Intended to provide instruction on using handguns to prevent gun owners from becoming the victims of a criminal or terrorist attack, this comprehensive handbook contains information on current state regulations, beginning and advanced shooting instruction, updated safety information, and accounts of incidents of concealed handgun self-defense. Advice for selecting and buying a handgun, discussions of the importance of self-protection, and methods of concealing weapons accompany a discussion of the mental attitude required in case of an armed encounter, and advice on how to avoid violent encounters entirely. Including the new concealed carry laws recently passed in Kansas and Nebraska, this updated edition provides a new context for the need to safely carry a weapon since the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the breakdown of adequate law enforcement that ensued. In addition to providing an updated list of handguns suitable for concealed carry, this practical guide also includes more information about the psychological ramifications of using deadly force against another human being.