Predicting Your Future

I am about to predict the future for you...
I can tell you the exact name of one of the people who is going to attack you during an assault, rape, robbery or home invaision.

Impossible you say?  Well, let me amaze you with my fortune-telling ability:

His name is Murphy S. Law.

Murphy is an assailant in every criminal confrontation that has ever...and will ever happen.

He is the guy who causes your "unstoppable" Glock to have a fail-to-feed, fail-to-eject or other stoppage.
He is the guy who causes the battery in your flashlight to run-dry as you search your house at 2:00AM.
He is the guy that causes your .45ACP "man stopper" round to have no effect on the psycho charging at you with a knife.
He is the guy that picks your house as the target for a violent home invasion and murder.
He is the guy that tells you it's OK to walk to your car alone at night after work or shopping.
He is the guy that tells you to ignore your intuition and that the stranger talking to you has no plans on raping and murdering you.

The good news is that it is easy to deal with Murphy: Just think of everything that can go wrong and then figure out multiple ways to quickly fix each of them.

OK, so it's not that easy.  But it is also not impossible.  Now that you know that Murphy will be one of your attackers, you can take steps to prevail against him and his accomplices.  Here are some important few:

1. Have a plan for as many situations as you can think of.  As you go through your day, stop and think of what you would do if you were attacked RIGHT NOW.  At your residence, in your car on your drive to work, at the school as you drop your kids off, at the convenience store you stop at for coffee, at your place of work, at your place of worship, at the park, etc.
2. Have a backup.  This is true at least for you plan, your gun and your flashlight.  Your backup doesn't have to be as big-and-bad as your primary, but it must be solid.  For example my everyday carry (EDC) gun is a Glock 19 compact handgun in 9x19 with an additional 15-round magazine.  I carry this 100% of the time whether I am at home or away.  When I go out of the house, I additionally carry a Glock 26 sub-compact handgun in 9x19.  They are both the same caliber and the G26 can even accept the same magazine as the G19.  I carry a pocket-sized canister of pepper-spray on me all the time but I also have a larger canister in my vehicle, home and other locations.  I carry a Surefire Z2X Combatlight most of the time when I am not at home and a Streamlight Microstream all of the time.
3. Get trained.  This means training the mind first and the body second.  There is a saying that goes, "Just because you own a piano, doesn't make you a concert pianist."  This also applies to owning a gun, pepper-spray or other defensive weapon.  If you don't get trained and don't practice, chances are you will not be very good at it during a violent confrontation.  There are currently more training opportunities available to the average citizen than ever before and for every budget.  There are local, national and international training organizations offering everything from introductory to advanced skill and topics.  Even if you have already taken training, there is always something new to learn or have reinforced.  And all of us can always use more training.
4. Never go unprepared in mindset and in gear.  When properly educated and trained, your defense-oriented mind is your ultimate weapon!  It is up to you whether you have it with you throughout your day.  Obtaining and then maintaining a proper defensive mindset and living in "Condition Yellow" is simply a matter of choice.  Just because you happen to live, work, vacation or visit someplace where you cannot carry a gun, doesn't mean you must go without a defensive weapon.  There are many other means of self-defense including empty-hand combatives, pepper-spray, innocuous impact weapons, etc.  Even normal, everyday items you find all around you can be used as a defensive weapon: kitchen knives, a pot of boiling water, a frying pan, car keys, a walking stick, etc.  You just need to take a look around your environment using your defensive mindset.

I guarantee Murphy will be at the criminal encounter you are a victim of and he will not be on your side.  Are you prepared to meet Murphy today?  If not, NOW is the best time to start being prepared.

BE A BIGHORN!

Oath of the Bighorn

I will not be a defenseless sheep.
I do not fear The Wolf. 
The Wolf will be wary of me.
I will continually prepare mentally and physically, for combat with The Wolf.
I will use any means necessary, any weapon available to defeat The Wolf.
I will be merciless, efficient, decisive and violent against The Wolf.

I will protect my flock.
I will teach my flock to combat The Wolf.

I do not need The Sheepdog for protection.
I will not rely on The Sheepdog for my defense. 
I will be respectful and friendly with The Sheepdog.
I will keep a watchful eye on The Sheepdog.
I will teach my flock how interact with The Sheepdog.
I will not be a threat to The Sheepdog unless The Sheepdog violates our mutual trust.

I will obey Just laws.
I will live in peace if I can.

Peace is my hope.  Defense is my duty.  Just is my cause.   

I am The Bighorn.

Why "Be A Bighorn"?

In the arena of self-defense and personal protection, there is a thought-process which holds that people fall into three categories: The Sheep, The Wolf and The Sheepdog.


The Sheep are by far what the majority of people are classified as.  They do not take their personal safety and security seriously.  In fact, their own safety and security rarely, if ever, comes to mind.  If and when it does, it is likely due to to them finding themselves in a threatening encounter where they are at imminent risk of injury or death.  It is normally too late for The Sheep at this point and they simply become helpless victims.  They are "like sheep being led to the slaughter."


The Wolf are those that prey upon The Sheep.  They are those that do harm to others for profit or pleasure.  They are the violent criminals, the sociopaths and similar miscreants and vermin.  They do not belong to society and do not abide by society's laws and rules.  It is estimated that about 3% of people are The Wolf.


The Sheepdog are those that hunt the Wolf and protect The Sheep.  They include combat soldiers and law-enforcement officers.  Some also include in this group, ordinary citizens who train to combat the Wolf.  The Sheepdog are similar to The Wolf in that they are predators.  However, the difference is that The Sheepdog do not prey upon The Sheep...at least they are not supposed to.  Unfortunately from time to time, a Wolf ends up putting on the outward appearance of The Sheepdog and violates the trust of The Sheep.  This is a very rare occurrence but when it happens, due to it's abhorrence to The Sheep, it is often sensationalized.


I have a problem with this three-group categorization of people.  In the years that I have been a Personal Protection and Firearms Instructor, I have observed that there is a large and growing segment of people who do not fall into any of these three groups.

These people are not The Wolf, in that they do not prey upon or enact violence upon others for profit or pleasure.  They are not The Sheepdog, in that they do not hunt The Wolf and they don't necessarily actively seek to protect The Sheep.  Finally, these people are not definitely not Sheep, in that they most assuredly think about and take action to increase the personal safety and security of themselves and of those they love.  They are mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, neighbors and people from all walks of life.  They are average, law-abiding citizens that arm themselves with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and tools of self-defense.

So then, if this group of people are not The Wolf and are not The Sheep and are not The Sheepdog...what are they?

We are The Bighorn!

Although technically we may be called "sheep", The Bighorn are by no means defenseless.  The Wolf and The Sheepdog who look at us as The Sheep are mistaken.  We do not fear The Wolf and we do not look to The Sheepdog for protection.  We will protect ourselves and our loved one against The Wolf without regard to the presence of The Sheepdog.

The Wolf is wary of us because we are not a soft-target.  Even our appearance tells The Wolf they would do well to look elsewhere for their prey.  If The Wolf intends to do harm to The Flock, The Bighorn will move with determination to do violence against The Wolf.

The Sheepdog often does not understand that we are not The Sheep.  Some of The Sheepdog may even feel threatened by the existence of The Bighorn.  Likewise, some of The Bighorn may look warily at The Sheepdog as being too similar to The Wolf.  However, in general The Bighorn and The Sheepdog get along with each other very well, as long as neither The Sheepdog nor The Bighorn violate the trust of the other.


In the coming entries to this blog, I will expand on what it means to be The Bighorn.  I will give commentary, opinion and advice that some other members of The Bighorn may find interesting and useful.

My hope is to encourage my fellow members of The Bighorn group to continue to develop themselves and their Bighorn Flock in their Knowledge, Skill and Attitude to better combat the ever changing appearance and tactics of The Wolf and to also perhaps increase the understanding and appreciation between The Bighorn and The Sheepdog and thereby become better allies against The Wolf.

This is my hope and my desire for this blog.