Intended to provide instruction on using handguns to prevent gun owners from
becoming the victims of a criminal or terrorist attack, this comprehensive
handbook contains information on current state regulations, beginning and
advanced shooting instruction, and updated safety advice. Advice for
selecting and buying a handgun, discussions of the importance of
self-protection, and methods of concealing weapons accompany a discussion of
the mental attitude required in case of an armed encounter. In light of the
current problem of violence in schools, this edition also offers detailed
instruction on how to avoid violent encounters entirely. Information on the
psychological consequences of shooting in self-defense is included, as are
actual stories of incidents of concealed handgun self-defense.This excellent book gives you what the title says.
If you carry a
gun for personal defense, or plan to, you'll benefit from reading this book.
Abbreviated Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Victims or survivors: Fighting back against
criminals and terrorists
2. Why carry a gun?
3. School shootings
4. Staying out of trouble
5. Choosing a handgun
6. How to carry
7. Avoiding accidents: Safety and handling
8. Basic handgun shooting: Watch the front sight
9. Advanced shooting: Back up and move to cover
10. Winning a Gunfight: Mindset and tactics
11. Deadly force: When to use it and what happens
when you do
12. Practice: Your life depends on it
13. State concealed handgun laws
Afterword
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
About the AuthorChris Bird has carried a handgun for more than 40 years. He is a former
police reporter for the San Antonio Express-News, a certified concealed
handgun instructor, and a director of the Texas Concealed Handgun Instructor
Association. He lives in San Antonio, Texas.
Reviews of the Fourth Edition of The Concealed Handgun Manual
"The book explores all aspects and ramifications of carrying a concealed
firearm. In addition to shooting instruction and guidance as to when it would be
necessary to fire a gun in self-defense, the book also recounts many real-life
events. This is an extremely useful guide for those who want to learn more about
the world of concealed carry." -- Michael O. Humphries in the American Rifleman.
"The chapter that I find the most interesting is Chapter Nine, entitled
Advanced Shooting: Back Up and Move to Cover. Even experienced instructors can
learn something from this chapter." -- John Krull in Gun Week.
"This book has made me re-evaluate my life and more importantly, my
expectations of myself and the police. I do have the power to avert an attack
either subtly or with direct action on my part. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the
personal accounts throughout the book from real people who I can identify with."
-- Toni Winchester - Colorado Shooting.
"The fourth edition adds two-hundred pages to the original book. Given the
quality of the original the question is what could be added? The answer is, a
great deal. The author has not simply fleshed out his basic work; he has
provided layers of illustrative detail to owning, carrying, and using firearms
for self-defense. The author has conducted an impressive amount of research to
gather incidents with illustrate the many aspects of carrying and using firearms
in self-defense." - K.L. Jamison on the website of the Western Missouri Shooters
Alliance.
"Through Chris Bird's significant journalistic talents, the reader 'meets'
numerous gun owners, and learns why they carry a defensive firearm. A good
number of Bird's anecdotes concern women and how they came to carry a gun.
Expect stories about female stalking survivors, women who used cunning and
courage to emerge unscathed from home burglaries, survivors of infamous
shoot-outs and more. Bird teaches through illustrative stories of self-defense
and survival experienced by moms, laboratory workers, electricians, and other
everyday people who learned, sometimes the hard way, the value of the
self-defense handgun." — Gila Hayes, Women & Guns | 
