Concealed carry class comes to central GA (Part 2)

Lana Fore Bryan, Regional Manager for U.S. LawShield was one of the facilitators of a concealed carry class, sponsored through Focused Fire Training, which was carried out in Macon last Saturday. The name of the class was “Intro to Concealed Carry.” To read the first part of our coverage, please see the Wednesday, July 22, 2020 edition of Houston Home Journal.

During her facilitation, Bryan expressed the importance of knowing when and when not to discharge a weapon. She gave an example of a carjacking, wherein the perpetrator, brandishing a knife, pulled the family members out of the vehicle, and then jumped in their car. As the thief sped away, a member of the family pulled a gun and discharged several rounds in the direction of the departing vehicle.

Bryan explained that the legal right for that person to shoot ended once the man got in the car and began driving away. The person only had a legal right to shoot when their lives were still in actual danger. She stipulated that the time to shoot was when the offender approached with the knife—in the act—not after the act as he was leaving the scene.

“When you see carjackings, rioting, jumping on people’s cars, run [them] over,” Bryan said. “Your car is a weapon. You’re not playing. It’s your life or theirs. In the act,” she stressed once more. “Understand that.” She went on to say, “The other person appears to use physical force against you or another person while committing a personal felony. You’re watching a kidnapping in progress. You are justified in using deadly force to protect yourself and others, to protect your habitation, your home, your car, your place of business or to protect your property other than your habitation. The law in Georgia says that you have no duty to retreat.”

Bryan explained that this addressed the argument of “Stand Your Ground” and “Duty to Retreat,” clarifying that the terms were synonymous, but described different actions based on the state in which a person lived. “If someone breaks into my front door in Ohio, and I’m watching television, I have to run out the back door,” Bryan stated. “If someone breaks through your front door in Georgia, you empty your magazine on them. You have no duty to retreat, meaning you don’t have to run away… We are a ‘Stand Your Ground’ state.”

Bryan made it known that this was not the same case with protecting property. Georgians did not have a legal right to shoot a person for the sake of protecting items of property. “Stuff can be replaced; lives cannot,” she said, citing that if a person is seen stealing a vehicle, the owner would be breaking the law if they used deadly force by shooting the thief. Their recourse would be to make sure they are locked safely in their house, and then call 911 to report what they saw.

Items the law deemed as property, Bryan explained, included pets and livestock. However, she stated that if a lawbreaker forcibly entered a home, and the guard dog attacked them, and that person began fighting the dog, the resident could discharge their weapon—not to protect the dog, but to protect themselves, knowing that if the dog is overpowered, the intruder would then do harm to the resident.

Bryan shared that citizens had the right to shoot intruders even as they were in the process of breaking in to their home. “You can blow right through the door, and you don’t have to drag their body in,” she said to the laughter of the class. “The ranger detectives will tell you that,” Bryan further explained. “You do not have to do that. Let them do their investigation. You do not have to wait. If they are breaking into your house, you do whatever is necessary to stop that threat.”

Sharing information about U.S. LawShield and its purpose, Bryan said, “U.S. LawShield defends you if, God forbids, you have to use any weapon to stop the threat.” She went on to say that the company processed 14,000 new memberships the week prior to this training class.

Bryan then gave seven steps for citizens to follow if they ever had to shoot someone:

1.Make sure the threat has been controlled.

2.Call 911 (when threat stops moving).

3.Tell the operator your name and address. Give a description of yourself so that attending officers know who the victim of the crime is when they arrive. Tell them you need police/fire/ambulance. Hang up the phone with 911. You are not required to stay on the phone with 911, even though the operator will try and get you to so. Get off of the phone with 911 as quickly as possible.

4.Return firearm to safekeeping – do not have it in your hands when police arrive.

5.Don’t disturb the scene.

6.Call your lawyer.

7.Exercise your right to remain silent. Don’t talk.

Bryan recommended that the victim of the crime makes the request to be taken to the hospital to get blood pressure checked or any other medical assistance that can be gotten until legal representation is present. It is best not to speak, but to allow legal representation to speak on your behalf.

Participants of Bryant’s class spoke with Houston Home Journal afterward to express their overview of the two and a half hour workshop that included proper gun handling and shooting.

Linda Gobe said, “I had a little gun, but I’m intimidated by guns so I didn’t know how to use it. But when everything started going nuts, it became apparent to me that… I’m single… I needed to be in a position to protect myself. As you’re watching those riots, and you’re watching people call police that can’t respond and can’t get to you—there’s got to be recourse. I called my son, had him help me find a pistol, and I signed up for this class because I want to be confident if I’m going to carry it. I don’t want to be intimidated by it.”

Gobe further indicated that she learned what she’d come for and would definitely recommend the class to others—not just women like herself, but to everybody. “I needed to know more about the law and how to protect myself legally too. There’s so much information out there. I’m a 68-year-old great-grandmother. It’s a different world today, and I just don’t want to be vulnerable to what’s going on.”

James Meeks, a Jones County resident, said although he didn’t currently own a gun, he wanted to take the class so that he could be educated. “I want to make sure I know the laws and all the safety stuff that goes along with it,” he said. “I want to be prepared so that when I go out there and do have to use a gun, I know I’m doing the right thing.” Meeks said that he would not only recommend it to others, but he would readily take it again for himself. “I think that [even] somebody who is an avid gun owner can use a class like this.”

Christal Gobe stated that she decided to take the class to learn about gun safety and self-defense. “Awareness is key. Education is key,” she remarked. “I’ve been to several self-defense classes and I’m always thinking I can take another one. Just for the awareness and education.” She said learning about her rights was a part of the class that she wasn’t expecting. “That was phenomenal. That was very, very helpful.” According to Christal, the class exceeded her expectations, and recommending it to others was absolutely something that she would do.

Houston Home Journal caught up Lana Fore Bryan who revealed that over the last 30 years, she’s taught 8,500 students about gun safety, usage and laws. When Bryan first began teaching, her motivation was to empower women.

“I taught women and children. Those were the two categories that I felt needed to know about guns more than anybody else. Men tend to know everything about guns. Women were scared and didn’t want to pick up a gun. I wanted to bring it on equal playing ground. Children is for safety,” Bryan added. “I taught a kids-in-the-know program that I actually wrote the curriculum on.”

Her gun class has now expanded to include male attendees, and Bryan said that the classes are needed now more than ever. “With the fear factor that’s out there in today’s world, more people are becoming gun owners.” She mentioned that there are additional classes that, when taken, help carriers became more proficient.

Those who are interested in upcoming classes can visit www.focusedfire-training.com. For central Georgia, classes are scheduled in Warner Robins on Sunday, August 16, in Milledgeville on Saturday, August 22 and in Dublin on Sunday, August 23.

HHJ News