Interesting "group", just from reading their website & FAQ. Their motto,
We have an internal group motto….”Who we are, matters not. What we do, remains unseen. How we do it, is everything.” is ... interesting.
Anyway, I can see the title being a bit offensive to the average gun owner who sees it.
Look at it from a larger perspective, though. Lots of folks own guitars, but how many of them are musicians, or could sit in with accomplished musicians? How many do well when alone, but fall apart if someone just
watches them?
Lots of folks own and drive cars, but how many have the training & experience gained in even the basic EVOC driving classes LE is usually required to attend?
It's not about
having the equipment in the above examples, but in
being trained to actually use the equipment.
In the case of the driving skills, it covers being able to safely and effectively operate the cars under stressful and emergency conditions. Of course, it also imparts some "basic" skills that many cops find just as handy when driving their own family cars, such as more efficient awareness, turning, parking and displacement/avoidance maneuvers.
I remember the first time I used a displacement maneuver, it wasn't in my patrol car, but in my family car, with my family riding in it. If I'd tried to use the brakes to avoid another car's unexpected and dangerous turning action (which is "normal" for many average drivers), we'd have been hit and probably injured.
As it was, I automatically avoided being hit by the other car, and my family was more stunned by how I'd quickly avoided the collision ... and without acting in a way that endangered any
other drivers. I'd been aware of the car creating the hazard, and yet also aware of everywhere else around our car. It was literally over before my family had had the time to barely recognize the impending threat. I went and thanked that driving instructor when I returned to work.
So ... about firearms being lawfully carried in the role of dedicated defensive weapons ...
Getting some training beyond the basic firearms safety course level often involves more than just shooting the gun for target accuracy in a different environment.
Some basic knowledge & understanding of the laws relating to the use of force may be involved, and may prove to be helpful. It can be amazing what the average law abiding citizen
doesn't know about the laws regarding such things. Knowing when NOT to use deadly force can help keep you out of prison.
Understanding what stress can do to you in an unexpected, dynamic, chaotic and rapidly evolving situation involving the potential for serious bodily injury or death can be helpful, too. Sheer physical stress is a different thing than experiencing a hormonal fear response.
Understanding (and developing) mindset can be helpful.
Even the potential for learning simpler and/or more effective ways to safely & effectively draw, present, handle, manipulate and shoot a handgun is helpful, too. A hands-on instructor can often see things we do that we'd never be able to see for ourselves.
Getting some different (better?) insight into carry methods and related gear (magazine/speedloader carriers) may be very handy. Potentially learning some advantages & disadvantages of different holsters, and their proper use under less-than-ideal circumstances, has opened the eyes of some folks.
The cost? Probably not "cheap", of course. It not only means the cost of the class, but also time away from family (and maybe work), as well as travel, lodging & food expenses.
Then, there's the understandable concern about choosing a "good" venue & instructor(s).
Fortunately, there are seemingly an ever-growing number of sources from which to gain such training. Sometimes checking the bulletin board of a local range/gunstore might reveal an unexpectedly affordable 1 or 2 day class offered locally. Maybe the range/store staff might have some experience with, or knowledge of, the person/people involved with the class. Seems to be a lot of NRA trained instructors popping up.
One last comment.
One of the advantages of receiving proper training, and continuing to properly practice it, is to help try to inoculate yourself against the adverse effects of stress during a crisis situation. Training can give you an ingrained proper reaction and a way to function under stress. Defaulting to "instinct", instead of reacting in a trained way to resolve an unexpected situation, may not have the desired results.
No guarantees in life, though.
Shooting is a perishable skill.
Being able to make good decisions, using sound judgment under duress and stress (mental & physical) ... while having an ingrained trained skillset upon which to draw ... can't be a bad thing, can it?
Hey, just some thoughts.
Happy New Year everyone.
