To Carry or Not to Carry

Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day… Teach him how to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.
In the same respect, teach someone to depend on others for safety, they’ll always depend on others and eventually it could backfire. Teach someone to defend themselves or allow them to learn without dampening that desire, and they’ll learn to protect themselves and others.
So here’s a question… Should a girl learn some form of self-defense? I’m guessing your answer is probably going to be yes. Likely a lot of you are screaming how important it is.
My next question… Why? Why should a girl learn self-defense? Again, I’m going to take another stab in the dark here and say, your answer is somewhere along the lines of, “Well, because she could get raped,” or “Girls are at a higher risk of being abducted.” On both counts this is true.
Next question… Should a girl carry a handgun? Now, let the debates begin… There’s going to be some yes’s out there, but there’s also going to be some reluctance… “Well, that is dangerous.” “Someone could get hurt.” “They can carry it, but she should have no reason to shoot someone with it.” “She doesn’t need a handgun because she’ll never have to use it.” “Why should she carry something that is useless and dangerous?” All things I have heard since learning to handle a pistol…
Next question… If she does carry a handgun should she be trained on how to use it? Now I know there’s going to be some Heck yes’s out there but there’s also going to be this, “Why do you need training on something you’ll never have to use?” “She hit the target at the Concealed Carry Class she doesn’t need training.” “It’s simple enough, just aim and shoot. Why waste money on training when there’s more important things to spend money on?” “You aren’t going to use it so training is pointless.” Again, all things I’ve heard since learning to handle a firearm.
Now what I want people to start considering is this. Why is it so dang important for a woman to learn hand-to-hand defense but not learn to properly defend herself with a gun? We have class after class after class of women’s Jiu-Jitsu, Krav, boxing, Muay Thai, you name it and we are STRONGLY encouraged to go go go… But when it comes to learning about a handgun, suddenly we take a step back and start saying that using a handgun for self-defense isn’t necessary… Suddenly all those bad scenarios that were going to happen that would cause us to use Martial Arts, suddenly disappear… So we hear something to this affect…
“You really should learn a Martial Art. It would be really useful, with you being small statured and all. You aren’t a big person and you really should know how to defend yourself just in case someone tries to abduct you, or rape you.” Or from parents, “I don’t feel comfortable with you going places because you don’t know who you are going to run into and I don’t want something bad to happen to you.”
Now, with a handgun…
“You don’t need to carry a handgun. The likelihood of you ever needing to use it is so slim that it just isn’t necessary for you to carry it.” With training involved… “So, you’re spending money on learning something you are never going to have to use? It’s not that hard to point and shoot.”
Now, with that said, I make my point again… Why is it that we are only at risk of bad crap happening to us if we are not carrying a handgun… At least this is some peoples opinion… Which, reality check if that’s the case, of course I’m going to carry a handgun! If that keeps all bad things from happening… There’s just no question…
I actually started writing this particular post December 13th of 2016… Literally picked it up from here which I find funny… Was re-reading old stuff deciding what needed to be trashed and what should be posted… So I will finish it with this…
Now that I’ve gotten out in the world… Just over a month ago now, someone broke into my vehicle at work, busted the window and took over $600 worth of stuff. Could I have shot them for it? No… Not without facing some sort of repercussion because my life was not in danger. But it wouldn’t be the first time someone held someone at gunpoint during a robbery or opted to abduct or beat the snot out of the person they were robbing… And yes, we can start the “What if” game… but in my opinion, it’s better to prevent the “if’s” if at all possible…
On the same note, 15-20 minutes from where I work there is a guy who’s been raping young women…
And last weekend I found out one of the ladies I work with is being stalked by a guy who is putting trackers on her vehicle and when he shows up she has to call the police to escort her to her vehicle because he will attack her otherwise…
I did some research a while ago, looking up security camera footage and whatnot, when you can grab a screaming flailing woman by the hair, drag her through a gas station into the parking lot and shove her into a vehicle and NO ONE intervenes… There is a problem.
So ask me again why I carry a handgun…
Last year I decided to take my training up a notch, I joined a Krav Maga School, Israeli Hand-to-Hand Combat designed for the military, they don’t consider themselves a martial art either… they are strictly self-defense and combat… I figured it was a good way to go so that I could get in some hand-to-hand weapons training, knife and gun disarming, as well as getting more efficient at my stand up game… Almost a year of that, and I still get punched in the face… About the only thing I’ve improved on in my sparring is, I’ve learned to overwhelm my opponents right off the bat so that they become more focused on blocking and not getting hit, over landing a punch or kick… So, unless I know I can take it to the ground safely, I’m best to keep my distance for now…
I don’t train because I’m scared, I don’t carry because I’m scared. I train in both self-defense and firearms because I enjoy them, it’s empowering to know I can handle both and because my safety is my responsibility, not anyone else’s. Plus, my training helps others feel safe, others know that if something goes down, I will have their backs as much as I can. Granted, at the moment I work with a bunch of far left liberals that would probably freak if they knew I was carrying a handgun. But they’ll be ok. I’ve had a talk with my weapon and it knows it does not have my permission to grow legs and randomly start shooting people…
Having a gun isn’t something you boast about, just the same as the best fighters never get into a fight, the best conceal carriers are the ones you never know have a gun… it’s called concealed carrying for a reason…
Stay safe, train hard, carry consistently, enjoy life… Be blessed…
Jessica

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