Most newer cars have a key fob to set an alarm. When returning to your car, use your fob to "reset" your alarm. This will create a loud noise which can startle any bad guy hiding near your car - giving away his presence.

It will also usually turn on the interior lights in your car giving you the opportunity to see if anyone has gotten inside.

(An added bonus - if you leave your headlights on when you park, it will also turn them back on giving you some much needed light in dark areas or at night.)

What Are the Odds?

This past weekend, my wife and I said good-bye to her mother, who had just lost her valiant battle with leukemia.  As one often does in these situations, I have spent a great deal of time reflecting on the past 14+ years shared with my mother-in-law.  She was a great lady.  She was upfront and you always knew where you stood with her.

As I covered the years in my head and slowly began to turn my attention back to the matters at hand, I was stuck by something she had said to me several times over the years when we spoke about matters of personal safety.  I would admonish her about leaving her patio and front doors unlocked and/or open.  She lived in the elder section of her apartment complex, but there was a lot of foot traffic past her apartment from other sections of the complex.  She always used to tell me:  “I don’t have anything worth stealing”.  I used to respond that no one else knew that and she needed to be more careful.

Then she said the thing that struck me:  “What are the odds?”  That is what I found myself thinking about for the past few days.  I actually hear that a lot when I talk about concealed carry and why it is important.  My usual response is “Do you carry auto insurance?  What are the odds you will get into an accident?”  Of course, some smart guy usually responds with “I have to carry car insurance, it’s the law”.  This guy is missing the mark, however.  My point is still valid.  Whether it is the law or not, if you do not have insurance and get into an accident, you could end up in a world of hurt.

The same logic applies to concealed carry.  If you go to the store and someone goes nuts while you’re there and starts on a shooting or stabbing rampage, what are you going to do?  If you are armed, you have a chance to defend yourself – you have a chance to take down the bad guy before he takes you (or your family) down.  Is this a harsh version of reality?  Yes, it is.  It is not a scenario in which any of us wants to be involved.  However, the operative word here is “reality”.  Incidents like this can and have happened – just ask those that suffered through the events at Columbine High School, Colorado; Virginia Tech, Virginia; Aurora, Colorado; Fort Hood, Texas; Sandy Hook Elementary School, Connecticut; Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital, Pennsylvania; Santa Barbara, California; Fort Hood, Texas (again); Wal-Mart, Las Vegas, Nevada; and, many others.  Many people get upset when I mention these terrible events.  I understand that.  Discussing these events is painful.  They were horrific – but they happened, they are reality.  Ignoring that fact does not change it, and it does not prepare you to handle the next tragic reality.

Now is when someone usually asks the question, “Yeah, but what are the odds?”  To be honest, I don’t have the exact numbers – I am sure they are long.  But the above events occurred despite the odds, and I am sure people asked the same question before those incidents took place.  What you need to ask yourself is:  are these odds long enough that you are willing to bet your life, and those of your family, on them?

Do you carry concealed?  Why not?

Read the news.  See how many crimes are committed on a daily basis.  Next, see how many stories there are about people winning the lottery.  How many people are becoming victims of violent crime?  How many people do you think play the lottery?  Which one do you think has the better chance of happening to you?

Now, it’s my turn to ask:  “What are the odds?”

“Police won’t chase 186,000 felony suspects”

Sounds like a ludicrous headline doesn’t it?  Unfortunately this headline stems from a USA Today article from March 2014.  The basic premise of the article is that many dangerous criminals commit crimes and essentially go scot-free by simply fleeing the jurisdiction where they committed the crime.  What this means to us is that there are almost 187,000 outstanding warrants for felons – some of whom may very well be in your neighborhood.  As I noted in one of my previous posts – this is not the time to fall victim to the “it won’t happen to me” trap. 

Keep in mind that this 187,000 number is only for outstanding warrants for felons.  There is no telling how many other types of criminals – including those willing to take that next step to becoming a violent felon – are out there.  This means this means the guy standing behind you in line at Wal-mart, paying for coffee in front of you at 7-11, or pumping gas right next to you could be a wanted fugitive.

It comes down to money.  Budget cuts hurt everyone – including law enforcement agencies.  There are dozens and dozens of stories out there outlining how wait times for 911 responses are getting longer and longer because law enforcement simply does not have the resources to respond to all calls.  Do you want to discover that one of these 187,000 wanted felons has suddenly surfaced at your back door at 1:00 a.m. and be told by 911 that the nearest officer is 20 minutes away – and only then realize you have no other way to defend yourself and your family?

I know I harp on this all the time, but this is just another reason why situational awareness is so critical.  There is no longer any such thing as a routine trip to the store.  You need to be aware of what is going on around you.  You need to be prepared to be abl stop a threat to you and your family!

Be Informed!  Get Trained!  Stay Safe!

Whether we realize it or not, most of us practice Personal Safety as part of our daily lives.  We wear seat belts while driving, lock our doors at night, and wear bicycle and motorcycle helmets.  We also purchase automobile insurance and homeowner’s insurance.

Why do we do this?  Simply put, because no one knows when an incident can happen.  Surely you don’t purchase automobile insurance because you PLAN to have a car accident, do you?  Of course not! 

Then why do so many people not carry a concealed handgun?  Purchasing the right pistol, obtaining your Virginia Concealed Handgun Permit, and undergoing proper training is the best personal insurance I can think of.

Just like you can never predict when you may have a car accident, you can never predict when you may become the victim of a violent crime.  It can happen while you and your family are out and about, or while you are at home at night in the comfort of your bedroom.  Most people think “it won’t happen to me”, but there are way too many stories out there of people who felt that exact same way – until it did happen to them.  How many times have we addressed the whole “it won’t happen to me” issue with our children when it comes to drinking/texting and driving?  Why do we suddenly seem to think it would not apply to us when it comes to violent crime?

When it comes to handguns and training the old adage is never more true:  It is far better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

So, you have auto insurance and homeowner’s insurance.  That is great – but what kind of personal insurance do you carry?  Mine is 9mm.

Recently the Today Show aired a segment, ostensibly, aimed at how to protect yourself in your home. Unfortunately, I believe some of the suggestions were less than realistic.

I will start with the one suggestion with which I do agree, to some extent. The Today Show’s “expert” suggested bringing your car keys upstairs and using the key fob to activate your car alarm. This will create a loud noise and attract lots of attention (which burglars do NOT want) – if your alarm goes off in the middle of the night. While a good idea, this concept does have many limitations. How many times do car alarms go off during the day and people just ignore them? Also, is your bedroom close enough for your key fob signal to reach the car? I suggest testing this idea to make sure it will work, but do not rely on it as the “be all to end all” defense to a home invasion.

Next, up using “wasp spray” instead of pepper spray. In short, NOT a good idea. I have seen way too many articles and experiments which indicate that the effectiveness of wasp spray (or other bug sprays) is no where near that of pepper spray. If you are looking for distance, just make sure the pepper spray you purchase has a range of 10-15 or more feet. Add to this the fact that wasp spray contains a warning against using the product indoors (which means it is just as likely to affect you and your family after your initial use) as well as a federal warning against using the product for other than its intended purpose – making Mr. Zeins’ suggestion illegal (kind of like Vice-President Biden’s advice to fire your shotgun into the air). If you think that the government will not prosecute you just because you used it in self-defense you simply have not been paying attention lately. You are much better off obtaining a high quality pepper spray and learning how to use it properly.

As far as the advice to cooperate with intruders, show them where all of your valuables are and to “treat them like royalty” – since when do we want to extend courtesies to the people robbing us?! This is part of the problem with this particular mindset. Yes, I understand Mr. Zeins’ intent is to “be nice to the bad guy so he doesn’t hurt you”. Once again, if you truly believe this approach will work out for you, you have not been paying attention. Understand that this is a choice you will need to make for yourself and your family – and it is one that you really should make well before you are forced to act on that decision. There are simply too many cases where victims complied with the bad guy and were still beaten, shot, raped - or all three. Bear in mind, there is a reason we call them “BAD GUYS”! Do you really want to trust the word of someone – who just broke into your house to steal from you – that they will not hurt you also?

Do you really want to show the bad guy all of your valuables? After all, you wouldn’t want him to miss any, would you? Treat him like royalty? Yeah, because that won’t raise any suspicions! If you are directing him to your valuables, do you really think that once you are done he will believe you don’t have anything else? Do you really think he will believe you are not “holding out” on him? Exactly what do you think the bad guy will do if he suspects you are holding out on him?

If you are caught in a situation where you truly have no way to defend yourself, the best thing may be try to get to a corner , turtle-up, make yourself as small as possible, and make yourself as unobtrusive as possible. Answer questions if you feel you must, but do not speak unless spoken to – but try to be observant.

I believe the absence of any mention of any substantive way to defend yourself, your family and your home is a deliberate one on the part of the Today Show. To them, you must be the “bad guy” if you want to defend yourself – after all, isn’t their advice to treat the home invader “like royalty”?

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/sep/14/today-show-tells-victims-treat-home-invaders-royal/

Fall yard work has begun.  Weather permitting, I am sure that a lot of you will be toiling away in your yards this weekend.   Be aware of your surroundings when working in your yard.   Did you leave your front door unlocked? Many people do - but don't leave it unlocked when you go into the backyard.   It only takes a moment for someone to run inside and grab your purse, wallet, keys, laptop, etc.  Never leave any entry into your home unlocked if you are not in sight off the door.  Never leave your garage door open when you run up to Lowe's or Home Depot for more grass seed.   Again, it only takes a moment to slip inside and close the garage door.   Now an intruder has all the privacy they need to break into your home.  Never leave the gate to your privacy fence open when you are not home.  Easy access to your backyard gives a criminal all the time and privacy he needs.

Most criminals are looking for easy access and opportunities. If you make things harder for them, more than likely they will move on to an easier target.

It is getting to be that time of year again, that time when the heat begins to ease up (or at least so we hope!) and we begin to go back outside and spruce up our houses and yards.

This is a good time to review your landscaping plans with an eye toward security.   Do you have shrubs in front of your ground floor windows?   Shrubs and bushes provide great cover for someone to hide behind and take their time breaking into your windows.  Make sure they are trimmed up so that no one can hide behind them or use them as cover.

Also, consider planting thorny bushes like roses, holly, hawthorn, etc.  The vast majority of burglars are looking for an easy target.   They do not want to get cut, scratched, pricked, etc., just trying to get into a house.

The adage “slow is smooth, smooth is fast” applies to more than just shooting.  You need to practice more than just pulling the trigger.   Do you keep your pistol near you when you sleep?  In a dresser drawer?   A bedside holster?   In a gun safe?  How many times do you practice retrieving it?  The last thing you want to do is be fumbling around in the dark when you suspect a home invasion is occurring.   Practice more than just shooting.  Practice holster draws, but also practice retrieving your handgun from its storage place.

Remember, when practicing ALWAYS make sure your gun is unloaded!

This is a very good article by Kevin Michalowski, of the United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA).  He makes some very good points about why hands on training is needed.   The Commonwealth of Virginia requires minimal training to obtain your CHP.  You can watch a video or take an online course to obtain the "required" training.   In my view, this is not nearly enough.   As Mr. Michalowski says "There is a difference between training that is required and training that you really need".

A video cannot simulate recoil and allow you to get the feel of bringing your sights back on target.   An online course cannot get you used to the weight and feel of your gun in your hand.  Neither of them can correct your technique, modify your stance or warn you of bad habits in real time so that you learn to shoot comfortably and accurately - and SAFELY.

Let us give you the training you NEED, not just the training that is required.

Be Informed! Get Trained! Stay Safe!