BLAZE Magazine Special Edition 2006-2016 | Page 50

Outdoors & Education It’s not what’s in your holster but in your head that counts By Doug Gilmer W hile you can buy a handgun, all the necessary gear, and even pay for excellent training, what is most overlooked, and cannot be purchased, is the mental preparation required of anyone who chooses to carry a firearm. You can be well armed, well trained, and even shoot well but not have the necessary mindset or mental focus to carry a firearm. It is deeply personal and something each person must develop and determine for themselves. For the record, this has nothing to do with gender. It has nothing do with occupation. Over the years I have met a number of people, both male and female, who have entered careers in law enforcement and the military who are not mentally equipped for the job and the requirement to be armed. Armed self defense is more mental than physical and requires you to accept four realities. First, when you choose to own and or carry a firearm for self protection you are accepting the reality one day you may be in a position where you will have to deploy the firearm, whether at home or in public. Second you must understand, you may one day be required to fire your weapon in the face of a threat. Third, you must come to terms with the fact, morally and otherwise, you may take another person’s life: kill them, make them dead. That’s right! The actions of a armed individual may result in the death of the person who poses the threat justifying the deadly force response. I emphasize this because I don’t believe many people understand the finality of their actions. Death is what it is, dead. FINAL! Fourth, you must have a plan to deal with the aftermath of an armed encounter. Do you carry a handgun for self protection? Are you considering it? What does all of this mean for you? 50 | | SPECIAL EDITION 2006-2016 First, if you are properly licensed or are otherwise legally allowed to carry a concealed firearm then carry it everywhere you can. To carry only when convenient or when you feel like it means you can somehow predict when you will need your firearm and you are in denial of the first previously mentioned reality. The news is full of stories of people who fall victim to violent crime and who never thought it would happen to them, when it happened. The truth is you cannot predict when bad things happen, you can only plan and prepare for them. As the saying goes, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” In matters of personal defense, failure is not an option as there may not be a second chance. Secondly, firearms training is an essential aspect of mental preparation. Learning how to carry and properly deploy a handgun effectively, hitting what you aim at, and doing so under stress, will help build confidence and improve your comfort level carrying a firearms as well as with the idea you might have to use your handgun at home or in public to stop a threat. Carrying a firearm does not make you invincible or a super-hero. It is not a ego builder. It’s serious business. Should you face a dangerous situation and deploy your handgun you should know the one creating the threat is not going to necessarily stop and run at the mere presence of your firearm. After considering your surroundings and the totality of Accept No Limits | outdoorwomenunlimited.org