I’ve worked with and trained with law enforcement officers from all over the world (including British LEO’s), and inevitably we have discussed the realities of criminal violence in our respective jurisdictions and shared our exasperation with just how… misguided… most private citizens are regarding the realities of crime. A lot of people state they “never felt the need” to worry about their own protection or security, and sure, the odds that you’ll ever be accosted – even in the most crime-ridden societies – are relatively low. BUT… even the safest societies still have crime. Even the safest societies still have innocent people who get brutalized and murdered by criminals… and a lot of the victims of violent crime would NOT have been victimized if only they had taken even the most rudimentary steps to protect themselves.
6Gunner
April 27, 2017
Posted to the thread Gun control in the UK
[Self defense is more than just possessing a firearm and knowing when and how to use it. It requires awareness of your surroundings, the nature of people, and criminal methods.—Joe]
That “awareness of your surroundings” bit reminds me of a short manual written by Mama Liberty. She makes a big point of situational awareness, and the way you can train to improve it.
Even on the highway, I’ve anticipated, identified, reacted to, and successfully averted, situations before my passengers even noticed, and so they’ve had to ask me what happened after the fact. Situational awareness.
When my daughter was driving my wife and me on a long distance trip, I saw, from the back seat, our demise unfold in what seemed like slow motion . I tried to warn her, but the event timing was on the order of about two or three seconds, so it was to no avail.
“STOP STOP STOP!”
“Whu?”
She didn’t understand what I was trying to warn her against. WHAM! An old man driving a pickup had run a stop sign and we slammed into him at high speed, totalling both vehicles and ending our vacation. Lack of situational awareness. Miraculously no one was hurt.
Anticipating a situation puts you on the “high ground” so to speak, enabling you to react before you end up in the wrong place in the “OODA Loop”.
One hobby that sharpens situational awareness is skydiving. I can recommend it highly, and not just for that reason.
In the UK things are made much worse by their court system punishing the home owner if they try and defend themselves and their property. Hit a thief in your home with a cricket bat and YOU go to jail, not the scumbag.
Rick T:
The English are big on having gardens at home, no matter how small the property. So, fairly common.
Fixing the homeowner’s problem is as simple as having a shovel or two in the shed.