What do I do now?

[Kaymen]

Written by Jonathan “Kaymen” Adkins, Sr.
March 12, 2008

The brown fecal matter has struck the oscillating cooling device and the air around you is filled with hot rounds of lead and copper. Your worst nightmare has just come true when you discovered that the bogyman is real, tweaking on his latest fix, armed with a gun or knife, and wants your wallet. Your life expectancy is now measured in minutes if not seconds. Now is not the time to ask, “What do I do?” Now is the time for decisive action. What is your answer, what do you do? Do you stand your ground and fight? Do you run off into the night? Or do you pull out your wallet hand it over and prey that is all he wants. What ever your decision is you need to make it now, the bogyman is getting closer and he needs your cash for another fix.

In the time that it just took to read the first paragraph you have either been shot or stabbed and your wallet is gone but hopefully he has left your virtue intact, because you do not know who is out there now days. In the real world things happen fast and you have to be ready to react. Your body knows it, at the first sign of danger the fight or flight reflex kicks your body into high gear. Causing your system to dump huge amounts of adrenaline, your heart pounds in your chest, you sphincter constricts (i.e. the pucker factor), and your bladder relaxes (hope you do not pee on yourself). But it takes a few moments for the mind to catch up, which is why they always say surprise is such an advantage. This is where preparation and training comes into play, like the Boy Scout motto, “Be prepared.” Just buying a gun does not make you safe from harm, it is almost the exact opposite without the proper training and skills you are actually opening yourself up to more risks then you may think. When you train you are building a tool box of skills, knowledge, and ideals that you can use to keep you safe.

Awareness is your first tool, being aware of your environment allows you to side step many problems and risky environments. Knowing where is safe and where is not safe in your community is a big step. Knowing what to look for is another, someone out of place, like the creepy looking guy sitting by himself in a family restaurant, or the dirty looking guy in the torn clothes standing in the shadows on the street corner. All these combine to situational awareness, fore warned is forearmed.

Caution is your second, we all have heard if something sounds too good to be true it probably is not true. How many junk emails and credit card scams to you get a day? You do not really think some foreign prince is going to send you a box load of money do you? You are not going to give out your personal financial information to a stranger are you? This is being cautious; you are exercising your better judgment to avoid a bad situation. If something is made to look inviting it is for a reason. Be careful!

The first two skills are important for anyone to use, even the gun haters and gun grabbers should use them, because who knows one of us gun loving lunatics may not be around to save their sorry butts when they discover the bogyman is real and not a fictional character made up to scare little kids into being good. I wonder which would be worse for them that they get victimized or they are saved by what they hate.

However for those of us that takes our security as a personal responsibility and not expect other to do it for us. We need the skills to use our tools (firearms) accurately, safely, and properly. The need for proper training and practice cannot be over emphasized, because when we cannot avoid the danger and the crap actually hits the fan it is our training that is going to get us out of it. Once you learn the skills you also need to practice, because they are perishable, if you do not use them you can lose them.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Magilla82ABN]

Great post

[Reborn]

EXCELLANT ARTICILE

[cdwolf]

Nice post!! Very true!

[Conrad]

Great Article!!!

[Dusty Miller]

Aw! The high drama is almost intoxicating!

[johnstuf]

WELL DONE! We every now and then need to be reminded to pay more attention and constantly be aware. Practice, practice, practice!

Thanks for the reminder.

Safe and sane shooting everyone,

johnstuf

[Ridgeline]

Living in Yellow... and prepared (trained) to step up to the next level.

[kf4uel]

[Locopelli]

Ah, the fanboys will will never see it coming.

Then bam, they will be buying something- they just don't know it yet.

[glock27mark]

excellant post.

[bigiceman]

Excellent post. We all need to keep this in mind. Practice, Practice, Practice.

[mojave_pistolero]

Great Post. Now is the time to prepare and practice.

[Bender]

Great read...

[digitalexplr]

Great post. When the SHTF moment happens you will not have time to study, debate or question. You must have conditioned yourself to respond. You can and will think about it after the fact. You may well find yourself shaking so bad you can't stand. Be prepared for the emotional crash afterwards. It will happen in various degrees to everyone.

Play "What if" scenarios in you mind on a regular basis. When the situation happens it will be unexpected. If it could be anticipated you could avoid it.

Again, great post. We all need to be mentally in the game at all times.