Concealed Carry Corner: When Avoidance Is King

Welcome back to another edition of Concealed Carry Corner. Last week, I talked about how to carry in the deep cold of winter. If you happened to miss that article, be sure to click the link here to check it out. This week, I think it's important to look at when it's better to avoid situations entirely when carrying a concealed firearm versus what people do by carrying a heavier-than-normal loadout. Times are changing and it's really important to look at what situations are worth avoiding entirely and what ones should be approached with caution.

Avoidance Tops Preparedness

In recent events, there has been a debate about what exactly happened in a Midwest city involving someone who had a concealed carry license. Now I won't be talking about that event at all. It brings up a good point where people may want to avoid the situation entirely rather than adding more to their regular carry rotation to be “prepared.” I cannot tell you how many people I know in my friends' circle have taken full-size handguns with spare magazines or even a backpack with an AR pistol. While I fully understand you absolutely can legally do that and I have carried my MCX Rattler a number of times in a small bag, if you're going into a highly populated and potentially dangerous situation, having the extra gear will more than likely get you in even more trouble rather than less.

While I love trying out various loadouts, it's not smart to head into a heavily populated as well as elevated situation with a large amount of firepower. Being able to avoid a situation that could escalate quickly will always be safer than trying to be prepared and heading deep into a volatile situation. Some may not think it's the tough thing to do, but avoidance truly is the surefire way to stay safe and avoid any situations where you may need your firearm for self-defense. I like to say that if you have to draw your firearm, you failed at every step leading up to that confrontation and have no other choice but to draw your firearm in order to protect yourself. Some people oftentimes forget that and also forget they have the obligation to be the best versions of themselves, rather than looking for trouble and posturing.

Social Media Trends

Some of the trends on social media are to present strength through carrying heavy firepower rather than a simple, honest look at what to carry on a day-to-day basis. Everyone wants to top each other with belt feds being in a vehicle where the game of trumping each other becomes the number one goal. More people start to participate and recreate these videos, which in turn makes the idea of carrying rifles and PDWs around a normal concept in the community. This trend is replicated so much that it starts to become the norm when, in reality, everyone should be showing their realistic carry loadout instead of a fantasy loadout.

There's an alarming trend where people online are escalating and encouraging people to have a certain level of bravado instead of promoting realistic concealed carry loadouts with an emphasis on avoidance. Truly, avoidance is the key to going home safe and sound. Having a tough guy attitude and carrying a firearm is a recipe for disaster, but in the last few years, it seems we have lost that view and people are now emboldened to show what they have and what they're willing to do with it. I think it's a correction we need to make happen as a community to reset our values and focus on what's important.

Think Ahead of The Potential Consequences

So what happens if we don't do anything? We just continue down this road where we showboat and keep going over the top with videos? It starts to set a dangerous precedent where this becomes normalized instead of going back to what's important. We have to be the best possible versions of ourselves and our carry guns are insurance policies in an emergency. If you have to pull it, something went horribly wrong and it's your last line of defense. I think the community as a whole needs to reevaluate how we want to be perceived, as well as avoid bad situations entirely as well.

When tensions are high and tempers are flaring, I would avoid any situation like that by any means necessary. Some people feel the need to go and voice their support on subjects and that's completely understandable, but bringing a firearm into that situation could complicate things even more, which may not be worth the risk. If you have a situation where you feel the need to draw your handgun, there's a high probability you will be injured or even killed and if you don't, you will be in court for the next several years. It's a no-win situation and if you avoided the situation entirely, it would be the best option for conflict avoidance.

Overall Thoughts

The world has certainly been a crazy place lately, with people becoming more volatile and tempers becoming incredibly short. As a concealed carrier, we have to try and be the calm voices with all the craziness going on. We have an obligation to be the level-headed people and sometimes that's avoiding dangerous situations entirely. It may not be the choice you want to make sometimes, but oftentimes it's the choice you absolutely need to make for your safety. Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below. If you have questions about carrying concealed or firearms in general, feel free to shoot me a message on Instagram @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there and we will see you next week for another edition of Concealed Carry Corner.

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