By Jim Wilson

The Greatest Defensive Skill

Whether or not a person chooses to lawfully carry a defensive handgun, awareness is the greatest defensive skill that a person can have. That would seem like an obvious statement except that none of us are as aware of our surroundings as we could be or as we should be.

The ideal is to spend our waking hours in a state of relaxed awareness. That is, we should be continually observing what is going on around us, evaluating it, and determining what, if anything, we should do about it.

What we are looking for is things that don’t fit...that strange car prowling our neighborhood...the person who seems focused on watching us or our family members...the guy in the convenience store who seems excessively nervous as if he might be getting his nerve up to pull a robbery...the argument across the room in the restaurant that sounds like it might be getting out of hand. In short, we are especially alert for things that might place us in danger or lead to a criminal attack.

Once we spot a potential problem, we should not ignore it and just try to go on about our business. We should keep an eye on that potential threat until it leaves, we leave, or we realize that it is not really the problem that we thought it might be.

A good illustration would be a situation where we are working in our yard and just get the brief glimpse of a snake as it goes into the bushes. We don’t know if it is venomous or not. In that situation, only a fool would just ignore it and go on about the yard work. We stay on alert and observant until we determine what kind of snake it is and what we need to do about it.

The alert citizen, observing a potential threat, should begin preparing for flight or fight. By training ourselves to be more aware, we are able to spot potential trouble while there are still several options for dealing with it. Whenever possible, the best choice a citizen can make is just to get away from the problem, but he should always consider that it may become necessary to employ self defense. And one should always consider the need to notify law enforcement.

It is even easier to heighten our awareness if we work with a spouse or partner who also understands the need. Two people can remind each other to stay observant. And one person might see things that the other one misses. Illness and fatigue can also rob us of our ability to be alert and, in those times, the partner can take up the slack. And, in the event of an actual criminal attack, having a trained partner multiplies the chances of surviving.

We are fortunate in the Big Bend country that there is really very little violent crime. But this can lead a person to being unconcerned and unaware of what is going on around him. The low rate of violent crime is little consolation when we become the exception to the rule. And, regardless of where you live, you are responsible for your own safety.

It is simply a good idea to work to increase one’s state of awareness. You know you are gaining on it when you begin to spot friends in the grocery store before they see you. And, of course, you would be losing points if you don’t see the police car until he is right behind you and turns his lights on.

Simply put, by increasing our awareness we are able to spot potential trouble while there is still time to get away from it or, failing that, prepare to deal with it. And the more we work at it, the better we become at it. Stay alert...stay safe...it’s up to you.

By JIM WILSON

Jim Wilson is a retired Texas peace officer and former Texas sheriff with 30 years behind the badge. He currently makes his living as a writer and defensive firearms instructor.

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