By the time you read this column, the situation described here will be more than two weeks old, but it is something that has prompted lots of thought on my part.
A couple weeks ago, more than 100 comments poured in on a short video I did about reloading a revolver. Don’t worry. My feelings were not hurt. There were enough positive comments on the post to remind me that I’m still doing a good job. I mean, if the internet commandoes could not hurt my feelings by saying I had “womanly hands,” disagreeing about the mechanics of a revolver reload will not slow me down.
What the interaction did reinforce was this idea that many people feel the need to challenge anything they see or hear that is outside the scope of their experience. It was as if I had caused a bunch of hurt feelings with my presentation. Part of me understands that, but another part of me does not.
I have said before that there are very few absolutes when it comes to defensive training. You know for certain that a round must be in the firing chamber for the gun to be fired. And you know for certain that if the muzzle is pointed at the target when the gun is fired, the bullet will impact the target. Those are the two big ones. Aside from that, most elements of defensive shooting are open to debate and rational people will listen to opposing viewpoints if only to learn what they don’t want to do in the future.
Think about this for a minute: In a world without ego, people could exchange all sorts of ideas and everyone would learn more. Everyone would have the opportunity to discuss the pros and cons of different training elements without wading through a bunch of disparaging remarks and dismissive comments.
You old guys who demand that there is just one right way and demean anyone who doesn’t accept your way, you are a barrier to entry for young, inexperienced shooters who have legitimate interest in this lifestyle and serious questions about a topic that is literally a life-or-death proposition. And at the same time, if you think you know all there is to know, you might end up dead when the balloon goes up. Remember when the Speed Rock, Position Sul and the Quick Peek were all the accepted tactics? All of those have changed because people tried new things.
I’m not so upset that some of you didn’t like my method of reloading a revolver. I took the best elements I saw from some of the best instructors I know and found something that works for me.
What I am upset about is the fact that so many people refuse to have a civil discussion about a very important topic. We don’t convince people to join our line of thinking by aggressive argument. We all learn more by discussing the differences of opinions we share. Those differences will sometimes be great. But we can still learn from each other.
I never describe myself as an expert, nor do I let others describe me as such. What I am is a student. Someone who works to learn all he can about this topic. Through amazing good fortune, I have been given the chance to share what I learn with others. I do this not to bring you to “my way of thinking” but instead to inspire you to think more about what we do.
You don’t have to agree with me, but don’t get caught in a rut or fall into the trap that there is only one way to do things. Self-defense is intensely personal; the more information you have, the better decisions you can make.
