The Friday Self & Home Defense Ramble

Had some thinking to do on how to start this.  I started these rambles on the Target With Attitude page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TargetsWithAttitude and to just start with the newest one here without the rambling done there would leave people confused.  Yet at the same time posting the same ramblings over again would bore those who started following there to tears.  So, I have posted this weeks new ramble there and I am going to post the previous ones here over the course of the weekend here so that my new readers can catch up.

Lately I've had a number of people asking me either for tips on self defense based on my being a high level Brown Belt in American Kenpo or for suggestions on the best gun for home defense. They keep mentioning this article or that YouTube video, and I'll admit that most of them have some good points even if I don't agree with the whole thing. But one thing I've noticed that none of them point out is one of the things I ALWAYS start my self defense seminars with, and that is a simple but rather profound question. Namely, are you willing to kill to protect yourself and your family? No, don't answer that question immediately. Stop and really think about it for a minute. Are you really able & ready to kill another human being if that's what it takes to protect yourself and/or your loved ones? There's absolutely no shame if you decide you can't. In fact, many people find when push comes to shove that they can't; but it is a question you must answer honestly at least to yourself before you even start to consider buying a gun for self defense. A gun, no matter what type or style, is NOT a magic wand that will keep you safe just by taking it out and waving it around. If you are not willing to use it to put holes in another human being, many if not most attackers will sense that and attack you inspite of your gun; at which point the gun you were counting on to protect you by some form of sympathetic magic is most likely going to be used to shoot and possibly kill you. So now, answer my question silently but honestly. Once you do, then we'll talk about what gun to buy or what alternative form of self defense you might consider.