I grew up as a younger kid in the suburbs of Fayetteville, North Carolina. As a caucasian male, and being in the region I was, it wasn't unlikely to face a little bit of tension just looking at the wrong person. It became a habit for me to have a sense of lifestyle that incorporated self defense, situational awareness, and knowing where to and not to go at certain times of the day, and night. What kinds of people looked like what, how gang affiliated dressed, and simply what the local style was.
Some people would say I discriminated and judged. Others would say I paid attention to my surroundings, made observations, and took careful measures to ensure the safety of myself, and those around me. And thats what I did. This is something that has followed me today, something that has become a part of my daily life. To me, you just can not walk through the world, every single day, blindly ignoring the fact that there are people out there that legitimately want to do harm to you.
What people also need to think about is that these people are not the products of distant, massive cities like Chicago, Detroit, New York City, or Las Vegas. They exist all around us, and they are in every city. What is more, is that if you are a provider for a family, you have an obligation to operate against these forces so as to not only keep them from harming those you are responsible for, but preventing the possibility of such a situation occurring. Self Defense is something that everyone should think about, and situational awareness is very much key in how you operate in your day to day lives. It is for me.
This may or may not conflict with others personal views, but there is one thing that you should consider when you are walking out the door. "Okay...Keys, check...Wallet, phone, ID, got my to do list, door is locked..BRAIN." Yeah. Do a brain check before you walk out the door. In fact, do it now.
No seriously, lets do a brain check right this instant. Are you thinking? Are your doors locked? Are the windows? Do you have neighbors you can trust? Is your car lost? What would you do if someone came into the building you are in RIGHT NOW and started shooting, or a fire started, and you have to get out.
Stop. You should have already figured this out, so don't pretend to fool me by doing it while you read this. I already skipped ahead in time to while you are reading this, saw you do it, and then tried to fool me by continuing reading. Nice try though.
Look, the truth is that it can happen to anyone, anywhere. 70 people were killed or wounded not long ago because of something ridiculous that no one anticipated. But what is even more incredible, is that of those 70 people, none of them had a contingency plan. You know what no one had there that the criminal did have? A plan. Know what else? A gun.
Oh boy! Here we go!
Yep. You guessed it. You need to consider it, accept it, and conform. Right now. Figure out your state laws, and just do it. Get a Concealed Handgun License that is. You can complain about how you have young kids, or how its silly to think you need a gun. You can make excuses. You know, while you are at it, wool is a little itchy, why don't you just pull your shirt up over your face? You are already pulling the wool over your own eyes. And its a lousy, shameful, disgusting excuse that you are thinking of this very instant.
I don't mean to make you feel inferior for not wanting to get a concealed handgun and license, but I do hope you know that by not doing so, it is very irresponsible, and a disservice to those around you that you have an obligation to protect.
I was on my way home from the shooting range on Monday with a handgun I had recently acquired, and I had just practiced several drills. The targets I was shooting at were rigged to an electric system, and you punch in the numerical quantity of feet away from you desired, and hit enter. The target will then go out to that distance on a pulley system. I set it for 25 feet away. Then set it to zero, and practiced putting three well placed shots center mass into the target as it rushed towards me from 25 feet away.
WAIT! Before you call me paranoid, get this. I burned through 150 rounds of ammunition and decided to head home. And on the way, my internet station was interrupted. While listening to the radio I heard about a Police Officer down in College Station, Texas. Well, thats precisely where I was -- Moving into my apartment as I prepare for my next semester.
Moments later, my phone blew up with calls from family as they tried to make sure I was ok. The shooting was one street over from my usual path that I take to go to lunch, or for anything in town. It was one street over from where I go to church.
You can keep telling yourself it is a ridiculous thought. You can pretend that you have gone your entire life without needing it, but the point is completely different. The point is, you will only need it once. And when that one time comes, you aren't going to get any options, you can't talk someone out of something when you are looking down the barrel of a gun. It is up to you to take responsibility for YOUR safety. NOT the police. You vote don't you? You speak your mind? You go to the church your want to, or refuse to go at all, because you CAN! These are your rights. You exercise all of these rights everyday except one, the most important right at all.
Yes it is. Don't say its not. It is irrefutably the one right you have that can protect all the others. Use it, or you may lose them all quicker than you think. Its not about being a gun toting conservative. Its about being a responsible citizen. Learn the laws, follow them, and protect those around you.
No comments:
Post a Comment