Situational Awareness

Tonight on Gun Nuts Radio, Call me Ahab will be talking about the combat mindset.

I have done posts before about such matters, however, today I am going to share a story about situational awareness.


Let me start out by saying that I carry a firearm with the old adage in mind, 'It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.' I honestly hope that I never, ever have to use it. But I will use it if I have too.


Many moons ago, I had heard of a spat of robberies and muggings in one section of town. I filed the information into my brain and it disappeared into parts unknown. One Sunday afternoon the wife, kids and I went to McDonalds for lunch. We came out of the restaurant(yes, I know, I use the term loosely), I opened the back door for my daughter, opened my door, got in and started the truck. My wife was putting our son in the back seat when a small, brown imported car pulled sideways into the parking spot ahead of us. My radar was on high alert, we were in condition orange and it could turn red in an instant. The male in the passenger seat got out of his vehicle and was walking straight towards my door. I examined my options in a nanosecond. I could not back up, the rear passenger door was open and my wife was standing in it. I could pull forward and push their car out of the way, tempting but the risk to my children was high. I decided to go with the third option. I pulled my pistol and placed it on the seat, I opened my door, stepped out of the vehicle and made eye contact with the man approaching me. He could not see it, but my hand was on my pistol. My body language and eye contact conveyed my point. The point that I was not one to be trifled with. I don't know what went through his mind, but I saw the decision making process in his eyes. When he reached the front of my truck, he immediately made a 90 degree turn and briskly walked away.


I cannot prove that the man in this lesson wanted to do me and mine harm, but I know that he did. What would my next step have been? No, I wasn't going to shoot him outright. That was three steps further down the line. If he had gone two more steps I would have give forceful verbal commands for him to leave my area, than I would have brandished. As for the driver of that vehicle? He was standing beside his door watching all this go down.


Remember the crime problem I mentioned at the beginning of this post? I was in the middle of where it had been happening. Always be aware of where you are at and the things that are going on around you. Look people in the eye and project confidence. The best fight to win is the one that you don't have to get in.