One thing I’ve noticed in life is that, in most cases, people are much more like to escalate a situation than to deescalate it. Two people are arguing…no one says, “Whoa…let’s dial this back, step apart for a few minutes, then come back and hash this out calmly and rationally.” No, they just keep yelling louder and louder…interrupting each other, talking over each other. Well, when you are a gun owner…you have the ability to immediately escalate any situation from verbal arguments, or suspicion of wrong doing, to violent action.
Here is an example. You live in a secluded area, and one night you hear a strange noise. Upon going outside you notice three men looking into your car with flashlights. You grab your 12 gauge from just inside the door, rack the pump (secretly and foolishly hoping the sound will scare them off), they look up and see you. What you have just done is take a situation that you didn’t fully understand, and escalate it to a violent encounter, and you are in the wrong. If those three men are all carrying legally owned firearms and a gun battle ensues…let’s say you take out one of them cold, wound another, but the third wounds you. When you go to court those survivors could claim (regardless of whether or not it is the truth) that they noticed a suspicious man near your car. They drove him off, and were using their lights to make sure he hadn’t stolen anything. Suddenly, a crazy person (you) threatened their lives with a shotgun, so they drew their weapons and returned fire. Congratulations…you are now a ward of the state, and a drain on my tax dollars. Now this might seem like a crazy example, but I think it proves my point. Producing a firearm into a situation is the ultimate escalation. You are taking any situation and introducing lethal force to it.
As a gun owner, and especially as a concealed carrier, it is your responsibility to deescalate any situation to the best of your abilities. You possess the power of life in death, and can wield it with the squeeze of one finger. This is a grave responsibility, and not one to be taken lightly. I don’t want to scare anyone away from concealed carry, or firearms ownership. I just want you to look at yourself and ask some crucial questions. Am I capable of controlling my emotions? Will I get angry, upset, frustrated, jealous, and not be able to control my actions? If you are the kind of person that hurls your remote at your thousand dollar tv when the home team blows a huge lead to lose an important game…maybe you should think about what you would have done if there had been a gun sitting next to you. To borrow a phrase…carrying a gun is a lifestyle…once you adopt this lifestyle it becomes something that you have to build your life around. I’ll be honest…if there is one place I probably shouldn’t carry a gun, it is when I’m driving in urban traffic, because I get extremely frustrated with other drivers, but luckily I have done a lot of serious introspective inquiry and have found the strength and self-control to control myself.
Remember that a firearm in the hands of a civilian is a weapon of defense, not offense. Soldiers in a combat environment can be proactive, and strike enemies without warning. A civilian must only use violent action when threatened with violent action, or when defending someone else from violent action. Now, I’m not saying that you should wait until someone shoots at you to use a gun in defense, but let’s go back to our previous example. If you simply stood in the doorway and yelled at the three men looking into your car, “Hey, I called the cops and they are on their way.” they likely would have run off. If, by chance, they drew weapons you would be totally justified in producing your shotgun and opening fire (hopefully while properly utilizing cover and movement to avoid becoming a quick casualty.)
By way of a personal example, I like to sit facing the door when I’m eating in a restaurant, or, if not directly facing the door, then at least at a right angle so I can watch it with my peripheral vision. If someone walks in (a suspicious looking man in a cut off tshirt and ripped jeans, wearing boots, and rocking some tattoos), and I can tell he’s carrying a gun…I probably shouldn’t jump to conclusions and draw my firearm…several reasons. One, well…that’s generally the kind of clothes I wear when I’m not doing anything important on a day off, or if I’m working outside. Two, I have tattoos. Three, I carry a gun everywhere I go. So essentially, I just drew a gun on myself. This leads me to four…if someone pulled a gun on me when I walked into a restaurant, my instinct is going to be to draw my firearm and put rounds on target to neutralize the threat.
Guys, I know this has been a long article for a seemingly common sense topic, but when I talk to people they don’t seem to get these things. So, I would rather beat the dead horse than see someone get in trouble because they needlessly escalated a situation by introducing a firearm into it. I hope you’ll think about this, guys.
Montani Semper Liberi
Mountaineers Are Always Free! 