Jan 16 2012
THE HARD QUESTIONS – GRACIE’S FIRESIDE CHAT
Consider this: every weekend I go out and teach a group of students how to defend themselves with a handgun. The problem is that no amount of hours on the range is going to wrap their heads around the idea of harming and possibly killing another human being. This is why every time I teach one of my Street Carry classes (an advanced class); I include a lesson called “The Fireside Chat”. The point of this lesson is to get the students thinking about the nasty questions that they would rather not consider. The time to discover the answer to these questions is not when you are facing an attacker, the time is NOW.
I recommend you take a look at these questions and mull them around in your head and maybe even someone else’s until you come to a decision. But remember, your answers are just as personal as these questions are. You must base your decisions on what you truly believe in your heart. After all, you are the one who has to live with yourself.
These questions are universal, of course you need to know and bear in mind state and federal laws when considering these.
Please, feel free to play this video while you look at the questions…
THE HARD QUESTIONS
Am I really capable of harming and possibly killing another human being?
- Is there really anything so heinous that someone could do that I could justify to myself the use of deadly action?
- Where is the line of what I can and cannot justify to myself?
- Can I handle the gore and blood?
How far am I willing to fight?
- Is there a point where I would give-up? Where is that point?
Am I capable of and willing to deal with the aftermath?
- The police?
- Possible liability and law suits?
- Attorney’s fees?
- Other people’s convictions? You may be shunned by family, friends, neighbors, coworkers or your church.
Am I capable of and willing to deal with the mental aftermath?
- Could I sleep at night knowing I took a life?
- Possible nightmares, regret, counseling, etc.
- Could I move forward with my life?
- Will my relationship with my significant other, and/or children be changed?
“THE ONLY MORAL JUSTIFICATION FOR USING DEADLY FORCE IS THAT SOMEONE IS DOING SOMETHING SO TERRIBLE, SO HEINOUS THAT IT MUST BE STOPPED DESPITE THE CONSEQUENCES NOW OR LATER TO ME OR TO OTHERS .” – Gregg Smith
Jan 16, 2012 @ 10:46:10
Good that you address these issues. Have you read Dave Grossman’s book “On Killing”? He talks about the psychological impact of killing another person, and how the military have tried to overcome this disinclination to kill other human beings.
Jan 16, 2012 @ 11:51:47
I haven’t read it, but will need to check it out! Thanks for reading, Richard. Take care
Jan 26, 2012 @ 11:26:13
It’s good to get these thoughts in their minds but there’s no way that they can honestly answer them until they’re in that horrific situation.
Jan 26, 2012 @ 11:32:07
Jonolan, as a survivor of sexual assult and a home invasion myself, I agree that noone can understand until they have experienced the horrific situation. However, many of those questions can indeed be answered now. Defense training is 90% mental. One can choose some of the answers to these questions just as one can choose to take on the defensive mindset.
Jan 26, 2012 @ 11:51:04
We’ll have to agree to disagree on that point because my experiences were different. I had answered most of those questions in my head long before the issue came up and the reality and my response to it didn’t match my very firmly held expectations.
Be that as it may and as I said before, it’s still good to get the students thinking of these things.
“I WILL NEVER…” PART 1: CORE BELIEFS | Packing Pretty
May 17, 2012 @ 10:01:21
[...] WILL NEVER…” PART 1: CORE BELIEFS A few months ago, I posted an article The Hard Questions – Gracie’s Fireside Chat. This article posed a handful of questions that every person should consider before they carry a [...]