This week we have a guest post from my friend Seth. He’s a good friend and a good shot. And he has more experience carrying than me! I’ll be back next week with Part 1 of my review of carrying with a Belly Band. Cheers!
-Christina
Ethical Concealment
Many professions have a code of ethics to which its professionals must adhere, and that code of ethics is usually established without requiring adherence to a given moral code. For instance, it is unethical for a doctor to sleep with one of his patients, but it is not necessarily immoral to do so (say, if the patient is his wife). The distinction between what is morally acceptable and what is ethically acceptable is more than semantics, but to avoid unnecessary philosophizing I will simply say that my intent is to make public the ethical code I choose to follow every time I holster my sidearm and tuck it under my shirt.
One of the downsides I perceive when someone [in Colorado] participates in a CCW class is that a great deal of energy is spent going over gun safety, legal ramifications, and shoot/don't shoot situations, but very little time is spent talking about carrying while nothing bad is happening. I have been carrying my handgun consistently for over two years, and I am fortunate that I have never had to reveal it in self-defense. That means about 80% of my CCW class prepared me for 0% of my real-world experience. Over the last two years, I have developed the following ethical guidelines that I wish I had thought about when I first started carrying.
1. Keep it concealed. When you first start carrying, there is often a temptation to let your friends know that you have made the decision to carry a handgun and that you're doing a great job of concealing it. There are a dozen justifications that will pop into your head as to why you don't really need to keep it concealed. Whatever those justifications, do yourself and others a favor and carry your firearm well concealed.
2. If someone asks, use discretion. If someone asks me if I'm carrying, I rarely feel a moral obligation to answer them honestly. The only reason I ever answer honestly is if the person asking has a legitimate reason to ask.
3. Firepower does not work in degrees. Shooting a person in self defense constitutes the use of deadly force, even if you only shoot them in the knee or shoulder. A firearm cannot be set to stun... it is a tool of death and should be respected as such.
4. Obey the law. You have an absolutely rigid ethical obligation to obey the law. My employer's HR guidelines state that no weapons are permitted on the premises, so I don't carry while in the office. I wouldn't get caught if I did carry, but it would flatly contradict my claim that I should be able to carry a handgun because I am a law-abiding citizen.
5. A threat does not always justify the use of deadly force. Defusing a situation or simply walking away is always preferable to ending a life. Carrying a firearm should make you more tolerant of harassment and verbal assault, because you will know that you can immediately stop it if it turns into physical assault.
6. Carrying a firearm is an act of self-trust. If you do not trust your self-discipline, do not carry a firearm. If you doubt your ability to decide that a threat must be terminated with a hole through his chest, do not carry a firearm. If you are not willing to risk your life as a free man on your ability to make the right choice, do not carry a firearm. Since I began carrying, I have become remarkably more confident in my own ability to make judgments in all areas of my life (work, personal, and financial).
One of the best articles I have ever read on this topic is Ethics from the Barrel of a Gun. I wish it were required reading for anyone to receive their concealed handgun permit. Rather than quoting it at length and making a poor attempt at elaboration, I will simply point you to the site and strongly encourage you to give it a read.
-Seth
As always, all opinions expressed are solely those of the author of this post.
