Thank you for allowing me to join the discussion. I'm not a social media user, but this seems more like online training. I was a tech in the service on Titan II missile systems (that was a pretty big gun!!) and targeted Minuteman IIIC's. The only reason I bring this up, is because I was in the Dakotas during the Native American protests of the early 1970s. Because we were uniformed, we were easily identified as part of the federal intrusion on native soil, so that every once in a while, some hotheaded protestor would take a potshot in our direction. Therefore we were issued .38 service revolvers, trained and certified, in an effort to protect those of us who frequented the remote frontier of the Dakotas. We were however under very specific orders. Even when fired upon we were never to return fire unless our lives were in imminent danger. We were told to find shelter, sit and wait for security forces to arrive, and that they, as the authority in such matters, would handle the situation.
Thus, the rules and laws concerning concealed carry and engagement, make sense to me. Keep yourself and yours safe until authorities arrive to handle the situation. Don't kill indiscriminately, but fire back only if your life or those of your loved ones are in imminent peril.
However, that being said, my wife and I are new to the world of guns and concealed carry. We have only recently purchased handguns for both carry and home defense. Though our motives were serious and proactive, we have found that we enjoy the experience of the range and our guns. Shooting is almost meditative, even zen-like. I find I must remain fully self-conscious with every movement and breath. The awkward tensile stance, the long slow trigger pull, the smooth quiet exhale, the sharp focus on the front sight, the diminishment of the target in a fuzzy myopic haze, the patience and fearful respect for the weapon, all confound our natural inclinations and yet conform to a new self conscious reality.
Then there are the "gun people," who like all segments of a community, run the gamut from dull to exhilarating, slow to brilliant, quiet to chatty, anonymous to legendary. And we find that we like them and like being around them. There exist among all of them, a refreshing sobriety which I like, and can only be found among those whose worldview is indeed sobering.
As a former field engineer, I also know that the best training is in the morning chitchat sessions among colleagues and peers. This is where one learns of new issues to be addressed, the latest changes, the cutting edges of the technologies, the current concerns. Thus it is that I join your discussion THR, and again thank you for allowing me to do so.
