Just checking in with all my Concealed Carry folks that have taken some of my classes to see how all of you are doing in your concealed carry journey!  Crime is out of control in Utah, honestly I have not seen violent crime in numbers of today in all of my 26 years working as a Utah law enforcement officer.  I will be putting on some really good classes in the near future, focusing on crime prevention, mindset and tactical training to address today’s threats.

I would say have three types of students that attend my Utah Concealed Carry courses. I break these into three categories, the A,B and C type gun owners. No type is wrong, each gun owner has different personal needs and choices.

Type A:  Every day carry literally!

 They carry almost always, 90% or more and are very comfortable doing so. They carry their gun around as you would a wallet or cell phone when they leave the house.

I liken these types to highly trained police officers, however any private citizen can be in this category with the proper training A types conceal carry their EDC (everyday carry) gun on their bodies all throughout the day, even when they are home! They likely have a gun safe on every level of the home, always having a tactical mindset.

 They carry in a way that nobody knows and is true concealed carry, they don’t “print”  They have trained to a level of proficiency with their firearm to not just basic levels but to a level of what it takes to survive a violent attack; a gunfight. They take continuing gun education to improve in their ability to defend themselves and other’s if necessary.  Due to their high level of time they have committed to training,  they are quite versed in the use of lawful deadly force and know what to do in the aftermath of these unfortunate encounters. A types mind their own business in their day to day carry activities, they don’t go looking for trouble at all and know, with sound discretion when it is appropriate to intervene in dangerous situations. A types are quite prepared what to do in the event they have to intervene in a situation and the bad guy attempts to take their gun away. Cops love type A carry private citizens because when cops run into them, (if at all) it is for a lawful reason and if they are involved in a use of force investigation A types acted reasonable and legal action is not necessary due to their sound decision making attributed to their level of training.

Type B: These persons may carry on a discretionary basis, maybe 10-20 percent of the time, often for travel and locally on a discretionary basis. Their training often ends with a concealed carry course and maybe a basic pistol course. These types often have a desire to carry more like the A type but when asked why they don’t, they often express it’s because they don’t feel “comfortable enough” carrying a gun around all of the time. It’s always a lack of training and experience that keeps them in the B type.   B types are the most common and frankly if they had the right training and experience, most of these strive to be in the A type if they could, but not all of them.  

Type C:

They don’t carry outside the home at all, only use their gun for self defense at home.

 These persons take a class primarily to learn safety rules, to learn the laws of self defense with a firearm and what their legal rights are. Like the B types, they may also take a pistol class or lesson but that is about it.

Please reach out with a brief note, what type you fit into best and whether or not you would like to be in the A type carry category and if so, what type of training you would like us to provide to get you there!

Take a refresher Utah CCW course yearly to stay up on new laws that can change any given year. 

Utah Concealed carry workshops are now available: We now offer memberships to a weekly Utah concealed carry workshop every Saturday. You can some in without an appointment and meet with an instructor and other concealed carry peeps to practice gun handling skills, dryfire, gun cleaning, legal updates, concealed carry questions to name a few. The goal of the class is to build confidence and skills needed to get you where you need to be. You can access the membership my ordering a Utah Concealed carry course and choose the workshop as an upgrade. Monthly, yearly memberships are available! 

Look forward in hearing your private comments,  All comments are strictly confidential.

Phil Snyder Unified Police Officer of Salt Lake (Retired)

Utah BCI certified concealed carry firearms Instructor