As our personal security becomes compromised by cowards looking for gun free zones and other easy prey, why wouldn’t you want to exercise your 2nd amendment right and carry a weapon? I only ask that you be accountable with your marksmanship and know your own capability to not become part of the problem in an active shooter scenario. I know good people want to help during chaos, but you’re not helping if you can’t hit what you’re shooting at. I get it, because it takes the 1st responders several minutes to respond to a situation and if I had family in that situation, I wouldn’t wait either. If you don’t know the difference between cover and concealment, you might be behind on tactics to proceed without guidance.
The 1st responders and other fools like myself that run to a gun fight have most likely had some training. Situational awareness and tactics were not taught during your conceal carry class and just shooting paper targets in the backyard won’t prepare you for the stress involved during a gun fight. Not only can you hit the target but can you hit the “X” ring consistently and under stress? Nothing prepares you like the real thing and even though your combat veteran may be cool during chaos…can he burn the “X” ring out?
If you’re that person carrying a weapon without any training and find yourself in an active shooter situation, you should find a defendable location and let the assaulter come to you and then let him have it. I call it the “Joe Biden method”.
I know teachers are carrying weapons in some of the schools around Texas, which is great. However, the right teacher should be carrying that has taken marksmanship courses and/or possess some tactical skills.
Would you want an average shooter with minimal training slinging lead around your Precious Cargo (children)?
Respectfully,
Daryl Holland
Daryl Holland is a retired U.S. Army Sergeant Major with over 20 years of active duty experience, 17 of those years in Special Operations. Five years with the 1st Special Forces Group (SFG) and 12 years in the 1st SFOD-Delta serving as an Assaulter, Sniper, Team Leader, and OTC Instructor.
He has conducted several hundred combat missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Philippines, and the Mexican Border. He has conducted combat missions in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush Mountains as a Sniper and experienced Mountaineer to the streets of Baghdad as an Assault Team Leader.
He has a strong instructor background started as an OTC instructor and since retiring training law abiding civilians, Law Enforcement, U.S. Military, and foreign U.S. allied Special Operations personnel from around the world.
Gunfighter Moment is a weekly feature brought to you by Alias Training & Security Services. Each week Alias brings us a different Trainer and in turn, they offer some words of wisdom.
Accountability.
Now that’s a word you don’t hear or see too often these days.
Same as the word responsibility.
Great post. I think the underlying pathology of anti-2A types is simply that they don’t want to be held accountable for the their actions, and they don’t want to take responsibility. While they don’t want to carry that freight, it seems they resent people who are willing, and “worse,” able.
Here in Texas, The LTC on campus issue is getting interesting.
Sorry, I meant “great post” to both the OP and the reply…
Good article. Every teacher should have the choice to carry or not. If they choose to do so there should be a physical test they have to pass to prove they are competent. I’m not talking about some static paper target but I’m also not talking about BUDS. just a general test that has real world scenarios in it.
Also, there should be atleast two teachers in every school, maybe more depending on the size, that carries.
I wish we didn’t need this. But with the way things are happening now a days it seems we need it. A part of me feels sad that this is needed at all. But then I think you have to be realistic and be prepared.
What do you think is causing the school shootings? Personally I believe it is the culture the young people are subjected to. I mean listen to some of the songs they are flooded with. Plus the demise of the family. A lot of kids are growing up without proper guidance. My father taught me right and wrong along with who and what to respect. It seems today that kids are just not getting this. What do you think?
I agree. It begins early, kids have impressed upon them, for lack of a better word at the moment, who they are by age 12. Todays society, well just about when MTV stopped playing music videos and went to 24 hour “reality TV”, caters to and/or builds a attitude of “ME”! It is a narcissistic society with all the Facebook type social media going on constantly.
Look at Kim Kardashian. She became famous for what? Being a whore and shopping. She does nothing, has no job yet multi-millionaire. What’s that say to all the young girls watching? It shouldn’t say anything but she is a slut and her show would last 1 season…IF the home was parented correctly from the start.
Life, human life to many of these kids, and I also mean the 20 somethings, has no worth or meaning. No morals, poor ethics, horrible manners. If a child no longer has repercussions for their actions they have no respect for authority and will many will do horrible things.
I totally agree. It’s like our world is in reverse. Right is wrong. Wrong is right. Left is right. Right is left. Up is down. Down is up.
“Gun free zones” was a phrase that didn’t exist until legal CCW became almost universal nationwide. There were mass shootings prior to this shift in legislation and they weren’t blamed on “gun free zones.” This is another cliche we need to get rid of. We won’t get rid of so-called gun free zones as long as we respect the rights of private property owners to manage their own property and the need of the government to sterilize specific facilities like prisons and mental health facilities.
Mass murder, in schools or otherwhere is by no means a new phenomenon.
Bill,
+1 Well said.
TLB
It’s weird. When I was in kindergarten. We had a day where we all dressed up as cowboys. I don’t know why. But it was a dress up day. I am 28 now. And the teacher said because some of us brought in our plastic cap guns. The teacher said. “If you brought your cap gun. Please go put it into your backpack now!” Now if that happened. Oh boy. But, I now see why. I carry everyday. Except wh,en I’m inside a school. Yet I have a firearm inside my car. So if SHTF, and I’m able to get to my car I can beat the police. And own my shots. Once you pull the trigger you cannot take that back. It’s like toothpaste. Once you squeeze it out you cannot put All of it back into the tube.
Ideally, anyone carrying would have the proper mindset and training to be an effective defensive gunfighter. The reality is that given a choice between an untrained teacher having the means to improve his/her odds of stopping a school shooter, or cowering in a closet hoping the bad man goes away, I’ll choose the former and accept that there may be friendly casualties.
I agree. In a perfect world our education system would allow for the additional training of the teachers. Since they do not, I’d rather have a responsible teacher armed vs cowering in a corner hoping for the best.