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THE MILITARY
Our Armed Forces train primarily in aggressive
offensive tactics, in teams, with battle rifles. Your main purpose for
carrying a firearm is for personal protection and self-defense. This is
not to say we cannot draw important lessons from the military.
Military training instills in the mind a "warrior
spirit." Read Lt. Col. Dave Grossman's book "On
Combat" and decide for yourself whether possessing this spirit
is an asset or a liability. If you don't have time to read the book,
then read the author's essay on
sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs.
THE POLICE AND CIVILIANS
Police work under guidelines that have few parallels
to civilian self-defense purposes. Consider: Your first self-defense
tactic is to avoid bad areas, bad people, and bad situations. A cop's duty
requires his presence in dangerous areas. Attired with a uniform, badge,
bulletproof vest, and a well-laden duty belt from which hang a variety of
devices - handgun, handcuffs, baton, pepper spray, stun gun, and radio -
the modern police officer literally goes out looking for trouble on every
shift. Is that what you want to do - look for trouble? We would hope not.
Your second tactic is to escape, if you are able.
When confronted with a hostile aggressor, you should be working on a plan
to get out of there! You have no duty to linger in a dangerous place or
situation. When a police officer confronts an aggressor, however, he or
she cannot turn and run home. They can and do seek cover, but their duty
requires that they stay on the scene, call for backup, contain the area,
control the situation, disarm the aggressor, make the arrest, and so on.
Police officers are trained in both offensive and defensive tactics. They
generally work as team, but a solo officer must be able to defend himself,
if attacked. Theirs is definitely a tough, risky job, and we support and
thank them! For your general edification, read this article: "10
Reasons Law Enforcement Officers Are Different."
Here is another difference: A modern American police
force acts as a general, auxiliary deterrent to crime by their visible and
perceived presence. Policemen are not, and cannot act as personal
bodyguards to every citizen. YOU are your own first line of defense
against an attacker. The police show up after an attack or crime has
occurred and
911 has been called. Repeat, AFTER
the crime has occurred.
Attacks are often brief, brutal, and unexpected.
Chances are, you will be on your own with no policeman to help you at that
crucial moment. If you have developed good avoidance and awareness skills
(covered in our CCW class), you will dramatically increase your ability to
stay out of harm's way. Still, an attack may occur. If you have developed
proper mental preparation, speed, and accuracy with a handgun, you will
dramatically increase your ability to prevail over your attacker,
no matter his size.
According to a respected study by
John Lott, Americans use firearms to
defend themselves more than two million times every year. These were
non-police officer instances - just civilians like you and me
defending themselves. Here are some
interesting stories. Again the police
arrived after the crime was reported.
Note: Don't let anyone tell you that the only person
qualified to train you for a civilian CCW class is one who works for (or
once worked for) a law enforcement agency. If you want police-type
training, get yourself to a Police Academy. If you want civilian-oriented
firearms training for yourself or a loved one, call upon the experienced
instructors at A+ Firearms Training.
Remember - you are your own first
line of defense.
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