I speak as a son of a military officer, a former soldier, a concealed carry license holder, and an avid reader of many security publications. My intention is to increase the security and safety of every person through proper education on the topic of lethal force which is typically grossly neglected and frequently discussed inappropriately. Please understand that I frequently reference Texas laws, and that you will simply needed to substitute the training for your state's concealed carry laws, as appropriate. The underlying concepts are universally: make people feel good to keep people rational and friendly, but be ready to answer force with force, and lethal force with lethal force, as necessary.
According to our second amendment, every citizen has the federal right to own a firearm; though most of the people I have ever known seem unprepared to safely exercise this right. The states, cities, and private sector are all free to regulate that right as they wish according to their respective jurisdictions. Ultimately, citizens themselves must understand the consequences of the decision to own or carry a firearm (or not). Those who advocate the 2nd, that all citizens should exercise this right, should keep in mind that most people lack the self-control to make rational choices with a firearm on their person. Conversely, the fear of guns ultimately leaves people unprepared and paralyzed in their moments of distress. For those who are unprepared to exercise the right to bear arms, I encourage you to prepare for the responsibility of handgun ownership as a long-term goal.
Additionally, I would like to cover "gun-free" zones. According to the law, unlicensed citizens may not park their vehicle in a school parking lot with a handgun or other firearm in it. Concealed handgun licensed owners may park, but may not carry on a school campus. Concealed carry is not authorized in churches or at sporting events or school events, where people tend to engage in heated and emotional topics and activities. I advocate a re-examination of our laws on these "gun-free" zones, because criminals and "crazies" do not respect these laws.
Put simply, any handgun is lethal and most handguns can easily kill on the first shot. Also, display of a handgun, and even talk about handguns (even in this blog) can cause a disturbance of the public peace, and anger people quickly. The gravity of those facts sets the tone for the responsibility of owning and carrying a firearm. The moment you touch a functional firearm, you accept the possibility that you may have to take a person's life, and if that happens, you must hope that you can sleep every night thereafter knowing that you did everything you could to minimize the risk to everyone, including the assailant. Until you understand the full value of human life and the weight of the power to end it, you should probably avoid owning and carrying a firearm. It is better to live at the mercy of other lethally violent people than take lives which could have been saved, so limit your self-defense to carrying mace or other non-lethal weapons.
There is only one valid place to aim and that is the center of the body (to hit the right target and no bystanders). There is no defense against shooting an innocent bystander so you cannot miss. Warning shots or merely "flashing" the weapon both draw attention to the fact that you are carrying and quickly reduce your odds of survival. They also rely on the use of fear to gain compliance, which breaks down when the bluff is called and no justification exists for using the firearm. Such behavior also creates public panic and increases the chances of police shooting you. When the handgun comes out, you must be able to communicate that you fear for your life or for another's life and the target must soon drop; fire until the threat disappears. Otherwise, you are needlessly escalating the situation and increasing the risk to everyone around. Contrary to popular opinion, the 9mm is as lethal as the .45 (esp. when using hollow point, given no armor), and both will "stop" a person just as quickly. Being much larger diameter and much less massive, the 9mm will not penetrate walls as easily as a .45 (or most others), esp. with the hollow point round, and may be considered safer for indoor defense.
Anyone who assumes control of a lethal weapon must be sure to have great self-control and calming power, regardless of the situation. You must be able to effectively de-escalate situations, so that even if a person is trying to get you furious, you are still calm, rational, and trying to calm them down too. The goal is to avoid conflicts which could quickly escalate to a life of regret for an avoidable loss. If you have to ever shoot someone (may you never need to), you must already be at peace and accept the fact that everyone will look at you very differently for having done so, no matter how justified you were and how well you worked to avoid having to take that crucial action. Consider your history to determine if you have the self-control, peace, and discipline to handle the responsibilities connected with a firearm: 1) Have I lost control of my anger or harmed another individual, even by accident? 2) Do I blame my anger on others or allow others to "make me angry?" 3) Do I live in paralyzing or excessive fear, depression, or anxiety? [clear, rational thought is essential during critical times of conflict], 4) Have I ever gained at someone else's expense? [It is NOT okay to hurt someone just to "get your way," or because "you are right."], 5) Can I effectively calm those who do have the issues mentioned above? The goal is to reduce the need to use a handgun as much as possible. Fortunately, my conflict resolution and de-escalation skills have avoided the need to use lethal force and left me with clear conscience that I am effectively increasing both public security and public peace, and hold no/little responsibility for conflicts.
Ironically, as tough as it is to prepare for carrying a firearm, the choice to NOT carry is even tougher. If you do not carry, you exist in a state where, at any time, an armed criminal may bring great suffering and death upon you and your loved ones. Can you live with yourself with peace of mind and conscience knowing that you chose to allow that great evil to happen? Even after securing peace with allowing evil upon yourself and loved ones, you must also find peace with the effects of that evil upon everyone else; the good left undone, and the sorrow for the losses. Case in point: The recent Arizona shootings may have easily been mitigated if people were concealed carry license holders and were armed. It would have only taken one armed CHL citizen in the area a couple of seconds to identify the shooter and stop the madness. Since every person in the area chose to NOT carry, they effectively also chose to allow all the suffering and death which we have today from that grievious tragedy: they are partly to blame (responsible) for not stopping the evil much sooner.
My experience is that most people have trouble accepting ownership and control of their own anger and fear, let alone the issues of others, and would not at all be at peace with allowing either their loved ones or themselves to be at the mercy of any lethally armed criminal. This leaves them in a limbo state where they cannot chose to either accept or forsake a firearm. My advice to the people who unprepared to carry a handgun is that they should not even own a firearm until they are prepared to use it responsibly. It probably goes without saying that most children are far too immature to carry and that most parents are unable to teach their children sufficient discipline and ethics to do so safely. They have a hard enough time following their teacher's directions, not cheating on tests, obeying their parents, and so forth. Criminals most certainly lack the patience and discipline to responsibly carry and are like children in many respects, selfishly hurting others for their own gain without a second thought about it.
The conditions for taking a life are serious and require the imminent, unavoidable threat to life. It goes without saying that we must do all in our power to prevent this threat from emerging by calming everyone down right NOW. I will emphasize that we need calming peace for EVERYONE beginning RIGHT NOW with all diligence for the rest of our days. But if a person displays a handgun, club, blade, incapacitating chemical, or fighting skills and physical strength sufficient to make you fear for your life or the lives of others, you should utilize a handgun against that person in self-defense, if there are no other effective options available. I advise you to consider non-lethal or even diplomatic means of removing the threat so long as it does not risk anyone's life while at the same time holding potential for being effective.
Though the law currently forbids handguns in most school, I believe that they should be allowed by the law for those who are above 21 years of age and holding a Concealed Handgun License (CHL); many students agree: http://www.concealedcampus.org/. Teachers or students who get frustrated, anxious, or depressed to debilitating levels should not exercise this right. Why should we disarm the good guys, when you can count on criminals and crazies carrying firearms, even on campus. Concealed carry counters the threat of one wacko committing a massacre. In sympathy of the teacher's stress levels, when teachers have to both teach and discipline, both their health and their rational powers quickly dissolve. This introduces the need to separate discipline from teaching, and I would also advocate separating grading from both as well because grades are a source of great stress for both students and teachers. Holding the teacher accountable for the grades of the students is like holding the President accountable for the state of the economy. Both have some influence, but the students, like the economy, are ultimately responsible for making their own decisions. In conclusion, I advise the stable individual to carry concealed with license in order to counter evil, while always looking for problems in order to diffuse them at their earliest stages so as to minimize conflict by engaging peacefully.
According to our second amendment, every citizen has the federal right to own a firearm; though most of the people I have ever known seem unprepared to safely exercise this right. The states, cities, and private sector are all free to regulate that right as they wish according to their respective jurisdictions. Ultimately, citizens themselves must understand the consequences of the decision to own or carry a firearm (or not). Those who advocate the 2nd, that all citizens should exercise this right, should keep in mind that most people lack the self-control to make rational choices with a firearm on their person. Conversely, the fear of guns ultimately leaves people unprepared and paralyzed in their moments of distress. For those who are unprepared to exercise the right to bear arms, I encourage you to prepare for the responsibility of handgun ownership as a long-term goal.
Additionally, I would like to cover "gun-free" zones. According to the law, unlicensed citizens may not park their vehicle in a school parking lot with a handgun or other firearm in it. Concealed handgun licensed owners may park, but may not carry on a school campus. Concealed carry is not authorized in churches or at sporting events or school events, where people tend to engage in heated and emotional topics and activities. I advocate a re-examination of our laws on these "gun-free" zones, because criminals and "crazies" do not respect these laws.
Put simply, any handgun is lethal and most handguns can easily kill on the first shot. Also, display of a handgun, and even talk about handguns (even in this blog) can cause a disturbance of the public peace, and anger people quickly. The gravity of those facts sets the tone for the responsibility of owning and carrying a firearm. The moment you touch a functional firearm, you accept the possibility that you may have to take a person's life, and if that happens, you must hope that you can sleep every night thereafter knowing that you did everything you could to minimize the risk to everyone, including the assailant. Until you understand the full value of human life and the weight of the power to end it, you should probably avoid owning and carrying a firearm. It is better to live at the mercy of other lethally violent people than take lives which could have been saved, so limit your self-defense to carrying mace or other non-lethal weapons.
There is only one valid place to aim and that is the center of the body (to hit the right target and no bystanders). There is no defense against shooting an innocent bystander so you cannot miss. Warning shots or merely "flashing" the weapon both draw attention to the fact that you are carrying and quickly reduce your odds of survival. They also rely on the use of fear to gain compliance, which breaks down when the bluff is called and no justification exists for using the firearm. Such behavior also creates public panic and increases the chances of police shooting you. When the handgun comes out, you must be able to communicate that you fear for your life or for another's life and the target must soon drop; fire until the threat disappears. Otherwise, you are needlessly escalating the situation and increasing the risk to everyone around. Contrary to popular opinion, the 9mm is as lethal as the .45 (esp. when using hollow point, given no armor), and both will "stop" a person just as quickly. Being much larger diameter and much less massive, the 9mm will not penetrate walls as easily as a .45 (or most others), esp. with the hollow point round, and may be considered safer for indoor defense.
Anyone who assumes control of a lethal weapon must be sure to have great self-control and calming power, regardless of the situation. You must be able to effectively de-escalate situations, so that even if a person is trying to get you furious, you are still calm, rational, and trying to calm them down too. The goal is to avoid conflicts which could quickly escalate to a life of regret for an avoidable loss. If you have to ever shoot someone (may you never need to), you must already be at peace and accept the fact that everyone will look at you very differently for having done so, no matter how justified you were and how well you worked to avoid having to take that crucial action. Consider your history to determine if you have the self-control, peace, and discipline to handle the responsibilities connected with a firearm: 1) Have I lost control of my anger or harmed another individual, even by accident? 2) Do I blame my anger on others or allow others to "make me angry?" 3) Do I live in paralyzing or excessive fear, depression, or anxiety? [clear, rational thought is essential during critical times of conflict], 4) Have I ever gained at someone else's expense? [It is NOT okay to hurt someone just to "get your way," or because "you are right."], 5) Can I effectively calm those who do have the issues mentioned above? The goal is to reduce the need to use a handgun as much as possible. Fortunately, my conflict resolution and de-escalation skills have avoided the need to use lethal force and left me with clear conscience that I am effectively increasing both public security and public peace, and hold no/little responsibility for conflicts.
Ironically, as tough as it is to prepare for carrying a firearm, the choice to NOT carry is even tougher. If you do not carry, you exist in a state where, at any time, an armed criminal may bring great suffering and death upon you and your loved ones. Can you live with yourself with peace of mind and conscience knowing that you chose to allow that great evil to happen? Even after securing peace with allowing evil upon yourself and loved ones, you must also find peace with the effects of that evil upon everyone else; the good left undone, and the sorrow for the losses. Case in point: The recent Arizona shootings may have easily been mitigated if people were concealed carry license holders and were armed. It would have only taken one armed CHL citizen in the area a couple of seconds to identify the shooter and stop the madness. Since every person in the area chose to NOT carry, they effectively also chose to allow all the suffering and death which we have today from that grievious tragedy: they are partly to blame (responsible) for not stopping the evil much sooner.
My experience is that most people have trouble accepting ownership and control of their own anger and fear, let alone the issues of others, and would not at all be at peace with allowing either their loved ones or themselves to be at the mercy of any lethally armed criminal. This leaves them in a limbo state where they cannot chose to either accept or forsake a firearm. My advice to the people who unprepared to carry a handgun is that they should not even own a firearm until they are prepared to use it responsibly. It probably goes without saying that most children are far too immature to carry and that most parents are unable to teach their children sufficient discipline and ethics to do so safely. They have a hard enough time following their teacher's directions, not cheating on tests, obeying their parents, and so forth. Criminals most certainly lack the patience and discipline to responsibly carry and are like children in many respects, selfishly hurting others for their own gain without a second thought about it.
The conditions for taking a life are serious and require the imminent, unavoidable threat to life. It goes without saying that we must do all in our power to prevent this threat from emerging by calming everyone down right NOW. I will emphasize that we need calming peace for EVERYONE beginning RIGHT NOW with all diligence for the rest of our days. But if a person displays a handgun, club, blade, incapacitating chemical, or fighting skills and physical strength sufficient to make you fear for your life or the lives of others, you should utilize a handgun against that person in self-defense, if there are no other effective options available. I advise you to consider non-lethal or even diplomatic means of removing the threat so long as it does not risk anyone's life while at the same time holding potential for being effective.
Though the law currently forbids handguns in most school, I believe that they should be allowed by the law for those who are above 21 years of age and holding a Concealed Handgun License (CHL); many students agree: http://www.concealedcampus.org/. Teachers or students who get frustrated, anxious, or depressed to debilitating levels should not exercise this right. Why should we disarm the good guys, when you can count on criminals and crazies carrying firearms, even on campus. Concealed carry counters the threat of one wacko committing a massacre. In sympathy of the teacher's stress levels, when teachers have to both teach and discipline, both their health and their rational powers quickly dissolve. This introduces the need to separate discipline from teaching, and I would also advocate separating grading from both as well because grades are a source of great stress for both students and teachers. Holding the teacher accountable for the grades of the students is like holding the President accountable for the state of the economy. Both have some influence, but the students, like the economy, are ultimately responsible for making their own decisions. In conclusion, I advise the stable individual to carry concealed with license in order to counter evil, while always looking for problems in order to diffuse them at their earliest stages so as to minimize conflict by engaging peacefully.
