Permit to Carry Class vs Constitutional Carry: Do you need to take a class?
Mississippi was an early adopter of “Constitutional Carry” in 2016. Constitutional Carry, also called permitless carry or unrestricted carry, refers to the legal public carrying of a handgun, either openly or concealed, without a license or permit. When Boondocks FTA™ opened in 2015, our Basic Pistol / Mississippi Enhanced Permit (MEP) class was filled every week. After the change in the law, class sizes dropped by about 40%. People simply believed they didn’t need to take the class anymore. The truth is, they never had to take the class to get a “carry permit”. Mississippi has been an open carry state since it adopted the State Constitution in 1890. A changed to the concealed carry law in 2013 clarified the definition of “concealed” and removed the gray area interpretation of “open carry.” There are still Mississippians that take the Basic Pistol / MEP class, but mostly for general knowledge or to get the enhanced carry endorsement on their firearm’s permit which allows them to carry in more places including churches or as part of a church security team. For more information on the different types of carry here in Mississippi, CLICK HERE.
Should You Take the Class?
While you can legally carry in Mississippi without a permit and without taking a class, I still believe the benefits outweigh the cost. The 8 hour course covers firearms safety and fundamentals, personal and home protection plans, defensive shooting vs. target practice, gear and gadgets, and the legal issues surrounding carry and justifiable homicide. While these topics may sound mundane, especially to those who grew up shooting firearms, there are some nuisances that can and will have a huge impact on your ability to effectively shoot, carry and protect yourself with a handgun from potential physical, legal and financial ruin. Here are just a few examples of the topics covered in our class.
Firearms Safety & Fundamentals
Trigger, grips, muzzle and barrel may be familiar terms to most gun owners, but magazine disconnect, double feed, and squib load may not! Knowing these terms and how to deal with them can prevent an accidental discharge, clear a malfunction or prevent a handgun from blowing up in your face. Additional topics like trigger reset and “thumbs forward grip” will make you a better shooter. These will pay dividends when you go the range to practice, and allow you to ingrain techniques that will be a huge benefit if you are forced to shoot in self-defense.
Personal & Home Protection Plans
Even if you don’t plan to carry a firearm on you, the information presented in this section can be lifesaving. Too often I hear a gun owner say their home defense plan includes “racking the shotgun” or “fire a warning shot” to scare off the bad guys. This is universally a bad idea, and an example of self-defense myths which have percolated up through the decades and just won’t die. Other techniques like attempting to clear your home can have tragic results. Take a few minutes to read about the kidnapping of Jayme Closs. A well meaning dad went to look for potential bad guys and was shot through the door. The kidnapper then located the wife and daughter locked helplessly in the bathroom. He killed Jayme’s mom in front of her and then kidnapped Jayme. A better tactic would probably have been to stay with his family and defend them from a barricaded location. Additionally, it can be dangerous (physically and legally) to leave the safety of your home to confront someone on your property. This Jackson resident was lucky to survive. I understand it can be very difficult to watch a thief leave with your car or other property, but remember that when you interject yourself into a situation like the one above, you may find yourself outnumbered, outgunned or both. A personal and home protection plan is designed to protect you physically, legally, and financially.
Defensive Shooting vs. Target Practice
There is a huge difference between what people typically practice at the range and what usually happens in a gunfight. At the range, most people fire at a leisurely pace of a shot every 1 to 2 seconds. However, if you find yourself in a gunfight, your body will not let shoot slow. You will likely be shooting 3 -4 shots per second and the entire event from the time you decide to shoot until the final rounds are fired will be over in 5 seconds or less. Take 25 seconds to watch THIS VIDEO. The draw to first shot takes 1.3 seconds. The follow up shot takes .2 seconds and the transition to the head shot takes another .4 seconds. In order to put shots on target at gunfight speeds, you have to train and practice at gunfight speed. Techniques like front sight vs flash sight, prep and press vs reset in recovery are all things that you should understand and internalize so that it an becomes an unconscious automatic process. Otherwise you will likely be “spraying and praying” that you hit the bad guy and nothing or no-one else.
Carry Laws & Justifiable Homicide
In order for a class to meet the requirements for an Enhanced Permit certified course, it must include at least 1 hour on the carry laws and justifiable homicide statutes in the state. This section of the course is usually the most eye opening and concerning for the students. They suddenly realize all their current self-defense knowledge is based mostly on hearsay and making a mistake could cost them years in jail and all of their life savings. Some have even said they are more afraid to carry or use a gun before they took the class! While that is certainly not the intent of the legal session, students do walk out of class concerned about the complexity of the justice system and understanding what they can or can’t do with a firearm.
As of today, there are 29 Constitutional Carry states where the ability to carry a firearm without a permit or required training is the law. This is a huge win for our 2nd amendment rights, but there are 21 more states that are infringing on the rights of their residents. I will never be a proponent of government required training or permits in order for people to be able to protect themselves, precisely because of instances like this. These unconstitutional hurdles disproportionally hurt our most vulnerable citizens. However, if you have the means to take a class, I firmly believe it not only helps ensure you are better prepared (mentally, physically, and financially) to protect your family and your assets, but in my opinion, a well trained group of responsible and respectful gun owners is the best way to continue to expand our 2nd amendment rights.
For additional discussion on this topic, please listen in to the Carry Basics for Permitless Carry from my interview with Tom Gresham on his nationally syndicated radio show Gun Talk.
