Avoiding The Fight
My wife
and I call it “Shields Up”, meaning we lock the doors and leave the windows
closed when we’re in the car.
It was an early
Sunday morning and I was driving home after a midnight shift as a Border Patrol
Field Operations Supervisor. It had been a quiet night, we had managed to get
off early for once, and I was looking forward to a couple of days off duty. As
I drove my truck up the hill through the winding maze of residential streets
leading to my home I noticed a small, beat up car following me. Okay, let’s do
a series of turns and see if he stays with me. Yep, still there. Well, I don’t
want this guy following me home so how can I get rid of him? Pulling into a
cul-de-sac, I made a fast U-turn and, before he could react, I had pulled up
next to his driver’s door, blocking him from opening it. Looking down into his
car I politely inquired if there was something I might do for him? Screaming
and brandishing a baseball bat, a man I had never seen before declared he was
going to kill me.
The best fight,
especially a gunfight, is the one you don’t attend. No matter how it turns out,
win or lose, no good comes from a gunfight. And winning the fight doesn’t mean
you won’t lose the aftermath – that might involve arrest, trial, lawsuits and
huge costs both emotionally and financially to you and your family. If we agree
that fights, especially gunfights, are to be avoided, what are some of the
tools we can use to keep them from happening?
The first step in
avoidance is acknowledging the world can be a dangerous place, that there are
bad people who may wish to do you harm and anticipating that you may have to
deal with them. No amount of wishing it won’t happen or convincing yourself
you’re safe because you’re a nice person or live in a safe neighborhood is
going to matter if Evil comes for you. This begs the question of whether you
should be armed (and trained) and the answer is, yes, always, if possible.
People who say, “I only carry my gun when I think I might need it” are missing
the point of personal defensive firearms.
The next step in
avoidance is alertness. You can’t defend yourself or get away if you don’t see
it coming. There is a huge difference between looking around with your head up
and stumbling along looking at your feet or your cell phone. This difference in
posture marks the distinction between a predator and prey, and you better
believe the bad guys see it and pick their victims accordingly. Anticipation
and alertness go hand in hand. For example, you might anticipate that stopping
at a convenience store at 3 in the morning could present some danger to you and
either avoid it altogether or take the time to “scope it out” for potential
danger before getting out of your car and going in.
Once we’re aware and alert we need to
apply security strategies to help us stay safe. I wrote about securing the home in an
earlier article for Downrange.TV . Simple things like
closing and locking doors make sense and we should apply these same measures
when we’re out and about. My wife and I call it “Shields Up”, meaning we lock
the doors and leave the windows closed when we’re in the car. Preventing
someone from reaching into the car or jerking the door open can stop an attack
cold. Most modern cars have self-locking doors; some lock when you put the car
in gear, others when a certain speed is reached, but I’m going to suggest you
hit the button and lock the doors as soon as you get in the car and don’t
unlock them until you have looked around and deemed it safe to get out. If in
doubt, drive away. One form of home invasion robbery and rape involves bad guys
identifying single women driving nice cars then following them home and gaining
entry to the house through the open door when they pull into the garage. Clearly,
this sort of thing could be avoided by anyone who is alert. Remember, too, that
vehicles can be used as weapons and although modern, lightweight vehicles are
not particularly bullet resistant you may be safer staying in the car and
driving through, into or over whatever is necessary to get away from an
assault.
What about public
places? Again, it’s all about awareness that these places can be dangerous and
staying alert to avoid potential problems. While you don’t need to tactically
clear every place you enter you can pause, look around and make sure you’re
comfortable. I know several people who have been attacked in public restrooms
so I’m particularly wary of them. Parking lots and parking garages have a
well-deserved reputation as locales for muggers and carjackers. Does that mean
you shouldn’t park at the mall? Of course not, but you can look around, make
sure you’re not followed to your car and be on the alert for suspicious people.
Anticipation,
awareness and alertness are the keys to avoidance. In the words of the famous
hand gunner and author, Elmer Keith, “The best way to avoid getting hurt in a
gunfight is to avoid getting into a gunfight. If you are in a position where
you must risk gun battles, the surest way to keep them from starting is to take
all reasonable precautions, and to be fast enough and accurate enough so you
can dominate the situation with self-confidence.”
How did I solve my
problem with the guy who followed me? I gave him three choices; I can call the
police (showing him my cell phone), I can blow your head off (showing him my
badge and my Glock) or you can drive out of here, disappear and make sure I
never see you again. He chose wisely and I went home to my family. Yes, I could
have called the police but I was tired and wanted to go to bed. As for the
other option, I really didn’t feel like shooting a crazed druggie before
breakfast.
About
the Author:
Ed Head is a regular
on Shooting Gallery, Gun Stories and Down Range TV. He has worked for almost 30
years in law enforcement, first in the United States Air Force and then with
the United States Border Patrol, retiring as a Field Operations Supervisor.
During his Border Patrol career,
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