Concealed Carry Fantasy Versus Reality

Now don’t get me wrong: I want this fantasy, BAD! Everyday that I carry I have this dream of stopping a terrorist attack and I carry probably more gear on me than I will ever use or need just in case I get the opportunity to try. But the important word here is trying because having done the job I did in the military, I have finally had accept and live with some tough truths that are hard to accept, but must be if you want to carry and more importantly: act responsibly. Now don’t get me wrong my intent with this article IS NOT to allow terrorists to do terrorist shit; its to make US better by realizing the reality of the situation and being better prepared mentally, physically, and by recognizing equipment shortfalls and adjusting for them BEFORE you are in the situation not after. 

Let’s use this recent shooting as an example of which there isn’t a lot of information right now but we have enough to make my point. A shooter with a Full Auto AK opened fire on a police vehicle killing one and wounding two as well as a bystander before running away. Lets say you were a bystander and saw the shooting of the vehicle. Standing before you now is a killer terrorist POS with a full auto AK they are prepared for an extended attack as they spent at least days, weeks, or months preparing for this day and its someone who has already shown the capacity for indiscriminate violence. You on the other hand, just have your carry weapon, most likely no spare magazine, and you were on your way to get milk to hopefully come home and partake in some Netflix and Chill. Now excuse the jokes as this is very serious but the joke has intent and that intent is to show how different the terrorists’ intent for the day is from yours. Today they will die a Martyr, which they have prepared for who knows how long. To you it’s just an average day, and this is why the attacker always has such a major advantage over the defender. One is ready and starts at 100mph the other has to start at zero and get up to speed. 

Back to my point: It’s you versus an AK. Do you have the training to go against them in a gunfight? We know already you are massively outgunned, so your training would have to be so much better than theirs to even attempt an action. But even then: luck does count, and you don’t need to be good if you can be lucky so even MUCH better trained, it isn’t that hard to dump a mag with an AK and hit someone at any distance you could hit with your carry gun. This is the reality of the situation not the fantasy. 

Secondly: Are you sure it is just one terrorist? I can answer that right now: No. The reason I can answer that is because you only ever know in hindsight how many were involved. Think of every shooting you have ever seen or heard of on the news: “Police are searching for multiple shooters blah blah etc.” They never know how many are involved until later so you sure as hell wont know in the moment how many terrorists there are. So yet again: you are there with your carry gun, there is 1 terrorist with an AK for sure, would you bet your life right then that he is the only one? Because if you do start to act and are wrong: you will be a hero and will be remembered as one, but sadly you won’t be coming home to your family. An example of this was a hero in Las Vegas that acted to take out the shooter who had just killed two cops at a pizza place and then started shooting in Wal-Mart. He did everything right, but was sadly killed by the other shooter (wife of the original) who happened to have been lagging behind and the CCW holder didn’t see her. I think about this guy (I wont mention his name out of respect for the family, but as I said I think this guy was a hero) often as he had the balls to act and did so only to be stopped by a second shooter he never saw. Now don’t get me wrong I am in no way second-guessing his actions. What I am saying is the landscape is changing and now multiple shooters are becoming more and more common. So yet again: definitely one shooter but may be 2, 3, hell maybe 4!  Ask yourself: are you willing and able to take that life risk with your carry gun? 

So, ok fine, I get the reality, now what’s the solution? I’m glad you asked! I have said it before and I’ll say it again: Mental preparation. Just reading this and thinking about the situation is part of that. Next time you are in a public place: visualize it happening, think of all the possibilities and what you would know and wouldn’t based on shots fired that are visible to you versus ones that you hear in the building. Think of people running up to you and telling you that there is a shooter down the hall, in the other room, etc. Also as an experiment as people the next time you are out how far something is. People are HORRIBLE judging distance under zero stress. Imagine is there was a shooter 50 yards away in a crowd: what distances would you hear thrown at you and how accurate would they be. Also, as we all know the public is horrible at knowing what guns are what. Could you trust someone to know what gun someone is shooting at them with? Same with shots fired: people never get this right and it takes A LOT of time being under fire to truly know the difference between how many shots were fired and how close a shot is to you. The public wont know any of this, and if you have never been shot at: neither will you and that’s ok. Put that on your list of mental things to think about and be prepared for. 

Next is training, and I won’t beat this dead horse, as I say it every article. What I will say is that training for multiple assailants with automatic weapons is some next level shit, and don’t even try to go there before you master the basics. So get instruction and practice as the two are different but that is an article for another day. 

Lastly, something near and dear to my heart: gear. Access your carry gear and the options it gives you or the ones it doesn’t. Try things out and add as you deem necessary. That being said, what would help you against a threat such as these wouldn’t be necessary 99.99% of the time so if you want to have to gear you would need for this scenario, then you’ll just have to be ok with being “that guy or girl”. You know the one I’m talking about, the one that has an EDC more than what a cop carries and lets not even get started on what’s in the vehicle. Don’t worry this is a judge free gear nerd zone. I grew up with my two favorite people being: Rambo and Tackleberry. I’m still looking for explosive arrowheads if anyone sees any. 

All joking aside this is a very serious subject and deserves serious attention. To reiterate: My point of the article isn’t to dissuade people from acting to stop terrorism; it is to make some points so this community can BE ABLE to succeed in doing it. There is a famous quote: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” – Edmund Burke. To do something we have to understand the reality of what we can and can’t do, what the risks are, and how to mitigate them BEFORE evil strikes. The ones that accept and prepare for the reality of a terrorist attack can and will act. Those that have only thought about the fantasy will do nothing, and that is what they are counting on.