You don’t sign up and pay for CHL classes for fun. The instruction can be enjoyable, but people don’t concealed carry because they like the weight of a 9mm or a .45 handgun on their belt. Women have the advantage of being able to conceal the gun in a purse or other bag more easily, but generally speaking, women don’t take CHL classes because they think a Ruger is the ideal accessory for a Coach bag. The main reason people concealed carry, or go to CHL classes to get the licenses is to protect themselves, and quite often those they’re with. There are concerns and ethical quandaries around any use or carrying of fire arms, and while they are fun to shot on the range, they’re wonderful pieces of technology (in terms of elegance of design) they aren’t to be used, or even carried frivolously.
Fire-arm safety is a very rigid process, and it should be followed carefully. CHL classes will help drill those rules into you, but you should make sure you understand them before you touch a gun even in a class setting. Never assume a firearm is unloaded, if you’ve verified it yourself you can, but don’t pick up a gun and assume it’s empty. Never point it at anything you’re not prepared to shoot. Misfires happen, and fingers slip, so don’t wave the gun around. Never shoot something you’re not ready to kill or destroy. Don’t assume you’ll be good enough to disable but not kill an assailant or whatever you’re pointing your gun at. There’s then a matter of concealed carry safety: don’t carry your gun on you unless you’re ready to use it to defend yourself or your family.
People can get in trouble if they get mugged or approached alone and don’t want to escalate with the gun. It means that there’s no a gun in play, but they’re hoping to avoid its use. The threat might not share their compunctions, and things could go badly for the person who walked in armed. If you’re not sure you’d ever be willing to draw the gun, or use it then you shouldn’t take CHL classes, they could be a waste of your time, or a threat to you if you carry a gun you’re not ready to use. Concealed carry can be a serious asset to protect a family or even protect other people, however, it comes with responsibilities, CHL classes will help teach you elements of the responsibilities, and teach you to be a better gun-owner, but if you know you’d never shoot someone in self defense or defense of your family, then CHL classes aren’t for you.
