National Carry AcademyAre you mentally prepared to use deadly force?
July 27, 2016
Assuming you’ve already taken necessary courses, met the legal requirements in your state and have obtained your permit to carry a firearm, have you put much thought into whether or not you are willing to use deadly force? As a permit to carry course instructor, I always pose this question to my participants because I wonder if this questions has been given serious consideration prior to enrolling in such a course. While this brief blog will not tell you how to make that decision, it should be used as a source for soul-searching prior to the next time you leave your home and into public with your firearm.
As a question for humanity sake, are you prepared to take another life in the defense of your own or for that of a loved one? I pose this question because not all hunters have been able to pull the trigger when a deer ventures into their crosshairs. Accordingly, I would speculate not all permit holders are able to pull the trigger if their life depends on it. On a very impersonal level, the criminal threatening your life has likely already made the decision in their mind that your life is not important to them and I would argue they likely wouldn’t hesitate to shoot you or a loved one, are you able to justify in your mind that you need to shoot them before they shoot you? When it comes to my wife, kids and my own life, I value their life far greater than that of any criminal, especially any criminal that dares to threaten them or myself.
On a personal level, if you use deadly force, are you prepared to lose friends and acquaintances as a result of your actions and their unwillingness to associate with you? This one may not be important to some people, but it means everything to others. Upon hearing of you shooting another person in an effort to save your own life (or that of a loved one), your friends may disassociate themselves from you. Many may not have previously known you owned a gun, let alone had a permit to carry a handgun. Might they label you as a “murderer” or quickly cast judgement on you and cease all friendship and communication?
In today’s world, are you prepared to be the villain in the public spotlight? If police officers are cast into the public spotlight for killing a criminal in the defense of themselves or the public, aren’t you likely to be cast into the same negative spotlight? I don’t advocate shooting an unarmed person in defense of yourself, but again, how many hours have you watched media coverage of officer involved shootings of unarmed criminals who have threatened their lives in the past year? Now, imagine you are of one race, and the criminal you shot in self-defense is of a different race, might that end up in the media spotlight even more than if you were of the same race?
Are you prepared for the long legal process and impending court proceedings of your actions? A colleague of mine poses the thought to his permit to carry participants, “if you use deadly force, be prepared to lose lots of time and money!” Estimates are in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for attorney and court fees in criminal trial, and that number may go even higher if the family of the “nice young man” who was “just starting to turn his life around” decides to pursue a civil trial with lawsuits. Will your current career/job and your income allow you to pay those fees, let alone retain you as an employee while all the proceedings are under way?
If these questions have produced any number of hesitations or “yea, but…” in your mind, I ask you to please sort these large issues out in your mind before you leave home with your firearm in the future. I started this entry with a question I always pose participants in my courses, so I’ll end with another thought I use several times during each course, “carrying a firearm is an awesome responsibility, and not everyone can manage that responsibility.” If you have your permit and find yourself wondering if you are willing to accept this responsibility, continue to do some soul searching. There is no shame in deciding to take the permit card out of your wallet/purse and leaving it a home along with your firearm the next time you leave the house.
Are you mentally prepared to use deadly force?
July 27, 2016
Assuming you’ve already taken necessary courses, met the legal requirements in your state and have obtained your permit to carry a firearm, have you put much thought into whether or not you are willing to use deadly force? As a permit to carry course instructor, I always pose this question to my participants because I wonder if this questions has been given serious consideration prior to enrolling in such a course. While this brief blog will not tell you how to make that decision, it should be used as a source for soul-searching prior to the next time you leave your home and into public with your firearm.
As a question for humanity sake, are you prepared to take another life in the defense of your own or for that of a loved one? I pose this question because not all hunters have been able to pull the trigger when a deer ventures into their crosshairs. Accordingly, I would speculate not all permit holders are able to pull the trigger if their life depends on it. On a very impersonal level, the criminal threatening your life has likely already made the decision in their mind that your life is not important to them and I would argue they likely wouldn’t hesitate to shoot you or a loved one, are you able to justify in your mind that you need to shoot them before they shoot you? When it comes to my wife, kids and my own life, I value their life far greater than that of any criminal, especially any criminal that dares to threaten them or myself.
On a personal level, if you use deadly force, are you prepared to lose friends and acquaintances as a result of your actions and their unwillingness to associate with you? This one may not be important to some people, but it means everything to others. Upon hearing of you shooting another person in an effort to save your own life (or that of a loved one), your friends may disassociate themselves from you. Many may not have previously known you owned a gun, let alone had a permit to carry a handgun. Might they label you as a “murderer” or quickly cast judgement on you and cease all friendship and communication?
In today’s world, are you prepared to be the villain in the public spotlight? If police officers are cast into the public spotlight for killing a criminal in the defense of themselves or the public, aren’t you likely to be cast into the same negative spotlight? I don’t advocate shooting an unarmed person in defense of yourself, but again, how many hours have you watched media coverage of officer involved shootings of unarmed criminals who have threatened their lives in the past year? Now, imagine you are of one race, and the criminal you shot in self-defense is of a different race, might that end up in the media spotlight even more than if you were of the same race?
Are you prepared for the long legal process and impending court proceedings of your actions? A colleague of mine poses the thought to his permit to carry participants, “if you use deadly force, be prepared to lose lots of time and money!” Estimates are in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for attorney and court fees in criminal trial, and that number may go even higher if the family of the “nice young man” who was “just starting to turn his life around” decides to pursue a civil trial with lawsuits. Will your current career/job and your income allow you to pay those fees, let alone retain you as an employee while all the proceedings are under way?
If these questions have produced any number of hesitations or “yea, but…” in your mind, I ask you to please sort these large issues out in your mind before you leave home with your firearm in the future. I started this entry with a question I always pose participants in my courses, so I’ll end with another thought I use several times during each course, “carrying a firearm is an awesome responsibility, and not everyone can manage that responsibility.” If you have your permit and find yourself wondering if you are willing to accept this responsibility, continue to do some soul searching. There is no shame in deciding to take the permit card out of your wallet/purse and leaving it a home along with your firearm the next time you leave the house.