Books for CCW holders

[ponyexpress]

Well, I took the class for my CCW license last Saturday and turned in my paperwork today.

In the mean time while I'm waiting for the paperwork to go through, I thought I might pick up some books to help educate myself on the responsibilities and tactics of concealed carry. The instructor I had was a police officer and did a good job teaching the class but he had an awful lot of material to cover that was required by law. Are there any books in particular someone could recommend to help supplement the class?

I'm sure someone will mention books by Massad Ayoob so if anyone has actually read these I'd appricate a short review.

 

[Morgan]

Tom Givins "Fighting Smarter" is probably the best all-around I've read.

 

[garrettwc]

I'll second the vote for Givens' "Fighting Smarter". It is one of my favorites.

I have read most of Ayoob's books. I would recommend "The Gravest Extreme" for any new CCW holder. Good book about what happens, legally and emotionally after a lethal force encounter.

Gabe Suarez has some good books as well.

One book that is not specifically about CCW, but is still a must read is Cooper's "Principals of Personal Defense". It's a great book for getting your mind right.

 

[jzzmusician]

In addition to reading books, (which are invaluable) I would also highly recommend taking a self defense class. I took a 2 1/2 day course and while not exhaustive, taught me a lot about the responsibility one has when carrying a lethal weapon. It also provided strong fundamental safety and defensive procedures.

jzz

 

[Old Dog]

Not a book on concealed carry -- but one thing often not mentioned: it may be worth printing off all of your state's laws regarding firearms, their sale, possession, carrying and use ... Some leisure time reading (mostly boring as hell) -- you may just pick up some tidbits of knowledge you weren't taught in any class.

For me, I think it's worth knowing that one has gotten the regs directly from the horse's mouth (our state's entire revised code is accessible through the state's website) and not received the Reader's Digest version through the filter of whoever taught one's CCW class, some gunshop commando or even some well-meaning local LEO.

I learned a lot more from reading the laws myself that from the little pamphlet the local sheriff's department gives out when you pick up your license ...

 

[ponyexpress]

Old Dog, good advice and I do agree with you.

As part of the class we were given the actual statutes on weapon offenses and defense of justification. The interest part though comes in interpretation of the laws. The officer who taught the class said he had one class where he had five lawyers in it and none of them could agree on a standard interpretation of the statutes. What may get you prosecuted in one county may not get you prosecuted in another.

I think I wandered a little off track there but I agree, ignorance of the law is no excuse.

 

[MBane666]

If you can swing it, I would also recommend Mas' LFI-1 class, which is taught around the country. If I could take only one self-defense oriented class, that would be the one.

Just as importantly, I recommend finding an attorney in your area who specializes in self-defense cases and paying him or her for an hour or two of their time. What you want to find out is the *reality* of how self-defense is treated in your area. What are the applicable laws--you'd be amazed at how an attorney reads a law versus a layman--and maybe more importantly, what have the court precedents been? Is your state attorney aggressive in filing cases against people who defend themselves, or the opposite? Many time, state shooting organizations have attorneys who work with them, and you can get this kind of advice for free.

mb

 

[MBane666]

PS to the above post...

The reason I recommend talking to a specialist attorney rather than a police officer is that often the police have little exposure to civilian self-defense situations and laws, and sometimes their views are--quite understandably--slanted by what might make their hard jobs easier. My girlfriend, a very good attorney hersel, attended a self-defense class given locally and mandated for her CCW. During the class, a police officer outlined...incorrectly...the basics of "self-defense law" as it applies to our area.

When my girlfriend, who hasd studied the local laws, pressed him on the issue, his response was, "this is what we [the local police] would LIKE TO SEE in a self-defense shooting..."

mb

 

[clipse]

ponyexpress,

check out www.missouricarry.com There you will find a good book.

Everything You Need To Know About (legally) Carrying A Handgun In Missouri

Also there is a lawyer in Kansas City named Kevin Jamison that has a good book out.
Missouri Weapons and Self-Defence Law

clipse

 

[Barry in IN]

Excellent advice to find and read your state's laws. I recently re-read mine, and learned some things that I didn't know we COULD do.

As books go-

Massad Ayoob's "In The Gravest Extreme" is always recommended. It is very good, but needs some updating, I feel. I can't be specific since it's been a while since I last read it.

I would like to add another vote for Tom Givens' "Fighting Smarter".
It's the best general-purpose CCW book I've seen. There may be better books on specific areas, but it covers many facets of the subject, and still does an excellent job of it. Some material was new to me, but I had seen a lot of it elsewhere- just not presented as well. For example, his explanation of the Cooper/USMC Color Code is the best I've seen.
It is one of the few books that goes into detail on potential adversaries, by telling you how to I.D. them, how they operate, strengths and weaknesses, etc.
It may be hard to find, though. I got the last copy RangeMaster (Mr. Givens' range/training facility) had earlier this year, and was told there was no plans of another printing run. I hope that has changed. It's too good to "disappear".

A great book on mindset- how to think, act, a be observant- is Col. Jeff Cooper's "Principles of Personal Defense." He is certainly someone you either like or you don't, but even if you don't, you'll probably benefit from this book. It's small (I think around 44 pages), and like "Gravest Extreme", was written many years ago. But, as Col. Cooper says in the Intro, every word is still pertinent today. It's excellent whether one chooses to be armed with a gun or not.

I love reading Louis Awerbuck's work. "Tactical Reality" and "More Tactical Reality" are collections of his Training and Tactics columns from S.W.A.T. magazine. Besides being quite amusing with his unique sense of humor, he will make you question most training/practice methods you've ever done, seen, or heard of. He will make you practice for real, not for score.

If I had to narrow it to two, it would be "Tactical Reality" and "Fighting Smarter". I don't know if I could narrow it to one.