I now carry a pocket pistol instead of a side arm. My reasons are simple:
-I should be able to get out of any bad situation with 12 rounds (including a magazine exchange).
-I can carry without dressing like I’m carrying
-I can carry and no one knows, and thus less likely to try and separate me from my weapon
-A well placed shot from a 380 is just as lethal as any other round.
I too have moved to a pocket pistol.
This is a very important post. I have felt the same things for quite a long time. We see it all the time, where an advertisement for
Gunsite, or Thunder Ranch is showing how they are training
people to do tactical room clearing, or entry’s into a house, with several people carrying AR’s lined up, and touching each others back. The problem is, while that is fine if you have the money to spend on a class like that, the real world usefulness of that type of training is lost except on a very few people, who are perhaps SWAT team members, or other armed professionals.
For the amateur like myself, who only carries for one reason, to protect myself and my loved ones, my time and money is better spent on the learning how to move while engaging an active shooter, or even better, how to recognize a threat and how to determine if you should draw your weapon, or wait until the threat is in your direction. Such as if you are in a small corner market and a thief comes in with a gun, and you are back in the other section of the store, what do you do? That kind of problem solving, at least to my way of thinking, would be much more useful than the active shooter houses, with the simulations type guns, and all.
I am not saying that there is no room for such training, or that it might not even be a lot of fun, I am only saying that help us to walk, and walk effectively, before you let us try to learn to run.
Anyway, very good post. I hope that you continue to build on this, as I want to see where you take it. Thanks.
Looks as if we wrestle with the same conundrums. You laid out the most morally and logically challenging of these when you said:
‘you are in a small corner market and a thief comes in with a gun, and you are back in the other section of the store, what do you do?’
This is where logic and morals come into conflict. Logically the question is: ‘Do I risk my life to protect those that who choose not to arm themselves?’ A moral question might be ‘do I have a duty to protect those that cannot protect themselves?
We each have to answer these questions for ourselves and, by the way, live or die with the consequences of our decision. If, morally, you are compelled (choose to be prepared to) protect the general public then a pocket pistol may not suit your needs.
” tactical room clearing, or entry’s into a house, with several people carrying AR’s lined up, and touching each others back. ”
Exactly. A subject near and dear. If a similar topic gets teed up I have a lot to offer in the way of opinions and training. But you know what they say about opinions.
Irish sent me.
I’m in the gun business, but by no means qualified to be a trainer. I’ve been carrying since Christ was a kid.
I have pretty big hands. I can’t shoot those micro pistols. But I wouldn’t bang on anybody for carrying one. You need to have confidence in what you carry.
A great video, but I do think he missed an important point. Our potential threats have changed dramatically over the last decade. A Micro Pistol won’t get the job done when ISIS shoots up your local mall. Try wearing a MAGA hat through Seattle. Dangerous times for conservatives.
“Dangerous times for conservatives.” You’ve got that right Brad. Even though we all live in different environments, travel in different geographies and experience varied social circumstances, there is one constant: conservatives have become a target.
To counter, or as a minimum prepare for, potential severe events, we could each create a personal ‘risk matrix’ . Make a list potential negative events, determine the probability of occurrence and the consequence should the event occur.
For each identified risk we develop a means to handle it. Obviously any event that has a high probability of occurring and severe consequence should be addressed first.
Normally, a concealed carry will mitigate a large number of our personal risks, but not all. Your personal risk matrix will drive what your carry is.
Other risks may be managed by avoidance, some by structuring our environment. Some risks we just have to accept.
Not all risks can be managed, but all risks should be monitored !
Thanks Brad