"Roberts Under the Hat"
Because of my background as a law enforcement officer, People often ask my opinion as to what gun they should buy to carry concealed. This question is asked by both men and women but most commonly it is women that mostly ask. The other question people usually ask me is “If I buy a gun, would you mind helping learn how to shoot it correctly?” My response to that question is always “of course I will!” When confronted with these questions, regardless if it is male or female, young or old, I always respond by asking them a question. “Are you prepared to kill someone?” When I first started asking that question, I anticipated a much different response than what I usually get. Especially from the female shooters. I hear “Well, I am not trying to kill anyone. I just want to scare them away!” By asking this question hundreds of times to people and getting a variety of responses from them. My opinion is of that a large majority of those wishing to carry a concealed weapon do indeed have the same mindset. They only want to scare them off. First off. I am very much pro concealed carry and honestly believe an armed society is a polite one. However, those that do carry these weapons must be of the mindset to be willing to use the weapon they carry. If you are not prepared to draw that weapon, squeeze the trigger and remove someone’s life from their body, then you need to get yourself a Taser or can of pepper spray. If you are not willing to use your gun but still present it to an offender, you have now put yourself at a much greater risk than you were before you pulled your weapon. We have all heard of the fight or flight response. When placed in a high-stress situation your animal instincts kick in to survive, and you have to decide at that second whether to engage in the fight or flee. Well, criminals do that same thing. Their human nature is to survive, just as yours is. More often than not though, criminals commit their crimes without killing anyone. The homicide to assault rate has a very wide margin. A criminal out to commit a crime may have no intentions whatsoever of killing you. But if you pull out a gun, he or she will go into fight or flight mode and do what they have to do to survive. No matter how wrong they are or how right you are. It is the way it is. If you skin that smoke wagon of yours and you are not prepared to use it, they very well may now skin theirs and be willing to use it. They may well sense that you are not willing to use your weapon. Then they may attack you with the intention of taking it away from you, so that they can use it on you now as a means for them to survive. Nine times out of 10, the offender may scream and scurry away at the sight of the gun. But then, that tenth time might just be the time a violator with no intentions of killing, sees your gun as a paper weight in your hands and decides to call your bluff. A gun is a deadly force option. If you are not prepared to use deadly force. Then you need to get yourself a nonlethal option. Gun fighting is not for everyone, but for those of us who wear the title proudly, we know that the mind is the most important aspect of any gun battle. So, if you already carry, are looking to carry, or have even thought about carrying, ask this question to yourself or your friend. Before you go and buy a gun, are you prepared to use it in defense of yourself or someone else? Are you prepared to pull the trigger and render a human being lifeless? If there is any question or hesitation, or if your answer is an outright no, then hang up your gun and tell them not to buy one. Go buy a Taser or stun gun instead. For those that have made the decisions to carry and strap on the tools of freedom every day; I commend your sheepdog. For you have taken on a great responsibility protecting yourself and the flock. Train hard, train real, train safe
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Robert HecklerFormer US Army infantryman and combat veteran. worked in law enforcement as a patrol supervisor, instructor, and SWAT operator. Holds a BS in criminal justice management and currently working towards his masters Archives
August 2015
Categories |