Safety Course – by Mark LeClair

Below is an article by Mark LeClair of Smart Tactics, a security consultation and instruction company (Mark has also been kind enough to provide several other articles, which can be seen here.):

Looking at the statistics in my own area I cannot understand why it is no one is scrambling to find the closest personal safety class in the area. I am actually baffled. It is sad to say but most people really do not become concerned about personal safety until something is actually happening to them. Then, at that point, they become the victim and once that occurs they will always have that fear that it will occur again.

By attending a safety course society would be able to hear other options that they have heard about in the past. Maybe, just maybe, someone else in the class has a story that everyone could relate to and ideas could be exchanged. But, once again, most do not become concerned until something happens to them.

Lets ask ourselves a question: How would I feel if I could get an education on how to properly safeguard my family and belonging but do not pursue it….and then something happens to my family because of a threat? Would I be able to look at myself in the mirror after that? The answer for me would be a NO! I would not be able to look at myself in the mirror without becoming sick to my stomach.

Typical Thought Process:
When someone enters their home the reality of everything outside of that house becomes nonexistent. Not to say that the occupants are oblivious to the world, just that they are comforted by being inside their home, their safe haven and their property. The last thing on anyone’s mind is that someone, at any time, could kick in that door and threaten the occupants.

Because of the comforting thought of being inside the home, the occupants become vulnerable and susceptible to threats that decide that their house is next. If/when a threat or threats kick in the door and waves a weapon around, the occupants will most likely freeze in their spots. Threats gamble on it and usually win. Most will freeze in place while trying to process the immediate traumatic occurrence that just happened. That’s all the threat needs.

There are many, low cost/no cost ways to safeguard your home and family and seeking out this information could save the lives of those you hold dear. Research those in your area to find legitimate instructors of these courses that have the credentials to teach the information at an affordable cost. By thinking you are prepared for an event that you have not experienced before without properly being educated about it, only makes an ignorant victim but a victim nonetheless.

Chain of events:
Once someone experiences a home invasion or worse, the likely path that is taken is a knee-jerk reaction. One such reaction is the person will run out to a gun store or sports store and attempt to purchase a gun. Depending on the store and the person behind the counter, that person could very well leave that store with a gun that they would never be able to fire accurately at anything. Unfortunately there are plenty of those stores in existence.

SHOTGUN:
I have heard numerous people brag about their shotgun for home protection. The shotgun is an excellent gun to have for home protection: has an intimidating sound when the shell is chambered (one that most would be able to identify from a great distance) and has a short impact distance. This makes it great for close-in, close quarters situations. That does not mean that everyone would be confident in their abilities with that gun or able to hit anything with it when it is fired.

REVOLVER:
A revolver used to be “old faithful” next to most beds or under pillows in the even someone was to break into their home in the middle of the night. Once again, great design and easy to use, but not for everyone. The revolver is compact and comes in different calibers and sizes but has a limited amount of ammunition loaded into it. This is a downfall for the revolver. Then again, should you need more than 6 bullets against someone that just invaded your home? Maybe, maybe not.

SEMI-AUTOMATIC:
This is a popular choice because of the spare magazines and stopping power. Different calibers are available along with different sizes and different prices. Depending on where someone was to purchase their firearm would also depend on the prices and quality of guns.

Ammunition will cost and depending on the caliber, it may cost a lot! Some ammunition is expensive and some is not. You can achieve great practice with cheap ammunition and have the good ammunition saved for at home or carry options. Having expensive ammunition to practice with is throwing money away on the range. It is important to actually fire the ammunition you intend to carry a couple of times to see how the firearm operates with the ammunition. This will help overall confidence in the firearm/ammunition.

TRUST:
Bring a trusted friend or coworker with you when you are looking at firearms. I was in a sports shop looking at holsters when I heard the person behind the desk trying to convince the woman he was speaking to that she needed a pink handled revolver. I was appalled at the fact that the man was trying to lure the female into purchasing a pink gun because she was a female.

As the conversation went on, the female was unsure of what she wanted and the man behind the counter turned to her husband and said “you know what I am talking about with this gun right?” and her husband said “I don’t know anything about guns at all”. Bad move. Then the shark started to circle the bodies. The salesman grabbed a shotgun off of the rack and was going on about how easy it was to fire that “even his wife could handle it”, referring to the woman right in front of him. This was the point where my wife recognized that I was pretty angry and decided to pull me away from the area.

The woman did not purchase anything right then, thankfully and I “lingered” around the area because I wanted to give the woman and her husband my card to let them know that I would give them free consultation regarding firearms and home defense options.

The salesman was just that “someone that was JUST trying to make a sale”. He did not show any compassion towards what they were looking for or what they needed or was he concerned about price for them. They exist and sad to say, they exist everywhere.

Attend a firearms safety course that allows you to fire a pistol or two. Learn the safety aspects to the firearm and then rent a different firearm, one that you are interested in because of its size, weight or caliber. Shoot that firearm and decide if that is what you truly want.

Once you have found the firearm that fits you and you decide you can shoot it well, then it would be time to look for the firearm to purchase. There are many locations that firearms can be purchased: from the local range, pawn shops and online sites. Price shop and decide and purchase.

It does not matter whether you are man, woman, tall, short, fat or skinny, there are people out there that will exploit you for not knowing everything there is to know about whatever you are attempting to inquire about or purchase. If you bring someone along that knows about the item, you are less likely going to be taken for a ride.

Just like the ignorance in the past: a woman may get charged an extra amount for car repairs than a man because it is “assumed” that a woman would not know the difference. Those times are long gone but there are some that do not know enough to “not” get caught up in the scam. Be proactive about your safety and your protection items. Become educated, do your research and purchase what is right for you.

Always become educated when it comes to firearms and practice often. The person that practices often will eventually have great muscle memory as long as they are practicing the fundamentals. The person that bought the “big” gun with expensive bullets may have the false sense of being a “bad mamma-jamma” but when a threat kicks in their door at 2 A.M. they can’t do anything with it.+

Be safe, do your research and practice often. I would rather have the education and never need it than to need it and never have it! Remain aware!