What is the most important skill when you own a firearm? You’ve bought a new gun recently, congratulations! I applaud every American that wants to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights. Owning a firearm is a huge responsibility and most don’t see it as that. Yes, it’s a right. But also a huge responsibility to educate yourself all around the topic of being a gun owner. But the most important skill you need may surprise you! Most people purchase a firearm for self and home defense and then never do a deep dive into the ramifications and training necessary. I don’t just mean training on the range and learning to shoot your new gun. Training off the range in the classroom is just as important. Most people greatly over-estimate their skill level leading to situations that cause bad judgement because they weren’t paying attention to their surroundings. Yes, you need to know all the important high level things like the safety rules, shooting fundamentals, learn how to use a holster correctly and get regular practice at the range. But, the most important skill you need is the correct mindset around owning any firearm. Why is mindset the most important skill? In the midst of a life threatening event is NOT the time to think about and try to formulate a plan and then execute that plan.
Ask yourself the following list of questions. Am I confident enough with it? Am I competent enough with it? Can I access it and get good hits on a threat in time to actually defend myself? Am I a responsible gun owner? In close quarters can I actually fight to keep retention of my firearm? Maybe throwing a punch is a better option. Those are the first things that come to mind. But lets go deeper than that.
Am I confident enough with my gun?
Do I carry my firearm every single day? Do I carry a round in the chamber or am I afraid to do that? Have I ever taken multiple defensive shooting classes? Do I understand what proper situational awareness is and practice is every time I leave my home? Have I only taken my LTC class and passed that minimal standard? Do I know I have the skills necessary to defend my life or that of my family? Do I understand that just because I access my gun that I don’t have to use it? Do I understand pre-threat indicators that mean I need to get to my firearm? Can I be violent enough to survive a threat to my life?
Am I competent enough with my gun?
Can I draw my firearm and get good hits to vital areas consistently in a very short time? Do I practice often (hopefully daily) drawing from your holster in the clothes you are wearing that day? Do I ever train for defensive uses of my firearm in all conditions and positions (that means hot, cold, raining, in jackets and coats, on the ground, etc.)? Do I hit reliably with multiple shots in a specific area? Without any time pressure, can I hit exactly where I want? And then put another shot touching that hole again and again? Can I hit at many different yardages reliably? Can I make a longer range hit such as 25-50 yards confidently and reliably? Do I understand everything about my carry gun and train with it regularly? Do I think I’m good enough to get my gun out from my purse, pocket, fanny pack, concealed holster, etc. under extreme chaotic pressure? Does my gun have a safety that I never use? Do I train for physiological responses that WILL happen during an incident? Do I understand the legal ramifications of defending myself or my family?
Am I a responsible gun owner?
What does being a responsible gun owner mean? Do I practice safe storage every single day 24/7? Do I limit access to ANY unauthorized users? Do I do regular maintenance on my firearm? Do I know how to disassemble it and put it back together? Do I practice regularly to maintain my skills? Do I understand the ramifications of every choice I make about my firearm? Have I learned from a professional about what the legal uses of force are and what the physiological responses will happen to me should I need to use my firearm? Do I have a lawyer or legal protection?
Now let’s actually start the conversation!
Does anything in the above list give you pause or give you a sinking feeling? Can you answer every single question (and there are probably more!) with confidence and understand what they each mean? If you can’t, you need to delve more into the mindset on each topic. This makes most people very uncomfortable because it all seems so insurmountable. It’s not, but it’s a process! I tell my students all the time that learning to shoot well is a journey, not a destination! I’m still on my journey and learning things that make me better at something all the time. Being a responsible gun owner is also a process and one that shouldn’t be ignored or taken lightly.
Why do you need to be so confident and competent with your firearm? If you “miss” your target while defending your life understand this: A MISS ISN’T A MISS!!! IT’S STILL A HIT OUT THERE SOMEWERE! You can’t tell a mother “I’m sorry I shot your baby, I was trying to stop a bad guy”. We are responsible for every single thing surrounding our firearm. It should only be handled with intention about everything we are doing with our firearm in hand. Never carelessly and without thought! We are responsible for every round that leaves our gun. Just think about that for a few minutes. In fact, if the gun is in your hand, you just became responsible for everything that happens with it while in your hands. This is why we harp on the safety rules and insist that they become automatic at home, on the range, during dry practice, during live fire, etc. Every time the gun is in someone’s hands, that person is responsible for anything that transpires. You can’t claim it was an accident or that you meant to shoot a bad person and “missed”. This is why you need to be confident and competent.
Of course I will be seen as the innocent person if I need to defend myself, family or home! Now hold on just a minute… Did you use force as a last resort or did you chase someone out of your house that was stealing your TV or your car? There are a lot of times when it’s not acceptable to use a firearm. Was your life in imminent danger? Can you articulate all that led up to your use of force? Using a firearm in self defense is absolutely allowable under certain circumstances. But there are lots of uses that aren’t going to hold up under scrutiny. Do you understand what those are? If not, you are likely to have an unlawful use of your firearm and go to jail!
Most people don’t think of themselves as being a violent person. After all, violence is shunned in our society and not seen as a good solution to any problem. But, lets look at that some more. We sanction violence every single day. We vest law enforcement officers with authority and a badge and expect them to respond to the “bad guys”. We have a standing military that all taxpayers fund. Directed violence is a very viable solution to life threats. In order to survive any threat you are going to have to tap into the reality that you will have to be violent. That doesn’t make you a violent person! But pretty words and flowery platitudes or pleading or negotiation will not save your life from an apex predator hell bent on doing something very bad to you. It won’t matter how you voted in the last election, how much you’ve supported various causes or anything like that. Once you have been chosen, and you will only know that at the last possible second, you will be left with nothing but your mindset, skills and your tool. Hopefully you are starting to understand why it’s so important to think about and train for what you might need to do long before the incident itself.
Have you ever thought about a close quarters fight? After all, the criminal is going to choose you at a time and place convenient for them and you won’t know until the last second unless you are paying close attention. If that happens, what will you do? If you’ve never trained for this scenario, the brain will simply be overwhelmed and too far behind to catch up. Yes, a gun is the great equalizer and allows a small, weak woman fight off a much bigger and stronger assailant. But, she has to have one on her person, be able to access it, have the will to use it and the follow through it takes to survive. Buying a gun, passing your LTC qualification and never practicing with it and leaving it in your purse is giving you a false sense of your capabilities. If this is you, you are NOT good enough. It’s nothing but a rabbit’s foot; a talisman that does absolutely nothing for you than to make YOU feel better. That’s it! Anyone like this person doesn’t have the mindset to survive a terrifying, chaotic, fast moving encounter. That sounds harsh but I see it all the time. This conversation scares most people way more than the bad guy they bought a gun to protect against! It means taking a hard, careful look at your motivations, skill level, emotional issues and making the time to get good enough. And yes, it’s a commitment! In the midst of a life threat is NOT the time to try to think about what you need to do and come up with a plan. You are simply out of time. The time to think about and come up with a plan is before any incidents so you are prepared to do what it takes to save your life or others lives. If you don’t have this mindset you simply aren’t prepared to deal with an imminent threat to your life.
Where do I get this kind of training?
You need to seek out a professional firearms instructor with defensive instructor certifications. They are trained in developing this mindset and able to explain all of the whys around this mindset and coach you in the necessary skills. Here at Southern Charm Firearms Academy our lead instructor Crystal Duke has over 25 instructor certifications with many focused on defensive shooting fundamentals and mindset. We offer many classes around the proper mindset with classroom only and skill development on our private range. Some of our classes in this area are holster clinic, intro to defensive shooting fundamentals, get the lead out, conceal carry & home defense fundamentals, personal protection outside the home, and more. The conceal carry mindset is covered under many different classes and incorporated throughout our curriculum. Click on our events tab to see a date listing of all upcoming classes.