What is concealed carry?

Concealed carry or carrying a concealed weapon (CCW), is the practice of carrying a weapon (such as a handgun) in public in a concealed manner, either on one's person or in close proximity. Not all weapons that fall under CCW laws are lethal.

If I can carry openly, why do I need concealed carry?

Choices are very good things to have in all situations and even more important in life or death situations.

• First, there are people that have a phobia of firearms, so much so, that they may call the police on you, wasting both your time and, more importantly, wasting law enforcement's time.
• Second, think about a scenario where you are in the line to check out at a convenience store and some thug comes in to rob it. If the criminal sees that you're armed as he comes in,
  • a) your mere presence just escalated the threat environment, almost guaranteeing a robbery scenario is going to change into a much more serious situation, and
  • b) you have placed yourself in a position of being the primary threat with the benefit of surprise now on the criminal's side, instead of yours.

Change the scenario to where you are carrying concealed: If you are carrying concealed, nobody should be able to tell you are armed. Surprise is on YOUR side, the DECISION of IF and WHEN to act is yours; the option to simply be a good witness is still entirely within your grasp. Additionally, so is the ability to defend yourself should a simple robbery scenario change into one of life and death.

Why do I need a CCW permit?

To carry a weapon in the state of Missouri, a resident is not required to have a permit to carry concealed (effective January 1, 2017).  But if you want to carry in a different state (such as Kansas or Iowa), you will have to have a Missouri CCW permit for the reciprocity agreement between Missouri and the other state to make it legal for you to do so.  Furthermore, when you are carrying, you are responsible for obeying the laws as spelled out in RSMO 571 and RSMO 563. 

The CCW Permit Class teaches you what those laws say and how they apply to you.

Ignorance of the law is not a viable legal defense.

© 2016, Daniel O. Cook