Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Nothing says Christmas... Like Conceal and Carry



 
Please excuse me, while I cling to my guns and my religion, and recommend a little special something for those men who have not yet decided on a Christmas gift for the woman they love. Might I suggest the Gibson City Conceal Carry Class ?

Of course jewelry is wonderful* or perhaps a pure silk scarf from a wee shop in Galway, Ireland or a simple black pattered blouse perfect for all non-hog events but nothing says I Love you more than a good self defense class, followed by the best in Conceal Carry Instruction.

Now, I am not suggesting that every woman should carry, it's a decision to be taken seriously. But for those who wish to learn to do so correctly and through the expertise of professionals, rather than fly by night scammers, then this class is for you. 

I met up with the guys teaching this weeks Conceal Carry Class, several months ago when I took their Home Defense Class. I had had some handgun experience thanks to my father who started me off at age 12 and my son Colton who did the much improved teaching several decades later. But I was far from proficient. During the self defense class I was retaught the basics and given solid range time.

But, you know me, never satisfied. So I signed up for the Conceal Carry Class offered by two of the same officers, Steve Cushman and Anthony Row. Although I have spent time in between classes, target shooting with my sons, I knew it wasn't enough and was nervous the night before class.

Did I have enough ammo? Would I remember how to load and unload my pistol? Would they make fun of my crappy cardboard carry box? (I bought a real gun case months ago but can I find it in this pit of a house? No I cannot. Don't worry, nothing is in it. I never opened the box it came in) But as they did with the self defense class, Steve and Tony went out of their way to make the entire class feel comfortable even though we came from a wide range of experience levels.

And they did not make fun of my crappy cardboard gun carry box either. At least not to my face.

The program was well organized , well presented and well executed. What I mean by that is this. What they actually taught in class was exactly what they practiced on the range. Although the atmosphere of the class was casual we knew there would be no deviation from the rules when it came time to use live ammo. Step away from your gun meant STEP AWAY.

The expectations were high and regardless of your skill level, beginner to competition winner, you were expected to follow the same sequence when preparing to fire. We were taught about the various types of guns, and given the opportunity to handle them as well as various holster types. (Surprisingly though, they had not heard of the Flashbang Bra Holster. Always eager to help I did my best to share what I know. What can I say? I'm just generous that way.) We also learned how to clean our guns, how to aim, how to fire, how NOT to write in our instruction books (my bad)  and how to keep ourselves and our range mates safe at all times.

Sure there was dry material that had to be covered including the actual FOID and Conceal Carry Laws but Tony Rowe went through them quickly enough to keep our interest but slow enough for us to understand the material. He also was polite enough to ignore the guy in the back who was snoring.

Actually range time was well organized with individual instruction and guidance available for those who needed it. What I appreciated the most was the attitude of "take your time" that was repeated over and over by both instructors. The class was not intended to be competitive, there were absolutely no dumb questions (well, not they ever let on) and there was plenty of time after class to try other guns or get additional instruction if needed.

Unfortunately in Illinois there are those with very few qualifications being allowed to teach Conceal Carry Classes. The state has specific topics that must be covered in class but they don't tell you HOW to teach the topics. In addition, it is possible for an individual with very little actual experience to meet the instructor requirements whereas the Gibson City Conceal Carry Instructors have a combined 50 years of firearm experience.

Don't forget to read all the fine print before choosing a CC class. Some will charge for the first 8 hours, another fee for the second 8 hours, an application fee, a range fee, a gun use fee, a safety glasses fee and ear protection fee plus a separate "certification completion" fee. When added up this one Chicago Area class came to over $500. The Gibson City Fee is $200 with reduced fees for groups and those with prior experience such as vets. 

To learn more or to register just go here http://gcconcealedcarry.com/  and if you don't think the lady of your life is ready for a Conceal Carry class (or lets just say she's already COMPLETED her class and scored 30 out of 30 ) then let me also recommend a pair of SOMA ultra comfortable PJ's.

Can't you just imagine me (oops, I mean HER) in these?





Another great website specifically for woman who choose to carry a firearm is The Well Armed Woman. Tons of information there. ENJOY!

* The above necklace was made for me by Jody McGill of Galena Illinois. Each piece is original, handmade and gorgeous. She is a very rare jewelry artist in this day and age of made in China cheap crud.

13 comments:

  1. I mostly enjoyed being with you Donna as we gained knowledge and experience. We will have to do this again. Deb

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    1. Hey you did it! you commented. I am overwhelmed with pride!

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  2. Isn't there a show called 'Donnie get your gun'? Or was that 'Annie'.

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    1. "Love that musical. Wish I could sing but instead I have to rely on sign language. It's not always as well recieved

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  3. Very wise. You never know when one of those hogs will creep up on you.

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    1. Its when they hide behind the big bales of hay and LEAP out at me that I get a bit frightened

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  4. I never in a million years thought that Illinois would "allow" CCW. Now that they've decided to let up a little bit on their iron grip of the 2nd Amendment, lets see if we can get them to let up on their irrational hatred of our personal food choices.

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    1. We never did either. I was in one of the first CCW classes and may not actually get my permit until April or next year or the year after that...

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  5. I think it's also important to find people who train you well. I took an excellent firearms class, and for the shooting part of the program, we went to one of the teacher's parents' back yard (huge tract of land) where they had targets set up. We had to shoot from 6, 10, and 12 feet because the instructors said that if you are shooting for self defense, 70% of the time, you'll be shooting from 6 feet away; 90% of the time, you'll be within 12 feet. So, they went with the odds and wanted us to practice shooting at close range.

    I was the only one who didn't have a semi-automatic (i preferred a .38), and i was the only one who did exactly as instructed. They had us shoot 5 rounds at a time for 10 times. They specified the number of head and core shots they wanted us to aim for. The people who most often shot before we were told to commence firing were the ones who had loads of experience. I'm guessing they didn't want to be told what to do.

    One of the instructors stood behind me, as i was clearly the novice of the group, and when he exclaimed, "Hot brass!" i had no idea what that was. The guy's Glock next to me showered me with shells. The instructor was impressed that i didn't flinch. Well, for one thing, i had a loaded gun in my hand, intent on shooting my target. For another, i play ice hockey and played two years as a goalie in field hockey, so once i saw the flying item wasn't going to hit my eyes, i didn't worry about the rest.

    Shooting is a skill i have acquired, one i must practice to stay sharp, and one i hope i never have to use.

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  6. Fabulous for you! But man oh man if anyone in our class had started shooting before given the order to do so they would have been out on their arse in the street!! Our instructors never would have tolerated that. Mean cops they were and I was glad of it.

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    1. One of our instructors was a cop (he's the one who stood near me) and the other was a minister. After Mr Too Early's second first round fired ahead of the command to fire (and then others, hearing Mr Too Early's gun go off would shoot; i waited to hear the command each time, the only one to do so), the minister had a little Come to Jesus talk with Mr Too Early.

      While the minister then talked to some of the others who said they needed to listen for HIS voice (minister's not Jesus's ;-) and not someone else's firearm for instruction, the cop complimented me on waiting each time. I told him i was very good at following directions, especially when a cop stood behind me.

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  7. Yikes! Remind me never to cross you ;)

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    1. Lorna, I once heard an Irish woman say to another Irish woman (in church in Galway in 2008 ?) that all Americans have guns. At the time I thought that so funny since I did not even know how to shoot let alone did I own a gun. So I know other parts of the world might think all Americans are gun toters...but the truth is it is less than 30%. Compare that to the 1970's when over 50% of Americans owned guns. But with our economy, health care issues etc...escalating, I can see that number increasing tremendously over the next decade. All that to say...no worries, my blog friends are near and dear to me.

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