In light of both the mass shooting in California as well as a shooting scenario that my sister-in-law dealt with on the same day with a non-lethal shootout in her neighbor’s home, it has become apparent that the time has come for families, churches, and communities to take measures to avoid being soft targets. My sister-in-law gave asylum to her neighbors after an angry ex-boyfriend went over to her neighbor’s house and threatened them with a gun. A 2-year-old and a 4-year-old were left in the basement of the neighbor’s house while their mother and two other men dove out windows and ran to the house of my sister-in-law and brother-in-law and hid there screaming hysterically while shots rang out. By the grace of God only the dogs and cats were killed, but folks that was in a rural area with weapons everywhere. Let this not happen in our neighborhoods.
I am going to be honest; I am enraged right now, enraged at quotes I have seen from ISIS filth about leaving the Crusaders in fear. We are not afraid. We are not trembling. We are not cowed. There is a rifle behind every blade of grass, and despite a generation raised on social media and compromise the backbone of the greatest nation to ever exist is still strong and true. I will not allow my house, I will not allow my brother’s at work, and I will not allow my neighborhood to lay supinely on their backs until a jihadist is shooting on every porch. We will take steps to bring the fight to whomever attempts to harm us or harm others while we are present.
The first step is understanding that it is our responsibility to care for the needs of our families. The government of the United States of America will not save you in time, should you or your loved ones be involved in a shootout. The response time from police and SWAT will be too late, especially in rural areas. So understand that should a situation unfold, we as citizens are the first line of defense.
On forward operating bases in Afghanistan, we carried our weapons at all times. We were never without our rifles, because one never knows when some “normal” person will get a jihadi itch and want to be sent to his god. First line of defense: carry a weapon, carry extra mags, and train to use them proficiently.
My family trains on rapid response to emergency. My oldest is seven years old, and the other four are barely able to comprehend emergencies, but that does not mean we do not train. Battle stations in my home means the oldest grabs the second youngest and heads for the bathroom with his brothers. Mom grabs the baby and heads to the bathroom, letting our mastiff into the house, if he is outside and time permits. In the bathroom they all lay down in the bathtub (it works because they are small) and my wife kneels in the bathtub with her .45 Kimber pointed at the wall and her entire body shielded from the door except for the weapon. If anyone stands on the other side of the door and does not announce themselves as me, she will shoot until they stop moving through the door. I am a soldier; I have the combat mindset. I’ve shot rounds in anger, and I’ve remained calm under fire, but my wife is not. Therefore, it is imperative to insure that she understands that when there is a bad guy in the house, shoot first, kill, and reload. Mercy is not an option.
Have a large dog, a man-stopper. I have a Beorboel, a South African Mastiff. In the religion of Islam, dogs are the spawn of Satan. They fear them. I know this to be true. There is no better home security than an active, intelligent, family dog.
My neighbors believe in liberty. They own guns. We have rapport and that is a huge asset when doing contingency planning. In most rural areas the good people have hunting rifles and shotguns; get to know your neighbors and keep your eyes on anything out of the norm.
Know the capabilities of your weapons, your own capabilities, and the capabilities of your family members. If you live with large open areas around your home, get a laser range finder and figure out different ambush locations/elevation markings for all the distances you might have to shoot. The implied task is that you own a weapon capable of effective fire at those ranges and you train and set up that weapon to be proficient at those ranges. That requires another conversation entirely, but honestly, as a military sniper, I can assure you that with .308 and practice at 500-800 meters, minute of man is not a difficult shot.
Do not be a soft target, ever. Keep your head on a swivel and understand your operational environment at all times. If some crazy person begins shooting, take him or her out, whatever it takes. Do not allow the cycle of terror to continue. Stop them cold, take their weapon, clear the area, then stand by in a non-threatening way when LE eventually comes. I long for one story of a potential shooter shot in the face by a civilian before they could do any damage. What better illustration of the power for good by an armed citizen? Molon Labe – Swamp Fox