^Ideally. If you were interested in a firearm, I would recommend that you take a brief or deep course on operating a firearm.
Unfortunately. In America, one can buy a firearm, and bullets, without ever even having picked one up.
Firearms are extremely dangerous.
Basic understanding of simply how to know if the weapon is loaded, or not is important if you don’t want to accidentally fire the weapon.
Owning a firearm, is a huge responsibility, and requires some very important safety habits from the beginning.
You can NEVER be too safe.
You need to build respect for firearms safety, over anything else.
Go to a local pistol range. I guarantee that they have beginner courses. Some cater specifically to females.
IF one has not done a thorough self-analysis about the ethics, and how you would feel after KILLING someone.
If you haven’t done that mental homework, you will hesitate if you ever (God forbid) have to use a firearm to defend your life.
If you aren’t that person, that’s perfectly okay. There are alternatives, to firearms.
But. If you aren’t willing to kill someone, there is little reason for even owning a firearm.
When I bounced, I could have worn body armor, and a sidearm. But, it was up to my discretion.
I only kept a metal stool by the entrance, that looked normal to everyone, but to me it was what I used to deal with people with knives.
EVERYONE who worked for/with me, has had to “go get my chair!”
I went through several training classes, courses, and certifications about firearms, and using them as a LEO.
I have been slashed/stabbed, several times, but I was always able to disarm people with my hands, or nearby metal objects.
I almost got into a fight with a guy I met in an alley, in Scottsdale AZ. He was drunk, and msd about something. I spoke to him, for a while, and I gave him one of the beers I had just bought. He was from Bosnia, and was extremely interesting to speak with.
It was about 3AM, and I just saw him walking to get beer.
After a fascinating read, he started getting closer, and closer, and his eyes had bad intentions.
He was upset about his daughter dating a (I’ll say) “minority.” I was explaining that in America, we don’t sweat those things. We just want good people, for our children.
He took great offense to this concept.
While we were talking I was walking him slowly over to a big pile of cactus looking things.
They looked menacing.
He was sizing me up, and his body language kept telling me he was about to swing on me, or hit me with his beer bottle.
While he was sizing me up, I worked his feet. It was apparent he understood some form of martial art. He moved well, but I steered him to where his back was to the cactus thing. At that point, I was 90% sure, that I was about to push this drunk bigot into cactus. I noted, in my mind, this will be a first, using cactus for defense.
Luckily. I eventually talked him down, and bribed him with another beer and cigarette.
I LOVE, that I ended the situation with no violence. But. Pushing him into that plant, would have badly injured him.
But. He worked his way into that situation.
At that time, if he died from me not letting him sucker punch me, I didn’t care. I was just meeting his intensity. His eyes told me he was going to try and kill me…
It’s not like that would have ended it. I would have been pelting him with our beer bottles while he struggled in the cactus.
I have had countless such encounters. I realized long ago, I’m surrounded by weapons.
Corner of a bar, is a weapon.
The floor.
Firearms, I would say, make the act of killing someone, likely easier. In practice, but not reality. Hunters will tell you about “Buck Fever.”
Or. A lack of better way to explain how many people hesitate, or cannot pull the trigger on a live animal. Usually it happens on someone’s first hunt.
Then.
Perhaps this is very relevant to this thread.
After someone KILLS, it crosses a mental line.
I do not believe humans naturally enjoy killing.
In many tribal beliefs, taking the life of an animal, even for sustenance, is a BIG deal.
The taken animal, is given as much respect, as possible.
Once people kill something, I believe it changes them.
I ultimately want to say, that killing is something we are all capable of, but it should really be ethically processed.
I told my other bouncers, that having to put our hands on someone, is a failure.
Regardless of the scenario.
And in those situations where we had to be violent, we should never take that as a win.
The episode should be turned over in one’s mind, and examined for opportunities where we could have deescalated the incident without violence.
It’s not a bad thing, if someone just can’t do it. I admire that.
That’s another reason I didn’t carry, while bouncing. I felt that if I didn’t have a pistol, it was highly unlikely that I would shoot someone.
That came with the notion that I could be killed, because I wasn’t carrying. But. I would rather die, than have shot someone on duty…
In my personal time, that’s a different story. If you can convince me, you’re an imminent threat to me, I’ll not be trying to nullify, like when I was a LEO. I will be trying to stop;
A. Your impending/current attack.
B. Your ability to be a future threat.
I think that everyone should have that right, to stop someone from hurting them at whatever cost.
There are legal ways, of handling most issues.
“Taking the law into your own hands,” should be an absolute last resort.
For me. Extreme circumstances, call for extreme measures.
