Stop The Threat

I just talked (texted) with a friend of mine.  He has been in law enforcement (LE) and intell his whole life.  He now works church security.  I mentioned pepper spray as a deterrent. That started a conversation (he finally called me) that brings up a good thing to remind us all about.  He told me about a police officer in San Francisco who pepper sprayed a suspect he had just pulled over with a heavy duty spray only LE and military can get.  After he sprayed the suspect he turned his back to return to his vehicle and got shot and killed by the suspect.  He made a grave mistake that cost him his life.  Don’t make this same mistake.  Even the training I went through in the military didn’t really teach that pepper spray doesn’t really incapacitate a person.  What it may do, emphasis on the word may, is temporarily slow or stop them for a moment.  This time you are given to employ another weapon or to leave.  That’s ALL it will do! Possibly.  So you must be prepared for additional threats.  To be honest, I would not rest until I knew the threat was not moving, even a twitch (dead) or, the police had him in handcuffs in the back of their patrol car.  Then, and only then, would I relax.  If the weapon is not considered lethal, then I think you should consider it a very “temporary” weapon.

Even police stun "guns" don't always work, as evidenced by the 1991 Rodney King video. King was TASERed prior to being attacked by baton-wielding officers but was still able to move around and present a potential threat. (Some of the fired darts may have missed, but had he been incapacitated by the TASER, the baton attack would have been even more obviously excessive, and unnecessary.)

Both chemical sprays and stun guns are virtually useless in stopping multiple attackers, while with sufficient practice, firearms (and particularly handguns) are quite effective at stopping violent attack, even by a determined gang of assailants. Unlike these two common non-lethal weapons, a gun, when fired, acts to alert possible aid, and is less likely to be ignored than personal alarms. Also, unlike non-lethal weapons, guns offer an additional intimidation factor due to their lethality which may deter attack in circumstances where the risk of confronting a spray can or stun "gun" would not. Ironically, some of the same localities which have strict "gun control" laws also prohibit ordinary citizens from owning and using chemical defense sprays or stun guns, and the rationale is the same. Law- abiding citizens are disarmed of any possible effective means of self-defense because of the possibility of criminals misusing these weapons.

Remember, your mission is not to just use the weapon, but you want to stop the threat or get away unharmed from the threat.  Do not let down your guard until that threat is neutralized or you are long gone from the threat.  

Also remember that given the choice of fight or flight, flight is always the right choice.  It has nothing to do with being a coward; it has nothing to do with pride, if given the choice, leave! My goal is not to be a tough guy.  Where there is a tough guy, there is someone who is, or thinks they are tougher.  I choose to act like an adult and not play“king of the mountain”.  Not unlike the soldier, whose job it is to stop the enemy from advancing, your job is always to stop the threat by any means. (see blog 5/6/14 Improvised weapons)

This is a reminder. Stop the threat!

Semper Paratus

Burn