Thank God I had a Gun, True Accounts of Self-Defense a must for Concealed Carry Instructors.

Chris Bird has written The Concealed Handgun Manual. I bought this book years ago and enjoyed reading this book. It was a great guide for any person new to carrying a concealed weapon.

Chris has put together a group of 14 stories that describe how ordinary citizens managed to defend themselves in the face of life-threatening circumstances.  In our concealed carry classes our evaluations and feedback are showing that the most requested item are real world scenarios.

Many authors have talked about several steps that people need to take in order to increase their chances of surviving during a violent encounter. The first is being “Situationally Aware” and the second is to have a plan. “Situationally Aware” is being able to watch your environment for warning signs of trouble and be ready to react before it is too late. The second is to have a plan. As you go through life every situation is different and having a plan in each stage of your day. 

This book helps you think about situations and make a plan before disaster strikes. The situations that are covered include police picking up guns in a natural disaster to women alone under attack.  

During Hurricane Katrina the police illegally picked up the guns from legal home owners. This has been documented that Mayor Ray Negain ordered the legally owned firearms picked up. This is first story that I had read about the Katrina disaster that described that aftermath of thugs and looters. The law abiding citizens that banded together and kept their firearms were able to defend their neighborhoods. One the story’s main characters named Vinnie was a gun control supporter until this happened. He grew closer to his neighbors and exercised is God given right to defend himself. The gangs tried to take over and the citizens that banded together as Chris describes were not vigilantes but rather home owners taking care of their lives and property.  I would take it one step farther and say that they were not vigilantes, but formed their own “Neighborhood Militia”. This “Neighborhood Militia” would be a great idea for the states to implement before the next disaster. Organize and TRAIN local groups of home owners to help defend the neighborhood until help can arrive.

Another story describes in great detail of a young woman who was home alone due to a migraine headache. She is awakened by a man at the door that is being very loud and rude. She decides to ignore him, only to hear him at the back door trying to get in. She calls 911 and pulls her .357 out of the safe. The 911 operator stays on the line and talks her through the entire ordeal. The bad guy gets in the house and into her bed room. The confrontation is dramatic and she does not shoot him but stands up to him with her gun and tells him to get out of the house. If she did not have the gun and the additional support of the 911 operator she may not be alive to tell the story. This is a great learning tool for firearm and defense instructors to use for talking points in a class.  

The book would be worth the price if CCW and Defense instructors only used these two stories out of the 14 as learning tools for their classes.

What we all can take away from Chris’s hard work and great detail is that the police are one of our greatest assets, but it is the first 10 minutes that is the most critical before the police arrive. The other key take away from these two stories is to be prepared, and have a plan. Get a neighborhood defense plan together to help everyone in the neighborhood. Vinnie now is a gun rights supporter and knows his neighbors because his life just may depend on them.  If you’re a regular citizen, get the book and talk about the different scenarios with your family to have a plan. If you’re a CCW Instructor or Defense Instructor, get the book to talk about these issues in your class. These learning points may just save some of your student’s lives.

Click on the book for the link.

Happy trails and keep the lead down range. Clark –Carryconcealed.net