Police and military forces are tasked with keeping an eye out for trouble and actively going on the offensive when the need arises. They are ready for a fight and are explicitly authorized to behave and engage enemies in ways that civilians are not.
A concealed carrying citizen should never look for trouble like this actively.
They should simply remain aware of their surroundings and keep an eye out for any potential problems that might be developing.
They should be focusing on their escape plan first and foremost, not their offense strategy. In the words of author Paul Pawela in his article “Redman ‘Reality Training Program for Civilians’” on USConcealedcarry.com:
“...there are generally two ways a citizen engages in a deadly force situation: 1.) They interrupt a crime in progress, i.e. home invasion, local store robbery etc. or 2) They are the victim of a crime in progress, i.e. robbery, carjack, attempted rape etc. (Read more at USConcealedCarry.com)”
The reality is that citizens are subjected to a different set of standards, laws, and expectations than professionals like police officers. Police officers are doing their jobs.
You aren’t out there trying to police the streets -- all of us who are carrying concealed should be interested in is giving ourselves an extra level of protection from everyday dangers.
To fully understand how to do this properly and legally, it usually requires a certain amount of formal training to guide you in the right direction. You need to be as effective as possible in our own defenses while remaining on the right side of the law. Nothing is worth going to jail for and while there may be times where the police can’t be in the right place immediately, you still shouldn’t be trying to do their job.
Carrying a firearm is a significant responsibility. Spending time and money on training is the best thing you could possibly do to ensure a smoother road ahead.
As a last word of advice, when you are searching for training, resist the temptation to take so-called “tactical” instruction as your primary focus until you learn some basics.