On the Navy’s Hunter-Killer Dolphins

War Stories

No Country for Old Men

Expert Analysis

Nation’s Law Enforcement Instructors Declare SIG P320 Unsafe for Training

News

New Pentagon Policy Bans Officials from Speaking at Think Tanks

Military Content Group

© Copyright 2025 Military Content Group · All Rights Reserved.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Advertisers
 

Loading Comments...