Don’t settle for the defensive training that came in the box with your gun.
Your concealed handgun is NOT a talisman, or a “warning sign”, or a “shield”, to be flashed when you get a bit scared of, or uncomfortable with, the smelly transient who is begging for money in the parking lot or at the gas station pump. Your fear must be REASONABLE before you may use force…not just to you, but to a reasonable person. And yes, merely displaying your firearm can be considered a use of force, also known as assault. There are a host of other legal elements and crimes that you may inadvertently commit through your ignorance of the law as well. You must not violate any ONE of them to be able to legally claim self defense. Your actions will be judged and evaluated by reasonable people (the jury of your case) who will be told, through jury instructions, that you should have known the various elements of the laws of use of force. Your opinion, if not reasonable, does not count. If you cannot support your claim of fear of death or great bodily injury with evidence and facts, and you threaten someone with force, you are at risk of criminal prosecution.