I shudder every time a madman goes on a killing binge. First, I am overtaken with a profound sadness for the victims and their families. Then like so many of us, I begin counting the days until the pundits roar out of their all knowing alters and begin the assault on the firearm as the reason such carnage happens. As much as I wish it was not true, each of these occurrences weakens our hold on the 2d Amendment, providing another launch pad to scream for additional restrictions on guns by folks who know nothing about armed defense and self preservation in the face of other folks who are no longer rational and slipping into the realm of sociopathic behavior. I am not writing today to discourage the ownership of firearms, instead to bring the reader up to date on the realities of walking out the front door carrying a concealed firearm. Keep this posting, I pray your don’t need the information, but if you do, it will become vital. I have tackled this subject before, however; the issue is evolving and not to the advantage of the armed citizen.
One of America’s greatest authorities on armed encounters was a Marine Corps Colonel by the name of Jeff Cooper. Among his many pearls of wisdom was this thought,
“The purpose of the pistol is to stop a fight that somebody else started, almost always at very short range”.
Folks a handgun is useless in a situation like the shooting in Maine, unless you happen to find yourself suddenly standing directly behind the shooter within a very few feet, having already steeled yourself to place a bullet in the back of his head. It is that simple and leads to the axiom that you need to be a master of avoidance. Along these same lines it helps exponentially if you understand the concept of de-escalation and have a basic understanding of social dynamics and body language. These are critical skills in the police profession but can be learned by the armed citizen as well.
I am a reader of the “American Rifleman” a periodical published by the NRA. They devote a section of this magazine to anecdotal incidents where armed citizens prevail in confrontations. I have noticed that an increasing number of these descriptions end with a sentence stating the armed citizen is not expected to be charged in the incident. Why is this? Because when you shoot someone, even in the cleanest of circumstances, your actions are going to be reviewed by law enforcement and today’s charging attorneys with an eye to your culpability, even if it appears you have none.
In today’s environment , if you shoot someone, you need to zip your lip and immediately contact a good defense attorney. Do not pontificate, not to the 911 operator, not to the police, not to your family member in the presence of the officers and others. I repeat, you must make the second call, after notifying law enforcement of the event, to an attorney. You MUST resist the urge to prattle on, to the police, to EMS, to 911 folks, to anyone until after you are under the influence of a good attorney. Remember, someone has been shot and you have a gun. Do not be a party to your own lynching by running your mouth like a clatter-bone in a goose’s neck. Until you are cleared by charging authorities you are a suspect.
Carry responsibly, never openly. Carry a reasonable firearm, not a flashy “big Iron”. Document your training and range time and never consume alcohol when carrying.
Finally, to those just entering the world of armed self protection I offer another thought from Col. Cooper,
“Owning a handgun doesn’t make you armed any more than owning a guitar makes you a musician”
Carrying today is a complex business that extends far beyond a box of ammo on the local range and a comfortable holster. Believe it……
Have a great week,
SR
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