Often times we find the average civilian not equipped with the proper mindset, education, training and proficiency adequately address a use of force or deadly force confrontation. This is often times due to the ideal, "I have a gun and that's good enough." This philosophy is prevalent in the CHL communities throughout the country because many are not aware when faced with the prospect of potentially taking a human life.
          One of the major contributing factors in losing a life-and-death confrontation in society today is a surprising unwillingness, even distaste, at the thought of having to resort to the use of deadly force even when it becomes necessary in order to survive. Surviving and winning a violent confrontation must always be your ultimate goal.
          Ruthlessness has become a necessary evil. It's evil because nobody in his/her right mind wants to splatter someone's brains all over the sidewalk. It becomes necessary because if ruthlessness is what it's going to take to stop a deadly force confrontation then it's crucial that you act. In a violent confrontation, there is first place and second place - and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out which one you don't want to be.
          Tactical preparation and firearm proficiency are necessities for the average citizen who desires to have the capability to even up the odds against an all out, fast and furious, violent life and death confrontation. Thinking that you are prepared to handle a deadly force situation when you aren't, can be a terrible last mistake.
          Tactical preparation, simply stated, requires that you find ways to eliminate or at least reduce the many disadvantages forced upon you in any violent confrontation. Understanding your enemy is essential in order to beat him/her. If you don't understand how the criminal element thinks or acts, you will be attacked or worse yet, killed.
          Being able to see one's assailant and being able to quickly identify him/her as a deadly threat is important since your response must be directly proportional to the perceived threat. Remember, your ability to pay attention to your surroundings utilizing your mental alertness skills will be the determining factor in how much reaction time you have available to dispense with the threat.
          The aggressor will often times move quickly and aggressively, with purpose and controlled thought on their part. Your performance will be directly related to your ability to keep control of yourself. Those who can handle and overcome the 'startle response' increase their chances to handle the encounter. The key is to make less mistakes than your adversary.
          Proficiency with your firearm is a must if you expect to have a realistic opportunity to successfully defend yourself against a deadly attack. Your training must be reality based, preparing you both physically and mentally when the attack occurs.
           If you train on unrealistic, stationary targets under ideal conditions, it will more than likely leave you with nothing more than a false sense of security. Let's face it; It'll be a cold day in hell when a one-dimensional target, at a known distance, attacks you moving at a known speed.
           Not taking advantage of every opportunity to improve your proficiency may someday come back to bite you. Unfortunately there are not many opportunities available to train 'real world'. In this respect it is up to the individual to take advantage and make due with what is available. Provided that you train properly (fundamentally sound), all training will have some value.
           There are several things that bear mentioning when it comes to improving your proficiency with your handgun. First of all, you can't hit what you can't see and, second, if you don't hit what you're aiming at, you may not get a second chance, but if you don't see your attacker until it's too late, then you will certainly not have another chance.
           One must also remember that a perfectly placed shot doesn't guarantee the end of a violent confrontation. A definitive list of what must happen to stop an aggressor in his tracks just does not exist. Too many variables must be considered and taken into account for this to ever happen.
           One must always ask themselves, "How important is it for me to survive?" and "How am I going to survive?" The more you can learn, the more realistic your training and better your marksmanship skills become will go a long way to answering these questions. Your ability to pay attention to your surroundings (mental alertness) will also be a key to your survival.
           When you finally begin your preparation for the streets, knowledge will always translate into power. Remember, it's mindset, education, training and proficiency that must come together in order to give you the ability to survive and win a violent confrontation.

Copyright © 2002 William D. (Bill) Slater, Jr. This article was published in the July/Aug. 2002 (Vol. 6 No. 4) issue of The Concealed Handgun, the official publication of the Texas Concealed Handgun

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