CONCEALED AND CARRY WEAPON (CCW)

The right to keep and bear arms is protected under the second amendment of the American bill of rights. This means that individual citizens have the right to possess armaments for their own defense, and this right is included in a written constitution. The USA is one of only three countries to recognize this right, with Guatemala and Mexico being the only other two. The history of  the laws goes back to the 17th century, when protestant citizens of the then English Crown were accorded the right to have arms for their own defense. This right is now protected under the National Constitution and several state constitutions. In addition to the right to keep and bear arms, many states have laws in place governing the carrying of concealed weapons on one’s person or in close proximity. There is no federal governing concealed carry, so the onus is on the owners to find out which laws apply to CCW in their state.

What is Conceal and Carry / Concealed Carry?

Conceal and Carry or Concealed carry refers to the practice of carrying a weapon (usually a handgun and items like pepper spray) in public. Different states use different terminologies to define the permits or licenses needed to carry concealed weapons including: License to carry firearms (LTC), Concealed Carry Permit (CCP), Concealed Carry Weapons (CCW) and many others. The majority of states (49) have laws governing Conceal and Carry, with the largest number of them maintaining shall issue’ policies. Shall Issue’ simply means that anyone who meets the criteria shall be issued with a permit/license to carry a concealed weapon in public.

Criteria for the issuing of a permit includes; meeting the minimum age requirement, passing a background check, having no mental issues or prison record, attending a certified Nebraska Conceal and Carry Class and meeting a few other requirements. Different States may recognize permits or licenses issued in different jurisdictions, and it is up to you as an individual to find out which ones they are. While concealed carry is allowed in many places, it is restricted in certain premises such as federal government buildings, hospitals, churches, state and government facilities, and many others.

 Reasons to Have a Concealed and Carry Weapon

Increased Insecurity

Muggings, robberies, thefts, stabbings, terrorist attacks and many other criminal activities are the realities of our day. As the population in cities grows, economic changes cause loss of jobs and people lose their sense of morality, crime will continue to grow and as a result you are more likely to be attacked by opportunistic thieves. A Conceal and Carry weapon will help you defend yourself and anyone with you in such a scenario, especially when police services are far off or inaccessible.

Statistics from the FBI show there were 14,612 murders, 83,425 rapes, 354,396 robberies and 751,131 aggravated assaults.

Overwhelmed Public Protection Services

Many States have experienced budget cuts that make it difficult to recruit a large enough workforce to handle crime especially in large cities. Paradoxically, where the budget is large enough, there aren’t enough recruits to meet the demand for police officers. As a result, many areas are poorly manned, and criminals take advantage of this to attack innocent people on the street and in public spaces. Response time for many police departments is less than ideal and you can counter this by having a concealed weapon to keep yourself safe until the police show up.

You Are Especially Vulnerable

People unaware of their surroundings, Mothers / Fathers with little children, the elderly, injured, and other vulnerable people are especially likely to be attacked on the street in public places by people who view them as weaker and less likely to defend themselves. Having a conceal and carry weapon helps to level the field, and allow you to defend yourself in such a situation.

Increased Confidence

Criminals on the street will often target you if you seem unsure of yourself, look scared and fall in a category that makes you seem more vulnerable e.g. you are small and frail, are injured or simply appear weaker. Omaha Concealed and Carry Classes teaches you to handle yourself with confidence, and ensures that this confidence comes out in the way to carry yourself in public.

You Will Become More Aware

Carrying a concealed weapon will make you more aware of your surroundings and more alert to signs that things might be off. Since you might be expected to shoot your handgun or use other weapon wherever you are, you are increasingly aware of what is happening around you and readier to act should anything go wrong. Consistently being alert also makes you more sensitive to subtle changes that indicate that something is about to go wrong, which ultimately improves your reaction time to unsafe situations.

To Protect People Around You

Having a Nebraska concealed and carry helps protect your family, friends, loved ones and strangers who may be weaker and thus more likely to be vulnerable to attack. Children, pregnant women and the elderly and the infirm are especially likely to be targeted by criminals, and having a concealed weapon ensures that you can protect them from sinister forces who would want to take advantage of them.

You Live / Work In a Dangerous Place

Unfortunately, life and work sometimes lead us to places where the security is less than ideal. War zones, cities with high crime rates, the bad part of town and other insecure places require that you carry a concealed weapon if you value your safety.

Having a  conceal and carry weapon is part of exercising one of the many rights granted to you under the constitution of the United States. Defending yourself is a fundamental privilege accorded the citizens of this country and you will want to take advantage of this as fully as possible. However, even as you go about arming yourself against attack from criminals, it is important to ensure that you are well trained to handle your firearm or weapon of choice to avoid harming yourself or those around you.

To this end, ensure that you receive proper training from a credible and certified Conceal and Carry Weapon training provider in order to avoid injuring yourself or innocent bystanders and having to face legal action for irresponsible use of a firearm.