In light of the current events and violent acts taking place all around us. I feel compelled to Write about realistic, and practical  self defense. We have all seen the news and the countless soicial posts. Many people are chiming in about gun rights, etc etc. So how do you know who to believe? How do you know who you should listen to and who you should just smile and nod to. The answer lies within your own individual beliefs. It is however, extremely important to consider the ramifications of becoming involved in a physical altercation. We all have the legal right to defend ourselves and our loved ones from violent crimes. Lets say you are in a parking lot and waiting to park in a space where another car is leaving from. You waited there while they loaded their car and strapped their children in and adjusted their mirror. You even calmly waited for them to apply their lipstick, or adjust their hair. Then as they pull out of the space, they block your access to it in the process, allowing another car to pull into "your" parking space. I'm pretty sure this has happened at least once to all of us. Most people Will lay on their horn, and become outraged at the fact that they just stole your parking space. Lets say for a moment that this happened to me. Now lets say that I waited for the individual to get out of his car so I could give him a piece of my mind, for stealing "my parking space." Not knowing anything about this individual, I hypothetically say to him "Hey Moron you didn't see me waiting there for that parking spot?" To which he replies with a swift kick to my front fender. Ok now I am really angry and I am getting out of my vehicle, just like most of us would do. But on this particular day, the other individual is having a worse day than I am, and feels threatened by my angry face, and aggressive demeanor. His reaction is to pull a knife out of his pocket or waistband, or maybe even a gun. This would force me into a position that could have and should have been avoided had I just chose to ignore his ignorance. Or maybe he seriously didn't see me. Whatever the actual facts may be I am now in a situation that forces me to fight, possibly to the death, or even risk being killed. But had I just ignored the situation and figured the guy must have had a good reason to "steal my spot" I would not have placed myself in this scenario in the first place. Of course this is an extreme example, and an example of an escalating nature. Under this scenario, we all have a choice to act out our frustrations, or just suppress them and go about our business. Lets assume for a moment that the altercation went in our favor, we honked at the individual, who possibly didn't see us waiting there. He kicked the front of the car and as the result you got out and a fight ensued. The end result was the other driver getting beaten badly and having to go to the hospital. Due to his injuries, he can no longer work. the end result is a judgement against you, where you will be paying this individual for the rest of his life. For what? A parking space that actually doesn't belong to either of you. Kind of silly huh?

On the other hand, there are scenarios like what just took place in Orlando, where a gunman enters into a business and just starts shooting random people. What can you do? Are you armed? if so you will need to make the split second decision to draw your weapon and dispatch the shooter. Are you trained? Do you have experience in this type of situation? If you decide to shoot the shooter, what is on the other side of the shooter in the event you miss? will it be your round that kills an innocent bystander? These are split second decisions, and thoughts that typically only come from tactically trained individuals. The shooter may see you and return fire. You may get shot as the result. What if the shooter is wearing a flak jacket? (aka bullet proof vest) As you can see by this blog this is something I am passionate about. While I would support a legally licensed, or otherwise skilled armed civillian dispatching the shooter, sometimes it may be the only option to end the crisis. But what if on the other hand you are not armed? What if there are women and children present? Is the shooter already shooting people or is he making threats and trying to take hostages? If you have a visual on the shooter, you must look for an opening and make every effort to end the situation. Most people would not know what to do. Although I have training in gun defense, as well as ample training in firearms, safety and tactics, I have never been face to face with a crazed shooter. I can only say that I would do what my training has taught me to do and trust that it will take over when needed. If you are in a public place and an active shooter starts shooting, get to cover ASAP, and take those around you with you. Don't panic, try to remoin calm. Make every effort to leave the area quickly, quietly and orderly, maybe consider barricading yourself in a secure area. (a bathroom stall is not considered a secure area, going into a bathroom to hide is not always the best choice.) I am currently working on a handbook for surviving an active shooter. The purpose of the handbook is to give readers an idea of things they could do in the event of an active shooter. Do not take on the mindset that "this would never happen to me." Truth is we never know whether or not it will happen to us until the time comes. There are simple things that you can do to safeguard your workplace. for example, there are pens that you can buy, that are quite stout, and in a pinch could be used as a weapon, Keeping a can of Wasp spray in your work area could also be a good choice as wasp spray can reach up to 70 feet in some cases. Wasp spray would blind a would be attacker. Avoid pepper spray as pepper spray would fill the room and cause others to be less capable of exiting as the result. There are several other things that can be done to better your chances of surviving an active shooter. I will cover some of them in a handbook that I hope to be finished within the next month or so. In closing this lengthy blog, it is important to point out the difference between having the option of defending your self, and having no other choice other than to defend yourself. Stay safe, be alert, Be vigilant!