Mindset of Self Defense
by Harley Swiftdeer
"Gunnie" Reagan
President, KeepAndBearArms.com
What are the mindset qualities that armed
citizens must possess in order to achieve the willingness to use a firearm and
possibly seriously wound or kill a criminal in defense of their own lives?
FIRST
People cannot truly make a 100% determination
that they are ready, willing and able to take a human life if necessary in
defense of their own lives or the lives of others until they have been in the
saddle and as we say in the business "the elephant is trumpeting and the
red flag is flying." Therefore, the first aspect of Mindset is one's
attitude in relationship to not only the sacredness of life, but the reality
that self-defense and self-preservation are the Keys Attributes of Spiritual
Integrity. The one and only thing that most human beings can change when
learning any new arena of knowledge is the Attitude. Nowhere is it more critical
to have an "attitude adjustment" than in the arena of the possibility
of taking a human life. (More on the attitude and what underlies the appropriate
self-defense attitude in a moment.)
Following one's attitude is one's approach to
critical, life-threatening situations. Attitude + Approach = autonomic response
in times of stress and crisis situations. Therefore, practicing "what
if" scenarios must include the actual visual impact effects of gunshot
wounds with all the blood, gore and the lifelessness of a body laying at your
feet. I know this is harsh, but I am speaking from personal experience both in
combat in Vietnam and as a law enforcement officer. No sane person would
constantly dwell on such things, but any fully prepared person must at least
consider the harsh realities enough to be fully prepared for their unfortunate
potentiality.
As an LEO in civilian life,
I had to use my firearm with justifiable use of lethal force on two occasions
where death of a criminal resulted. Notice that I am emphasizing death of
a criminal. While a criminal is indeed a two-legged animal, they are not nor do
they deserve to be referred to as a human being. A human being is someone who
shows humanness, is contributor to humankind and shows genuine care to humanity,
devoting part of their life to humanity: humans in unity. Enough said.
What we are really dealing with in a personal
confrontational crisis situation of a life-threatening nature is
the preservation of our life or the lives of innocent citizens from the forcible
violence of a predatory two-legged animal. Therefore, I'll use an analogy that
should be clear to all but the most ignorant of the two-legged animal clan:
Most humans love animals, especially our dogs
and cats -- our house pets. But now you come home one evening and discover that
your wife and children are trapped in your back shed because your lovely pet
bozo has been bitten by a rabid coyote and is there foaming at the mouth, trying
to attack the very humans who have fed and cared for it and loved it very
dearly. But you must understand, this is no longer bozo the pet; it is a rabid
dog (the violent criminal), and therefore, you must destroy it in order to
preserve the sacred memories you have of it.
One's attitude must be predicated upon a
realistic assessment that a violent criminal is a predator -- a malevolent
predator who has absolutely NO regard for the sacredness of life. They are, in
essence, rabid. Therefore, it is absolutely essential that you understand this
clearly: Just as in the above analogy where a sane person presented with
choosing between a family member or a rabid dog must shoot the dog as quickly
and safely as possible, when presented with a "your life or his"
choice, you must also drop the criminal as quickly as possible. Hesitation on
your part may (and frequently does) result in death anyway, only it could be the
death of a human -- instead of the death of a violent criminal.
Mindset Quality
1) Clear sober perception of the reality at
hand.
2) Positive attitude that you will survive at
all costs.
3) Approach to a quick, autonomic presentation
of your firearm up into "the shooter's box" and a distinct inner voice
that says, "Front sight, press."
Nothing more, nothing less, leads to ultimate
survival in a gunfight.
How do you develop the mindset that you will
shoot to stop a violent attack?
You must realize that your duty, obligation and
responsibility is just that: to stop the attack. It must never be to
"kill" the attacker. NEVER. You are trying to stop them, no matter
what. One of the ways that you can analyze your mindset is, if you have used
your firearm in self-defense, notice if your hands are sweating, heartbeat
increased, respiration shallow... You were operating in fear for your life.
Therefore, you had no choice but to defend your life. However, and this is
crucial in the mindset, if you acted in anger, your hands will be dry, your
breath will be calm, and your respiration will be only slightly higher.
Therefore, what I am speaking of is the after
effects of having used a firearm in a lethal situation. Back to mindset. A
clear, sober perception of the reality at hand is a quick biofeedback monitoring
of the above. In every single instance where I have used a firearm
self-defensively -- as a civilian or law enforcement -- I "reality
checked," albeit quickly, my basic palm/moisture feedback mechanism, heart rate
and breathing -- quickly -- drawing in a deep breath, relaxing it and holding
part of the breath in my lower abdomen, forcing myself to have a clear front
site with a hazy target in order to make my shots hit in the center of critical
body mass. This requires practice, practice, practice and training, training,
training in order to become autonomic as part of your marksmanship.
Mindset, marksmanship, and gun handling are the
trinity principles for proper bearing of a firearm. Of the three, mindset is
crucial, marksmanship comes with training and practice, and gun handling comes
by thorough indoctrination in the cardinal rules of firearm safety:
GUN HANDLING
1) Familiarity with your weapon
2) Method of carry
3) Proper fit of holster and belt, ie. The leather/rig
4) Comfortableness in hand Proper sight/picture alignment
5) Trigger control
6) Breathing
SAFETY
1) All firearms are always loaded all the
time. Treat them as such.
2) Always keep your muzzle pointed in a safe
direction.
3) NEVER, EVER point the muzzle at anything
you are not willing to destroy.
4) Keep finger off trigger at all times until
you have clearly identified your target and what lies behind it and to both
sides.
SUGGESTIONS
Read the book "Lead Poisoning, 25 Stories
at the Wrong End of a Gun" in order to understand the reality that you can
be shot and survive. This is crucial in establishing the mindset necessary in
order to bypass the panic response factor (PRF) that allows you to transcend
your fear. (My story of being shot is one of the 25.)
See the video "Deadly Effect of
Weapons".
I highly recommend you read Unintended
Consequences by John Ross for this reason: it shows you in a clear and very
graphic way what could become necessary to defend your life and liberty if the
anti-constitution government continues assaulting our rights. No rational human
being wants such things to happen, but a rational patriot must face the
fact that it might.
