Tuesday, January 31, 2012

"I am a child of the King, I will not be a victim!"

When you make the decision to carry a concealed handgun for self protection, someone will inevitably tell you that you need to do some self-talk.  Go find a mirror, they say, look yourself in the eye, and decide for yourself whether you would be able to pull the trigger and take a life if necessity called for it.  This is a valuable exercise.  It's not saying that you want to take a life, and certainly not saying that you would enjoy doing so, but confirming that if the time comes you would be able to.  Strapping on your holster and loading your firearm are acknowledgement that it may come down to your life or that of a mugger.  The lives of your family or that of a home invader.  It's the moment we all pray will never come, but the one we must be prepared for nonetheless.

As my NRA instructor stated, when you are carrying every conflict becomes an armed conflict because you brought a gun to the fight.  This means that the armed citizen, much more so than the unarmed one, must be cool, collected, and careful not to escalate a confrontation.  It also means that you must be resolved to effectively use that gun if need be.  You see, the situation becomes much more dangerous if you draw a weapon you are not really willing to use.  It is not going to scare the criminal away.  Instead, the assailant now feels threatened, and on top of that, has a gun within their reach.  That's why the conversation with yourself deciding what to do needs to happen before you are ever confronted with a life-threatening situation, so that you can act when you don't have time to think.

Now, if you look in the mirror and determine that you would not be able to pull the trigger, you've made a wise decision.  Knowing that, and choosing other methods of defending yourself could very well ensure your safety better than putting yourself in the dangerous situation described above.

But what gives us the resolve to act as necessary?  How do I know that it is worth it to protect my own life, possibly at the cost of another's?

When I was an undergraduate at a small Christian college, I took a self-defense class. The instructor was a slight, 70-something woman, who quickly had the football players in the class more than a little hesitant to "assist" her with demonstrating self-defense tactics.  At the end of class  each day, she had us repeat a mantra:

"I am a child of the King and I will not be a victim!"

As Christian students, the idea of being "children of God" gave us motivation to defend ourselves.  Knowing that our place and our worth came from belonging to the King meant that our lives were worth protecting, and no one could take that away from us.  Now I know not everyone shares the same philosophy, so replace that with whatever gives you your motivation and self-worth.  I am a mother of two children, I will not be a victim!  I am an American, I will not be a victim!  I am a husband, I will not be a victim!  Even something as simple as I am a worthy human being, I will not be a victim!

Reminding yourself of the source of your intrinsic worth, whatever that may be, gives you a tangible reason to believe that your life is worth protecting.  Hopefully, that will also give you the resolve and confidence needed to know that you are capable of defending yourself and your family if the time comes.