Lose Your Illusions

There was a recent discussion on social media about why some people are obsessed with learning how to shoot from the driver’s seat of their car. Speaking as someone who set the internet on fire when he suggested that car holsters are a really bad idea, I suspect that car magnets and shooting from the driver’s seat are priorities for people who believe they have a better-than-average chance of a road rage incident happening to them, one that will require them to shoot. The reason why they believe this is the case is because they actually ARE in more road rage situations than the average driver, so naturally, they can see themselves having to “defend their honor” by popping off rounds from their car. 

Riiiiiight. Good luck with that. 

In a similar vein, I wonder about how video games are affecting our training priorities, specifically the idea of a “boss fight,” where there is a time to “level up” and collect the guns and gear you need to take down the biggest challenge on any given game level. This sort of thinking shows up in things like car guns and active shooter response kits, where we can rush out to a safe space, suit up and get ready to fight the fight of our lives. 

WRONG.

Ask Elisjsha Dicken if he got a chance to level up. Or Andy Brown. Or any other armed civilian who has been a victim of violent crime. You don’t know if your final exam is coming, and you don’t know what day it’ll be on. Worse still, there is no cramming for this test. You’re either ready to ace it, or you’re not. 

Study now, while there is still time.