13 Nov 15

Incident in TN:

“… and when I am through, you think my advice is not good. Then, go out into the world and pay with thy blood. Heed not my words of warning. Remember not what I say. Pay dearly for thy ‘first-hand wisdom,’ as you cast away my advice!”

Samurai Axiom

On Monday, a woman loading groceries into her car in a Murfreesboro, TN shopping center parking lot was approached by a man who asked her for a light for his cigarette.

The woman responded by producing a pistol and pointing it at him. He ran away immediately and called 911, saying he had been threatened by a person with a gun.

When police arrived, they were told by the woman that the man who approached her represented an immediate and dangerous threat . However, investigators concluded that physical evidence, combined with witness statements, did not support that contention. Her fear may have been “real,” but it was not “reasonable.”

She was subsequently arrested at the scene and now faces charges of unjustified brandishing, recklessness, etc. It will be a painful and expensive experience, no matter the outcome!

The pistol she was carrying was legally owned, and she had a valid state CCW permit.

Comment:

In most states, CCW permits are not hard to get. Some states require “training,” but it is usually less than minimal. So, many essentially untrained people carry guns these days, ostensibly for self-defense. More join them every day, as our violent crime problem, after decades of decline, is now back on a rapid rise. Many (unlicensed) criminals carry too, and are also mostly untrained!

The vast majority of licensed gun-carriers are not serious students of our Art, don’t carry on any kind of regular basis, have scant exposure to tenants of legitimate self-defense, and have no idea of what to expect from, nor how to deal with, our criminal/justice system. Most “training” to which they have been exposed is watching cop-show rubbish on TV!

It is not enough to “just be a good person.” The fact that you’re a “good person” doesn’t automatically make you a competent driver either.

When you go armed, you must be adequately trained in:

Low-risk lifestyle
Concealment options
Alertness
De-selection
Aggressive disengagement
Verbal skills
Administrative and tactical gun skills
Marksmanship
Internal, external, and terminal ballistics
Tactical movement and use of cover
Minimizing risk-exposure
Our criminal/justice system
Our civil law system
Communicating with police
Protecting your options
Understanding what is in your best interests
et al

It’s not just a matter of knowing “how to run a gun.” There are many other interrelated subjects with which you must be familiar, if you are to be victorious.

Thus, the woman in the above-described incident will pay dearly for her ignorance, naivety, lack of training, and lack of interest.

The time to get adequately trained and equipped is BEFORE this happens!

We can only hope a few “good people” get the hint.

“It is time we steered by the stars, not by the flickering lights of each passing ship.”

Omar Bradley

/John