We founded our company with some very basic principles: That if you are going to have a gun, you need to be able to use it safely! You need to know when and where you can use it, if you have to use it. And most of all you need to respect it, because it is a deadly weapon! In the hands of an untrained person, it becomes more deadly due to accidents. In the hands of a trained person, it can become a lifesaving tool.
The average Police response time according to F.B.I. data shows 8 to 20 minutes, before the Police will even arrive. Most recently in the Allen Texas Mall mass shooting could be used as an example. A Police Officer who was working an unrelated call already on scene at the Allen Mall. The suspect first opened fire at 3:34 PM, that first officer did not locate or engage the suspect until 3:40 PM! While we commend his actions certainly very brave, 6 minutes under fire is a long time to wait for help to arrive! Even with his valiant efforts I am sure he regrets not getting there sooner.
Sadly, our world is now a world of “soft targets” anywhere we are in public we also run this very same risk and we tend to do this without concerns. I am not saying we need to be paranoid, but we do need to be more aware of our surroundings, especially when we are in the public. Homeland Security created a series of videos called “Run, Hide, Fight” concerning workplace attacks, but they can be applied anywhere. Carry “Pepper Spray” a “Pocketknife” or a “Firearm” anything is better than nothing!
For those who abdicate removing all “Firearms” many of the recent mass incidents of loss of life did not require the person(s) to use a “Firearm”. Anyone who has undergone any law enforcement or military training will verify that if a person(s) is willing to trade their life for yours, only your own actions of self-defense can stop them, nothing else!
If you are going to own a “Firearm” get some professional training and practice! Just because you have shot a “Firearm” doesn’t mean you can use it well or in a situation of extreme life or death even well. The US Navy Seals have a saying: “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast” meaning that if you practice it becomes second nature. If you are going to own a “Firearm” for self-protection, then practice with it as if it will save your life, because one day it just might! On our challenge coin which we give to our CCW & CCW Renewal students is a saying “I train not to be a hero, but I refuse to be a victim”.