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Lessons from Paris
“Si vis pacem, para bellum.” — Vegetius
As the world recoils in horror from the atrocities carried out on the streets of Paris Friday night, we’re beginning to realize that this is a calamity we’ve seen before: The attacks on the theater, nightclub, soccer stadium, and shopping mall are almost exact copies of earlier attacks in Mumbai and Nairobi, and we’ve seen smaller versions of these kind of attacks on American soil at Fort Hood and in Garland, TX; Ottawa, Canada; and during the Boston Marathon. There is no such thing as “rules of engagement” for radical Islamic militants: In this global war on terror, we are all behind enemy lines. We have met the enemy, and they are among us.
There are two possible responses to the dispersed threat of Islamic terrorism: Increased surveillance and security in the hopes that you’ll catch terrorists in the same net you use to corral regular citizens, or an empowered, aware citizenry that can stop an attack dead in its tracks. I prefer the second option myself, not only because it works, but it errs on the side of freedom, and that’s always a good thing.
What can we do then to not be another statistic in the war on radical Islam? If there are no front lines in this war, we are, by definition, part of the battlefield. Therefore, we must prepare to fight. Some suggestions to help you and your loved ones live to fight another day:
- Practice situational awareness. This is the big one. It is the foundation of self-defense, because you cannot defend against an attack you don’t see coming. Situational awareness is hard to define, but think of it as applying all the skills of defensive driving when you’re not behind the wheel of a car. Pay attention to your surroundings. Where are the alternate exits? Does anything in your vicinity feel out of place? Why is it out of place? What is your plan for dealing with what might happen if what’s out of place starts to affect you?
- If you can carry a gun, carry your gun. Having a plan and the means to defend yourself is far superior to just having a plan or just having a gun by itself. Chances are you are not going to be the hero of the hour and stop the threat, but a sidearm allows you to defend your life if you need to, and that is essential.
- If you have a gun, get training. If the unthinkable occurs, you are not going to naturally rise to the occasion, but rather, you will fall to your lowest level of instinctual mastery. Get training that emphasizes fast, accurate fire under stressful conditions, and get training that has real-world implications. There are plenty of so-called anti-terrorist firearms training classes out there that will have you rolling around in the mud with an AR-15 in your hands, but your job isn’t to hunt ISIS in Syria, your job is to keep your loved ones from harm with the tools you have nearby.
- If something happens and you can get out, get out, and get the people under your care to safety. If they’re safe, the decision to take further action is up to you and the circumstances you’re in. Proceed accordingly.
- Preparedness requires much more than a gun. For those near, but not in a terrorist attack, it is more akin to a natural disaster than a mugging or home invasion. If you’re unfortunate enough to be near an attack, you are more likely be dealing with the consequences of the attack than stopping the attack itself. In addition, a sidearm is pretty much useless in a bomb attack such as Boston, but a trauma kit is crucial for dealing with the effects of a bombing or shooting attack. Having Quikclot and a tourniquet, along with the knowledge how to use them properly, will probably save more lives than a Glock.
The first person on the scene of a street crime or terrorist attack is always the intended victim. The choice is yours: Will you be a victim, or will you be your own first responder?
Published in Foreign Policy, Guns, Islamist Terrorism, Policing
You’re in good company. Distrust of the government and a desire for self-reliance is becoming a big reason why people are buying guns.
Check out the Leatherman PS. It has no blade, so it’s TSA approved or maybe see if you can keep a multitool or a box cutter at your desk. if not, there’s always the trusty ol’ hammer. Also, people tend to forget that preparedness means more than getting ready for zombie apocalypse. I like to have a Tide detergent pen and a flashlight and enough little stuff to take care of things if I have to stay at work for 24 hours due to weather or whatever.
It’s ok. I prefer the CATS, but that pack is so small, there’s no reason not to have one.
Kate – what do you do for a living? It sounds interesting – would love to read a post from the perspective of law enforcement nowadays – the disregard of respect for authority, especially within the most difficult areas to police, has become especially distressing to me – my uncle was a big Irish cop on the Hill in Pgh. It was bad back in the 60s – I was small but he lived 4 doors up and used to come by a bit banged up and stressed.
People forget this is everyday life in Israel – that is a scary and sad thought –
Kevin,
I sent your link to office survival to a friend of mine in Mass who works too much! She’ll replace the beef jerky with organic chocolate – so would I! The Tide Whitening Pen? In case you spill your coffee running to the nearest exit? I say keep an extra pair of underwear handy because if there was a terror incident, a whitening pen won’t do much!
Nope, just for day-in, day-out emergencies. Not every crisis involves The End Of The World As We Know It, sometimes, just getting ready for a meeting is crisis enough. :D
All the talk is about citizens carrying guns to defend themselves. More specifically, what was the security situation at the Paris concert? Was there any? Any time you have that many people at an event it should be protected by trained personnel carrying appropriate weapons. The same is true at smaller gatherings, hotels airplanes, etc., but I’m using the Bataclan example here. If this theatre wasn’t reasonably secure it was grossly negligent given levels of terrorism in that city – and everywhere else.
You need professionals to fight off jihadis. A bunch of kids carrying guns would be a formula for a Bastile Day celebration. Half of them high on the music or high otherwise. I really don’t see the applicability of a second amendment argument in this case. It’s an audience out for a good time, not capable of defending themselves with or without guns. It’s they who need protection, and apparently none existed.
As Gen. Mattis advises, “Be polite. Be professional. But have a plan to kill everybody you meet.”
At a concert? Yeah, probably not. On the other hand, we’re used to the idea of a designated driver who acts responsibly, why not have a designated guardian as well?
Can an armed civilian (or civilians) stop a terrorist attack? I don’t know, but I do know that an unarmed civilian is just a potential chalk outline.
Some return fire is better than no return fire.
Took me awhile to find this, but this article from the FBI on recognizing the traits of armed individuals (.pdf link) has an interesting nugget of truth in it for those of us who go (legally) armed.
In other words, if you’ve gone to the trouble of buying a holster, you’re pretty much self-identifying as a good guy.
Every day as part of my commute I spend about an hour walking in San Francisco. Total time amongst the populous commuting is about 3 hours. I am constantly amazed at the absolute LACK of situational awareness among my fellow humans. Nearly everyone I see is staring into their phone be they walking, riding a bike, driving, heck even folks riding vespas are seen looking at their phones.
I watched a girl the other day with headphones in, staring at her phone step off the curb and into the line of an approaching ambulance simply because she thought she saw someone else stop off the curb. She didn’t even bother to look at the pedestrian light.
I generally feel like I’m the only one paying any attention to my surroundings. As I’ve been binge watching Law and Order SVU lately I think to myself how easy it would be to be a predator these days.
Re concern over citizens spraying return fire….terrorists and other mass shooters commit suicide once a gun shows up.