Well. I've always been wary about carrying firearms in public. Concealed or not. I like to "avoid" the temptation, so to speak. I guess that's why I opted for martial arts as an alternative for carrying a weapon. Why not just be your own weapon?
Now, I'm no super ninja or anything; and although I did complete the Ishin Ryu style (completed, not mastered), it's been a few years since, and I've gotten a little rusty.
But Art, if there is anything I would really advise taking, it's martial arts. I would especially recomend Ishin Ryu because it's longer. In my class a yellow belt (second rank) could wup a green or blue belt from one of the local Teakwondo classes. It's slow, and takes at least 5 years to finish. But it's very very worth it. By the end you would be nearly unhittable. Esspecially one on one. Any fight I got in while I was in training or after I'd finished only lasted about 10 seconds, with me walking away almost unscathed. It's very worth it.
But martial arts is just like bearing arms. You have to have restraint, and only use it when you have to. But it's effective and ultimately....less deadly. A worthy replacement for the consequeces you could face when you're forced to pull a gun on someone.
