“We must always be aware and live in Condition Yellow!” We have heard this.… We have said it…. I have taught it. The sentiment is sound and it is good advice. But the situational awareness rainbow can sometimes lead us to a false sense of security, striving for an unattainable goal, or perhaps even a
Defensive Issues
Diversify Your Self-Defense
Commit yourself now to the reality of your responsibility to protect yourself and those you care about in a worst-case scenario. If you’re reading this, I assume you already think you’ve accepted that reality. But have you committed to being able to do it without your preferred tools? Have you committed to being able to
The Baby Blanket Approach to Personal Safety
The realization that you are solely responsible for your personal safety and protection is an important undertaking. Once this occurs, people are quick to look for easy and simple solutions to try to protect themselves. The problem is that personal safety is neither easy nor simple, and requires an honest look at how your probable
Are You Ready To Carry a Defensive Firearm?
I’m not asking if you passed an arbitrary state minimum course or qualification course as an armed professional. I’m asking, are you really ready to carry a defensive firearm? Many people in both the civilian and professional worlds seem to believe that passing these minimum standards means they are ready — but that could not
The Semantics of Civilian Firearms Education
The media has manipulated language to instill fear in people about guns. Here’s how we can use facts and reasoning to help educate our fellow citizens about self-defense, the Second Amendment, and personal liberty.
Poker Defense
A poker game is a good metaphor for personal defense. Some of the same basic elements are in play, from the cards you are dealt to the bets you must make. Sometimes your strategy works out and you walk away with a big stack of chips, and sometimes you fail miserably despite your best efforts.
Conflict Avoidance: Practicing What I Preach
Avoiding conflict should be everyone’s preference … but if you carry a gun, it also becomes your responsibility.
The Defensive Mindset
In the spring of 2008, I had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. with a couple members of the F.B.I. Cyber Division.
Realistic Response to Armed Shooters in Schools
Any time the subject of an unarmed response versus an armed killer in a school comes up, the inevitable knee-jerk, uninformed responses are as predictable as a celebrity divorce.
Comprehensive Self-Defense, Part 4: Do the Work
Seeking formal training for self-defense and establishing a practice regimen are the only ways to follow through on a commitment to being responsible for your own safety and that of those you care about.