Occupy Your Life

As May 1st works its way to us the Occupy movement is gearing up for the start to what could be a dynamic summer here in the States.  For those of you not paying attention to the news, the idea is for everyone who actually works for a living, not the ones who own business like me, to not show up for work, not go to school, not do housework, etc.  By doing this the “1%” will see what it’s like without the other “99%” for a day.  Now, I don’t plan to do any housework that day anyway so that’s not an issue to me.  I imagine most punk kids following the movement are probably pretty familiar with skipping class anyway, so nothing new there.  That just leaves work, which I don’t have time to call off of.  I guess that means I’m part of the evil “1%” that they keep complaining about.  The only problem is that my wife and I collectively don’t come anywhere close to making the money that would have us actually be in the top 1% of wage earners in this country.  I’m just confused now.

So what’s this have to do with guns you ask?  It goes back to one of my favorite trainer’s famous lines:  Don’t do stupid stuff, with stupid people, in stupid places.  When there are major demonstrations this summer, stay away.  Keep a low profile.  Be boring.  As the political climate heats up this year, so will the violence and crazy events in our cities and towns.  Here in the Foothills it’s everywhere.  Back in the little factory town I grew up in they even have a few protestors.  These people have no jobs, nothing to do but stand on the streets, and want to draw attention to themselves.  To do that they’ll disrupt your life in some way.  They’ll hold up your bus, block traffic, picket outside your place of employment.  All the while they’ll be holding up signs with sill slogans or singing catchy chants that don’t mean anything.  But you’re just trying to get to work and they’ll be stopping you.  Even worse is if they try to become violent with you to draw attention to their stupid cause.  Don’t get involved.

The best thing to do when you see a large gathering is turn the other way.  If you think you can’t avoid it you’re wrong.  So what that they’re blocking the front entrance to your work, there’s probably a back door.  If your drive to work is disrupted turn down a different street and let your GPS find a new path.  If you’re on the train get off at the next stop and catch another.  You can always call the boss and explain that some lazy hippies who don’t like work tried to stop you from getting to the job you love so much and you fought them off and hiked ten miles out of your way to get to work and you’ll be five minutes late.  He’ll probably be alright with it.

If you should happen to be surprised by a flash mob of crazies then, once again, get out.  Get your bag in front of you where you can control it and get out.  If rocks start flying and glass is breaking don’t stand around to take pictures; let some other hapless fool get caught up in those shenanigans.  Your primary goal is to get out safely and be able to go to your family that night.  Someone else’s political nonsense is none of your concern.

To prepare yourself for these possible encounters I suggest the following (as I do for everyday life anyway).

-Remove all political stickers from your vehicle.  This includes endorsements for such groups as the NRA, Marine Corps, TEA Party, etc.  No gadsden flags or anything that might make you a target to these leftist violence baiters.  Basically, remove all of the stickers.

-Don’t wear shirts or hats with gun brands, political slogans, “‘O’bummer,” etc.  Just like the stickers, don’t make yourself a target with your cute t-shirt.

-Stay away from the capitol.  Political centers are the magnets for these freaks.  If you can stay away from the state capitol, county courthouse or wherever they are gathering then do it.

-ALWAYS carry.  Be ready to defend yourself from lethal threats at all times.

-Be ready to get out of there fast.  If you’re stuck in traffic and bricks are flying then get running.  You wont care about your car if you’re dead.  Leave it and go if you must.

-Keep your eyes on the news.  Know what’s going on in your area.  Forewarned is forearmed.  The more you know about the political climate of your AO the less likely you are to be caught off guard and the more prepared you’ll be if you do get caught in a bad position.

Overall, OCCUPY YOUR LIFE.  Pay attention to your own business and stay out of the affairs of others.  Be ready to protect yourself should the need arise, and the best way to do that is to avoid trouble whenever possible.  This applies all the time, but especially as the election comes closer and closer.

Combat Weaselcraft

I first heard the term Combat Weaselcraft from the great trainer of them all, Massad Ayoob. It is the art of using all the dirty tricks in your repertoire to save your butt in a bad situation. Be sneaky, hit below the belt, and no holds barred. You see, in a fight for your life, the scum bag of the day will most likely not care that you’re wearing glasses or have your Sunday best on. In fact, he’ll probably see these disadvantages for you as advantages for him and may be part of the reason he picked you on this lovely day. So if the bad guys don’t care about a ‘fair fight’ then why should you?

Should that fateful day ever find you, be prepared to fight dirty to the bitter end. In a fight for your life nothing is off limits. Gouging out eyes, kicks to the groin and bullets through the lower pelvic region are not only acceptable but possibly preferable. If the bad guys are willing to hurt you in any way possible, to rape you, stab you, leave you lying in a ditch naked bloody and half dead, why should you be afraid to accurately place a knee into a strategic place in the groin? If you find yourself in a hand-to-hand struggle with your pistol out you may not be able to obtain a two handed grip in an isosceles stance, but rather have your pistol in one hand unable to level the sights to your eye. If, in this moment, you find your pistol in line with the perpetrator’s pelvis then take the shot. You will most likely cause the bad guy to drop to the ground and effectively be out of the fight, unable to pursue you further.

A gentleman whom I respect very much for his writings, teaching and experience, Sgt. Rory Miller laid out on his blog Chiron Training his biases and assumptions. Therein he states, among other things, that he expects the threat to have the advantage in size and strength or to be crazy. Advantages in size and strength create a disparity of force. If the person does not have the size or strength advantage then they must be crazy to attack someone bigger and stronger than themselves, thus creating another disparity of force. Funny how that works out. Miller also explains that it is stupid to go into a fight without a weapon, and that unarmed resistance exists purely for emergencies when you didn’t see it coming. After all, if you had seen an attack coming you would have surely armed yourself. Either way, one might say you are fighting dirty. Exactly! Unarmed countermeasures are a result of surprise attacks and should be treated accordingly with any means of survival employed as necessary. Armed responses result from anticipated but unavoidable encounters. Knowing you have a fight coming, trying to avoid it and still having to fight anyway shows a level of commitment on the part of the attacker. This ill intent is your green light to defend yourself as needed.

Where does the red light come? The signal to stop your counter attack comes in two ways; ending of the threat and a shift in your intentions. The shifting of your intentions is a subject to be discussed at length on its own, but suffice it to say that if you no longer act out of fear for your life but in a mind of vengeance, then you are receiving the signal to stop your attack. On the other hand, if your attacker ceases to be a threat to you then you must stop defending yourself. This change of dynamic can come about in several ways too. Perhaps your attacker has secured your purse and is running away. That would be a good time to stop trying to shoot him. Say your attacker is down on the ground with several new perforations in his body. He may or may not be a threat to your livelihood. Keep an eye on this suspect, scan the area for accomplices, and prepare to defend yourself further if needed. Your daughter’s date tried to get a little fresh in the theater and she slapped him across the face. When you arrive to pick them up you see your smiling daughter and a very embarrassed young man with a hand print across his left cheek. That threat has not only been neutralized but possibly cured from further recidivism. Drop him off at home and take your daughter out for ice-cream.

No matter the situation that arises, we must train to be ready to defend our lives and the lives of our family and loved ones. Remember the Heinlein quote at the top of this site: The price of freedom is the willingness to do sudden battle anywhere, any time and with utter recklessness.

A Tale of Two Fools

I have recently read of two different incidents where armed citizens, both in New York City, have voluntarily turned themselves in to law enforcement to secure their firearms only to be arrested for carrying said firearm. In both cases, the citizens were carrying their firearms when they saw signage stating that the carry of firearms was prohibited. Reading these signs, they both confronted security guards to find out how they could properly enter the facility in accordance with the sign. The security personnel then passed the issue along to law enforcement and our citizens were promptly arrested for the horrendous crime of simultaneously trying to protect them-selves and trying to follow the ‘rules.’ Let us take a few moments and examine the merits of the above two cases.

Why We Carry
Most of us have not chosen to carry because we want to prove ourselves to be macho men or better people. We haven’t taken on the grave burden and awesome responsibility of concealing a firearm for the protection of our lives and the lives of our family members so that we can look cool to our friends. We don’t have a desire to end the life of ANYONE. And we certainly don’t carry guns because we like the discussions we have with police about it.

Over the years I’ve read a lot of reasons why people carry guns. Some say a cop is too heavy; as if they would let someone else risk life and limb where they would not for themselves. Some say that they only carry into a bad neighborhood; which begs one to question why they would go there anyway. Some say they carry because it is their God given Constitutional right to do so; not a bad answer. I carry because my life, and the life of my family, is worth fighting for. I carry because I know that there is no such thing as a safe neighborhood. I carry because bad things happen to good people every day and it is my responsibility to protect the life I have been given. Regardless of your reason for carrying, know your reason so that you can remain focused when dealing with the other issues that concealed carry brings.

Concealed Means Concealed
It’s pretty simple when you think about it. Carrying a concealed firearm means nobody knows it’s there and no one can see it. Period! If no one knows you’re carrying and the gun cannot be seen then you have no need to tell anyone you have it. Barring magnetometers or full body pat-downs, zip your lips and carry on. Let the lemmings go about their day not knowing that a scary gun is in their presence and remain protected. By giving away the fact that you are carrying you have given up your element of surprise, your tactical advantage, and in many places you have given up your ability to protect your family. Additionally, you may well have confessed to having committed a crime (as in the above mentioned cases) that will land you in jail for a minimum of three and one half years. Be it the choosing of appropriate cover garments or being sure to keep your big mouth shut, remember: Concealed Means Concealed.

Signs
In some jurisdictions signs carry legal bearing as is the case for Texas’s 30.06 signs. This means that the posting of a sign on property makes it illegal to carry there, for you have been fore warned, legally speaking. However, in most areas a sign is just that, a sign. In my current Rocky Mountain AO a sign on the door saying no guns allowed is usually ignored by those who know better. However, if one were to carry on to private property and be discovered, asked to leave and then refuse to leave, the person would be trespassing. That’s a crime I understand. Signs are much like the Pirate’s Code; it’s more of a suggestion. Signs are a way for sniveling pansies to think they’re doing something when in fact they are simply wasting their own time and money. I would be much more impressed by a sign that says “Concealed Carry Welcome Here” as I would be sure to frequent such an establishment as often as possible.

The Law
Just because something is the law does not mean it is right. We, in this country, seem to think that once something is codified into law that it MUST be followed. Little do we often realize that turning something into law does not automatically make it into some great commandment from on High. If some Senator from the left coast were to introduce a bill making murder legal across the country, and it were signed into law, would that make it right to murder? Of course it would not. Similarly, passing a law making it illegal to protect yourself with the best tool available to man doesn’t make it right to do so either. I have great respect for the law when it is law that respects the rights of man. Law passed that denies the freedom of man and does not protect individual liberty is not good law and should NOT be followed!

Da Capo
Let us bring the story back to our original two hapless travelers in the Big Apple. Both citizens seemed to have thought it was within the law for them to carry in the city, and it wasn’t. They respected bad law and flapped their jaws to give themselves up. By doing so they were no longer concealing their firearm, if only verbally. They forgot why they carried and now they no longer have their freedom or their gun. If nothing else they are guilty of felony stupid.

Coda
My final thoughts are simple. Educate yourself. Learn the laws around you so that you know what pot holes to avoid. Don’t give yourself up. Don’t talk to police if you don’t have to and don’t tell them any more than they ask (and think about that twice). Keeping your gun on you and concealed is a top priority for you, don’t forget it. And lastly, know your own reasons for carry, morals and values. If your feet are firmly planted in righteous soil then you will never be in the wrong no matter what some bureaucrat says.