Using the concept of "Mindset, Skillset, and Toolset, in that order" for framing the discussion, I started a thread on prioritization for home defense. To dispense with the last subject first, I started in reverse priority order, with "toolset".
In discussing self defense outside the home, the toolset is more limited, the skillset requires much more attention, and there is a whole lot more to say about mindset.
Again, we'll start in reverse priority order, with toolset.
Outside the home, we cannot rely on reinforced doors, motion sensors, intercoms, and thorns under the windows, and our firearms are usually limited to handguns.
But there is more to the toolset than weapons.
According to FBI stats, four out of five criminal encounters do not rise to the level of justifying the use of deadly force. Attorney Andrew Branca carries a firearm, but he also carries an OC dispenser.
So do I.
I also carry a cane, by necessity. It can be a valuable part of the defensive toolset.
And a cell-phone, a flashlight, perhaps a knife, in the lethal weapon category....
Which firearm? That will depend a great deal on how well one can use it. About the only thing we can say to the person who has not yet worked on skills is that a smaller firearm is more "carryable", and that a larger one is usually more shootable. Let's wait until we have addressed skillset to talk about the other things.
Other thoughts?
Again, all of these are in the tertiary priority stratum. If one intended to defend oneself from violent attack, one must have the skills to do it.
Using a defensive firearm effectively is not the same as shooing at a target for accuracy. Shooting a firearm while standing in front of a stationary target at a fixed distance is a good thing to be able to do, but it does not equip one to use it effectively for self defense. And good "group size" won't help us much in the gravest extreme.
One must have the skills to draw quickly while moving, to hit targets at varying distances, with a balance of speed and precision.
That speed is a lot higher than most people try at the square range. In a justified defensive use force incident, our attacker is not going to pose for us and act like a target. In the Tueller Drill, we have learned that the average person can close on us at about five meters per second. And from other sources, we learn that in the very short time interval we have, we may have score several good hits, screen fiction aside. That requires fast shooting and combat accuracy--a good balance of speed and precision--but not bullseye groups
Most people acquire a firearm before going into training, but I find that the one they end up carrying will likely depend upon how well they do with it in training.
One can also train in the use of OC, a cane, and hand skills.
It is important to understand that the use of a cane, walking stick, other impact weapon can constitute the use of deadly force. If we intend to employ them as less than lethal weapons, it behooves us to know how to do that and to be able to document that we we possessed that ability before the fact.
I am a strong believer in realistic defensive training. There are several sources for this kind of training, up to and including FoF training.
By training, we mean learning the skills from knowledgeable persons who know how to teach.
None of this is inexpensive, and it may require travel. Remember, however, that the return on that investment can be high--our lives, and the lives of our loved ones.
Competition? I haven't engaged in it, but it shouldn't hurt, unless we become reliant on a buzzer and on the fact that we go into the game planning to shoot. In a real defensive scenario, the need to shoot is sprung on us without much warning--and without a buzzer.
Those skills are perishable, and maintaining them requires practice. By practice, we refer to repetition, to maintain and improve our skills after we have learned them. Not all must involve live fire. One can use dry fire, and practice drawing while moving safely in our own homes.
The skillset should involve more than the skills needed during the incident. We need to know what to do to avoid being mistaken for threats by first responders. We need to know that we should be the first to report it. We need to know what to say and what not to say after the event. That means never talking to the media.
Also, some very basic medical skills can be important. We are probably more likely to use those for reasons other than injuries suffered in a criminal attack.
At the highest priority level is mindset.
In my view, that involves a lot more than being determined and confident in our ability to shoot. Our objective is to avoid shooting.
That starts with the realization that just carrying a firearm cannot make us safe.
It continues with the old "don't go to stupid places with stupid people or do stupid things". "Stupid places" can mean bars, rough neighborhoods, public demonstrations, etc. And if there is a place where you would not want to go without a gun, don't go there.
Where one refuels the car, and at what time of day, can be much more important to self-preservation than carrying a firearm.
There can be a lot more to this part of the discussion. Perhaps some folks would like to expand on it.
Once we have come close to where we are going, and after we are there, there is the all important subject of situational awareness. That encompasses a lot more than glancing around hoping that we will see trouble before it finds us.
Some ideas:
Do not head toward trouble if you can avoid it.
But once we have had some interaction with a stranger that may indicate trouble, it is essential that we avoid escalation.
Apologize. Back away. Do whatever it takes.
Then, and only then, should we resort to anything that may be taken as threatening.
As a framework for all of this, know the law, and if you threaten or use force, deadly or otherwise, to protect yourself or others, be sure that you meet all of the required elements of the legal defense of self defense.
Suggestions?
In discussing self defense outside the home, the toolset is more limited, the skillset requires much more attention, and there is a whole lot more to say about mindset.
Again, we'll start in reverse priority order, with toolset.
Outside the home, we cannot rely on reinforced doors, motion sensors, intercoms, and thorns under the windows, and our firearms are usually limited to handguns.
But there is more to the toolset than weapons.
According to FBI stats, four out of five criminal encounters do not rise to the level of justifying the use of deadly force. Attorney Andrew Branca carries a firearm, but he also carries an OC dispenser.
So do I.
I also carry a cane, by necessity. It can be a valuable part of the defensive toolset.
And a cell-phone, a flashlight, perhaps a knife, in the lethal weapon category....
Which firearm? That will depend a great deal on how well one can use it. About the only thing we can say to the person who has not yet worked on skills is that a smaller firearm is more "carryable", and that a larger one is usually more shootable. Let's wait until we have addressed skillset to talk about the other things.
Other thoughts?
Again, all of these are in the tertiary priority stratum. If one intended to defend oneself from violent attack, one must have the skills to do it.
Using a defensive firearm effectively is not the same as shooing at a target for accuracy. Shooting a firearm while standing in front of a stationary target at a fixed distance is a good thing to be able to do, but it does not equip one to use it effectively for self defense. And good "group size" won't help us much in the gravest extreme.
One must have the skills to draw quickly while moving, to hit targets at varying distances, with a balance of speed and precision.
That speed is a lot higher than most people try at the square range. In a justified defensive use force incident, our attacker is not going to pose for us and act like a target. In the Tueller Drill, we have learned that the average person can close on us at about five meters per second. And from other sources, we learn that in the very short time interval we have, we may have score several good hits, screen fiction aside. That requires fast shooting and combat accuracy--a good balance of speed and precision--but not bullseye groups
Most people acquire a firearm before going into training, but I find that the one they end up carrying will likely depend upon how well they do with it in training.
One can also train in the use of OC, a cane, and hand skills.
It is important to understand that the use of a cane, walking stick, other impact weapon can constitute the use of deadly force. If we intend to employ them as less than lethal weapons, it behooves us to know how to do that and to be able to document that we we possessed that ability before the fact.
I am a strong believer in realistic defensive training. There are several sources for this kind of training, up to and including FoF training.
By training, we mean learning the skills from knowledgeable persons who know how to teach.
None of this is inexpensive, and it may require travel. Remember, however, that the return on that investment can be high--our lives, and the lives of our loved ones.
Competition? I haven't engaged in it, but it shouldn't hurt, unless we become reliant on a buzzer and on the fact that we go into the game planning to shoot. In a real defensive scenario, the need to shoot is sprung on us without much warning--and without a buzzer.
Those skills are perishable, and maintaining them requires practice. By practice, we refer to repetition, to maintain and improve our skills after we have learned them. Not all must involve live fire. One can use dry fire, and practice drawing while moving safely in our own homes.
The skillset should involve more than the skills needed during the incident. We need to know what to do to avoid being mistaken for threats by first responders. We need to know that we should be the first to report it. We need to know what to say and what not to say after the event. That means never talking to the media.
Also, some very basic medical skills can be important. We are probably more likely to use those for reasons other than injuries suffered in a criminal attack.
At the highest priority level is mindset.
In my view, that involves a lot more than being determined and confident in our ability to shoot. Our objective is to avoid shooting.
That starts with the realization that just carrying a firearm cannot make us safe.
It continues with the old "don't go to stupid places with stupid people or do stupid things". "Stupid places" can mean bars, rough neighborhoods, public demonstrations, etc. And if there is a place where you would not want to go without a gun, don't go there.
Where one refuels the car, and at what time of day, can be much more important to self-preservation than carrying a firearm.
There can be a lot more to this part of the discussion. Perhaps some folks would like to expand on it.
Once we have come close to where we are going, and after we are there, there is the all important subject of situational awareness. That encompasses a lot more than glancing around hoping that we will see trouble before it finds us.
Some ideas:
- Take a look around a parking lot before you stop your car; if things do not look right, do not stop there.
- If someone who appears to notice your arrival reaches for a cell-phone, look around for his accomplices, and stay in "condition yellow".
- Avoid parking in remote areas or next to vehicles that may conceal violent criminal actors; look for feet under cars.
- Keep your head on a swivel at all times, and particularly as you get into or out of your car.
- Get in and get going.
- Avoid walking close to the openings of alleys or close to the corners of buildings.
- Stay off the cell phone, and do not text while walking.
- Keep the ear buds out of your ears.
- When you are using an ATM or fueling or loading your car, do not let your concentration cause you to lose awareness of what is going on in your surroundings.
- If you are approaching or are approached by suspicious looking people, cross the street or head into a building; if they continue toward you, beware.
- If someone you do not know approaches you for some reason, keep your eyes on his hands, and stay alert for "the other guy."
- If you have to sit in your car to wait for someone, lock the doors and stay very observant.
- If you are in a store and someone looks suspicious, look out for the other guy, too--the guy who is watching people, and who does not appear to be shopping
- If someone seems to be following you in your car, do not head home.
- If something seems amiss when you get home, don't go inside.
Do not head toward trouble if you can avoid it.
But once we have had some interaction with a stranger that may indicate trouble, it is essential that we avoid escalation.
Apologize. Back away. Do whatever it takes.
Then, and only then, should we resort to anything that may be taken as threatening.
As a framework for all of this, know the law, and if you threaten or use force, deadly or otherwise, to protect yourself or others, be sure that you meet all of the required elements of the legal defense of self defense.
Suggestions?
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