Don't teach the law - teach staying out of jail

This seems to be the first and critical aspect of carrying - what you should do and not do in order to stay out of jail. Too much detail here is a waste of people's time, and can confuse people on what's legal vs what's going to get you arrested.

For example, carrying in a post office is arguable based on the language of the regulation. But that doesn't really matter unless we're preparing to take a case to court. The reality is, if you get caught carrying in a PO, you're probably going to jail.

I have in previous classes gone into the details on why it's arguable. So what do my students walk out of class thinking? Hopefully, that they should avoid it. In reality, who knows? I failed to stick with the principle of "teach what you want them to do", so I've confused the issue by telling them how they might not be breaking the law if they carry in the post office.


So, don't teach the law - teach staying out of jail.

If you're going to carry, carry wisely.

I've decided to start this blog discussing the subject of carrying a gun with a concealed carry permit. In my opinion, carry permit classes (including my own) still need improvement. They tend to go into too much detail on the law (which most people forget) instead of using general principles which people can remember.

The net effect is that people don't come out of the class with the understanding that they've just begun their training. They need to practice - and a lot of that practice doesn't need to involve a trip to the range.