The “If Only I Had” Club
Have you practiced searching and clearing your home or place of business? If not, I guarantee you’ll screw-up when the flag goes up. All professionals rehearse their fighting plans. SWAT teams rehearse over and over again to get their execution right. Criminals and terrorists plan alike, rehearsing and then observing their targets before attacking.
If you’ve never played “What If” games concerning your best plan of action if threatened or attacked, you are behind the eight ball. The next time you pull into the parking garage and prepare to leave your car, ask yourself what you would do if someone tried to attack or rob you as you returned. Look for positions of cover or escape, best fields of fire, and — most importantly — positions that allow you to view all angles of approach or attack.
Believe me, if you haven’t given this even the slightest degree of thought, you sure as hell won’t be able to do it when you find yourself in a fight for your life. Forget what the action heroes do in the movies; when the action starts most mortals find it very difficult to use even the smallest part of their conscious mind to make decisions, discriminate targets and watch their flanks.
Note that one of the most dangerous conditions existing in a gunfight is the trend to fixate on the target. You see the threat as your only issue and quickly tunnel vision sets in. You may be behind cover, feeling safe, keeping well aware of your threat, and this target fixation will be so intense you will not see anything else going on around you. You must keep checking your flanks and rear. Far too many good men have failed because they did not see the bad guy coming from another direction.
If you think you can come up with a good plan when the bullets are buzzing around your head, you’re on Crack. Plan, rehearse and train for the disaster scenario. Many people survive attacks because their attackers were less trained and skilled than they were. Don’t count on this to be the case because Lady Luck will desert you in a flash. Plan ahead, rehearse if possible, and train with your sidearm. But a handgun is just one part of the equation. Stay Safe.
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