Teaching firearms to beginning shooters, the conversation inevitably turns to when it is appropriate to use deadly force. The USA Network had a television show called Burn Notice and a character named Fiona Glenanne had a great line in the opening sequence of every episode. Fiona asks; “can we shoot them?” I’ve had a lot of Fiona’s in class.
Before launching into the instruction about imminent jeopardy and all that goes into predicating the proper use of deadly force, I try to have a conversation about maintaining situational awareness. Situational awareness is simply knowing what is going on around us. It is perceiving what is going on in our environment; comprehending what is going on; recognizing changes in the environment; and predicting what is likely to happen next so we can mitigate any risks to our personal safety. Good situational awareness prevents us from getting into a situation where we become in jeopardy of serious bodily harm or death so we do not have to go all Fiona and “shoot them”. The best way to win a gunfight is to not be in a gunfight.
The biggest hinderance to situational awareness is distraction. Have you ever driven home from work but did not really remember much about the trip when you got there? That was probably because you were preoccupied with something else. Your situational awareness was poor. Distractions are all around us. Are you thinking of that difficult boss or coworker? Are you thinking about that business deal that is about to go sideways? Are you thinking of that social media troll that irritated you? Do you have your head buried in your phone texting, checking email or scrolling social media? Smart phones are a great tool but they are a terrible distraction that limit if not eliminate our situational awareness.
We have to put these distractions aside and pay attention to the moment. By paying attention to your surroundings, you may decide you don’t need to stop for gas in this neighborhood. You don’t need to get cash at that ATM that is in the dark on the back side of the bank’s driveway. You see those shady guys who appear to be up to no good. Recognizing these things, you can make good choices which help you avoid getting yourself in a life-threatening situation where you have to “shoot them”. The first step is to look up from your phone!
The mission of South Alabama Firearms Education is to educate citizens to be confident, competent, safe and responsible gun owners. Please reach out to us anytime at www.firearmsed.com and click on the contact us link
