CONCEALED CARRY: detailed CURRICULUM OUTLINE

The ADS Concealed Carry Course is a comprehensive course that is broken into 11 sections that is meant not only to prepare you for conceal carry license testing but also to educate and prepare you for the responsibility of concealed carry. For details about the course schedule and fees, click here.

Section 1:  Introduction & Safety

  • Basic safety rules

  • Proper firearm maintenance

  • Use of high pressure cartridges

  • Accidental and negligent discharges

  • Nominal cartridge operation

  • The 7 common malfunctions

  • How to handle malfunctions

  • Clearing handguns

  • Incident avoidance

  • The color code of awareness

  • Cover vs. Concealment

  • Eye and ear protection

Section 2:  The CCW License

  • When and where you can carry

  • Statutory limitations

  • Carrying at work

  • Signage limitations

  • Reciprocity between states

  • Flying with a gun

  • Schools and school zones

  • Criminal liability

  • Criteria for the use of deadly force

  • Disparity of force

  • When to stop shooting

  • Avoiding intervention

  • Defense of property

  • Castle doctrine

  • The innocent person test

  • Incident scenarios

  • How a prosecutor may view your case

  • What you can and cannot carry

  • Non lethal options

Section 3:  Handguns

  • Evolution of the American handgun

  • Action of the gun (single, double, both)

  • The revolver; advantages and disadvantages

  • The semi-auto; advantages and disadvantages

  • Operating cycle of the semi-auto

  • Magazines

  • The 1911; advantages, disadvantages, and safety concerns

  • Reducing the cost; polymer frames and striker operation

  • Hammer vs. striker fired

  • The skills to master: Marksmanship, Drawing from the holster (or other carry options), Rapid fire, Shooting while moving, Rapid reloading, Rapid clearing of malfunction.

  • Location options for practice/training: Commercial ranges (marksmanship only), Private home ranges (high cost), Farms  (weather and size dependent), Home (limited to dry firing)

  • Laser training ammunition for use at home

  • Muscle memory; ongoing training

  • Double strike capacity

  • Barrel length

Section 4:  Ammunition

  • Practice vs. carry (FMJ vs. Hollow Points)

  • Operation of hollow points

  • Potential problems with hollow points

  • Effectiveness of ammunition; caliber analysis

  • Storage of ammunition

Section 5:  Sights and Aiming

  • Where to aim

  • Anatomy of the assailant

  • Targets for training

  • Sight alignment

  • Eye/brain focus issues

  • Types of sights: Black post, White dot, Fiber optic, night sights, Red dot sights, Laser sights

  • The dominant eye factor

  • One eye open or two eyes open

Section 6:  Handling the Gun

  • Grip: two hands, one hand

  • Grip: semi-auto vs. revolver

  • Stance: Weaver and Isosceles

  • The draw

  • Trigger; base point, take up, break point, stop point, & reset point

  • Trigger finger; placement and motion

Section 7:  Carrying the Gun

  • Holster requirements

  • Holster options: styles & materials

  • Retention considerations

  • Belt considerations

  • Holster locations: Shoulder holsters, Ankle holsters, Pocket holsters, Thigh holsters, Specialized holsters

  • Purse carry considerations

  • Belly pack considerations

  • Printing considerations

  • Open carry considerations

Section 8:  Firearm Storage

  • Limiting access to burglars, home invaders, and children

  • Security vs. rapid access

  • Big safe pros and cons

  • Small safe pros and cons

  • Poor storage options

  • Clever storage options

  • Children and firearms

Section 9:  Interfacing with Law Enforcement

Part 1: Casual interface

  • The traffic stop, a step by step guide of how to act

Part 2: Post incident

  • A detailed discussion of how to call 911, how to preserve evidence and witnesses, what to say and what not to say, the required attorney interaction, how you might be handled, the potential problems with your memory, whether or not to render aid, understanding the role of the police, understanding the role of the district attorney, etc.

Section 10:  Civil Liability

  • Irrespective of whether or not you are cleared of criminal liability, you may still be subject to civil liability

  • The degree of financial exposure

  • The need for insurance

Section 11:   Shooting Under Stress & Conclusion

  • The time factor; the experiments by Dennis Tueller

  • Loss of manual strength and coordination

  • Decreased accuracy

  • Auditory exclusion

  • Changes in vision; tunnel vision & visual acuity

  • Dimensional distortion

  • Degraded memory

  • Incorrect memory

  • Missing memory

  • Substituted memory

  • Perception of hits on humans

  • Closing advice

  • Time for Questions