If you’re not familiar with the responsibilities that go along with carrying a firearm, it can be pretty astounding, even overwhelming for some people, when they begin to realize how much can go into it.
There are the legalities of the purchase, the ATF form, background checks, carry permits (depending on your state and if you want to carry in other states), deciding what caliber to carry, how big the firearm that you want is, how different models feel in your hands, the felt recoil from each model, deciding what make and model to buy based on what your purposes for carrying are.
Then, there is finding good training, taking that training, continuing to train to get proficient and to keep your proficiency with your firearm high.
And that’s not even getting into what steps that you should take if you find yourself in the position that you want to avoid: having to have made use of a firearm defensively.
It’s a lot, and it’s a decision not to be made lightly (though, I think that every responsible adult should consider training and carrying daily).
But one of the most important aspects of carrying a firearm is too rarely talked about (hat tip to here for the lead). Luke McCoy explains:
A body cam video from 2023 shows just how quickly things can spiral when emotions override judgment — especially when you’re armed.
In the footage, a man is confronted by police after being fired from his job. Instead of leaving the premises as requested, he insists on getting a “valid reason” for his termination. The officer calmly explains that Florida is an at-will employment state, meaning no reason is required to terminate employment — and refusing to leave is trespassing.
Unfortunately, the man continues to argue. When the officer attempts to detain him, he resists. A taser is deployed, and a brief struggle follows. During the takedown, the man admits to having a knife in his pocket and a concealed firearm on his person.
McCoy concludes:
When you carry a firearm, emotional control becomes a non-negotiable part of the responsibility.
McCoy is 100% right about this. When you carry a firearm, you absolutely must maintain emotional control because if you make emotional decisions while carrying a weapon, you may make choices that you regret for the rest of your life.
Don’t be the irrational dangerous person that anti-2A zealots use as their poster child for why they want to push gun control.
Be the calm, collected, rational person who does the right thing and maintains control.
