This marks the 200th consecutive week I have been writing for the Concealed Carry Report. I could not do it without the watchful eye and technical expertise of our esteemed copy editor, Carla. She toils in obscurity, making sure all the writers appear as witty and intelligent as we think we are. While we reap the fame and fortune, bask in the notoriety and enjoy the fruits of a nation addicted to celebrity…um, I guess that’s not really helping, is it? Anyway…if you like the Concealed Carry Report, thank Carla.
For Week 200, I’d like to get back to the idea of winning the fight. Lots of people talk about the survival mindset and doing what it takes to survive. I believe you should not be thinking about surviving, but about winning. If I teach you only to survive, you could still end up with ghastly wounds and permanent injury—both physical and psychological.
Don’t just survive. Win. You MUST prevail.
There is a phrase that has stuck with me from the police academy: You must become violent enough quickly enough to end the fight before you get hurt.
This, of course, came after days of training about how to spot pre-threat indicators, how to position ourselves to ensure we always have an advantage, and how to control distance and use environmental factors to our advantage. The goal was to do a whole lot of talking before it came time to fight, but to realize that once it came time to fight, winning was the only option.
We use the acronym DONE to help us determine when to go “hands-on.” It stands for Danger, Overriding concern, No progress, or Escape. As a private citizen, you are not acting under the color of law, so escape does not apply. If your attacker wants to escape, let him escape. If you decide to use force because no progress is being made, that determination can only be made if the lack of progress means the threat continues. For example, if you’re trapped in a room without an escape route and someone is threatening to beat you if you try to leave, I would suggest talking until such time as you believe you fully understand and can articulate the level of the threat to authorities, then using only the force needed to facilitate your safe escape from the room.
Remember, too, that all the same rules apply for the use of force. Your force must be objectively reasonable. It cannot be excessive and you must stop using force when the threat stops. So that is the balance we all must strike. How can we use enough force to end the fight quickly, but not so much that someone would consider it excessive?
That is a fine line to walk. We must walk it when we decide to use force.
But remember this: Survival is not your goal. When you fight, you are in a fight for your life and the quality of your life is just as important as its duration. If you are going to fight, be ready, willing, and able to win the fight.
