Author: Chris Bird
Publisher: PRIVATEER PUBLICATIONS, May 2011
Binding: Softcover
ISBN: 0-9656784-8-2
Synopsis
How to choose, carry,& shoot a gun in self defense. If you carry a gun for personal protection, or plan to, you need to read this book. B&W photos; 6x9 inches, 576 pgs.
More Information
A guide to responsible, safe, and lawful exercise of the right to bear arms. Useful to anyone who carries or is considering carrying a concealed firearm. The second edition contains an entirely new chapter on school shootings that recounts how two of these rampages were stopped by people familiar with firearms. The new edition reports on new guns suitable for concealed carry and adds more accounts of armed confrontations. It also updates the state's concealed-handgun-laws chapter to include web sites, reciprocity agreements and up-to-date statistics.
While politicians and government officials are trying to blame guns for the rash of school shootings that has gripped the country for the past three years, Ryker and Myrick offer a different perspective on school violence. In both incidents, they were able to stop the killings because they were trained in the use of firearms.
Charlie Johnston, police chief in the Denver suburb of Lakewood, believes children who have been trained in gun safety and are familiar with firearms are safer than those who have been kept away from them. His opinions and accounts of the shootings in Springfield and Pearl are contained in the new, revised edition of The Concealed Handgun Manual.
The book also includes updated details about the number of concealed handgun licenses issued in the 30 states that allow ordinary citizens to carry guns for self defense. While the Clinton administration did everything it could to discourage more states from passing citizen friendly concealed handgun laws, the number of people licensed to carry guns inceased steadily. Author Chris Bird estimates that in the past three years, another 300,000 people have been licensed to carry concealed handguns in these states. The 30 states now contain about 2.7 million license holders and violent crime has decreased.
The Concealed Handgun Manual, Second Edition, contains more accounts of armed confrontations between ordinary citizens and criminals.
The book contains advice and information for people who carry concealed handguns for protection and for those who are considering doing so. While it contains some shooting instruction, the book delves into much more than when and how to shoot.
Subjects covered include: why people carry handguns; how to avoid getting into a violent confrontation; choosing a handgun; the legal and psychological consequences of shooting in self defense; the mental attitude needed to win an armed encounter.
The first edition of The Concealed Handgun Manual received endorsements from: Massad Ayoob, internationally known gun writer and trainer; Clint Smith, director of Thunder Ranch shooting school; the Second Amendment Foundation; and Bill Clede writing in the American Guardian. The book also appeared on the Texas Department of Public Safety?s approved reading list for concealed handgun license holders in that state.
REVIEWS OF THE FIRST EDITION
?A must for those looking to carry a concealed handgun.? ? The Second Amendment Foundation Reporter
?276 pages of sound advice, clear explanations, and proven techniques. He (the author) delves into what goes on in your head and what happens to your body when faced with a deadly threat. These are all things you need to know to cope with the emotions that overwhelm you in such a situation. He also shows what can go wrong and how the consequences may not be what you expect. If you wear a gun, this is a book you can?t afford not to read.? ? Bill Clede in the NRA?s American Guardian magazine.
?Chris Bird?s The Concealed Handgun Manual is easy to read and understand. It would make a very valuable gift for someone new to carrying and shooting handguns for self-defense. But, it goes far beyond that level. It contains much useful information for those of us who may have heard it all before but need to hear it again! Each chapter contains real-life accounts of gunfights, often by the persons involved. The reports of the Luby?s horror-story, and Gordon Hale?s episode which became Texas? ?first use? incident are worth the price of the book!? ? Craig Palmer, president of the Kentucky Coalition to Carry Concealed
?Stay out of trouble when you can , but stay in practice for when you can?t: that is the theme on which San Antonio journalist Chris Bird constructed one of the most practical books around on choosing, carrying, and shooting a gun in self defense.? ? Donna Fielder, Denton (Texas) Record-Chronicle
?Anyone who goes forth armed needs to have the knowledge that is included in this manual whether they are a beginner, a veteran, or are just thinking about acquiring a gun for personal protection.? ? John C. Krull in Gun Week
?Bird begins with the very pertinent question, ?Why carry a gun?? He goes on to answer the question with, ?Because the police can?t protect you.? To illustrate his answer, he discusses many of the well-known instances of violence against citizens left helpless both by the inability of police agencies to provide protection and by laws which prohibit self-protection. He also talks about lesser-known incidents from his own experience and throws in a bit about the history and political debate surrounding gun control and the right to keep and bear arms.? ? Dave Thomas, editor Front Sight, official journal of the U.S. Practical Shooting Association.
?The second chapter deals with non-violent dispute resolution, and provides useful information on how to keep fender benders for escalating into homicidal nastiness (and helps to put you onto firmer legal ground if they do). . . . Far from being ?psychobabble,? this chapter is an honest look at the psychological dynamics of conflicts and how to deal with them, and covers some of the warning signs of an impending attack.? ? Charles M.B. Smith, The Sharpshooter, newsletter of the Oklahoma Rifle Association.
?OK, you know everything about handguns, however, this book may just be what your spouse wanted to know about concealed handgun carrying without you instructing them. It is the basics to advanced reading. The first step before going to take the handgun carrying permit class. An easy way to learn the fundamentals at your own pace and in the comfort of your home.? ? Tennessee Shooting Sports Association newsletter
?Although intended to show readers how to choose, carry, and shoot a gun in self-defense, it does much more. The final chapter gives an excellent overview for each state?s concealed carry laws. I use it in my CWP class to help with questions about laws in other states.? ? H. Richard Daniel, president of Gun Owners of South Carolina
?The Concealed Handgun Manual fills a definite niche. . . a comprehensive guidebook that the student could refer to after the (handgun) course has ended. . . . Packed with easy to read text and numerous photographs it covers everything from choosing the firearm and ammunition, firearm safety to basic handgun shooting procedures. Other topics covered are: how to carry, advanced shooting, mind set and tactics, and deadly force.? ? Irv Benzion, editor, GunNews, journal of Washington Arms Collectors.
?There are may thought provoking ideas for the license holder, especially in the legal aspects. The book emphasizes three things that every permit holder needs to remember. Using your weapon is always the last resort, not just because it?s the right thing to do, but because if you have to fire your troubles have just begun. Of course balance that thought with the fact that you have to be alive to have problems. Second it?s not the gun that wins the fight, it?s the person. Just because you are carrying, don?t forget to think. Finally, practice because when all else fails your skill may be the only advantage you have.? ? Newsline, newsletter of the Arkansas Rifle & Pistol Association.
?I would recommend your book to anyone applying for a concealed carry permit. It would also make an excellent text book for those teaching a concealed carry class. It presents the material necessary to understand the rights and responsibilities of concealed carry; along with very helpful information for choosing the proper equipment, all in a very readable and interesting form.? ? Rep. Roy L. Brun, an author of the Louisiana Concealed Handgun Carry Law
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Bird has been a journalist for 25 years and a handgun shooter for more than 40. He was born in England and his interest in shooting has steered him through the bureaucratic red tape of owning handguns in England, Canada, and Australia. As a commissioned officer in the Royal Military Police of the British Army in the 1960s, Bird was stationed in Berlin, West Germany, and Belgium, serving as company weapon-training officer and winning awards for shooting in competition. After leaving the military, Bird migrated to Canada where he worked as a cowboy in British Columbia while shooting and hunting extensively.
He became a journalist and worked as a crime and investigative reporter for the Vancouver Province newspaper and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He has also worked as a salesman, a private investigator, and a shotgun guard for an armored car company in Australia. In 1986, Bird competed in the Canadian Practical Pistol Championships. In the late 1980s, he and his wife sailed a 27-foot boat from Vancouver, Canada, to Sydney, Australia, and back to San Francisco.
He is a former police reporter for the San Antonio Express-News. Arriving in Texas in 1989, he worked for the newspaper, mostly covering crime and law enforcement at all levels from municipal to federal. Currently, he is author and publisher of a book called The Concealed Handgun Manual which is now in its second edition and fourth printing. The book is on the list issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety to concealed-handgun instructors as approved reading for instructors and licensees. Bird is certified in Texas as a concealed-handgun instructor and a personal-protection officer. He is a director of the Texas Concealed Handgun Instructor Association, and a member of both the Texas State Rifle Association and the National Rifle Association.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
One: School Shootings: Another Point of View.
Two: Why Carry A Gun? The Police Can?t Protect You.
Three: Staying Out of Trouble: Non-Violent Dispute Resolution.
Four: Choosing A Handgun: Semi-automatics and Revolvers.
Five: How To Carry: Holsters and Other Accessories.
Six: Avoiding Accidents: Safety and Handling.
Seven: Basic Handgun Shooting: Watch the Front Sight.
Eight: Advanced Shooting: Back Up and Move to Cover.
Nine: Winning a Gunfight: Mind-Set and Tactics.
Ten: Deadly Force: When to Use It and What Happens When You Do.
Eleven: Practice: Your Life Depends On It.
Twelve: State Concealed-Handgun Carry Laws.
Afterword
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
