Enhanced Concealed Carry Permit class offered
Photo by Ted Ludlum Bob Young, safety officer for the local gun range and certified instructor for the National Rifle Association, instructs Adina Conroy how to avoid jerking her gun by using the push-pull grip. Conroy is working on her Enhanced Concealed Carry Weapon Permit to become more comfortable with weapons and informed on legal issues.
Red states do not reciprocate with Idaho Standard Concealed Carry.
Enhanced Concealed Carry Graphic-Red States do NOT reciprocate with Idaho.
BONNERS FERRY — For 21 years Bonners Ferry attorney Tim Wilson flew many missions as a fighter pilot for the Marine Corps. Bonners Ferry resident Bob Young served in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War.
Today these veterans each share a new mission — a passion to help law abiding Americans practice their Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms in a safe and legal manner. Wilson does this by teaching the legal portion of Enhanced Concealed Carry Certification classes. Young teaches the shooting portion of that certification. Together their goal is to keep people from getting into trouble while traveling across the United States with a concealed weapon.
“You should be scared to go for your weapon,” Wilson warned people. He stressed that it is easy for well intentioned and lawful citizens to get into trouble because concealed carry laws are complicated, vary widely, and change all the time.
Young agrees with Wilson.
“The last thing you ever want to do is use your gun,” Young said.
In addition to teaching the shooting portion of concealed carry classes Young is the safety officer for the local gun range, treasurer for the Bonners Ferry Sportsman Club, and an instructor for the National Rifle Association Basics of Pistol Shooting Class.
One of the advantages of enhanced concealed carry is that it allows Idaho residents to carry in more states, known as reciprocity, than the standard concealed carry permit. It also provides valuable information on legal issues and potential consequences of carrying concealed weapons.
By definition, concealed carry or carrying a concealed weapon (CCW), is the practice of carrying a weapon (such as a handgun) in public in a concealed manner. This could be either on one’s person or in close proximity — as in a vehicle glovebox.
Legally, all states now allow some form of concealed carry but the range of what is specifically allowed varies greatly from state to state. The laws can change frequently, making it very confusing and challenging for people to stay up to date. Plus, individual cities can have different concealed carry gun laws. And the final element of all this confusion is while many states do recognize another state’s concealed carry permit, several do not. The result can be arrests, expensive legal fees, criminal records, and even prison time for well intentioned citizens as they travel through different states.
One recent example is a Philadelphia mother of two who worked as a nurse in a high crime area and had been robbed twice in the previous year. For self protection she legally purchased a handgun and received her concealed carry permit in the state of Pennsylvania. However, she was unaware that her permit was not recognized in the neighboring state of New Jersey. While traveling in New Jersey with her loaded .380 handgun she was stopped for a minor lane change traffic violation. Police discovered her weapon and she was arrested. She spent 40 days in jail before being released on bail, facing a felony charge that carried a three-year mandatory minimum prison term. She was eventually pardoned by then-New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
Her case, and other similar cases, led the U.S. House of Representatives to recently pass the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, that would oblige every state to recognize a concealed-carry permit issued by any other state. But it is not the law yet; it awaits action in the Senate where its future is in doubt following the recent school shooting in Florida.
While interest in Wilson’s enhanced concealed carry class has been steady since he started teaching it about four years ago, it has increased recently. Each monthly class is now attended by 10 to 15 people.
“It is really a fire hose approach,” Wilson said of the material covered. “There is so much information and I only have four hours to present it.”
The result is an emphasis on creating awareness for the participants and urging them to adopt a philosophy and attitude of avoiding trouble. He does this by giving examples of people who get into trouble due to not knowing the law and/or not knowing their rights.
Young’s classes focus on gun safety and actual shooting. Topics include proper loading, handling, firing, and care of the gun. Many scenarios are covered in detail, including unloading a gun that has jammed. And Young really stresses knowing what is downrange from the target.
“If you don’t know, or aren’t sure, don’t shoot. Ever,” Young stressed.
Both men strongly urge anyone planning a cross country road trip to learn the gun laws of each state one plans traveling through. Some key points to check is the state’s reciprocity status, whether a gun can be loaded, should the gun and ammunition be stored separately, ammunition that may be illegal (such as hollow-points), etc.
“In the 10 years I have carried I have never drawn my gun,” Young said. “And I hope I never have to.”
People in the area who carry weapons, either openly or concealed, would be wise to get to know the services these two men, and others, provide.