20 Dec 22
“Willingness” is a state of mind. Readiness is a statement of fact!”
David M Shoup, USMC Commandant, 1960-1963
These comments from a good friend and Department Armorer for a rural SO here in CO.
“I’m currently doing year-end inspections of department pistols, rifles, less-lethal, and guns carried off-watch by our officers.
We have a good department here, with good people, but we’re dangerously under-staffed, like virtually every other SO out there.
Out here, community support is actually excellent, and we all appreciate it, but carelessness and complacency are our relentless enemies, and our individual officers when out on patrol are perilously isolated, and they know it!
Examples:
One patrol officer had no round chambered in her duty pistol when she reported for inspection. Magazine was fully-charged, but no round chambered! Embarrassed, she said that she had been interrupted during her morning routine and never completed the loading process.
Another patrol deputy showed-up for inspection, also with his duty pistol’s chamber empty. He sheepishly explained that he ‘forgot’ to reload upon departing our range facility where he had been doing dry-practice exercises. As it turns out, that was four days previous!
A third patrol deputy showed-up for inspection with two empty magazines in his belt-carrier. He said he put them there in that condition ‘temporarily,’ and then forgot about them! How long ago? He could not recall!
To be fair, the vast majority of our deputies are sharp, with all their equipment in the correct condition, and in good repair.
It’s the ‘bottom ten-percent’ who always frighten me!”
Comment: Whether you’re an LEO or not, a nonchalant attitude with regard to your emergency, life-saving equipment, also with your personal ‘state of readiness,’ represents a ticket to an early grave!
This world is full of unforeseeable threats, more now than ever before. Personal readiness is something that each of us must take seriously.
Your life depends on it!
DON’T DIE FOR STUPID REASONS!
“There is no such thing as ‘ready.’
There is only ‘now,’ ready or not!”
Hugh Laurie
/John
