Sadly however, Nevada who only just accepted the Utah CFP has now decided to stop honoring this popular permit. This makes Nevada the only state that is adjacent to Utah that doesn’t honor it’s permit. W. Clark Aposhian, the head of the Utah CCW Board admits that Nevada requires it’s ccw students to prove proficiency on the range in order to obtain a ccw permit. As Utah doesn’t not require live fire as part of the concealed carry education Nevada was reluctant to honor the permit.

The good news comes from the East. Nebraska has signed an official reciprocity agreement with Utah. Utah concealed carry permits in the hand of residents and non-residents alike are now honored in Nebraska.

When teaching Utah concealed carry classes I sometimes wish that I could bypass the state ccw instruction requirements and take out the section that discusses justifiable force. I would replace that 1 hour lecture with a discussion about the emotional repercussions that come from taking someone’s life and where we should each draw the line.

Don’t misunderstand me; I see the value in understanding the law and how it is applied but I am always nervous that my students will leave the class more focused on what they can do instead of what they should do in self-defense scenarios.

I often explain this concept by making this point, “you would rather be in prison than dead.” Or just as often, “you would rather loose your flat screen tv than kill someone’s father, mother, child, or spouse. Human life truly is valuable and while the Utah Concealed Carry laws (Justifiable force) allow for us to defend our habitation and the lives of complete strangers we should all keep in mind the spirit of those laws.

I strive to be a law abiding citizen in our society but in regards to personal protection and self defense I honestly admit that its the spirit of the law and not the letter of the law that stays in my conscious. Here is the question that I always explain to my students, that I would pose to myself before firing the gun: ” Is this action worth any consequence?”

Truly I hope that most of us would draw that line in the place where we wouldn’t care what the consequences were in order to protect our own lives or the lives of our loved ones.

Jacob S Paulsen

Jacob Paulsen has been teaching Utah concealed carry courses since January of 2007. With over 350 students taught in over 50 classes, Jacob brings experience to the classroom like few else can. Jacob usually holds his classes at his own home in West Provo but also is willing to travel all over the state for private instruction. Jacob, a NRA certified Range Safety Officer also does private range instruction for those looking to improve on accuracy & safety.  Jacob’s sense of humor combined with his ability to present the information in a clear and concise manner will help you leave the course happy and satisfied.

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