So You Have A Concealed Carry Permit. What About Training?

Citizens of the United States are the only people of a nation with a national constitution written for the People and established rights, liberties and rules for government by the People. Despite in recent decades of politicians ignoring that Constitution and its articles and amendments because of apathy and ignorance towards that Constitution – one amendment to that constitution stands out among other constitutions of other nations: the Second Amendment. It is a simple paragraph that simply states that each citizen is expected to be militia to defend the nation and its constitution against foreign and domestic enemies, and if necessary, to overthrow a government turned to tyranny and who does not abide by the articles and amendments of the Constitution of the United States. The Second Amendment guarantees that each lawful citizen has the right to keep and bear arms.
NOTE: One exception among foreign nations is Switzerland, who has a small standing army for defense purposes and relies upon its citizen militia to be on call in case of national emergency. Every able-bodied citizen undergoes basic training and when completed goes home with necessary combat gear to include a military weapon and expected to practice marksmanship periodically. 

With every right and liberty, especially the Second Amendment, there is responsibility to enact that right effectively, legally, and safely. Liberties and rights demand responsibility; just as the duty and task of each citizen to vote – and do so responsibly.

Today, most states recognize the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, but in order to carry a concealed firearm/weapon, one must apply for a permit that requires a background check, fingerprinting, and, in most cases, a credited handling and safety course for handguns.

Whether required or not, and even if a concealed permit carrier is a military veteran, it would be best to attend a training program or retraining program to refresh and bone-up on skills required for self defense. There are quality schools across the nation, but the one that stands out to meet the above criteria, teaching marksmanship, correct handling, and discipline required for self-defense and combat-type shooting required.

The one school that stands out is the GunSite Academythat goes beyond simple marksmanship and firearm discipline that includes principles of combat and mental training that has been established by its founder, Jeff Cooper, as Combat Triad. The school offers several levels of instruction for handgun, carbine, shotgun, bolt-action, and semi-auto precision rifles.

Each instructor is someone who served in Law Enforcement, the military, or for some, both. Each instructor has been drilled with the doctrine and tradition of Gunsite Academy. 

John Dean “Jeff” Cooper (1920-2006, was a graduate of Stanford University with a bachelor's degree in political science when he received a commission in the USMC (United States Marine Corps) in 1941. At the end of the second world war he was promoted to major and resigned his commission in 1949 only to return to active duty during the Korean War where he was involved in 'irregular' insurgency warfare, being promoted to lieutenant colonel. After the Korean War, the Marine Corps declined his application to remain on active duty. From the 1950s through early 1970s, he taught history at high school and community college level.

In 1976, Cooper founded the American Pistol Institute (API) in Paulden, Arizona, which later became Gunsite Academy. Cooper started out teaching shotgun and rifle classes to law enforcement and military personnel, as well as civilians with on-site training for individuals and groups that came from around the globe. He sold the establishment in 1992, but continued to live on the Paulden ranch. His favorite handgun was, naturally, the Colt 1911 chambered for .45 ACP cartridge.

Jeff Cooper was the inventor of the 'Modern Technique of the Pistol' that emphasizes two-handed shooting called the Weaver Stance and the one-handed shooting technique that utilizes five elements: (1) large caliber pistol, preferably semi-auto; (2) Weaver Stance; (3) Draw Stroke; (4) Flash-Sight picture; and (5) compressed surprise trigger break.

Colonel Cooper carried his M1911 in the “Cocked and Locked” position he referred to as Condition 1, a standard combat carry method for that particular sidearm. M1911 is a single-action only sidearm. All other handguns fall under the Condition 2 system that the M1911 cannot be carried as such without a firing-pin safety catch.

Cooper also designed the Bren Ten pistol.

Martial Arts is usually akin to the Asian schooling of hand-to-hand combat, but since the term 'martial art' comes from the Latin phrase meaning “arts of Mars” (god of war); this includes the combined physical and mental instruction and training concerning combat weapons in the modern inventory.

Jeff Cooper is the one who established the 'combat mindset' called the Cooper Color Codes. It is based on the concept that the primary tool is combat mindset that has been established by Cooper's book: Principles of Personal Defense. 

It all has to do with one's state of mind, pertaining to the degree of peril and degree which you are willing to do something about it. Cooper never claims to have invented the concept, but developed a system involving color coding in order to instruct training of combat mental state. It is a means for a trainee to condition their mind and “think” in a fight. As the danger level increases, so does requirement to take certain actions increase. Cooper's comment on the subject:

We cannot say that the government’s ideas about colors are wrong, but that they are different from what we have long taught here. The problem is this: your combat mind-set is not dictated by the amount of danger to which you are exposed at the time. Your combat mind-set is properly dictated by the state of mind you think appropriate to the situation. You may be in deadly danger at all times, regardless of what the Defense Department tells you. The color code which influences you does depend upon the willingness you have to jump a psychological barrier against taking irrevocable action. That decision is less hard to make since the jihadis have already made it.

Cooper established for his instruction and Gunsite Academy, four basic rules of firearm safety: (1) all guns are always loaded; (2) never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy; (3) keep your finger off trigger until your sights are on target; (4) identify target and what is behind it.

If you cannot afford to travel to and attend the various levels of instruction at the Gunsite Academy, you can use its rules to identify a quality local place of instruction that matches or comes close to standards that have made the Gunsite Academy world renown.

Cooper is gone now, but his memory remains in the individual and group training available at the academy. His home remains on the GunSite property.

Some of Cooper's students progressed to be certified as “Shooting Masters”:

Tom Selleck(actor), King Abdullah of Jordan, John Millius(producer/director/writer), Todd J. Rathner(NRA director), John Satterwhite(Olympic skeet-shoot champion), and Jan-Michael Vincent(actor).

There are youth courses for teenagers available, providing a 'summer camp' atmosphere and a place for young folks to learn from the best about handling, safety, responsibility, and mental state of self defense.
One final and important note: expect to be required to undergo a judicial hearing after using a firearm in self-defense. Law enforcement officers are also required to undergo a hearing when they are forced to use their firearm as well. 
It would be a good thing to join the NRA and you will receive one of their magazines (your choice) as part of their annual fee. NRA has a listing of organizations that provide concealed-carry persons with judicial insurance. The organizations will provide you with a lawyer that specializes in cases where one must use a firearm in self defense and get you through the required judicial procedures of your locality. 
You do not have to live in the United States to receive an NRA membership, but the concealed-carry judicial protection insurance requires to be living in United States. 

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