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 THE LIBERTARIAN ENTERPRISE Number 792, October 12, 2014 Rabid Crapweasel!
Special to L. Neil Smith's The Libertarian Enterprise The anti-gun people often tell us that a criminal would simply take a gun away from you and, probably, use it to kill you instead. OK, it could certainly happen, and probably does sometimes. We read often enough about victims who manage to take the criminal's gun and use it against him or her. It's a possibility either way. Is it the most likely outcome of using a gun in self defense? Does that make it pointless to have a gun in the first place? Of course not. But let's just take it a little farther and think about what might happen in that situation. Are you all done defending yourself then? Should you just curl up and let the criminal attacker do whatever they please to you and any others around you? I don't think so. First, of course, is the importance of training and practice in retaining your gun, keeping others from having access to it in any situation you can't control. That includes exercising situational awareness so an attacker doesn't get close enough to grab your gun. It also likely includes the fact that, if you have enough reason to actually draw your gun, you should be shooting instead of allowing the aggressor to get closer to you. But, say you fail to see the threat soon enough, and someone leaps out of the bushes to grab you. Say you do draw and he takes it out of your hand instantly. What then? Are you out of options? Do you give up? Not if you are smart. Just as we KNOW that we must never allow ourselves to be tied up, put into a car, or otherwise made MORE helpless by an attacker, we must think and plan to resist, by any means possible, as long as we can move or breathe. There will never be a better time to resist and save your life than there is in the very first moments of an attack. Never. And if one method of resistance doesn't work, we must instantly seek another. Hands, feet, teeth and fingernails were all available to everyone from early childhood on. They can all be effective tools for self defense, even without martial arts or other training. All that is truly required is the will to use them. And, in some cases, the strength to do so. But is that all? Of course not. Take a look around you right now. Walk through your house. Observe what is in your garage, driveway, car. What can you see when you cross a parking lot, or enter a store? What can you see, either immediately or with some searching, that you could use as a defensive weapon? Some are much more obvious than others, of course, but you should be able to identify hundreds, if not thousands of things that might serve in an emergency. What are some of the common things you might find and use? In the kitchen, one has a wealth of opportunities, from the knives in the butcher block to the heavy pots hanging overhead. Cast iron skillet? How about the trash can? The spray attachment to the kitchen faucet? A big earthenware bowl of fruit? The living room and dining room offer plenty of items that can be swung or thrown. Furniture such as dining chairs can be a deadly weapon indeed. And so it goes through the house. Nobody needs to be told that there are a great many good potential weapons in the average garage, workshop, garden shed or tool room. In a parking lot or public place, watch for such things as free standing signs or newspaper racks, bottles or other items in a trash can, anything that can be used to damage, distract or startle your attacker, even if it is just to give you time to turn and run to a better place. As always, this is nothing to obsess about, just give the more likely some additional thought and even practice with them. In any case, be aware of your surroundings wherever you are, and not just for potential danger. As much as you can, look for solutions to potential problems as well. Remember that most criminals are opportunists, wanting weak and helpless victims. They don't want to work very hard, usually, and most do not want to take any chance they will be hurt themselves. Most will avoid people who appear to be aware, confident — and most likely would run away if their intended victim put up any serious resistance. Prepare yourself, in every way possible, not to be that helpless, clueless victim. It is entirely in your own hands.
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