Back in 2008, Massad Ayoob wrote an article called “10 Commandments of Concealed Carry.” For a long time I had the whole thing posted here, word for word. It’s his work, and you should read it from him. A copy of the original is on handgunlaw.us.
What I can do is tell you how I look at each one as a Minnesota Permit to Carry instructor. The ideas are Ayoob’s. The explanations are mine, and I’ve added the Minnesota law that goes with them.
His starting point is simple. Carrying a loaded gun in public is a serious power, and it comes with serious responsibility. People who have carried for years know that. If you’re thinking about getting your permit, you should know it too.
Some of his 2008 examples are out of date now, and I’ll point those out as we go.
1. If you carry, always carry
Ayoob says the criminal is the actor and you are the reactor. He picks the time and the place. He knows when it’s going to happen, and you don’t. So the gun only helps you if it’s on you when it happens, not sitting in the safe at home. Find a holster that’s comfortable and a gun that fits you, then dress around it. After a few weeks you stop noticing it. One Minnesota detail: when you carry, you need your permit card and a photo ID on you, and you have to show both if a peace officer lawfully asks (Minn. Stat. § 624.714, subd. 1b).
2. Don’t carry if you aren’t prepared to use it
Most of the time a defensive gun does its job without a shot fired. The bad guy runs or gives up. Ayoob’s point is that the gun deters because it can kill, and criminals read people for a living. They can tell when you’re bluffing, and a bluff can get your own gun taken and used on you. In his words, “The person who is prepared to kill if he or she must, is the person who is least likely to have to do so.”
Being prepared to use it is not the same as pulling it out to scare somebody. In Minnesota, intentionally pointing a gun at someone is a crime unless it’s justified (Minn. Stat. § 609.66, subd. 1(a)(2)). And in State v. Blevins (2024), the Minnesota Supreme Court said the duty to retreat applies before you threaten someone with a weapon. I covered that in my duty to retreat post.
3. Don’t let the gun make you reckless
When concealable body armor for cops came along around 1970, people worried officers would get reckless wearing it. Ayoob says the opposite happened. The vest reminded them of the danger every day. A carry gun works the same way. People who carry don’t go looking for trouble. Ayoob adds that once you’re armed, the law expects more care from you, like staying out of a traffic argument that could turn deadly.
In Minnesota that isn’t just good manners. Outside your home, you have a duty to retreat if you reasonably can. And if you start the fight, you lose your right to self-defense until you’ve actually backed out of it and made that clear to the other person. Minnesota’s jury instruction on this is CRIMJIG 7.07. Ayoob also quotes gun writer Finn Aagaard, who said his pistol was “a symbol of who I am, what I believe, and the moral standards by which I live.” I like that.
4. Get the permit
Ayoob wrote this one for the guys who say the Second Amendment is their permit. His answer was that it’s the sound of someone asking to go to jail. Things are the way they are, not the way we wish they were.
This is the part that has changed the most since 2008. Back then almost every state required a license to carry. Today more than half the states allow some form of permitless carry. Minnesota is not one of them. Carrying a pistol in public here without a Permit to Carry, including in your car, is a gross misdemeanor, and a second time is a felony (Minn. Stat. § 624.714, subd. 1a). If you travel, check the BCA’s reciprocity page and the laws of every state you’re going to. Those lists change.
5. Know what you’re doing
You wouldn’t drive without knowing the rules of the road. Ayoob says the same goes for carrying. He brings up the myth that you can shoot anyone in your home, and the bad information people picked up from TV when Florida changed its self-defense law. Getting it wrong can get someone killed who didn’t deserve it, or put a good person in prison.
Here’s the Minnesota version of the rules. Even in your home, deadly force has to be necessary to resist an offense you reasonably believe exposes you or someone else to great bodily harm or death, or to prevent a felony in your home (Minn. Stat. § 609.065). Minnesota has no presumption that helps you out. You have to be able to explain why you did what you did.
Then there’s the shooting part. Ayoob recommended his own school, the Massad Ayoob Group, and local classes on deadly force decisions. If you ever need the gun you’ll be under extreme stress, so learn to shoot under pressure, draw from concealment and holster safely. Minnesota requires pistol training within a year before you apply for your permit (Minn. Stat. § 624.714, subd. 2a). Treat that as the starting line.
6. Concealed means concealed
Some new carriers want people to see the gun. Ayoob says don’t. It scares people who aren’t used to it, and it can get the police called on you as a “man with a gun.” Worse, if someone who wants to cause you trouble knows you carry, he can get you alone and then claim you threatened him. It’s your word against his, and the fact that you really did have the gun makes his story easier to believe.
He quotes Steve Dulan of the Michigan Coalition of Responsible Gun Owners, who said open carry was legal in Michigan but a bad idea in almost every situation, because you give up surprise and risk a 911 call. Ayoob still thought legal open carry was worth having as a backup, for the day the wind blows your coat open.
In Minnesota, a Permit to Carry lets you carry openly or concealed. The law doesn’t make you hide it. I still teach concealed carry, for the reasons above.
7. Get to know your gun
The more you handle a gun, the more automatic it gets. Ayoob’s advice is to carry what you already shoot. If you shoot a 1911 in matches, a concealable 1911 makes sense. If you hunt with a double-action revolver, a carry-size revolver might be your best choice. Take classes and shoot matches with your carry gun. If ammo costs are a problem, a .22 conversion kit or a .22 revolver the same size as your carry gun keeps the practice going.
8. Understand the fine points
Every state has its own rules on where you can carry. Ayoob gave examples about carrying in bars and restaurants in New Hampshire, Florida, North Carolina and Virginia. Those were right in 2008, but some of them have changed, so don’t rely on them. He recommended handgunlaw.us for keeping track, and it’s still around. Check it often, and confirm with the state itself.
Here are a few Minnesota ones. A private business can ban guns, but it has to either post a specific sign at every entrance or tell you in person. If you’re told and you don’t leave, it’s a petty misdemeanor, and the fine for a first offense can’t be more than $25 (Minn. Stat. § 624.714, subd. 17). A business can’t ban guns in its parking lot, and a landlord can’t restrict tenants. Your employer can set rules for you on the job (subd. 18). And you can’t carry in public if you’re under the influence or your alcohol concentration is over 0.04 (Minn. Stat. § 624.7142).
9. Carry an adequate gun
A single-shot .22 derringer is a deadly weapon in the eyes of the law, but it won’t do much against more than one attacker. In 2008 Ayoob said most experts put the minimum at a five-shot revolver, and at .380, 9mm or .38 Special for caliber. He also says carry spare ammo. A lot of people in their first gunfight have run their gun dry, and some malfunctions need a fresh magazine to fix. Cops carry spare ammo, and so should you.
He goes further and talks about a second gun. He quotes Phil Engeldrum: “If you need to carry a gun, you probably need to carry two of them.” At the very least, own a second gun that’s the same as your carry gun or close to it. If you ever have to use the first one, it goes into evidence for a while, and you’ll still need something to carry.
10. Use common sense
This is the shortest one. A gun is the power of life and death, and it belongs with people who care about the consequences. More people carry every year. Common sense has to come along with it.
Where to start
If you’re thinking about carrying in Minnesota, my Permit to Carry class is where all of this starts. I go through the law and where you can and can’t carry, along with a lot that won’t fit in a blog post. Sign up for a Permit to Carry class at mnselfdefense.com. Questions? Text me at 507-533-5774 or email chris@mnselfdefense.com.
Chris Marquette, Precision Plus Firearms Training
Disclaimer
This post is general education, not legal advice. I’m a firearms instructor, not your attorney. Laws and court decisions change, and every situation is different. If you have questions about a specific situation, talk to a Minnesota attorney.
Sources
Original article
Massad Ayoob, “10 Commandments of Concealed Carry,” originally published by Harris Publications, Oct. 28, 2008 (copy hosted by handgunlaw.us)
Minnesota statutes
Minn. Stat. § 624.714, Carrying of Weapons Without Permit; Penalties
Minn. Stat. § 624.7142, Carrying While Under Influence of Alcohol or Controlled Substance
Minn. Stat. § 609.66, Dangerous Weapons
Minn. Stat. § 609.065, Justifiable Taking of Life
Cases and jury instructions
State v. Blevins, No. A22-0432 (Minn. July 31, 2024)
CRIMJIG 7.07, Revival of Aggressor’s Right of Self-Defense (6th ed., Oct. 2017 update), via Law of Self Defense
Other
Minnesota BCA, Permit to Carry reciprocity
Handgunlaw.us, state-by-state carry laws