Concealed Weapon Class Coming Up

We will be teaching an Arizona CCW class on Saturday April 24th. The class starts at 8:00 am and will run to around 6:00 pm or 6:30 pm, maybe later. Please be prompt. The classroom portion of the class will be in the morning and early afternoon at the Joe Foss Shoting Complex (formerly the Buckeye Hills Shooting Range) in Buckeye. The range portion will be there also.

The cost for the class is $80, which includes fingerprinting and range fees.

You would need to bring paper for note taking, handgun, holster or case, 50 rounds of ammunition, eye and ear protection and a Driver's License. You should bring a lunch since there are no restaurants nearby. There is sometimes a hot dog cart open for business, but there's no guarantee.  You may also wish to bring extra money for books that will be for sale related to the instruction.

To register, mail funds to;
Certified Instruction & Training
500 N Estrella Parkway
Suite 2B-266
Goodyear, AZ 85338

Please include your name, phone, and email address.

You may contact us via email (info@CertifiedTraining.net) or phone (623-628-2196) if you have any questions. Only prepaid students will be allowed to take the class. Restricted to the first 10 students who pay.

Four Commandments of Firearm Safety

1. Always treat all firearms as though they are loaded.
2. Always point the muzzle in a safe direction.
3. Always keep your finger off the trigger and straight along the frame until your sights are on the target and you are ready to shoot.
4. Always know your target, what’s around it, and what’s behind it.

Don't be a Victim! While only a small fraction of the material covered in the NRA Refuse To Be A Victim Course, the following commonsense tactics provide a good start for your own personal safety strategy: Home Security Plant "defensive" shrubbery around your home, especially beneath windows. Bushes with thorns or stiff, spiky leaves are not good hiding places for criminals. When moving into a house or apartment, always change or re-key the locks. Otherwise, the previous resident - and anyone they supplied keys to - has unrestricted access to your home. Phone Security Consider keeping a separate line or cellular phone as a security device. Taking one phone off the hook renders other units on that line inoperable. Using a separate line or cellular phone in your bedroom is a good precaution. Automobile Security Use a two-piece key ring with your car keys separate from your other important keys. Give parking valets or mechanics your car keys only. Supplying your entire set of keys creates an opportunity for duplicates to be made. Check your surroundings before getting out of your car. If something or someone strikes you as out of place or threatening, drive away. Personal Safety Consider taking a self-defense course. A wide variety of courses are offered for self-defense and each should be considered carefully for relevance to your own situation. The NRA Refuse To Be A Victim Course provides many useful personal-safety strategies and discusses the pros and cons of other training options. These are just a few steps you can take to avoid becoming a victim of violent crime. For a more in-depth study of these and other safety measures, attend an NRA Refuse To Be A Victim Course in your area.

What is the Eddie Eagle Program? The Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program teaches elementary school children four important steps to take if they find a gun. These steps are presented by the program's mascot, Eddie Eagle, in an easy-to-remember format consisting of the following simple rules: If you see a gun: STOP! Don't Touch. Leave the Area. Tell an Adult. This program, specifically designed for young children from pre-kindergarten through six grade, was developed through the combined efforts of such qualified professionals as clinical psychologists, reading specialists, teachers, curriculum specialists, urban housing safety officials, and law enforcement personnel. The Eddie Eagle Program is used by schools, law enforcement agencies and other groups and organizations concerned with the safety of children. Materials available through this program include student workbooks, 7-minute animated video, CD-ROM, instructor guides, posters, and student reward stickers. We are committed to helping keep America's young children safe. In efforts to do so, we offer our program at a nominal fee. Schools, law enforcement agencies, hospitals, daycare centers, and libraries are eligible to receive free materials in limited quantities on their first time order. Grant funding is also available in many states that will cover the cost of all program curriculum materials for these same groups. The purpose of The Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program isn't to teach whether guns are good or bad, but rather to promote the protection and safety of children. Eddie Eagle neither offers nor asks for any value judgment concerning firearms. Like swimming pools, electrical outlets, matchbooks and household poison, they're treated simply as a fact of life. With firearms found in about half of all American households, it's a stance that makes sense. Eddie Eagle is never shown touching a firearm, nor does he appear where firearms are being used or sold. He does not promote firearm ownership or use. It is not affiliated with any firearm or ammunition manufactures or with any businesses that deals in guns and ammunition.

You Don't Know Me, and I Have a Gun!

You don't know me, or maybe you just don't know that you do. I am your neighbor, doctor, clergyman, nurse or just another nameless, faceless stranger in the crowd. I have a state authorized, court issued permit to carry a concealed handgun. I do so whenever possible. Though you don't know me, there are a few things, however, you should know about me.

The local police fingerprinted me. The fingerprint cards were submitted to the FBI and a criminal background check was performed. Before that, I had to pass state and local background checks. I had to present evidence to the state of approved training in firearms laws, safety and marksmanship before my application would even be accepted. I am not a felon, junkie, drug dealer, stalker or even a shoplifter since any number of indiscretions including alcohol or other drug abuse or even simple assault or a restraining order would disqualify me from holding a permit.

My classroom training covered when it is appropriate and legal to even indicate that I have a gun, much less display it or actually use deadly force. Doing so in any circumstance, under which I am not in immediate fear for my life or the life of another, would mean more than the loss of my permit. Most likely, I would also be charged with brandishing a weapon, disorderly conduct and/or assault.

If it was determined that my use of deadly force was not to protect a life in immediate danger, I would probably be charged with second-degree murder or first-degree manslaughter. On top of these, I would also face civil liability. I am aware of the responsibility I bear, and I will walk or run away rather than risk confrontation. I will retreat as fast and as far as possible. I always avoid conflict. I know that should a situation escalate, I could be identified as the instigator and face losing my permit or worse.

Like most people who legally carry concealed handguns, I practice regularly at a range. I am well aware of the laws and regulations affecting me. I am better trained than some law enforcement officers. I am not a non-resident alien. I am a good citizen, and I vote.

Should the need arise, however, I will act swiftly, intelligently and decisively to protect my life and the lives of those around me. Are you still afraid of me?

In my home state of Arizona, not one permit holder has been convicted of a violent gun crime despite more than 100,000 issued permits. Throughout the entire United States, a person with a legal handgun and concealed permit has injured no police officer. A number have, however, been assisted and even rescued by armed, law abiding citizens.

You should feel a degree of comfort knowing that there may be someone nearby with means, motive and training to possibly save your life, or that of those around you. Criminals, on the other hand, should feel fear. They never know if their next intended victim may be armed, trained, and ready to effectively defend themselves.

There is no need to fear me, I am just another loyal, law abiding American. You should, however, be very afraid of those who endeavor to turn the entire law abiding population of our great country into defenseless victims. If you feel safer patronizing establishments with a NO GUNS ALLOWED policy, please keep in mind that the criminals don't obey the signs or the laws. That is why we call them criminals.

Criminals know that the law-abiding customers of that establishment are easy prey, and will have little to no fear of the consequences of their actions. The hallways and parking lots of these establishments might just as well post a sign saying...

Five Rules for Concealed Carry

1. Your concealed handgun is for protection of life only.
   Draw it solely in preparation to protect yourself or an innocent third party from the wrongful and life-threatening criminal actions of another.
2. Know exactly when you can use your gun.
   A criminal adversary must have, or reasonably appear to have: the ability to inflict serious bodily injury (he is armed or reasonably appears to be armed with a deadly weapon), the opportunity to inflict serious bodily harm (he is physically positioned to harm you with his weapon), and his intent (hostile actions or words) indicates that he means to place you in jeopardy -- to do you serious or fatal physical harm. When all three of these "attack potential" elements are in place simultaneously, then you are facing a reasonably perceived deadly threat that can justify an emergency deadly force response.
3. If you can run away -- RUN!
   Just because you’re armed doesn’t necessarily mean you must confront a bad guy at gunpoint. Develop your "situation awareness" skills so you can be alert to detect and avoid trouble altogether. Keep in mind that if you successfully evade a potential confrontation, the single negative consequence involved might be your bruised ego, which should heal with mature rationalization. But if you force a confrontation you risk the possibility of you or a family member being killed or suffering lifelong crippling/disfiguring physical injury, criminal liability and/or financial ruin from civil lawsuit. Flee if you can, fight only as a last resort.
4. Display your gun, go to jail.
   If you "brandish" your weapon, you should expect to be arrested by police at gunpoint. You may be charged with a crime anytime your concealed handgun is seen by another citizen in public, regardless of how unintentional or innocent or justified the situation might seem, unless you live in an "open carry" state such as Arizona. Choose a method of carry that reliably keeps your gun hidden from public view at all times, if this is the case. Obviously if you live in an open carry state, your firearm may be visible and no charges will be filed unless it is brandished.
   You have no control over how a stranger will react to seeing (or learning about) your concealed handgun. He or she might become alarmed and report you to police as a "man or woman with a gun." Depending on his or her feelings about firearms, this person might be willing to maliciously embellish his or her story in attempt to have your gun seized by police or to get you arrested. An alarmed citizen who reports a "man with a gun" is going to be more credible to police than you when you're stopped because you match the suspect's description, and you're found to have a concealed handgun in your possession.
   Before you deliberately expose (brandish) your gun in public, ask yourself: "Is this worth going to jail for?" The only time this question should warrant a "yes" response is when an adversary has at least, both ability and intent, and is actively seeking the opportunity to do you great harm.
5. Don't let your emotions get the best of you.
   If, despite your best efforts to the contrary, you do get into some kind of heated dispute with another person while you’re armed, never mention, imply or exhibit your gun for the purpose of intimidation or one-upmanship. You’ll simply make a bad situation worse -- for yourself (see rule #4).

CARRYING CONCEALED FIREARMS (CCW) STATISTICS

OTHER CCW FACTS

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