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By Tiger McKee and the Outdoor Wire: There is normally little warning, if any, when trouble comes. The innocence and security of a peaceful day can be shattered in less time than it takes you to read this sentence. Chances are high when violence arrives there won’t be any law enforcement officers near, and by the time they get to the scene the damage will be done. Personal protection is an individual responsibility.
Should you decide that legally carrying a concealed weapon is the right choice for you then welcome to the cult of responsibility. This is a decision that will change almost every aspect of your life, and for the better. Just keep in mind there is much more to being a responsible firearms owner than just buying a weapon, attending the state mandated course, and calling yourself ready. You may have been shooting or game hunting all your life, but that doesn’t prepare you for dealing with a potential threat.
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Call it personal protection, self-defense, or something else, what it boils down to is that you have to know how to fight with a firearm. To learn how to properly carry and if necessary use a weapon requires training and practice. You have to go to school.
The first thing you learn is safety, which applies any time you’re handling a firearm, and especially under the stress associated when defending against an attack. A defensive class also teaches a variety of ways to win without having to use your weapon. For example avoidance and escape are at the very top of our list of tactics. You keep your eyes up, listen, pay attention, and stay aware of potential trouble. By spotting a possible problem before it becomes a conflict you avoid and escape, winning without having to use your weapon.
The importance of verbal commands is stressed. The presence of a firearm and verbal commands issued with authority will often force a potential threat to change their mind about what they intended to do. Most attacks occur because threats think they will be successful; your job is to immediately let them know you won’t be an easy victim.
When avoidance and escape are not options and verbal commands don’t have the desired effect you are forced to fight, which means communicate, move, use cover and shoot as required. Communication is essential, whether it’s with the threat or family and friends. Communicating in a conflict is an acquired skill. Knowing what to say and how to say it during a confrontation isn’t something that just pops into mind. Movement creates distance or puts you behind cover and the protection it provides. When necessary you have to be able to do all this and shoot accurately, probably in the dark against multiple threats.
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Combative accuracy, shooting to stop a violent threat, is a world apart from firing at small targets while standing still. A lethal threat must be stopped efficiently as possible. Knowing where to place your shots on the threat’s body in order to inflict the damage necessary to physically stop them is crucial. You also learn that you shoot to stop the threat, not to kill. Manipulations or gun-handling skills, the ability to load and unload – administrative actions – reloading an empty weapon or clearing malfunctions – combative actions – are mandatory.
Another area covered in a defensive class is what to do after the shooting is over. When the law does arrive they won’t know or care who you are. Learning how to identify yourself without appearing as a threat is best thought about in advance, as well at the legal aspects that follow.
Once you’ve attended a class it’s time for practice. Performing the skills we are discussing, from avoidance and escape up to fighting, is only possible with plenty of practice, performing the techniques over and over until you’re able to execute them at a subconscious level. Fighting is problem solving at high speeds. You’re presented a problem and there is very little time to come up with a solution and then perform the necessary actions to win. The conscious mind can only think about one thing at a time. The subconscious mind can process millions of thoughts at the same time. There won’t be time to consciously think about how to move, communicate, use cover while shooting accurately plus reloading or clearing a malfunction if needed. These skills must be learned to the point that once you make a conscious decision to act the subconscious takes over, freeing up the conscious mind to assess and make decisions on dealing with the threat.
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Joining the cult of responsibility changes you. You see the world in a completely different way. Having a weapon means going out of your way to avoid confrontations, even verbal exchanges, because you know something like that could escalate into a violent situation, forcing the use of your weapon. Carrying concealed requires you to dress differently in order to cover your weapon yet still have quick access to it. You’re not going around paranoid, expecting that everyone out there is ready to attack, nor looking for a fight. Training and practice does provide the ability to defend yourself and family from a violent attack. Concealed carry provides you with security.
We carry spare tires for our vehicle. Everyone buys insurance for the unexpected. The seat belt is worn not because we think we’ll get into a wreck, but because the possibility exists that when we drive there may be a wreck. The same mindset should be applied to self-defense, and the best tool for the job is a firearm. This weapon allows an eighty-pound woman to defeat a well muscled up and dangerous threat. One man, with a pistol and the proper skills can defend his family from a group of attackers set on violence. Carrying a pistol can be the difference between life and death.
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Concealed carry requires a commitment to seek out training, spend time practicing, and making it a constant part of your life. Carrying only when you think you need to is like trying to predict when you’ll be in a car wreck. We don’t know when or where it will happen, all we can do is take the proper measures to be prepared. Then, when the time comes instead of saying “Oh my gosh I can’t believe this is happening,” you’re the one saying, “I knew this could happen and I’m ready!”
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Tiger McKee is director of Shootrite Firearms Academy, located in northern Alabama. He is the author of “The Book of Two Guns,” a staff member of several firearms/tactical publications, an adjunct instructor for the F.B.I., Staff Writer for THE TACTICAL WIRE and designer of the Shootrite Katana. (256) 582-4777 www.shootrite.org
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