WHAT DO YOU NEED? SOME THOUGHTS ON MINDSET
AND EDC…
In this post, I want
to talk about what is REALLY needed by the average person that carries a
concealed weapon every day, and I want to do so against the backdrop of the
ubiquitous “Every Day Carry” (EDC) discussion.
I can actually
summarize it in one sentence, and I’m not being flippant. Abide by the 4S Rule,
carry your gun, and be careful in parking lots!
Everybody that carries
a gun should be familiar with John Farnam’s classic 4S rule. For those that
don’t know it, the rule is, “don’t go to stupid places, at stupid
times, to do stupid
things, with stupid
people,” or some similar variation thereof. Following the above guideline
eliminates a lot of potential hassle in life. Instill the concept into your
children at an early age! Just to reiterate, if you wouldn’t go somewhere
unarmed, you certainly shouldn’t go there armed!
Every week on the “Polite
Society Podcast,” the hosts discuss
defensive gun use (DGU) stories. These all seem to have a common theme in that
the intended victim either is carrying a gun or is able to retrieve a gun and
fight back. The lesson from these stories is to always carry your gun on your
person or have it readily available in your home. Often, when the subjects of
these stories are injured in their encounters, it is because they had to fight
their way to a gun, rather than having it immediately available.
While anecdotes do not
equal data, we are fortunate to have a valuable resource in the form of Tom Givens and his students. Givens has compiled real data with real
numbers on civilian defensive gun usage, and without fail, his students that
were armed prevailed in their conflicts. Those that were unarmed did not. So
far, nobody needed a flashlight, and no one needed to reload.
Regarding my above
admonition about parking lots, this is because the parking lot represents a
very common transition zone where you may often be distracted and therefore
vulnerable to attack. Simply looking around can alert potential aggressors to
your heightened awareness and cause them to seek easier prey.
Now, let me switch
gears to gear (no pun intended) and outline my own EDC ensemble. There are some items that I
ALWAYS have with me where legally permitted. This is my EDC, and not
necessarily germane to the discussion of what is absolutely NEEDED. I always
carry a compact auto loading pistol, one reload for the pistol, a small
flashlight, a folding knife, and a cellphone. I am tempted to carry a small
IFAK kit such as this one from ITS
Tactical, but I’m not quite
there yet.
(Ironically, when I’m working on the ambulance and can’t carry
my gun, I actually do carry an IFAK from Dark Angel
Medical in my right cargo pocket that I reserve for use on myself, my partner,
or law enforcement… I do this because of the potentially violent situations
that I occasionally find myself in. Despite the theory that EMS doesn’t enter
the scene before it’s safe, in my experience things don’t always work out that
way!)
When I’m off-duty, I
typically dress casually with an untucked shirt and either jeans or cargo
pants. I wear hiking boots almost everywhere. I don’t think this really makes
me stand out in a crowd, as I’m hardly the only one sporting Keen or Merrill
boots. Obviously, I will be dressed appropriately for conditions, whether it is
hot, cold, snowing, raining, etc. Unless I’m specifically going to a gun
friendly environment or event, I typically eschew branded clothing with
conspicuous logos that would highlight my ideology like a neon sign. I’m sure I
may look the part to others in the know, but that’s okay with me, because we’re
usually on the same side. Whether it’s a backyard BBQ, a formal wedding, or a
business casual meeting, I simply dress according to the occasion and try not
to stand out to casual observers.
Specifically, for my
EDC, I favor a Glock 19 carried in the appendix position, one reload in a
magazine pouch on my belt, with a Streamlight
Protac 1L flashlight, aSpyderco Manix 2 folding knife, and my cellphone, wallet, and
keys in my pockets. Much like an IFAK, I also sometimes carry a small
centerline fixed blade knife on my belt and I should probably consider carrying
some sort of OC spray as a less lethal option. With the exception of the second
knife, short of committing to always wearing cargo pants, I have no idea where
I would add in these extra items, as my pockets are pretty much occupied by
this point with what I already carry and I’m running out of real estate on my
belt.
Now, let’s combine
mindset with EDC in order to establish what you absolutely NEED as opposed
to what I personally carry and recommend. What follows (and this
post in general) is
just my humble opinion. Take it for what it’s worth. My opinion is predicated
on the fact that you have made the decision to carry a firearm for
self-defense, acknowledging that a firearm is the best tool for the purpose.
With that said…
·
You NEED to carry a gun that is reliable, that you can shoot
accurately, and that is carried in such a manner that you can access it quickly
while under physical and emotional duress.
·
You NEED to have a modicum of physical fitness in accordance
with your age and medical conditions. Some disabilities are not negotiable, but
most can be improved with diet and exercise.
·
You NEED to cultivate the appropriate mindset, and this
encompasses not only the wherewithal to fight back when offered violence, but
also thesituational
awareness to preemptively avoid violent encounters.
·
You NEED some basic first aid knowledge, if only to control life-threatening
bleeding from injuries incurred in a fight for your life.
·
Finally, I think you NEED to have some good self-defense training classesbeyond that required
to obtain your concealed carry permit. The information covered in a required
concealed carry class is invaluable, but often has very little to do with
actually fighting with a firearm.
That’s it… everything
else is pretty much optional. The bullet points above represent the minimum of
what you should have. Ask yourself what is possible AND probable in your daily
activities and plan accordingly. Carrying more or different stuff certainly
isn’t wrong, but also realize that the more you add to your Bat-belt, the
closer you approach a point of diminishing returns. If you’re going to carry
everything but the kitchen sink, perhaps you should invest in a “Kitchen
Sink” to carry it all!
Moving beyond
minimums, I think carrying a spare magazine or reload is a good idea for a number of reasons, but I
must relegate it to “optional” status based on statistical probability. A
flashlight is eminently useful as well, but truthfully; it is not often employed
in gunfights involving civilian concealed carriers. Similarly, I use my pocket
knife for mundane tasks almost daily, but it is not necessarily mandatory.
Having said that, if you can’t carry a gun, at least carry a knife. If you
can’t carry a knife, at least carry an improvised weapon of some sort! The
possibilities are endless.
Ultimately, if you are
going to do nothing else, at the minimum carry your gun, know how to use it,
and keep your eyes and ears open when out in public! Note that all but one of
five mandatory items that I identify above, while not without cost, are nonetheless
intangibles that are based on acquiring knowledge and skills. As the old saying
goes, knowledge is power.
In the interests of
full disclosure, some of the hyperlinks in this post lead to EDC items
available through our Amazon Affiliate link… Should you wish to support the blog at no additional cost to
you, please consider navigating to Amazon for your online purchases via our Affiliate
link. We thank you in
advance! Any comments on my thoughts on EDC and what is really needed? Leave
them below!
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