PMCI April 2018 | Page 15

EDITORS COMMENT W hilst PMCI cannot yet be described as “a Ultimately as intelligent adults and friends we “agreed to mighty oak” 2018 sees the team and I disagree”, each appreciating the others point of view and parted well on the way to creating a magazine as usual on good terms. whose branches are beginning to reach I tell this personal story just to illustrate how one small further and further into the training, conversation, based on facts and logic rather than bombast and firearms and tactical communities. raw emotion can indeed lead to greater understanding; whilst we In this issue you’ll find our reports may not all agree with one another, it is good sometimes to at from what are two of THE biggest “trade least have “the conversation”, and I guess this is how I view PMCI. shows” of the year, SHOT in the USA and IWA in Germany, and I am lucky enough to be graced with well-informed and on both sides of “The Big Pond” 2018 PMCI staffers were greeted intelligent writers on the team, those that will look for good warmly by everyone they saw; now some may say that “the stories and tell them well. Yes, we do aim to be informative to industry” is a little stand-offish but from my perspective if you those that genuinely wish to improve their tactical skill sets and prove that you can do the job it’s actually massively inclusive, and knowledge, but we also aim to give a clear message that we will frankly a very good place to be! stand our ground and not be brow-beaten into hiding away in a quiet, dark corner; let’s get real people, the world is still a violent I can appreciate how those at the sharp end of things view others and dark place, and just sometimes we need to acknowledge that outside our world with some trepidation though, as I recently had and decide upon our own course of action and act accordingly as a great conversation with an old and very dear friend of mine; we feel we should, with honour, integrity, and a questioning mind this is a very intelligent lady that holds a Doctorate in her chosen open to all viewpoints whether they tally with ours or not. field, and is no stranger to working in harsh environments, but We are “loud and proud” about what we do at PMCI, and we she genuinely doesn’t understand firearms. She is also a mother are happy to logically discuss that with people who genuinely of a school-aged son who lives in Florida, and after recent tragic “don’t get it”. All we ask is that others try to understand us as we events she reached out to me. try to understand them. As part of “the industry” we now have Rather than simply lambast all firearms and firearm users she the task of helping to tell our stories in a positive and meaningful instead asked me if I might help her understand a little more about way, and I am very grateful indeed for the faith that our industry “gun culture” and after much back and forth whilst not completely now places in us to do this. swayed by my arguments she admitted that she at least “got it” Wherever you may be people, switch on, train hard, a little more. stay vigilant and keep safe. “FROM LITTLE ACORNS”