Bird - The concealed handgun manual: how to choose, carry, and shoot a gun in self defense

What the experts say about the Previous Editions of The Concealed Handgun Manual

The Concealed Handgun Manual is a must read for every serious defensive shooter. Chris Birds recommendations are firmly grounded in reality, unlike so much of what masquerades as good advice on this subject. Each new edition contains even more timely, useful information. I regularly distribute the Manual to my own defensive shooting students.

Emanuel Kapelsohn, law-enforcement firearms instructor, author, attorney, and expert witness in firearms cases.

Im impressed with the street reality of this book. Chris Bird goes beyond the usual hardware and into the critical software: the ethics, the morality, the emotional and psychological elements of preparation, survival, and aftermath in a way that gives his book the third dimension of depth. I would recommend The Concealed Handgun Manual for the library of anyone who goes armed in public. Massad Ayoob, author and director of the Massad Ayoob Group.

Chris Birds work on concealed carry comes at an appropriate time on this important issue. The book is well written, illustrated, and very informative. Clint Smith, director, Thunder Ranch shooting school.

An excellent guide to responsible, safe, and lawful exercise of the right to bear arms. Useful for persons who carry licensed firearms for protection, and for persons who want a better understanding of this controversial, important subject. Dave Kopel, author and research director, Independence Institute.

Mr. Bird has relied on his own years of experience and extensive research to compile an intelligent and well laid-out work. Detailed case studies have been used to validate theories and techniques. Not only does the book cover firearms and their safe and tactical use, The Concealed Handgun Manual also offers some interesting and poignant commentary on current societal views. Recommended reading material. Louis Awerbuck, president, Yavapai Firearms Academy.

Through Chris Birds significant journalistic talents, the reader meets numerous gun owners, and learns why they carry a defensive firearm. A good number of Birds 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. Gila Hayes, author ofPersonal Defense for Women and staff instructor of The Firearms Academy of Seattle, inWomen & Guns.

After reading The Concealed Handgun Manual by Chris Bird, it is apparent that a book has finally been written that teaches the proper techniques needed to safely carry a handgun concealed. The techniques used and applied are both life-saving and practical. Survival is what this manual is about, and for that reason I personally recommend it to everyone who carries a concealed handgun, both civilian and law enforcement.... survival is our number one objective, and I believe that Chris Birds number one objective is the same. Jerry D. Lane, law-enforcement firearms instructor.

Outstanding! What I like is the anecdotes. Its a really good book for someone who is not sure if they want to carry. It definitely fills a need. Jerry Patterson, Texas Land Commissioner and former state senator, who sponsored the Texas Concealed Handgun Law.

Each chapter contains real-life accounts of gunfights, often by the persons involved. The reports of the Lubys horror-story, and Gordon Hales episode which became Texas first-use incident are worth the price of the book! Craig Palmer, president of the Kentucky Firearms Foundation, Inc.

The Concealed Handgun Manual is a truly universal manual, covering virtually every conceivable aspect of carrying and using a concealed handgun. Tony Fabian, president of the Colorado State Shooting Association.

Appears on Texas Department of Public Safety list of approved reading for concealed-handgun license holders.

Reviews of Previous Editions 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 inThe American Rifleman.

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 which illustrate the many aspects of carrying and using firearms in self-defense. K.L. Jamison on the website of The Western Missouri Shooters Alliance.

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 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 inGun Week.

A must for those looking to carry a concealed handgun. The Second Amendment Foundation Reporter.

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 inWomen & Guns.

One thing that jumped out at me as I was reading The Concealed Handgun Manual was the easy-to-read text layout and the fantastic use of pictures. The photos in this book are top notch. It is imperative to have explanatory photographs in a handgun manual. The quality and quantity of the images used in this book really put it into its own category of professionalism. In addition to these great pictures, the author writes in a very appealing easy-to-read style. Timothy J. Schmidt inConcealed Carry Magazine.

Carrying a deadly weapon is too serious a matter to go unstudied. Chris Birds work serves as a fine textbook for those who have made, or are considering making, that commitment. Will Cox inGun Week.

Provides useful information on how to keep fender benders from escalating into homicidal nastiness.... Far from being psychobabble, this chapter is an honest look at the psychological dynamics of conflicts and how to deal with them. Charles M. B. Smith,The Sharpshooter, newsletter of the Oklahoma Rifle Association.