Firearms and self-defense: Know when to shoot (and when not to)

If you carry a gun for self-defense, you must be prepared to fire your gun one day when SHTF and you need to protect yourself from an attacker.

Before that happens, learn how to use your gun properly and know when it’s safe to shoot and when it’s better not to. (h/t to OffTheGridNews.com)

If you don’t have a gun yet but are planning to get one, know that the use of a firearm in self-defense is risky. While the law does allow the use of deadly force when necessary to defend yourself or others, there’s a caveat: The courts must agree that your actions were necessary and reasonable.

Otherwise, someone else can still accuse you of murder.

But when it’s a matter of life and death, being accused of murder is better than being the victim of a murder.

If you’re going to be the one pulling the trigger, make sure that your action is necessary. The less wiggle room you can give a prosecutor to show that you acted angrily or irrationally, the less chance that you will end up in court defending your actions, or worse, in jail.

Use violence as a last resort

Before drawing your gun, try avoiding a dangerous situation altogether.

That isn’t always possible, but many situations that can be avoided simply by not going where violence is frequent or by leaving when it looks like something bad could happen. (Related: 8 Pillars of the survival protocol that every prepper needs to master.)

Situational awareness

What do you do if you want to avoid dangerous situations?

Start by improving and maintaining your situational awareness. Doing this should give you a good idea when something is about to happen.

These techniques can help you incorporate situational awareness into your daily life and protect you in potentially dangerous situations:

• Use your peripheral vision. Practice this while talking to someone. Try to observe what is happening in your peripheral vision while still listening and engaging with a friend.
• Scan the environment. This should come naturally, but you must learn to be specific about what you’re scanning for. To avoid danger, look for accessible exits, barriers to avoid and suspicious objects or suspicious people.
• Use reflective surfaces to your advantage. Make a habit of using reflective surfaces to quickly check behind you or outside your peripheral vision.
• Look confident and aware. Projecting confidence will make you seem less vulnerable to potential attackers.
• Change course. If you think someone is following you, try stopping, turning and acting like you went the wrong way.
• Observe people who invade your personal space. If someone is walking unusually close to you, look for several things: Do they have a weapon in their hands? Is there a strange bulge in their clothes that could be a hidden weapon? Do their words or body language suggest aggression? If the answer is yes to these questions, quickly create at least five feet of distance from them. Quickly assess the situation for your next action.

Once you improve your instincts, you will need to make an important decision.

Do you stay and see what happens next, or do you leave before anything bad can happen?

If you’re hyperaware, you might find yourself leaving a restaurant or the mall whenever you think something bad could happen.

But that’s fine since you’re accomplishing your goal and protecting your family. If nothing bad happens, just go back after it’s clear that it’s safe to do so.

Avoid dangerous areas to avoid conflict

One of the easiest ways to avoid danger is to monitor the news and be aware of your surroundings.

If there is news about a demonstration scheduled downtown, avoid going downtown.

Find another route to work, or postpone a meeting if you have something to do near the area.

The same can be said for other potentially dangerous situations, such as traveling in a bad area of town. Unless you have a legitimate reason to be there, why risk it?

Find somewhere else to buy your groceries to avoid potentially violent encounters.

Part of self-defense is knowing not to put yourself in unnecessary in danger.

Learn how to diffuse a tense situation

Even if you’re very careful, there might be a time when you have to deal with a violent situation. For example, you may be enjoying a drink at your favorite bar when a drunk customer starts getting mad and argues with you.

If he’s the violent type or has been drinking too much, he may think it’s a good idea to confront you for any imagined slight.

What do you do?

Most of the time, you can try to diffuse the situation by turning their negative comment back into a positive one.

If the argument starts because someone thinks you looked at their girlfriend, they might try to start a fight by saying something like, “Are you looking at my girlfriend?”

Try to diffuse the tension by being complimentary and saying: “Yes, I am. She’s pretty and you are a very lucky man.” They won’t be expecting you to say something nice, and it could work and help them calm down.

By not responding with a snarky comment and instead complimenting him, you could end his desire to fight.

And if that doesn’t work, just leave.

If the other guy is too drunk, he may not be able to follow you.

Your pride is the last thing you should worry about if you want to avoid dangerous situations.

Know when it’s time to draw your weapon

If you must draw your weapon, only do so after exhausting other possibilities.

For example, if a shooter walks into the restaurant you’re eating at and opens fire, you must fire back to protect yourself and others.

Once it’s clear that you must use your firearm, don’t hesitate to do so. At least, don’t hesitate longer than tactically necessary.

If someone is shooting into a crowd, stay calm and remember that as long as you conceal your weapon, you have the element of surprise.

This also means you shouldn’t draw until you are ready. If you can, move carefully and find a good tactical position where you have cover and the bad guys are flanked before drawing your gun.

Learn how to use your firearm well and stay calm when SHTF. Know when to fire your weapon to defend yourself and when not to shoot.

Watch the video below to find out why large guns are easier to handle than small guns.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

10 Prepper skills that will help improve your street-smarts.

Home defense plays important role in survival after SHTF.

Protect your property with these natural and man-made barriers, fences and fortifications.

Sources include:

OffTheGridNews.com

WomenAgainstCrime.com

Brighteon.com