Us and them...

[ScottM]

my level of training is commensurate with the likelihood of an armed encounter.

Glad so many of you can predict your level of needed preparedness. I really wish I were able...

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Harryball]

Glad so many of you can predict your level of needed preparedness. I really wish I were able...

God forbid anything should happen to you Scott, or one of your family members, but if it does, you will understand, and be able to judge your level of preparedness. There are a lot of perceived factors that go along with it.

[PEF]

I guess I need to clarify a few things here, as to not leave any room for anyone to misquote me.

I believe that center mass is the preferred area to target( preferably in the front, not the back)
.

Whew! That is a relief. I thought I missed the latest training technique re buttocks shooting.

[PEF]

Glad so many of you can predict your level of needed preparedness. I really wish I were able...

I cannot make such a prediction. I can only go by the statistics, consider the daily environment in which I find myself, and plan accordingly.

[glockman10mm]

Glad so many of you can predict your level of needed preparedness. I really wish I were able...

If we applied that line of reasoning, then we should all carry rifles instead of handguns.
So, with that in mind, I believe it is about balancing your life with common sense. What are my realistic needs vs my perceived needs? Can I justify it based on something tangible?

[ScottM]

God forbid anything should happen to you Scott, or one of your family members, but if it does, you will understand, and be able to judge your level of preparedness.

Harry, that's exactly why I put in the work, sweat and money to take training classes.

[MadMac]

Glad so many of you can predict your level of needed preparedness. I really wish I were able...

Since you seem so fixated on your need for defensive pistol expertise, I can assure you that even you, my good man, don't have enough training. What if you are scheduled for Clint Smith's Thunder Ranch next spring because you really don't have the PTO days or money for a class this year. How do you know you won't have to defend yourself with your pistol just two weeks before your class, and get shot dead because you're a half-second slow in the draw? How can you know? I could happen. It really could. And you would not have had enough training.

You'd better quit your job and go pawn a couple of your guns and go this fall, because YOU JUST NEVER KNOW!

Yes, I am being sarcastic. That's because people who make arguments like you sound just like that. Life is all about tradeoffs and risk management, yet you are (as a pastor once told me) majoring in the minors. You simply don't know how to prioritize. If you want to spend you time and money training to be a pistolero, have fun! But don't try to convince me I'm "delusional" and playing with my mortality if I don't give whatever level of training you deem "adequate" the same credence you do.

Do you have a year's worth of non-persishable food and water stored up for an extended emergency? If not, why not? You never know, do you? Do you have enough insurance coverage to provide a complete living for your spouse and kids in the case of your death. How much do you have socked away for them? It had better be enough. You never know how much preparation they need, nor how bad the economy.

[Harryball]

Harry, that's exactly why I put in the work, sweat and money to take training classes.

I must have missed something in your prior post. I havnt had enough coffee yet this morning. I will say this, like G-man said, if you knew you were going to be in a gun fight, you would bring a rifle. To be honest, I do not know what the day has in store for me, know body does. Thats one of the reason, I do things the way I do. You just never know. What we have to remember is that no matter how good we think we are, we are all still students. The learning process never stops.

[ScottM]

Since you seem so fixated on your need for defensive pistol expertise, I can assure you that even you, my good man, don't have enough training. What if you are scheduled for Clint Smith's Thunder Ranch next spring because you really don't have the PTO days or money for a class this year. How do you know you won't have to defend yourself with your pistol just two weeks before your class, and get shot dead because you're a half-second slow in the draw? How can you know? I could happen. It really could. And you would not have had enough training.

You'd better quit your job and go pawn a couple of your guns and go this fall, because YOU JUST NEVER KNOW!

That may be a realistic scenario for someone who has little training.

I've been 'shooting' since I was 5 and 'pretending to train' since 1982 (when I got my first permit). By pretending, I mean copying things I saw in magazines and on video. I didn't have the opportunity take professional classes until 2007.

That's when I realized that I have a lot of catching up to do. There have been a few incidents in my past that I came out of through the Lord's providence and sheer dumb luck. If I had the skills that I've honed the last few years, I probably would have never been in those situations to begin with.

There is also a lot to be said for having an qualified instructor watching and guiding you through various drills.

But, no. I won't be going to ThunderSite GunRanch any time in the near future when I have access to 1st class courses less than 1 hour away from me.

[ScottM]

I must have missed something in your prior post.

Yeah, I was commenting on PEF who said his "level of training is commensurate with the likelihood of an armed encounter".

My point was that I don't know, can't predict, (and neither can he), what may or may not show up one day.

I do have a rifle in my vehicle. But I have to rely on my carry gun most of the time. That's why I train to be the best I can be with it.

[BugDude]

Wow, this all sounds so complicated...I guess my over-simplistic view and approach will never suffice. My personal take:

1) Awareness of potential threats and your surroundings.
2) Proper attitude to avoid and de-escalate.
3) Choose a weapon that meets your needs and abilities.
4) Learn how to use that weapon in the context of your life.
5) Live your life and enjoy it.

I enjoy shooting, but my life doesn't revolve around it. I enjoy golf, but my life doesn't revolve around it. I enjoy antique cars, and my life doesn't revolve around them either. I love my family...my life does revolve around them.

[ScottM]

I'm not sure why several on this thread equate training to neglecting time with family

[Bark'n]

What if you are scheduled for Clint Smith's Thunder Ranch next spring because you really don't have the PTO days or money for a class this year. How do you know you won't have to defend yourself with your pistol just two weeks before your class, and get shot dead because you're a half-second slow in the draw?...

Hopefully Clint would give his wife a refund on his deposit...

[glockman10mm]

Heidi would probably invite his wife to come in his place, and forget the rest of what was owed:)

[Bill MO]

I cannot make such a prediction. I can only go by the statistics, consider the daily environment in which I find myself, and plan accordingly.

Any decision made on statistics is being made on averages, meaning you decide to base your action on the lower half of the numbers. I just hope for those who do this you only run into that same half.

Quote from Glockman 10mm
If we applied that line of reasoning, then we should all carry rifles instead of handguns.
So, with that in mind, I believe it is about balancing your life with common sense. What are my realistic needs vs my perceived needs? Can I justify it based on something tangible?

So is a decision made on statistics a realistic need or a perceived need? I see it as a perceived and made on a hope and maybe a prayer.