I feel that this is the best start to my first official blog, and I am not trying to make anyone mad or hurt anyone’s feelings. But this is something that needs to be discussed, and we should be able to have an open and honest conversation about it.
Well, what are you talking about, you ask? That would be training. Yes, I said it, TRAINING. Especially now that South Carolina has officially become a Constitutional, or what some call permitless, carry state in the last month. Now if you are unsure about what this is I will have another blog coming to discuss this more in depth, but this means anyone 18 years or older can now carry a handgun, concealed or open, on their person while in the state of South Carolina whether you’re a resident or not. Yes, if you are passing through or vacationing here in South Carolina this applies to you as well.
So why are you wanting to talk about training because I own several guns, I go to the range and shoot my guns, or I go to my friends/family property and shoot my guns. Well, this is why I want to discuss training. Training is going to help you understand the laws when it comes to firearms as well as using these firearms in self-defense, because there are some things we are not allowed to do or just can’t do. By understanding the laws, it will ensure that you are not prosecuted, or if you happen to be put on trial it will help strengthen your case because you followed the law. The reason I say all this here is because we have a legal system, not a justice system and not a constitutional system. It is a legal system, and we need to ensure that we understand and follow the laws. But as I tell everyone I am telling you what the law says and what you do when you leave my class is on you, and your lawyer, if you can afford one, to prove in court.
The next thing training will help teach you is how to fight with your gun. Wait, what do you mean fight with your gun? Well, I am not talking about fighting with your gun like you are using the gun itself to beat someone. What I mean is training will help you fight with your gun like understanding your draw stroke, and how to become more efficient with that draw stroke. So, be honest with yourself how often do you practice your draw stroke because I know most ranges won’t let you practice that, so don’t sit here and tell me when you go “shoot” your gun you are working your draw stroke. The other thing about fighting with your gun is understanding how to properly change your mags, as well as how to clear malfunctions. Now before you start by saying my gun never malfunctions, YOU ARE WRONG. And I am not saying that your gun itself will malfunction, but your ammo will. Yes, many malfunctions will be an ammo misfire. If you are not sure about what that is, it is where the firing pin struck the primer but for whatever reason it never ignited the powder to fire the bullet out of the gun. Why is this important, you ask? It is important because I see it all the time when the mag change, or malfunction comes up every wants to sit and look at the gun with this what do I do next look on their face. You don’t want that while you have someone running at you with a weapon in their hand or be in a gunfight and your gun is not going bang. You must be able to make sure you get that gun back in the fight as quickly as possible. Because the bad person isn’t going to pause and give you time to inspect and see what is going on with your gun.
So, not only is training going to better prepare you for mag changes and malfunctions, but it will also help you get mentally prepared for watching your surroundings and having to use your gun in self-defense. Now you’re asking again what do you mean? I mean that training will help bring your situational awareness to the next level so hopefully you can see it coming and be able to just avoid the situation all together. I say this because the best gun fight is no gun fight. But in the case that you don’t see it coming you are going to have to pull your gun and take someone’s life. Now I am not that to sound as bad as what you just read because you are defending yourself. Yes, you are doing violence, but you are defending yourself. Still, you are taking a life and that is never an easy thing to do, even in self-defense. This is something you do need to have a mental conversation with yourself and ensure this is something you are ready for because when you are fighting for your life is not the time to think about it or hesitate. What I mean is you will take away someone’s mother, father, brother, uncle, whatever. Now the harsh reality of this is you might have to take the life of a young person, because I have seen videos and read articles where a young person, 15 or younger has come into a pace and shot it up and robbed them. Yes, it happens, and it could happen to you. Or another thing is you might have to take the life of a friend or family member because you must remember they have already made up their mind, or possibly have had a mental break, and at that time the only way to stop them and protect you or someone else is use you gun in self-defense.
Lastly, training will also get your stress and adrenaline up to get you close to what a real-life situation will be like. It will help you understand how to control it while having to manipulate your gun as well as engage your threat. The stress and adrenaline can also cause you to freeze because I have seen it happen numerous times on the range because again training is going to push your limits and take you out of your comfort zone because when it happens in real-life there will be nothing comfortable about it. Get out of your comfort zone and learn to fight with your gun.
Yes, this is why we stress training. No, it’s not because we are trying to get your money or get rich. If that was the case I would have stayed at my corporate job. We, as coaches, want to make sure that you are ready and mentally prepared for when the fight comes to you, and trust me it will come to you one day. Don’t be the one to not get some professional training and freeze and it cost you your life or the life of someone you care about, or worse, both. Please take the time and invest in some training and not another gun. I will leave you with this question, what is you and your loved one’s life worth?
As I always say,
If you’re not shooting, you’re reloading.
If you’re not reloading, you’re fighting.
If you’re not fighting, YOU’RE DEAD.
Train to LIVE! See you on the range.