Akron journalist takes concealed carry class

by Chad D. Baus

Amani Abraham, a journalist for AkronNewsNow.com (1590 WAKR), recently decided to take a concealed carry class and document her experience.

She also decided to perform a personal test to measure what she'd learned, by taking the Firearm Training Simulator test (F.A.T.S) at the Summit County Sheriff's Office before and after her CCW course.

From the article:

I was starting fresh. When the Summit County Sheriff’s Office set me up with the F.A.T.S test two days before my CCW course, I could tell my nerves were going to be problem throughout the journey. A real-life scenario was projected on a large screen where I was given a handgun to defend myself. My scenario: A robbery in progress inside my home. When I come face to face with the robber, he pulls out his gun and I shoot. Little did I know, he fired a shot in my direction before I even had a chance to pull my trigger.

The next two days, I spent 10 hours in a classroom and 2 hours on the shooting range to complete my CCW course. My instructor, Daniel Clevenger, veteran police officer, taught us the very basics: firearm safety, CCW laws, laws pertaining to self defense and proper handling of a handgun.

...A few days after I was handed my CCW training certificate, I prepared myself for a second round at the simulator. It turns out, my nerves got the best of me. I was too scared to even pull the trigger. In both situations, I fired my gun only after the suspects fired first.

“You have to be within your legal boundaries to use your weapon and I think that’s one area that needs to be stressed. They need to have a good, firm understanding of the law when it comes to self-protection,” Summit County Sheriff Deputy David Fatheree said.

When you're put it in as dangerous situation, your stress levels increase causing increased heart rate, auditory exclusion and tunnel vision. Fatheree says even though the situation I was put in was not real, my reaction time slowed down during the training simulator test.

But with proper training, Fatheree told Abraham he believes a concealed handgun license can help protect you in a deadly force situation.

Earlier this week, a 23-year-old man with a concealed-carry permit turned an attempted robbery around after he pulled out his own gun when two armed suspects approached his car on West Market Street late Saturday night. The 23-year-old and his father attended Clevenger's CCW course earlier this year.

Even though I wasn't as confident as I thought I would be after taking my CCW course, I was able to grasp the basics of carrying a handgun and when to use my weapon. The class focuses on the basics. It's the constant training following your certification that instructors and law enforcement say is necessary to have before making the decision to carry a handgun.

A video report on Abraham's experience follows:

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chairman.