As in the previous blogs, unless I quote someone else, these are my opinions and I am not speaking for any organization, including those that I am employed by or a member of.
This blog is all about the mindset and training needed to kill someone who is intent on causing great bodily harm to you, your friends and loved ones, or even your co-workers, before they kill you. This is the mentality of a sheep dog.
Before I go too much further, you need to know that not everyone can or should be a sheepdog. If you do not have the mindset to be a sheepdog, then you can be a sheep and that’s okay. Just don’t be horrified because the sheepdog next to you is carrying a concealed weapon so that he or she is ready when the wolf comes.
Peace officers are sheepdogs. They have made a conscious decision to walk into toxic environments so that others don’t need to. But wolves can be anywhere and you can’t always have a peace officer by your side.
But there are substantially more retired peace officers than there are active peace officers, and if certain training, qualification, and other requirements are met, they are allowed to carry concealed weapons. In fact, I will bet that most of them carry all the time, even when they are in a church or temple.
How many retired peace officers are working at your organization, but cannot carry due to company policy? Is there a specific reason for that policy or is it because a sheep in the executive staff is afraid of guns? These people have the mindset and the training to be sheepdogs and you should offer them every opportunity to protect their coworkers by allowing them to carry while at work.
If you are not a peace officer but think that you are a sheepdog, you need to be trained. Even if you can get a concealed carry permit without extensive training, you shouldn’t actually carry a weapon until you are completely comfortable that you can care for it and use it — and even then, only when absolutely necessary.
There are many facilities that can give you basic training, but before carrying a weapon, I strongly recommend a 20-40 hour tactical class divided between classroom and range time with at least 1000 rounds going downrange. Jackson Arms in the San Francisco bay area, Front Sight in Nevada, and Gunsite Academy in Arizona are just a few of the facilities available to you.
To be a sheepdog, you must be physically and mentally prepared, appropriately trained, and you must always carry your gun with you. I say always, because that one time that you decide to leave your gun locked in the safe is the one time that you are going to need it.
Guns are not for everyone, but if someone wants to be a sheepdog, it’s going to be hard for you to stop them. No matter what the media says, guns are not dangerous when properly handled by a trained individual. Which means that if you are not trained or you don’t have a training class scheduled, you shouldn’t own one.
Since 9/11, more of us have become sheepdogs, which is one reason that air travel has stayed safe. No longer will we sit in our seats like sheep when we see that our fellow passengers could be in danger. And this is a good thing, because the wolves will always be out there.
I want to hear your thoughts so please feel free to share this blog with your friends and send comments to me.
