Category: Personal Defense

I have some very progressive friends on Facebook. Most of them are people I know in meatspace. One of them had a tweet bitching that Trump saying the synagogue attacked this weekend should have an armed guard was “blaming the victim.” I’ve seen similar attacks when women are told to take basic precautions. No, we should be disarming the people or making the bad men not be bad men. I’m calling bullshit on this.

People who do heinous acts are the human equivalent of rabid dogs. Why? You can’t reason with them. Their worldview precludes reason by the time they’re acting. You will never take away enough dangerous items to prevent them from harming others. Just like you can’t take away a rabid dog’s teeth and claws, you can’t take away a human’s mind – and that’s the dangerous part. Take away guns, they’ll use knives, gasoline, acid, cars, or the myriad of other dangerous things we have in a modern world. The brutal truth is that the only way to deal with a rabid dog is to stop it with force.

It is not “blaming the victim” to tell people who live in dangerous areas or who belong to groups known to be the target of dangerous people to take precautions and to have the means to deal forcefully if/when the bad guys attack. It is dealing with realities of living in a modern society.

If you are a member of an often targeted group (i.e., minorities), and you want to learn how to protect yourself, I recommend getting in touch with Operation Blazing Sword. If you go to a place of worship, talk to your leadership about a security plan. It should not only be call 911. Ben Branam of the Modern Self Protection podcast offers a free church security outline.

Beware of the rabid dogs, and be prepared if they darken your door – wherever you are.

I just renewed my membership to the Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network. Why? Because I carry a gun for self defense. Doing so means that there is a non-zero chance that I might have to use that gun to defend myself or others. If that non-zero chance happens, I don’t have the resources – financially and knowledge – to navigate the legal system.

For less than $100 a year the network provides:

Attorney and legal expenses paid after a self-defense incident, including:

• Fee deposit paid to your attorney immediately after self defense for representation during questioning and other vital defense services.
• Bail assistance: The Network provides up to $25,000 to post bail on behalf of a member who has used force in self defense. Click here for details.
• Further funding for legal defense expenses after justifiable self defense if criminally charged or sued in civil court.
• Education: 8 full-length lectures on DVD and a 235-page book so you know what’s justifiable, what to expect and how to best interact with the criminal justice system.
• Guidance from our Advisory Board comprised of the recognized leaders in self-defense training: Massad Ayoob, John Farnam, James Fleming, Tom Givens, Emanuel Kapelsohn and Dennis Tueller, led by Network President Marty Hayes.
• Access to a growing nationwide network of attorneys and legal experts. Read more here.
• Monthly education and updates through our online journal.

From ACLDN

If you

According to the researchers, 2018 is expected to have a busier than average hurricane season. Tampa has a lower than average hit rate, mostly due to Tampa Bay. That doesn’t mean we don’t get hit, as was demonstrated by Hurricane Irma last year.

What I learned from last year is that anything above a Category 1 (maybe 2) will mean I’m evacuating. Most likely over to my brother’s place. His place is better situated and I’m pretty sure we could ride out a Cat 3. Maybe down to The Girlfriend’s. Higher than a Cat 3, and we’re all heading north. Which is why I’m glad I have the truck.

So, it’s time to start reviewing both the bug-in and the bug-out supplies. Food (human and cat), water, batteries, paper products, ammo, etc. All the fun stuff.

The good news is that after last year,
I have stuff to make evacuation easier. Particularly for moving the important electronics and my cats. More importantly, my brother and I have a plan for taking stuff down, packing it up, and moving to another location.