Customer Reviews

Ccw: Carrying Concealed Weapons : How to Carry Concealed Weapons and Know When Others Are

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4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Believe ir or not, this book really is _that_ bad!

I live in Arizona and carry with a permit. Naturally I've had the necessary training and my own exposure to the world of guns, the law, and the Ayoob school of self-defense and concealed carry.

This book is very poor to say the least. The author's credentials evidently include leathersmithing and authorship on carry, but it's obvious that he's never actually shot anyone or been shot at. The advice in this book can be _dangerous_ to those who are trying to learn about personal protection or carrying a gun. No-one who has been in combat would give the advice given here.

A perfect example of bad advice is a point where the author speculates on carrying a one-inch blade penknife, and how much he likes it. The top half conceals the blade inside the hollow bottom. The top unscrews, flips over, and screws back in with the blade out. It's a cute little James Bond-style trick, but of absolutely no value in a confrontation of any kind. First, if you are in a confrontation, where do you find the time to stop what you're doing, unscrew your penknife, and screw it back together? If you have that kind of time and space, and that's your weapon, you should obviously be running for your life. Second, if you _are_ in a confrontation desperate enough to actually try using this little toy - i.e., enough time to put your penknife together, desperate enough to try _fighting_ with it, and no place to run - well, if the situation's that grim, your penknife just won't get you anywhere.

The book carries this kind of cutesy-James-Bond-hidden-toy theme, and the book's failure to address the issue of actual confrontation - as a reminder to Ahern, the _reason_ to carry a gun - is sometimes misleading to the point of being dangerous to the reader.

A good example of this is how the book advocates carrying a gun in a purse as a good method for women. What Ahern resoundingly fails to mention is that purses get stolen all the time, which completely defeats the purpose of carrying at all. Furthermore, if your weapon is taken away from you, it can be used against you. If you happen to set your purse down anywhere, anyone could get to your gun - suppose you're visiting your sister, put your purse down, and her kids get into it? Also, if a gun is in a purse, it can't be accessed quickly - which is really how you're likely to need your gun. There are many other points, but the main point is, there are a lot of issues when considering guns and concealed carry, and this book _never_ addresses _any_ critical issues. Any reader who relies on this book is, in a confrontation or in everyday carry life, in an awkward position at best and a life-threatening position at worst.

The author also spends twenty to thirty percent of the book promoting his own products. At times the book reads like an advertisement for Ahern Leather Goods.

I recommend In the Gravest Extreme, by Massad Ayoob. Also try Guns, Bullets and Gunfights: Lessons and Tales From a Modern-Day Gunfighter, by Jim Cirrillo. Together, these books thoroughly cover the points that Ahern's book lacks. They address the general areas of confrontation and self-defense with guns, with some issues about carrying.

In sum, if you must buy this book, give it to your worst enemy. Although I wrote this review, it embarasses me to admit I've even heard of this book. Ahern might be a good leathersmith, but this book is desperately and tragically lacking. The only worthwhile thing to come out of this book, for me, was the satisfaction of throwing it in the trash. There's nothing here you can't pick up elsewhere, and better.

This book is about concealment and deep concealment, how to find what works for you and spot what does not. It is NOT about gunfighting, tactical awareness or managing conflicts. For those topics, read Ayoob, Bill Jordan, Chuck Taylor, Jeff Cooper, etc. For information that you can find nowhere else about concealing a gun on your person, read this book. Holster designers, narcs, CCW holders, and cops carrying backups need this book.

Ahern discusses the theory and practice of concealment in the real world. He details all the options, their good points and bad. He provides insightful details that other writers omit or just don't know. Examples include body planes that can conceal triangular objects, masking objects, deep crossdraw, body language, body types and differences, and which movements can "print" with which carry methods. He goes out of his way to show many different kinds of holsters from many different makers and the special features and details that make each one particularly suitable (or not) for different types of carry. It is not an infomercial for his own leather goods.

This book is well written by an expert holster designer (and user!) who actually listens to his customers, whether they be off-duty cops, private citizens, or deep-undercover agents.

I found the book very helpful with many suggestions I hope to try for myself in the future. It was well illustrated and easily understood.

Purchased book and shared with other members of the family with different levels of expertise in weapons. Recieved very good remarks from all. It's a good book for the beginner and a very good reference book for the old hands. I highly suggest purchasing this for your own and others reference.