Conceal Carry During Pregnancy | Training and Classes

A few weeks ago I spoke about aspects of conceal carry during the first trimester of pregnancy. Today we will look at some ways to keep your skills sharp without hitting the range. While I specifically selected these classes for expecting mamas, these would be great classes for anyone to take. If you want to save a little money on ammo this year, don't have as much opportunity to travel, or are healing from an illness or injury some of these classes will also benefit the not pregnant people of the world.

Conceal Carry During Pregnancy | Training and Classes

Contextual Handgun: The Armed Parent/Guardian

The Armed Parent/Guardian taught by Citizen’s Defense Research is the #1 class all parents need to take. Whether you’re expecting your first, or have teenagers, this class is a must. This class is designed around the thought, “What if my loved ones are with me when I get into a shooting?”

Per the class description, “The Armed Parent/Guardian discusses with students the hard/soft skills necessary to solve the commonly observed shooting problems associated with fighting with our children present…Students will be shown WHY the context we find ourselves in as a parent can change our tactics”.

This is a class Primer Peak Editor Dan and I have already found incredibly useful as we have interacted with our nieces and nephew while armed. If you are pregnant there is a lecture-only portion of the class offered, but the whole class is a must for your partner, and you once you’re no longer expecting. You can find my review of the lecture here, and Dan’s review of the entire course here.

The Armed Parent/Guardian is being offered several times this year across the country. Check out Citizen’s Defense Research’s website for all of their course offerings.

Medical Classes

Pregnancy is a great time to take all of the medical classes you’ve been putting off.

First, it’s great to keep yourself CPR certified, you can find classes offered everywhere at pretty much any time through the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross. Your employer might even offer CPR certification to you for free! Bonus if you take a class that teaches CPR on infants as you will soon have one.

Basic First Aid is another great class to take. You will likely find yourself treating a lot of boo boos in the near future. These classes could be taught at a local hospital, but you can also find classes on the American Academy of Pediatrics' Healthy Children website. You can ignore their info on "Gun Safety" with children. I promise to provide much better resources and information on that in a future article.

Stop the Bleed is another class that is offered for free in most places. I first took it at one of my previous jobs, they came during a teacher development day and taught us how to use tourniquets and pack wounds. Lone Star Medics and Dark Angel Medical also offer great medical instruction, and can teach you how to use their products. Greg Ellifritz is another trusted teacher of medical.

OC/Less Lethal Classes

You should already have a can of POM, but do you actually know how to use it? Pregnancy is a great time to brush up on your less lethal skills.

Chuck Haggard offers an OC/Less Lethal class, as well as an instructor certification. Both of which can be completed at any point in your pregnancy.

Image Based Decisional Drills (IBDD)

This class specifically is taught by Brian and Shelley Hill from the Complete Combatant. The goal of this class is “to quickly make ONE good FIRST decision based on visual stimuli & instantly act on it. Be confident, decisive, efficient, & explosive”. This class is great to get you thinking about how to appropriately react to a variety of situations with the tools you have available as quickly as possible.

While I haven’t taken this class from the Complete Combatant, I have done IBDD in a group and really enjoyed myself. This class is offered completely online, and in person. You can choose when, where, and how works best for you.

There is also an Image Based Decisional Drill Instructor Course that you could become certified in, no live fire required.

Honorable Mentions

There are more classes and instructors that I recommend, but personally don’t have any experience with myself.

Massad Ayoob

Massad Ayoob offers two classes that I know of that don’t require live fire. The first is Mag 20. The course description for this class reads,

"A two-day, 20-hour immersion course in rules of engagement for armed law-abiding private citizens, emphasizing legal issues, tactical issues, and aftermath management. Topics will include interacting with suspects, witnesses, responding police officers…threat recognition and mind-set…management of social and psychological aftermath after having had to use lethal force in defense of self or others…and preparing beforehand for legal repercussions and minimizing exposure to them. Situations in the home, at the place of business, or “on the street” will all be covered."

The second is his Deadly Force Instructor course. This course is about 40 hours of instruction, but is an instructor certification you can acquire while you're expecting. Per the course description,

"Teaching how to shoot is the easy part. Much tougher is teaching people when and when not to use force, including deadly force, in self-defense. In addition to learning what to teach and how to present it, students will also learn how to take their expertise to court, to both serve as a material witness for their students, and perhaps an expert witness in other self-defense court cases."

Citizen Safety Academy

Citizen Safety Academy offers an entirely online Effective Assistant Instructor Course. Primer Peak’s Dan R. took this class last year, and you can read his after action here. If you are one that helps other instructors on the range, this would be a great class to add to your list. The biggest perk of this class is it's entirely online, and has been pre-recorded so you can participate at your own pace. Some things have changed since it was first offered last year, so reach out to Citizen Safety Academy if you plan to sign up!

NRA

The NRA offers a several classes that don't require live fire. As a bonus you can probably find an NRA class near you within the next few weeks if you’re interested. Some classes we’d recommend would be their Home Defense class and their Don’t Be a Victim class. Additionally, if you want to seek out another certification, you could become a Range Safety Officer. I became a NRA RSO in the fall of 2022, it’s an easy certification to get and requires no live fire.

Conclusion on Conceal Carry During Pregnancy | Training and Classes

This is not an exhaustive list of classes you could take while pregnant, these are just a few I'd recommend. My husband and I are already signed up for an Adult and Infant CPR/AED and First Aid Class for March. I am also amazed at how quickly time has passed, and I'm now about halfway through this pregnancy.

That being said, do what you can when you are able. It is okay if your priorities have shifted from training, training, training, to preparing for baby. But if you have some extra time, consider taking a class or two.

This is part two of my series on conceal carry while pregnant. Below you'll find other articles in this series, which I'll update periodically.

Conceal Carry During Pregnancy | The First Trimester

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