Guns in self-defense 2

We no longer live in lawless times when we need to have a six-gun on our hips while going to the saloon. In a non-war situation, civilians, especially in the Philippines, are not encouraged to carry firearms in their persons. Only authorized law enforcement agents can do so. Even soldiers outside conflict areas like Metro Manila can not just strut their M-16 on the streets of Tondo. In the same vein the PNP has reiterated why it can not grant the request of the MMDA to have their traffic enforcers carry firearms. More guns on the street means more crimes, for the simple reason that a gun has no other use but to kill. 

As I have often said here in this blog, you can not draw your weapon faster than your assailant. The idea that you will be able to recognize an ambush with spare time and therefore have enough seconds to draw and shoot it out with your attackers is a myth. Ask the hundreds of assasins or the Sparow Unit members who have gunned down armed police and military personnel in the 80s and they will tell you this to be true. In urban partisan war the element of ambush is used. As  I have said in another blog post, the only effective way to prepare for an ambush is to have your own weapon already drawn. But this is not possible in a civilized society. You cannot walk around with your gun in your hand. 

So if you cannot draw your gun efficiently all the time why carry it? A gun in a holster is slow and a gun in a handbag is much slower.  THe holdupper would have pointed and shot already before you can draw yours from your clutch bag.  A lot of off-duty policemen and other weapon carrying individuals were disarmed because of this. Their useless weapons taken away by assailants who used surprise and cunning.

There is a much cheaper and more effective way to protect yourself. Use common sense.

• keep a low-conflict lifestyle, avoid conflicts
• be friendly
• keep away from bad neighborhood
• keep away from dimly-lit areas
• assess the area where you parked your car.
• always keep your car doors locked
• always have your homes secured appropriately
• learn threat management
• learn street-smart self-defense
• learn survival techniques
• be ordinary, blend with the crowd
• keep it simple!