Thread: Am I wrong??
View Single Post
Old May 11, 2013, 08:51 AM   #83
Gaerek
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 3, 2012
Location: Arizona
Posts: 939
Quote:
Similarly, as to the third scenario, go to an IDPA match sometime, and see how many people manage to hit the no-shoot targets over the course of an event.
And you need to take into consideration the fact that no one is actually firing back at you.

To change the subject slightly, last I checked, there wasn't anything on my CCW application or an oath I took that said, "I promise to protect the public now that I will be carrying a gun." or something to that effect. I'm not carrying a gun to be a hero. I'm not carrying a gun to make society safer. I'm carrying a gun to protect myself, and my family. If that makes me a coward, then so be it. The first thing any respectable defensive handgun training will teach you is to stay away from bad situations, and try to get out of bad situations you find yourself in.

I'm not saying I wouldn't do something altruistic in an active mass murder situation...as a matter of fact, my very nature would compel me to do something. It would require willpower for me to think about my family (whether they are there or not) and add that into the equation of what I would do. Pax made a great point. It's why I get training, so that I can respond to the greatest number of threats possible. But I'm under no illusion to believe I'll be able to outshoot a murderer with an AR, 40 yards away, with my Glock 19. That would be near suicide.

That's why this is such a complex problem. There is no simple, "Yes I will do something," or "No, I won't do anything." Many people might lean one way or another, but when the balloon goes up, the situation will likely be something you've never considered, and you'll have to take about a dozen things into consideration in about a second to make your decision. Calling people a coward for inaction is incredibly low, and insulting. Having a CCW does not give you an obligation to act. We are not police. We are not sworn law enforcement. We are citizens, who for one reason or another have decided to not let muggers, rapists, violent robbers, murderers and crazy people decide our fates.

And adding to what MLeake has said. If you haven't done an IDPA match...go do one. If you've never done that kind of shooting before, you'll likely be amazed at how bad at it you are. We're talking things that you thought you were good at, like shooting a targets a mere 7 yards away. Things get much different when you have multiple targets, multiple no-shoots, required movement, required reloads (and make sure not to leave any partially filled mags on the ground!), shooting from awkward positions, and of course, the ever present pressure of the clock.

Last edited by Gaerek; May 11, 2013 at 08:57 AM.
Gaerek is offline  
 
Page generated in 0.04007 seconds with 8 queries