Perception Is Reality

It’s interesting to note the change in perception of the gun over time.

During the early years of this country the gun was viewed as an absolute necessity by those who used it for their very survival.  Daniel Boone, The Minuteman and the Pioneer.  Whether it was to kill wild game to feed yourself and family, to defend against hostile two or four-legged threats, or to defend property and country.  The gun was there.

During the later years when the country was more “civilized”, our entertainment often featured the gun as a tool to defend the innocent and defeat those who would prey upon them.  The Lone Range, Captain America, the Rifleman and many other heroes from 50 years ago carried and used guns to fight crime and evil and to protect innocent people as well as the American way of life.  The gun was there.

During these golden years of the Greatest Generation, many high schools and colleges had rifle and pistol teams that competed locally, state-wide, nationally and even internationally.  Back then, a young teenager walking down the street with a shotgun or rifle over their shoulder was nothing to which anyone would feel threatened.  The gun was there.

Unfortunately today, mostly due to the unjust and undeserved vilification by the media and elitist politicians, the image of the gun and of gun owners has moved away from this positive role.  Now the image of guns and their owners have been flipped 180 degrees and become synonymous crime and evil, the very things just a few decades ago they were used to fight.

In his seminar entitled “Sheepdogs!  The Bulletproof Mind for the Armed Citizen”, Lt. Col. (Ret) Dave Grossman reminds us that the term “Shooter” has been used by the media, the elitists, the police and even us gun owners to be synonymous with the word “Murderer”.  IE: Active Shooter, School Shooter, Workplace Shooter, etc. 

An active shooter was once someone who is on the range actively shooting.  A school shooter was once a member of an academic shooting team.  A workplace shooter was once someone lucky enough to work someplace with its own range!  These terms have been hijacked by the anti-gun crowed, and we allowed it to happen.

In an article in NUVO (of all places) Indianapolis 2^nd Amendment attorney and gun instructor Guy Relford made a very good point that we must be aware of because it says a lot about the battle we are fighting and about ourselves.  Relford said, “…you've got several million law-abiding gun owners who've never committed a crime…are being treated like we're the cause of crazy people hurting others…and that we're now being punished for the crimes of other people when we've never committed a crime. ...law-abiding, sane, responsible gun owners get lumped in with criminals and psychopaths, and there's a very deep offense that's taken from that because we feel that we're the ones who'll stand up to defend our families and our country."

The words we use, the image we portray of the gun and gun owners needs to change back to what it was during the era of the Lone Range and of Captain America. 

I am not a murderer.  I am not a criminal.  I AM A SHOOTER.  This is not evil.  This is nothing to be ashamed of.  We MUST reclaim the image of the shooter and of the gun as fighters of evil and protectors of the innocent.

We must all do our part to educate our family and friends about the difference between a shooter and a murderer.  Invite a friend, a family member a co-worker or anyone else to come with you to the range and try your .22 handgun or rifle.

The only way we can do this is to educate those around us in a Grassroots way and it starts with each individual shooter.  Let's get to work so that the gun will always be there.

Doing Students A Disservice

During our recent Defensive Carbine 101 class, one of our students remarked that in a previous class he had taken with another provider, students were not permitted pick up anything off the ground while they had a firearm in there hand.  I too have taken training where this rule was in place.

While I can see the reasoning behind having this rule, I think it does a disservice to students.  Yes, muzzle-discipline can be a problem when squatting down or bending forward at the waist to pick something up (especially with a long-gun) and forbidding students from picking something up off the ground can reduce liability.  However, picking something up off the ground with a firearm in your hand is a real-world possibility and quite a likely one that students will encounter at some point.

At Train To Be Safe Academy, we believe properly educating and training students how to perform such an action is a much better service to them and makes them much safer after taking our classes than not addressing the matter at all.  Leaving students with a hole in their knowledge and training does not one any good including the student and those who encounter the student after taking the training.

Of course, having multiple students in close proximity necessitates taking extra steps to ensure the safety of all those around, so safety guidelines are established and enforced.  Violations of these guidelines are treated seriously and can result in actions up to and including removal from the firing range or expulsion from the course entirely.

This is just one example of what makes us different than many other training providers.  We don’t shy away from topics or techniques that other trainers may.  We believe that only in providing thorough and safe educating and training do we fulfill our obligation to our students to provide the best and complete training we can provide and they expect.

As a student, I expect the training company and its instructors to provide the best, most complete training possible.  Anything less is simply unacceptable.  While I understand that each provider will have their own way of addressing certain topics and each will have their own unique style of instruction, ALL training providers must put the needs of their students ahead of all other considerations except safety which trumps everything else.

At Train To Be Safe Academy, we will continue to provide innovative and thorough training to our students and will not shy away from topics that are useful and necessary for our students to be safe and informed.

That is my promise to you.

Springtime Is Here...Get Ready For Crimetime

The trees are budding, the grass is growing, the birds are chirping and the weather is warmer.  Spring is here!!

The end of Winter and the beginning of Spring brings increased temperatures, increased outside activities, increased daylight hours and unfortunately increased crime!  The warmer months are the time of year with higher occurrences of crime, especially personal crime such as assaults, robberies, rapes and murders.

Whenever you have more people interacting with each other you have increased occurrences of crime.  This is especially true when you have teenagers and young adults who are out of school with not much to do.  "Idle hands are the devil's tools".  Add heat to bored people in large groups and you have a prescription for crime.

If course, the reasons for the increase in crime are really not all that important to most people.  The resulting increase in crime is what we have to deal with.  Fortunately there are simple, inexpensive tactics and tools that you can use to decrease your chances of being a victim of crime.  Here are just a few:

1. Lights -
1. Leave your porch lights on.  Criminals are like cockroaches...they avoid the light and scurry when light is shined on them. 
2. You can use motion-sensing lights to conserve energy and timers so you don't have to remember to turn them on. 
3. Using a timer on at least one light so it turns on the same time all-year long is a great way to make a criminal who is "casing" your house think there is someone home all the time. 
4. Timers are also good for when you are on vacation.  They allow you to simulate activity in your residence.
2. Locks -
1. Having and using locks is one of the best ways to defeat crimes of opportunity and non-professional criminals. 
2. Lock your vehicle doors all the time.  When you get in your vehicle, lock your doors IMMEDIATELY.  Even before you put the key in the ignition or put your seatbelt on, LOCK YOUR DOORS and keep them locked until you are ready to immediately exit your vehicle.
3. ALL doors that lead out of your residence should have quality dead-bolt on them.  This includes on the front door, side doors and rear doors.  It also includes doors to any attached garage, sunroom or breezeways.
4. The locks MUST have adequate screws attaching them to the frame.  A minimum of 3" screws must be used on all locks, hinges and other contact points between the door and you door-frame.  The frame is the weakest part of the door and is usually what fails when there is a forced-entry.
3. TLC -
1. The condition of your house can actually be a deterrent to crime.  If you have a well-kept yard it tells criminals that there is someone who cares about their property and probably has taken steps to protect it.  It can also make them think there is an able-bodies person who lives there...even if there is not.
2. Keeping valuables out-of-sight discourages simple theft.  Lock up bicycles, lawn equipment and other items that can be stolen and then sold or pawned.
3. Keep ladders and other tools that can be used to break into your residence.  Criminals will use anything and everything they can to commit their crimes.  Don't have them use your own tools against you.
4. Dogs -
1. Dogs are one of the best crime deterrents there is.  The mere threat of being bitten by a dog can cause even the most toughened criminal to move on.
2. Studies have shown that criminals fear a dog more than an armed home-owner.  This is partly due to the fact that you cannot reason with a  dog they way you can reason with a human.  If a dog decides he/she is going to bite you...YOU WILL BE BITTEN.  You cannot say, "Never mind Fido, I'll leave."  If you violate a dogs territory, they are awfully unforgiving.
3. Dogs can give you an early-warning when someone is on your property.  They can attack someone who has broken into your home and the mere presence of a dog can cause a criminal to look elsewhere for their target.
4. Even if you don't have or want a dog, you can still use one.  Buy a "Beware of Dog" sign and put it in your front yard.  Get a large dog bowl and write "Killer" on it and put it on your porch.  Ask a neighbor with a dog if you can have some old chew toys and put them in your back yard or on your back porch.  All of these can trick a criminal into thinking you have a dog.
5. When you go for a walk, run or whenever you go out-and-about, having your dog with you is a great deterrent.  Of course the size and breed of the dog makes a difference in the amount of apprehension that a criminal will have.
5. Go Armed -
1. Having a personal protection tool  and knowing how to use it is a good idea. 
2. This is especially true if you encounter a criminal who is unimpressed by all the other tactics and tools your have employed to deter criminal attack.  If a criminal is cunning enough, crazy enough, desperate enough to defeat or ignore all of your preparation, then having a way to quickly and effectively stop their criminal attack will be needed. 
3. A firearm is one of the best ways to stop a criminal attack.  Whether it be a handgun on your person or a rifle or shot shotgun in your safe-room, using a firearm may be the only way to stop someone from hurting your or someone you love.  Training is VITAL to ensure you know how to safely and effectively own and use a firearm.
4. Pepper-spray is also an effective means of stopping someone.  In some instances it can be as effective or even more effective than a firearm.  Using a mist or fogger type of spray can create a barrier that is very difficult (but NOT IMPOSSIBLE) for someone to penetrate.  Stream or foam pepper-spray canisters can be used as direct use on the attackers eyes and mucus membranes.  Again, training is imperative so that you know when and how to deploy pepper-spray.  Knowing what is can and cannot or may not do is also important.

These are just some of the things you can do to deter and/or stop a criminal attack.  As with all things, nothing is guaranteed and you MUST be prepared for the failure of each and every one of the above.  You must have a plan as well as a backup plan.

Only by seeking knowledge and training and then taking action will you increase your safety and security.  As we often say: Your mind is your ultimate weapon.  It is up to you whether you will arm it and use it effectively or not.


Get Trained and BE SAFE!