When I worked for the police department my partner and I would go to the range at least twice per month, although we weren’t required to qualify with our firearms but twice per year. We enjoyed shooting but our main concern was maintaining our shooting skills. Besides, we could shoot as much as we desired as the department provided all the ammo, at least for department approved service weapons. Further, we attended every training class that was scheduled by our department.

During this time my department scheduled training classes presented by the FBI. These guys were pretty cool. For one class they brought out a full-auto Colt Carbine and an HK MP5SD. They even provided all the ammo.

I attended that FBI semi-auto and full-auto class; a firearms combat class; an officer survival class; and a night shooting class. During the night shooting class, at one point, all the lights were turned off, even the patrol unit lights that we had been using to light up the dark range. We shot with just the headlights on, then with the red & blues on before turning off all the lights.

I can’t say enough about maintaining one’s shooting skills. Many of the officers with my department balked about having to qualify on the range twice per year. I probably did some shooting every weekend. I still hit the range frequently thirty some years later.

I figure since I carry a concealed firearm every day every place I go (and I don’t go places my firearm is not allowed if I can help it) I must continually maintain my shooting skills, especially since I am getting older and my eyesight is a bit weaker, not to mention a somewhat slower response time.

I figure that if I end a person’s life with a firearm, I want to be able to justify my decision and ability so maintaining my skill with a firearm is crucial.

I do make every effort to avoid encounters that might result in a shooting however, I don’t have a problem using a firearm in defense of my life. But I am not looking forward to dealing with the aftermath.

As a side note, I don’t generally keep my targets, at least not for very long (I’ll explain why I have kept some for a short time at a later date). While you want to practice to maintain your skills let’s not leave lying around targets that have the X ring completely drilled. Also, we don’t want to have targets with excessive head shots around just waiting for someone to use against you after a shooting.

Now days many more people carry a concealed weapon and to those people I would say to them that as important as training is there is something more important to deal with and that is carrying a concealed firearm and the will to use it when the times arrives. It seams to me that one’s mindset and the desire to live should be a major consideration when deciding to carry concealed and one’s life is threatened.

In my opinion, (and remember that I am not an attorney) when confronted with a situation that is going to end with you shooting a bad guy in order to stay alive my best advice is to shoot. Shoot now and deal with the aftermath later. Don’t hesitate because you are concerned with being arrested and/or sued.

Make no mistake, you may be arrested and you probably will be sued. At least you are alive.

As my training officer told me, my main job is to go home alive at the end of my shift. Today I believe my first responsibility to myself is to go home alive every day. That should be your main responsibility to yourself and your family, too.

So, get your mind right about shooting and probably killing a person long before the need to shoot arises and don’t stop training.