We often talk of defending ourselves in various ways and with many different weapons. Close to where I live is a walk-through shoot where the customer can take a live weapon through an obstacle course type building. I’d absolutely love to go through just to see how I would react in a break-in or defense simulation. Short of that, my family and I have trained repeatedly with squirt guns in clearing and defending our house.
In reality, though, we don’t really have a good idea as to how we’d react in a situation where we’re attacked or our lives are threatened, so unless we’re actually in that situation, we’ll never know. We talk and guess about it all the time, but in a real live attack, in an SHTF situation, the whole body, mental and physical, can be seriously threatened which means it’s entirely possible that we just stand frozen with a gun pointed at someone. We could also go the other route and completely unload the magazine into them. So, we could theorize, and we can, and should, train as much as we’re able to so that we’re as prepared as possible. But how do you train your mind?
How much force should be used when defending your family?
The United States Military and Law Enforcement Agencies across the United States have policies/rules that guide their use of force in any given situation. These policies are called by different names; Escalation of Force, Use of Force Ladder, Deadly Force Ladder, Deadly Force Continuum, Use of Force Continuum, etc., and they all appear interchangeable. The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) prefers to call them “The Use-Of-Force Continuum”, but despite the different titles they all provide guidelines regarding how much force can be used against a person, which also can be used as guideposts much like the EOF (Escalation of Force). (Just a special note here: The Deadly Force Continuum, or Escalation of Force, is used in some part with our Military’s Rules of Engagement. So you can see that these guidelines are used by all types of organizations that deal with potential threats.).
Disclaimer: Before going any further, please make note that each state and country has laws regarding the use of weapons and deadly force. This article only pertains to a time when there is a direct absence of the Rule of Law. As mentioned before, these are simply guidelines that are set up to dictate how much force we use and when. This article does not replace local, city, state, country, or global (?) laws.
The concept of the Deadly Force Continuum and how to apply it to ourselves is pretty simple to understand. Each one of us can set one up for ourselves and/or our households. They can be tailored for each individual household, each individual, and varied situations we may find ourselves in. They can be used to help us decide when to take things to the next level. As an example, I’ve included one of my “ladders” (I call mine a Deadly Force Ladder because my daughter learned it as such in the Navy) I use in certain situations.
Deadly Force Ladder (Personal)
Again, this is my personal DFL. I live in a state that allows personal defense and recognizes the Stand Your Ground and Castle Law.
You may want to create your own Deadly Force Ladder.
For a time when the Rule of Law is gone, everyone might want to make their own, tailored to their specific needs. Why? So that if you reach level 3, level 4, or end up going all the way through your highest level, you can mentally justify each action with little to no guilt. You can remind yourself if you absolutely have to physically hurt someone that you gave them every chance to get away; that, short of running away yourself (which IS a viable option that is not shameful or wrong), you did everything you could to prevent using deadly force.
As level 1 indicates, an intruder or danger is noticed. At this level, you can either make your presence known or try to get away unnoticed. Both have pros and cons. I’m usually in a position where I would have to make my presence known, and to be totally honest I’d already have a weapon in my hand anyway. Usually just seeing an indication of someone or a presence in the area would cause an intruder to move along to find an easier target. Turning on a porch light, even just a house light, or clearing your throat in some cases, can alert someone to your presence. If they’re stubborn, or incapable of seeing/noticing you, Level 2, a verbal shout out to ‘go away’ should send them running.
At level 3 you may realize you know the person(s) and end up yelling at them for scaring the wits out of you. If that’s the case you would disengage/stand down. If that’s not the case, and they are clearly strangers and insist on continuing, there are mere seconds between level 3 and level 4. Personally, if I have to give a second warning, I have my phone ready to dial 911 anyway, shaving some time off the arrival of help should I need it. Also, keep in mind that the second warning doesn’t have to be verbal. Rack a shotgun and see how fast a potential intruder turns tail. Same with a semi-automatic. You can also blow an air horn, car horn, a whistle, break glass, anything that makes a lot of noise and frightens the would-be attacker. They don’t want noise because it alerts others to their actions, and they almost always take the route of least resistance. If you’re going to put up a ruckus, they may well decide it’s not worth it.
As you can see, we may already be knee-deep in level 4 and hopefully, 911 is headed your way and/or neighbors and friends are at your side. You can also choose to call 911 earlier than this level – it absolutely has to be tailored to you.
Level 5 is Defensive Measures. This can be things like hiding, (yes, the intruder knows you exist but not necessarily where you are), barricading yourself in a room to give help time to arrive, throw marbles or caltrops on the floor leading to where you are, make use of broken glass, etc. Think ‘Home Alone’. Obviously, if you can get out safely and get away this should have been done way back at level 3, but if you didn’t, yet find you can now, go!
Level 5 can also escalate into scratching, biting, punching, kicking – everything but deadly force. Obviously, you don’t want to enter a knife fight with just your fist, but if you have a glass lamp that can help even the odds. So can an empty rifle. Just swing it like a bat. And if you find yourself behind someone and can knock them out with a baseball bat to the head, go for it. Then hog tie them and wait for the police, or run and call the police. Several graduates of Hand to Hand training can tell (and teach) you of many ways to disable an attacker/intruder, as can many of the different Martial Arts trainers. I myself have taken Shaolin Do and Taekwondo and would encourage most anyone to investigate a martial art or hand to hand combat/self-defense school/class. For martial arts, I would highly recommend Tai Chi for everyone.
Level 6: Deadly Force.
Being around guns, gunmakers, and avid gun owners, I always heard “Shoot to Kill”. I used to think that was wrong – that going into a situation prepared to kill someone was wrong; that I was betraying myself and my faith/values by being ready to kill. But I was the one who was wrong because I wasn’t seeing it from the proper perspective.
It wasn’t my goal to kill anyone, but rather it was my goal to protect my children, my family, myself. If in the process of doing that, I killed someone, I had to be able to deal with it. That is what it means to shoot to kill; to be prepared to kill someone. Knowing that, from the beginning, you may have to end a life, mentally preparing yourself to do so, and then to cope with it afterward if you do.
The Deadly Force Continuum, or Ladder of Force as I call it, provides us with guidelines that allow us to take each step with confidence knowing that we’ve done what we should in our situation before steadfastly moving forward. We can tweak each step if need be and apply them to our own personal situations, allowing for our own hang-ups or idiosyncrasies, and then be able to remain as emotionally strong as possible regardless of the outcome.
What do you think?
Have you created your own deadly force guidelines? If not, will you consider creating them? What would you include in yours? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
About Sandra
Sandra is a published artist, photographer, fellow prepper, and animal advocate.
Retired LEO. Force continuum is taught in every police academy and by all law enforcement agencies. It must be stressed though, it’s a guideline only. The actions of an aggressor can make it necessary to go from level 1 to level 6 instantly in order to have a chance of surviving. If you can deescalate, if time and distance allows, by all means do it. Sometimes you have no choice but engage immediately. Be ready to articulate why you had no choice should you be in that position.
Dennis,
Thank you for your service! It would be nice if you could share some of your experiences when you had to draw or fire your weapon. This is more in line with what we are discussing. Likewise, we should understand the different perspective (and Constitutional constraints) from a Law Enforcement Officer using force to uphold the law vs a SHTF scenario where there probably isn’t going to be anyone answering the 911 call. Much to learn here that would benefit everyone.
A very good topic for NEW gun owners, however, folks like myself that have owned guns for 50 years put that issue to bed LONG ago. Fortunately, I’ve never had to escalate beyond firing a warning shot or merely “brandishing” a firearm to avoid becoming a victim.
The old adage, “I’d rather be tried by twelve than carried by six” is my ultimate yardstick on the subject. That, and the old Hank Williams Jr, lyric “If you think I won’t then baby maybe I WILL ! “. They have both served me well over the years.
And never forget that SITUATIONAL AWARENESS is the most potent weapon in your arsenal! Phones down, heads up and on a swivel. And as Ol’ Uncle Remus constantly reminds us, “STAY AWAY FROM CROWDS”.
And if the crowd comes to you? You’d better have something a little more “vigorous” than a handgun to back you up.
Good luck to you all. Crazy is just around the corner, and we can never predict when it will come a calling.
It came a calling parking at Evergreen Park at Greenlake – Seattle, WA. in 1971late at night steaming up the windows. Car load of males one of which was coming up from behind. Saw this – tree- out the window and knowing trees do not grow in that parking place, I pulled out the old broomhandle Mauser and confronted this sightseer. Seeing me rack, and hearing it slam into battery encouraged a fast return to the car and they burned rubber many feet. Dad bought my first firearm in 1952. 8MM Mauser KAR 88 that he rebarreld to 30-06. Going on 81 now and that is the only encounter that I though necessary to point a firearm at some one.
Amazing how some idiots just don’t “get it” ….until they do get it. One sunny afternoon my friend and I were returning from a day of gold prospecting. I inadvertently took a wrong turn and ended up on a one lane private drive. I had to drive almost to the house site before finding a safe place to turn around. By the time I got back to the public road I had a pickup truck following me with some idiot hanging out the window gesticulating wildly.
I thought I’d just speed up and be rid of the nuisance, but after topping 100MPH the idiot was still on my bumper. Having had enough of this harassment, I pulled into the most crowded parking lot I could find (a 7-11 strip mall). I had my buddy pop the trunk lid while I jumped out and grabbed my AK-47, loaded a 30 round mag and jacked the bolt in plain view of everyone.
That jackass went from 2nd gear to reverse without ever using the clutch! I still chuckle about that transmission he gutted trying to get out of Dodge. Hopefully he learned his lesson about acting the fool that day. My buddy and I got home safely with our nuggets intact.
I could go from #3 to #6 in about the blink of an eye, and for some that may be all the time you have.
Good article to stimulate thinking. You might solicit input or get comments from people who have actually killed someone – for any reason. Military and cops would fit the bill, because it brings up two very important points. First, it is extremely difficult to kill another human and very few people will be able to do it. Cops, military, etc., are a pre-selected subset of that group that is most likely able to kill. Even pumped up on adrenaline, it is still a rather challenging task. Not to mention difficult in terms of engaging your weapon accurately. Go look at the studies of police engagements where the cop vs bad guy are less than 20 feet apart, and see how many shots it takes to bring down a perp.
Second, your deadly force grid is fine in a classroom setting. In reality, the time-space distance between Level 1 and Level 6 is probably going to be well under 3 seconds. Kill or be killed, especially when the intruder is probably a subset of the population that is willing to kill and might well enjoy it. From the outset, this is an asymmetrical battle, so you will have to overcome the disadvantage of engaging a predator.
Assuming we are primarily discussing SHTF scenarios: the situation gets quite a bit more complex if you’ve discovered an intruder that is part of a team moving in towards you. Complex dynamics that require a split second decision and a much more robust self defense capability. Which is a scenario that we are quite likely to face multiple times when the lights go out.
Your disadvantages are many against a predator/aggressor, so your thinking and planning should include how to overcome those handicaps. Sensors, surveillance, night vision gear, communications, alarms, decoy & deception measures, and especially “Home Automation” should be central components in planning to defend your property and loved ones.
Home Automation to incorporate all those sensors & alarms – and especially active defense measures – is a conversation well worth having. And probably a multi-billion dollar paycheck for some enterprising individuals that can develop a line of products. Indeed, it would be a great conversation.
Excellent article!
For those living near the Phoenix area, I highly recommend attending the annual Gun Rights Policy Conference. It’s FREE, including daily lunches and materials. I just learned about it this morning.
This is a National event and they’re trying to make it available to as many people as possible by making it free to attend. It’s going to fill up fast. Spread the word!
https://www.saf.org/grpc/
Thank you for this information. I had an amazing hand gun license instructor who mentioned a lot of this especially dealing with the aftermath of killing someone. You brought up a few more ideas I hadn’t thought of. Personally I would come closer to killing someone who might kill my children, other family members or friends than I would if the threat was about me. I really appreciate the fact you keep telling people to train go through sceneries. I believe if a person is highly trained they might not shoot as soon as someone who is afraid and reacting out of fear. I tell my older sister about every one of your posts. I asked her to read One Second After several years ago and she is a Prepper through and through. I can’t get her to join your site because she thinks they will keep track of people who are members. I can’t even send it to her because it sends with a bunch of numbers and letters. I’m sure it’s website information. If it was just what I see on here she might read it. Any ideas on how to get your posts to her without me just telling her about it? I probably leave stuff out. Love you Daisy. Keep up the good work!
Marlissa,
Just copy and paste everything into a Word file (or any word processor) and then save it as a PDF. Then e-mail the PDF as an attachment to your sister. For what it’s worth, she is already “tracked” because of her relationship to you. IMHO, not really anything to worry about. It would be different if you organized a militia group or advocated violence and things like that. Just informing yourself of current events and staying abreast of social & political (etc) developments? You are an asset to society and not threat to the Government.
Or Wordpad. I do that with all of Daisy’s articles (and a lot of other things) so I can go back and read them later and either print them or delete them.
You won’t get any pictures from the articles, though, only text.
While I /personally/ find the 6-step ladder a little too fine-grained for me, the *process* described is spot on and should be utilized.
I do not wish to rain on anyone’s parade, however the ladder your Author Sandy refers to is great when you have “recognized” civil authority. But in any home invasion situation to take those steps in exact sequence will end up with you dead and more then likely any surviving female in the home being raped and then murdered.
I am a combat veteran and as such understand me when I state I will warn you just once to go elsewhere. Once you forcibly enter my home or give me evidence that you do not intend to abide by my only warning, then anything that happens after that is one you. I was taught in the Army in Military Police school and later while attending the Army Military Intelligence School to shoot center of mass. What many folks do not understand is that for every rule in the Military there are specific people and Occupations who are given an exemption and that applies to Use of Force Doctrine. I will not go into the specifics of who and what are exempt but suffice to say I know of only two maybe three Occupations that fall into the exempt category.
I am a veteran and taught thousands of Military Police and Security. I would argue that, in your scenario, you walked through the escalation patterns without realizing that was what you were doing.
1. In your first warning you have accomplished Level 1&2, you made yourself known and issued your warning. – This is commonly a combined step.
2. In your decision that the intruder is not going to abide by your only warning, you have determined that levels 3,4&5 will not work.
Just because you determine that certain levels wont work doesn’t mean you didn’t consider them before discarding them. If you feel you could stand by the decisions you made that these three levels wouldn’t work and reasonably defend it to yourself, then you have accomplished the goal.
You don’t clearly state in your scenario what led you to the determination that the intruder doesn’t intend to abide by your warning, but for arguments sake, lets say they draw on you, which doesn’t give you time for any other options, you made the decision that there was no time to do anything else, which is a completely valid decision. But it was a decision, in that split second analysis, you made the call that they weren’t going to listen to your warnings and that they were intent on doing what they set out to do to cause you harm. You moved through 3 levels simultaneously. Again this is pretty common, but the point is that you stopped, if only for a fraction of a second to see if the situation would resolve without you needing to progress further. If the intruder had seen you and run for the hills, ideally you would have been able to stop and disengage and you would not have to carry around the burden of shooting someone who may have simply run away given the chance.
3. Which led you to Level 6.
These guides are not as rigid as they look on paper. They are designed to help normal people react to situations where harm is imminent, not prevent them from doing so. The Armed Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies use these guides for a number of reasons, but in my opinion the most useful to us as individuals is that it protects us. It keeps us from looking back later and agonizing over whether or not we actually needed to go as far as we did.
A while ago I was in a motorcycle accident and this is how it went.
Me: Thinking to the driver in the car ahead of me.
“You’re (… not going to make that left turn.”) Never finishing the sentence. My second thought would have been “H*ck, this isn’t happening.”
My bike hitting the driver’s car broadside and my helmut the edge of the roof.
Lights out.
Lessons learned.
Reality is REAL.
Reality is IMMEDIATE.
Reality is ABSOLUTE.
Reality is FINAL.
How do I imagine this relating to a possible SHTF timeline?
To SHTF, like reality, it does not matter … what you want to happen, if you are the good guy or not. Or if you’re right or wrong. Or if you have a family to protect and feed. Or if the outcome is fair or not. It doesn’t matter either way what you think, feel or what your opinion is.
In SHTF time.
One second to live and react. Less to none, say if there is a sniper or explosion.
Two seconds or more, to decide if you live (or want to live) before you even accept the absolute cold realization that you’re going to die.
Any more time would be a luxury or gift that is open to theoretical dicussions on blogs.
When someone is robbed, ‘mugged’, most of the time it’s only afterwards the person realized what occurred. The person who unnoticed entered your personal space may have being holding a knife behind their forearm, or may have sucker punched you.
So, probably SHTF time, like asphalt pavement, is gonna hit hard before you have a chance to react.
Just saying.
Please note the above rambling is only what could be in a SHTF scenario. In a Rule of Law timeline Sandy’s article is worth reading. Thanks for the article.
ps.
On a sidenote, Robert Young Pelton’s books are sort of a travel guide not included in most Travel Guides, illustrating what might be day to day life outside of what we’re accustomed to here.
In Northern Africa it’s kinda of a tradition that if you take a knife out of its sheath, it has to be used before being put back in.
Nice to know a country’s customs when being guided down a dark alley.
Situational awareness would have prevented your mishap entirely…which is precisely why it is your first, best line of defense!
hey Charles,
I was in situational mode which is why I’m able to share the experience.
I was using the ‘twelve second’ method of anticipating where you will be at that time, noting possible hazards inbetween that point and where you are presently. I was traveling the speed limit and had the right-of-way. I was aware of the vehicle which was at a full stop on a side street to my right. I was aware that the driver looked to his left at me and then turned his head looking for an opening in the traffic lane he wanted to merge into. I noted his age and characteristics and decided to reduce speed, consider any possible alternative paths while still being aware of the car.
And then he bolted into my lane only to stop since there wasn’t an opening in the oncoming traffic.
Having less than two seconds I turned, as much as possible, to make contact broadside to the car distributing the impact force while rolling into ball to avoid having my legs or arms pinched off. I was wearing a full face helmet and leather.
The point. Stuff happens, situational awareness or not.
Whelter it’s an ambush where your life expectancy is roughy four to eight seconds or you’re driving down a road.
No matter how well prepared you may think you are, you’re not.
Then it’s a matter of reaction. Riana’s following post mentioning muscle memory is very good. (Wish I could write that well.)
John Boyd’s OODA (?) loop comes into play. I like to think of it as binary decision making, do I go left or right. O.k., now do I up or down. And on and on, but quickly without hesitation.
And … this is my point.
It is what Reality says it’s going to be whelter you agree or not.
In SHTF I imagine ambushes would be preferred over second generational warfare of lines facing lines or massive firepower.
And yet another PS …
To clarify I imagine SHTF to be neighbor fighting neighbor kinda like Sarajevo was. A MMA caged-in very minimal rule knockdown on the ground civilian encounter.
As far as the military and it’s Rules of Engagement I wonder what they’re thinking ever since I read in the local newspaper that during the initial “police action” phase of Vietnam G.I.s were to carry rubber bullets in their arms. And only if they were fired upon could they switch to live ammo.
?
As ambushes were common then and according to the miltary if caught in one your life expectancy was four to eight, maybe nine, seconds. And your best chance of surviving was to run into where the fire was coming from, hoping the enemy would least expect that. An enemy that has been fighting foreign armys since at least pre-WWII and paddling their behinds.
So, releasing the rubber bullets, reloading a fresh magazine while running into close direct fire from someone concealed within four or so seconds time, added to the fact you’re eighteen and this is your first war with only a few weeks or months training and your natural tendency is bunch up with others while fumbling for the safety from a Wonder Kid virtually field untested plastic weapon that jams up from carbon desposits after a few rounds all the while not knowing why you’re in the middle of a jungle since you’re from Cleveland and in a war that wasn’t meant to be won… while the last song heard was on the helicopter, the ‘Animals’ singing ” … we got to get out of this place if it’s the last thing we do …”, not to mention you have crotch rot and leeches and the lead point guy had mid-watch or is hung-over and is half-asleep which is why you’re in an ambush now …
That would work if the ambushers were too busy laughing.
Yea, sign me up for MacNarmara’s “One Hundred Thousands”.
…. er, this is just an opinion, and everyone has one.
You’d be amazed just how malleable reality can be when situational awareness, common sense, preparedness and a degree of intrepidity are added to the equation.
You may have been aware of your situation, but not to the extent you could avoid it. That’s not my idea of situational awareness. You were caught unprepared. One might even speculate that you were suffering from normalcy bias, ie: the assumption that everyone on the road was going to follow the rules. I make no assumptions about either your common sense or your bravery.
To be sure, things ARE going to happen that are beyond our control on occasion. How you respond to those situations is the defining factor that shapes your reality.
Chance favors the prepared mind.
… no offense, really, but your idea of situational awareness is to let loose in the most crowded parking lot, ie. a 7-11, you could find ? (from your post above)
Don’t want to get into a metaphysical dicussion of the Absoluteness of Reality. Ontologically, leave that for Ayn Rand.
But … as stated eslewhere, learning to filter water will serve anyone better than some overused verbiage like ‘situational awareness’.
Best
Before anyone gets the wrong idea about anything even slightly amusing about Forest Gump tripping over a rifle sling caught in some dense bush at the worst possible time …
I don’t.
Why did it happen in the first place?
No offense taken.
No rounds were fired, but if there HAD been, I wanted as many witnesses to the event as possible. I positioned myself so that there was nothing in my potential line of fire but my target and a vacant wood lot. THAT is situational awareness.
Possible theoretical scenarios to consider.
If the trailing adrenaline pick-up driver had a gun and feeling threatened seeing your AK-47 with a thirty-round magazine, fires in self-defense, probably you would have returned fire with an ensuing firefight with innocent bystanders in the uncontrollable crossfire. I believe an AK fires 7.62 mm rounds capable of going through a person, a glass storefront or a wall, with following glass or masonry shrapnel.
You seeing the driver draw a weapon fire, instinctually shoot the driver first, now have an out of control truck and a crowd of people. Or he decides to ram his truck into you.
In addition to your perception consider the onlookers’ perceptions.
A speeding car comes into a crowed plaza, stops and a man pulls out an AK, locks and loads a magazine. Not knowing what had previously occurred, what would their possible perceptions be?
A Highway Patrol Office?
The shop owners?
A person carrying a weapon who is aware of lone gunmen and mass shootings?
A person going to or coming back from a hunt with a rifle in their vehicle?
A person with his/her children?
There are as many possibilities as there were people at the plaza.
Anything could have happened. A three-way firefight, again with innocent bystanders. It wouldn’t have taken much to escalate the situation. Why open Pandora’s Box “brandishing” a firearm and escalating an already tense situation? Was there a police station available you could have drove to first, not the most crowded plaza available which indicates there was time and opportunity to choose a place? An unpopulated area? Your friend would have been a witness in your defense. Why grandstand with a lethal loaded weapon? That’s not what they’re for.
In a court of law, most probably it would have been you who would have been responsible. You were in a public place, not defending your home. You drew first with a loaded weapon. There would have been multiple witnesses testifying against you.
Could you have lived with the guilt of bystanders being hurt or killed? Children?
“And as Ol’ Uncle Remus constantly reminds us, “STAY AWAY FROM CROWDS”.
“To be sure, things ARE going to happen that are beyond our control on occasion. How you respond to those situations is the defining factor that shapes your reality.”
I agree.
Best
For general information.
Starting at Criminal Negligence: ” … the accused is a social danger because they have endangered the safety of others in a circumstances where the reasonable person would have foreseen the injury and taken preventive measures.”.
Going through Reckless Public Endangerment to …
Willful Blindness: ” … where the individual intentionally avoids adverting to the REALITY of a SITUATION.”.
Final thought.
Who would you trust during a prolonged SHTF scenario?
Family first followed by a grey area of close friends and others. But as an Afghanistan saying goes, you rent your allies by the week.
One rough way is to gauge their intent. But that can be tricky. One on end of the sprectum there are the Mr. Magoo’s. Their intent may be good but their actions will get people around them in trouble. Further along the line are the Bravado types who talk but are no where to be found when shtf, again leaving others to hold the proverbial bag. Skip to the other end, the Machiavelli types who would use you as cannon fodder, a diversionary tactic or a human shield to camouflage their actions. Examples would be setting off two groups against each other and wait to cleanup afterwards, or as the Mongolian horsemen using prisoners on the frontline of battle to take the initial force or make the other side hesitate to shoot their arrows.
I spent years training people on this exact topic in the military. I would even go so far as to say that my entire function in the military was training people on how to use small(ish) arms and more importantly when, and surprisingly many people argued with this part of their training, some rather stubbornly maintaining that it was a complete wash. “How can you expect me to logically step through this if I am being threatened?” or “Sure, like you think clearly enough to do that when it actually happens.” and perhaps the most frequent response was “If someone comes at me I’m not doing this, I’m just shooting them.”
I think this is a great topic and great information for anyone that actively prepares to defend themselves in a hostile situation. One of the points most people struggle with when this topic comes up is that its not trying to put you in a situation where you are “slower” than the person(s) trying to harm you. In reality, its doing the opposite, and expanding on a greater sphere of defense that includes your defense after these situations and not just before and during. Those that approach a violent situation with the intent to commit violence have already made their decision. The actions the aggressor takes past that first initial decision to commit violence are in direct response to our actions as defenders.
I would hazard that most people that have actively trained with firearms are familiar with the concept of muscle memory. This approach encourages people to add this muscle memory pattern to their defensive patterns. Training yourself to take the needed steps to protect your mental state should the worst scenario play through as well as defend your actions should someone question those actions after the fact.
Another thing most people miss here is that these steps could take 0.0000002 seconds to complete, (that is not a statistic, but an exaggerated point). You can only react quickly with practice though. Just like training yourself to reload your magazine without looking or reflexively clearing the chamber on a misfire, these steps are there for your benefit and adding it to your patterns only speeds up this process and insures that after these situations happen you can honestly and without any reservations say “I truly did everything I could to prevent that from happening.”
In short. I think this article is extremely useful to anyone that prepares for these situations. Thanks for adding it.
Any Home intruder is not going to comply with anything you say. There are not there to comply.. Any long term SHTF situation, the people you encounter in your home are not going to comply. Hesitation will get you killed.
What?!? Level 5 should be hide if you can but sorry, I’m not getting in a fist fight with an intruder.
Even with self defense skills you don’t know how many of them are there, their skill level, their strength to over power, if they are armed, etc…
That is ridiculous. I’ll tell them to leave, I’ll say I’m armed. I’ll even retreat to a safe room if I have one but the escalation to a physical confrontation is the reason the use of deadly force exist.
They have at that point made clear their intention to do harm. They have forfeited their life by that point.
Suggesting otherwise is dangerous for anyone who reads this.
You are seriously suggesting that someone who has ignored every attempt to that point should be met with non lethal force? So they can over power, get the gun and shoot me?
Dangerous advice.