What Do I Think About Guns For Self Defense - Part 2

Listen to part 2 in answering the question I get: "What’s your stance on guns for personal protection?" I share honest insights for those considering firearm ownership, covering everything from the initial training needed to the responsibility of regular practice. For anyone thinking about applying for a concealed carry permit (CCW), we discuss the realities of keeping your skills sharp, along with the legal and safety aspects that come with carrying a weapon responsibly.

We also go into the mindset needed in high-stakes situations, like when to make the decision to draw your weapon and how crucial muscle memory and mental preparation are for reacting under pressure. 

For those interested in alternative self-defense tools, we touch on other options like pepper spray and offer a practical look at the pros, cons, and requirements of different approaches. Join us to gain a clearer understanding of what it truly takes to carry a weapon safely and with confidence.

LESSONS LEARNED

Guns for Self-Defense Require Practice: Skill level varies per person, but regular training and muscle memory are crucial for responsibly carrying and potentially using a firearm.

Know the Legal Requirements: Gun laws vary widely by location, so understanding local CCW regulations, where firearms are prohibited, and safe storage practices is essential.

Responsibility and Safety are Priorities: Safety measures, like storing firearms in secure safes (especially with children at home) and routine maintenance, are critical steps in responsible firearm ownership.

Consider Alternatives if Unsure: Pepper spray and other non-lethal tools are options. These also require familiarization, practice, and situational awareness.

Mindset and Preparation Matter: Confidence and preparedness go hand-in-hand; practicing scenarios and mentally preparing to react under pressure can help ensure self-defense actions are deliberate and controlled.

Situational Awareness and Readiness: Understanding the importance of element of surprise and using one’s voice as a deterrent are practical ways to stay alert and defend if needed.

RESOURCES

Helpful e-book: Concealed Carry for Women

https://ccwsafe.com/ One option for CCW insurance - a must have if you are carrying.

JOIN my email list so you are notified of when my self defense course is live again and when we have an in person workshop on non-lethal self defense training. Sign up at awareandprepared.life at the bottom of the website.

Reach Mandi through her website AwareAndPrepared.Life or Instagram @WomenAwareAndPrepared

Transcript

"We want to keep them surprised. We don't want them to surprise us, you know? So yes, maybe this person's coming to attack me. Well, guess what? I'm prepared. And so you're going to get pepper gelled or whatever. Again, you've practiced for this. I've done some in person trainings and I've had them. Okay, stand right there.

I'm going to be the bad guy or the, we're going to pretend we're at a gas station. And you're going to notice me coming at you and you're going to tell me to stop. And you're going to see how quick it is when I don't. And so they would yell, stop, but I would keep coming. And they're like, Oh my gosh, like you're right on me. 

So it's important to know that it's usually sooner than you think. "

Hey, brave one. Welcome to another episode of the aware and prepared podcast.  I'm your host, Mandy Pratt, a trained domestic violence victim advocate. Self defense teacher and professional speaker who teaches those feeling vulnerable how to be street smart and feel safer with more peace.

You'll hear true crime stories, but most importantly, how we might prevent crimes happening to us without judgment or shame, of course. You deserve to live in peace and safety, so return each week to learn safety tips and emotional self defense so we live empowered with peace.  Let's be less naive and leave helplessness and worry behind so we can be safer, savvy, aware, and prepared. 

All right. Welcome back to the aware and prepared podcast where we like to talk about touchy things sometimes.  And here we are on episode two with my gracious podcast  editor and friend, Andrea. Hello. Hello. Hello. Welcome back. And so we're continuing the conversation. We didn't want to overwhelm you and just dump it all on you in the last episode.

So we're continuing on in this episode, we're talking about carrying guns because I have that question. Lots of times when I go speak and I talk about self defense as an empowerment tool, um, I have people ask me, what do you think about guns? Do you carry a gun?  We'll get back into it. So I've kind of been pretending that I'm a person who is interested in potentially becoming a firearm owner and then maybe someone who has a concealed carry permit or something like that.

So let's say I'm this person B that we've been calling him or her, I guess. So as person B, my next question would be, how long is it going to take me to practice to get good enough to pass whatever I need, whatever exam or certification I need to get to apply for a CC?  So that depends on everybody's natural ability, right?

Sometimes people just.  Are naturally good at it and sometimes they're not so much so you would be able to determine that when you go to the range and you practice, right? You have a target that you're going to hit and are you good at hitting that? Or maybe not so much. Maybe you need a little bit of extra instruction.

Everybody's different with their ability. And where they start with like how  good they are and then how much like help you need. Yeah. So is it like three years? One year? What do you, what do you think the average adult would need? It's so different. I'm trying to think about myself. So for myself, I mentioned that I competed just because I wasn't really there to compete.

Cause I knew  I'm not going to be winning any ribbons, but, um, but I mean, I was decent enough to. Play along with the rest of them. But for me, it's so hard to remember cause it was so long ago, but I had a couple lessons.  And then I went and watched  a competition and then I had some more lessons and I would practice with my husband at the range, but I felt like I needed that CCW pretty quickly.

So  I think I applied pretty quickly.  It wasn't like, Oh, I feel like I need to be.  hitting everything right on the mark before I applied for the CCW because I felt like I was in danger. Those were the years when my criminal ex husband was missing. And again, who knows what kind of friends they make in prison or what other, you know, creep is out there.

So I felt like Time was of the essence. So, um, you know, when they test you,  they're not going to expect you to like hit all five rounds, right. In the same hole, you know, it's not like  super, they just want to make sure they're looking at you and making sure you know what you're doing. Did this person just pull the gun out of the holster in a responsible way and put it back in a responsible way?

You know, do they look like they know what they're doing?  That's what they want to know.  Mm hmm. Yeah, that's good to know. Yeah.  What if you're going somewhere that's  Doesn't allow you to bring a firearm. Are you allowed to store it in your car? Yeah, you are. You want to check with your police department in your county to make sure and like ask them what they recommend.

But as far as I know, in our county, you are expected to put it locked in the safe in your car. And again, There are so many different products. Um, there's like different safes that go in the back of your car, different safes that go in your middle section there in the glove compartment. There's all kinds of different options. 

So there are options. So I don't want to be deterring people if they do are, they're interested in a CCW.  It's not like it's.  So hard, but it's like you just have to initially figure out how you want to handle that. That's all.  So, again, I don't want to deter anybody if that's what they're thinking they might like to do. 

Oh, I also want to say if you're going to have a CCW, you also need CCW insurance.  So there's different companies, um, that you can get for that. So if you're, it's like,  you got to have that too. So again, it's another expense and it kind of makes me mad because it's like, what about people who are in different socioeconomic situations?

That's not fair. It's really not.  Those are usually the people that live in areas that they might want to carry. Yeah. Where are some places that you're definitely not allowed to bring a gun? I mean, obviously I think of like a school, right? I'm looking on Google.  It's looking like, well, the things you would think, airport, you can't be doing that.

Yeah. Hospital, courthouse, voting, polling places, government buildings, schools. Yeah. I would imagine any like detention places or jails. Right. Libraries, government buildings. Yeah. Lots of places. So maybe even like concerts, I would imagine.  Sporting arenas. Wow. So see? And it's different every state, I'm sure.

Yeah. Yeah. At least a little bit. This is just California we're talking about.  But you got to know the laws, especially if you've got a CCW  permit, you better know what you're doing there. Yeah. And so there's just a lot of things to know, but again, that's what they teach you in the training. So. they got you.

So once you decide, they'll help you through that. Um, so you just go through the steps and you do the thing and you pay the money.  I'm imagining there might be a listener out there going, has this ever gone wrong? Like, have, have you heard any stories of self defense items being turned against the person carrying them?

Like, what if? Things go south. People always ask that even about pepper spray and all that, right? So if you've practiced and you know what you're doing, then usually that doesn't happen. Can that happen? Things can always happen. But if you're on it, you've practiced, you've thought it through and all of that, then  you're more prepared.

Right? So it's something that I'm, I'm not really worried about. Like, I know, again, mine's concealed.  So. You know, you're just being careful. And that's another thing too, is mindset. Like when you pull that out and you're ready to use it, you have to be able to use it, right? So you can't,  that's the thing is, remember what I was saying?

Like, are you sure this is a good match for you? If you want to do this,  Think that through  and that's where that practice in muscle memory comes in too. Yeah, you're gonna be more able to Right move in such a way where no one could turn things against you. Yeah, if it's in your muscle memory, yeah Yeah, it's a big decision  I saw a video of someone pulling out pepper spray, but they had their pointer finger on the button and a loose grip on the spray and it went badly.

Whereas if you have the spray concealed, pull it out, grab it and then put your thumb on the button and then be assertive with things, you're way less likely to  become vulnerable in that situation. Exactly. If you pull a weapon, you have to  It's hard to predict though. I mean, how am I going to feel in that moment?

Like totally plan for that. It's so crazy. Oh, that's why you kind of think it through. And when you're practicing to go there in your head, you know? Yeah. Yeah. I remember your mentor talking about, Hey, this is why we practice over and over and over again. Cause that's how we know the human brain works.

Right. Right. Have to use that to our advantage. Yep. Are there ways to tell if someone, some stranger is carrying? Go up and give him a hug, and that probably won't go well. 

No, not really. I mean, it depends on what they're wearing, you know. So yeah, not really. Like I was saying, there's probably more people than people realize that are out there carrying a gun. Hopefully, they're permitted with it. But again, we have criminals carrying them, so. And they don't listen to the laws.

Do you think they're carrying them in the library or at this boarding event? Yeah. Yeah. What are some other concerns or cautions? How can you avoid mishaps? Definitely, I mentioned locking the gun in the safe when you're not using it, right? When you're at home, I don't leave my gun out on the counter.  Even if it's just me and my husband and I'm leaving to go somewhere or whatever, I don't do that because what if somebody breaks in, right?

They use my gun and they go shoot somebody,  right? So we're being responsible. We're locking that up, especially if you have children. Oh my gosh, please, please do that. Well, yeah, at that point, you're breaking the law if you don't, yeah, sure. Yeah. Yeah. I mean what nowadays with all the cool awesome gun safes with fingerprint things and all the choices like  it's very doable to be responsible even at home.

Yeah, for sure.  So what if someone's listening and they're like, yeah, I have kids. Talk to me.  I'm considering becoming a firearm owner, but I have children.  What do I need to know? Here's another thing that's  Widely, widely disputed in  those who have a CCW, you talk about carrying loaded or not. So do you have a round in the chamber ready to go or not?

Right? So that's another way,  another option that you can think of. So if you're super, again, this is a personal decision and I'm definitely not going to say either way. But it's just something to think about. I'm just going to share when I had my son in the home when he was little, I carried it. So there was not around in the chamber and I practiced that way.

So when I would go to the range, I would have to shoot that way. So I pull the gun, I go to the target and I'm not just going to shoot because the,  the round is not in the chamber yet. Right. So I have to cock the gun back and get it in the chamber. And then I'm ready to shoot. Well, that was part of my whole practice routine.

I have to be quick on that. Right. Cause you're losing time. And a split second is of the essence. Usually if you know, you're going to be attacked like that. Um, but because I had my son at home, that's the way I chose to carry. Yeah. And that's was my choice. Mm-Hmm.  Yeah, that's good insight. And there are safeties on the gun, of course, but  every gun is different.

Some are  like, there's actually a, you know, some where you have to touch the trigger first a little bit to undo the safety. Some have like a switch, some, they're all different. But again, even with the safety.  I knew there was a safety on my gun, but still I wanted to be extra cautious.  So that's just my choice and that's what I decided to do. 

I mean, obviously there's the basic laws if you have a kid at home, which is,  you have to store. your ammo in a different location and lock everything up, period.  It can't be accessible. So  follow the laws. Yeah.  And I mean, if we're talking about like things going south and accidents happening, that's what usually ends up.

If you're looking at statistically. Yeah.  Yeah. I don't, I can't even talk about it because it's so. I know, same. Terrifying. But  when kids get access to parents, firearms. That's when things can really go south. Yes. Very much. That's why I keep emphasizing that.  So what's the, the cleanup, like the physical maintenance of a gun?

Don't you have to like clean it and keep things oiled and all this stuff?  I'm laughing because if my husband was here, he would be cracking up because  after each time he would have to remind me, don't forget, clean your gun. Don't forget, clean your gun. And I'm like, I will, I will. I'm like, wow. None.  Okay.

So. We just had an earthquake,  so we're back anyway. No big deal. We're used to those.  Yeah. So we were kind of laughing because your husband always had to remind you when you came home from the range to clean your firearm. So what did that look like? So, um, it's actually not a big deal when you sit down and do it.

Um, there's just a little. process you go through. You take it apart, clean it out, put it back together. It's not that big of a deal. Maybe it takes 10 minutes. So yeah. What about for the other weapons? Is there cleaning and maintenance for the non lethal stuff? Yeah, so the non lethal, so like pepper spray is usually only good for four years anyway.

Or if it gets really hot, you need to buy yourself a new one because it won't be as effective, that kind of thing. Knife, if you're not using the knife for other things, it will be okay for a long time, should be. So the firearms by far the most extensive Cleaning. Cleaning. Again, though, it doesn't take that long.

How does the person decide in the moment  Whether to reach for their weapon or not muscle memory, you gotta,  you can't be like, huh, let's see, this guy's running towards me. Let me think about this.  Right. You're going to need every split second you have. Right. So, first of all. And I think my mentor discussed this in a previous episode.

If you're not so sure you have your hand on whatever it is, pepper spray, firearm, whatever, right? Um, because each little millisecond means something. So if you're not sure, then you want to be ready ahead of time. Something I always talk about. And I talked about in my ebook about pepper spray was two things to know about pepper spray.

One of them is the element of surprise, right? So, We want to keep them surprised. We don't want them to surprise us, you know, so yes, maybe this person's coming to attack me. Well, guess what? I'm prepared. And so you're not going to get me. So you're going to, you're going to get pepper gelled or whatever.

And you, again, you've practiced for this, right. And you've, Maybe even taught. I've done some in person trainings and I've had them. Okay, stand right there. I'm going to be the bad guy or the bad girl, whatever. And we're going to pretend we're at a gas station and you're going to notice me coming at you and you're going to tell me to stop and you're going to see how quick it is when I don't.

And so they would yell stop, but I would keep coming and they're like, Oh my gosh, like you're right on me.  Right. So it's important to know that it's usually sooner than you think. So you at least have your hand on it and you've said something to them, right? Like stop. And you use your voice and you, the air comes from your stomach, not your throat.

You know that as a singer.  Yeah.  Yeah. So you're prepared that way. And then if you're in doubt, you've got your hand on that.  while you're saying you need to stay right there or stop or whatever you've already determined that you're going to say.  That's really important information. You want to surprise them.

You don't want them to surprise you. That's like such an important quote from your trainings. So I want to encourage everyone, please join us again for part three. We're going to wrap up this little mini series here on carrying weapons. Mandy's given us such wisdom and amazing tips, but we're going to jump into a little bit more of the psychology side of things to wrap things up next week.

So we'll see you there. Awesome. Bye. Bye.  Thanks for being a fan of the aware and prepared podcast. Show it some love by leaving a review and don't forget to hit follow. So you can catch future episodes to book me to speak and transform your audience. Go to my website, aware and prepared dot life. L I F E to join my VIPs who get each episodes, lessons learned resource links, and more.

Sent directly to you sign up is also at my website where you'll find a free gift. When you do the link is in the show notes, I'll talk with you next week. Remember you are worthy of a safe and peaceful life.