Concealed Carry Facts
Illinois Concealed Carry I (16 hours)
SAFER USA; 190 W. Lincoln Street; Waterman, IL
INSTRUCTORS: David Lombardo
Shooting guru Jeff Cooper once wrote in Guns and Ammo Magazine, “Owning a pistol no more prepares one for a gunfight than owning a piano prepares one for Carnegie Hall.” The choice is ultimately yours but we strongly urge you to consider taking our Illinois Concealed Carry I program to learn about issues that have a critical impact on the reality of lethal force encounters. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been shooting or even if you’re prior military or law enforcement. The reality is none of them prepare you for concealed carry – the truth is you don’t know, what you don’t know.
SAFER USA has taught thousands of student to safely and responsibly own a firearm for personal protect. This two day, sixteen hour course meets the requirements for Illinois Concealed Carry. Additionally, it meets the requirements for both Florida and Arizona non-resident concealed carry permits. At the student’s discretion, for no additional charge, it will meet the requirements for the Utah non-resident Concealed Carry permit by staying about an additional hour the first day.
Illinois Concealed Carry I is built upon four basic pillars of personal protection: It is an in-depth study of how to avoid lethal confrontations; how to prevail in a lethal confrontation; how to avoid criminal prosecution; and how to mitigate the potential for a civil suit as the result of a lethal confrontation.
The State of Illinois requires a minimum two-hour law review but we don’t believe that is sufficient. SAFER USA teaches about a four hour comprehensive review of the Concealed Carry Act (Illinois law) and all laws pertaining to concealed carry and use of force in the State of Illinois and interstate transportation of a firearm by car and airline.
The program also covers firearm operation, safety and cleaning; selection of an appropriate firearm including the pros and cons of revolvers, semi-auto pistols and, for home invasion, shotguns and the AR-15 carbine.
The effectiveness of various types of ammunition is explored including specific bullet types and a detailed look at choice of caliber including over-powered vs. under-powered firearms; and a review of the pros and cons of different types of holsters. The course also includes a detailed look at the psychology and physiology of high stress situations including the effect of the autonomic nervous system on your ability to operate certain types of firearms under stress and explains the concept of muscle memory in detail.
The course covers one grip that works with all handguns and the way to draw a firearm from a holster to engage someone at close quarters with emphasis on firearm retention and includes how to disarm an aggressor with a firearm
Students will use SIRT classroom training pistols and outside the belt holsters to practice grip, sight alignment, trigger squeeze, point shooting, drawing from the holster and drawing from concealed.
Also included is the use of a firearm and ammunition for the live fire qualification course and the training certificate needed to apply for an Illinois Concealed Carry license. Students must be present for the entire 16 hours and meet all course criteria to receive a certificate.