Happy New Year!! Have you thought about making some resolutions around your personal safety and defense? Here is some good advice.
If you have already taken one of my classes, you know how seriously I take ongoing training and education when it comes to firearms and self defense. You also know how seriously I take further educating yourself in the area of situational awareness and conflict avoidance. This New Year is a perfect time to make the changes in your life to incorporate the training, practice, and discipline necessary to effectively identify, avoid, and mitigate a threat or conflict. Let’s take a look at what that should look like.
Arm Yourself
If you have not yet taken the required course to apply for your concealed weapons permit, now is the perfect time. Get the ball rolling in order to equip yourself with the proper tools to defend yourself should all else fail and you are in a fight for your life. But, it doesn’t stop there. Like I teach in my classes, self defense is multilayered approach. It’s not about just carrying a gun, it’s about carrying the proper tools to get yourself out of a situation with the least amount of damage to yourself AND others. Get your layers in check. Have you added a tactical flashlight? Have you added a tactical pen? How about a tactical knife? A stun gun perhaps? Maybe some OC spray? Do you know how to use it? Do you always carry these things unless prohibited by law? Let this New Year be what motivates you to adequately equip yourself with the proper tools to give you the best chance at a multilayered defense, and pledge to yourself that you will do what is necessary to equip yourself with these tools at all times and in all places. Remember, you cannot predict crime.
Awareness & Wherewithal
Are you still living your life as if the threats are somewhere else? As if they always happen to someone else? If you have taken one of my classes, you have heard me introduce the idea of situational awareness and what that looks like. Hopefully, you have taken steps to modify your mindset to give yourself the best odds at avoiding or surviving an attack. Set a goal this year to read at least one book on situational awareness and/or conflict avoidance. If you are really taking your personal security seriously, set yourself a stretch goal to read at least one book or take at least one course on the best way to mitigate and survive a threat. There are so many great resources out there to choose from. I can provide recommendations, just email me.
Practice
Okay, so you are equipped with the proper tools. Are you practicing with them? Are you doing the proper dry fire and live fire drills regularly enough to be proficient at drawing and hitting your target? Chances are you’re not. Not keeping up with these drills can easily result with things not ending well for you in a conflict. There are numerous resources out there that give countless practice drills for live and dry fire. This is another great area to do some New Year goal setting.
Legal & Financial Protection
Last, but certainly not least, is the topic of making sure you are legally and financially protected should the unthinkable happen and you defend yourself or your family. This is an excellent and essential area to make a New Year change. If you have to defend yourself, you are going to need a defense to prove you did not commit a crime. We all know this will cost a fortune; quite possibly your entire nest egg. You could very well become bankrupt from it. Take advantage of the New Year to make a change to protect you and your family from losing everything you have. Get yourself some legal protection. Waiting until you need it will prove catastrophic.
In Closing
I could go on and on about this stuff. I think you’ve got the idea. Take some time to think things through. Set whatever goals and make whatever changes you need to be the most equipped and most prepared in any self defense situation and beyond. In the coming months, there will be more articles on topics like this. Watch for them. Share them. They will be most informative. Now, get that pen out and write down your new goals.
Be Safe,
Joe Shahoud
Joe Shahoud is the owner and lead instructor at Safe Family Defense LLC, a firearms training academy that serves the greater Columbia, SC area specializing in pistol, concealed weapons permits, personal defense, and general education in personal safety. Visit their classes page to see what is available and enroll.
Joe is also the owner of Safe Family Safes, an online retailer that specializes in fast-access smart gun safes and other gear essential to the concealed carry lifestyle.
Copyright 2020 – All Rights Reserved, Safe Family Defense LLC
