The Nature Of Danger

To prepare for anything, especially danger, you have to first acknowledge the need for being ready. Then you study the nature of the problem. Where will danger come from, and what will it look like? Once you’re familiar with the problem you can begin to prepare for it in a clearly defined manner. So do the research — first.

Make no mistake about this — personal protection is an individual responsibility. When trouble appears it’s up to you to deal with it. Maintaining your vehicles makes it less likely they’ll break down. You probably have the know-how and provisions to make it through a power outage during cold weather. In the same way, you prepare to defend against a violent attack.

The million-dollar question here is what will the danger look like? There are common difficulties, like vehicle breakdowns and natural emergencies. Then there are menacing, dangerous troubles, like a violent attack. The dangerous category is harder to define. People will prepare for an attack from another person, but are completely surprised when set upon by a vicious dog, a friend, co-worker or family member. The threat might be armed with an unusual weapon. The dictionary is a cool book, until someone tries to bash you in the head with it. The probability of having to battle a team of highly trained North Korean assassins is extremely low. You can’t prepare for everything — nor should you try — but you can be ready for almost anything.

How’s It Affect You?

As you study different situations, consider how these scenarios relate to your life. You study an attack occurring in a parking lot. Now think about how this situation is going to look with your family. Maybe you don’t live in a large urban area where there are gangs, but a rowdy concert in the country with alcohol involved might turn into a situation where you’re facing multiple attackers.

A big part of what you’ll personally deal with is what happens after being forced to defend against an attack. At some point after an attack it will be necessary to interact with cops and the courts. Officers will arrive to secure the scene, followed by detectives, lawyers and justice officials eventually. You’ll be making statements to justify your actions, which isn’t as easy as it sounds.

Thankfully you can prepare yourself for the aftermath by being aware of the procedures and pitfalls. Recommended reading: Deadly Force by Massad Ayoob. I also think it’s mandatory to attend Ayoob’s MAG-20 class — 20 hours of information on the legal aspects of lethal force. It’s part of your responsibility to be in the know.

The first step to preparing for problems is to get educated, studying the nature of the trouble. You accept the fact responsibility is a 24-hour job. It’s a religion with a little “r.” You learn while violence may seem random and chaotic, there are identifiable, definable baselines. Learn how these will apply to your life.

The next step is developing a response to an attack, and learning how to use the best tool for the job — a firearm — to efficiently defend yourself. Along the way you realize, yes, there are dangers out there — but there is security in being ready. Make sure you’re ready.

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