Recently I reread the tragic story of the homeowner who, because he had a gun, laid a trap for some neighborhood burglars.
He moved his truck so they would come burglarize his house.
Without calling the cops, he waited in hiding for them to enter the home, and when they did, he stalked them and shot him.
He’s paying for his crime for the rest of his life… and this could have been avoided!
Crossing the line into becoming the aggressor is one of the mistakes that separate responsible gun owners, the true “sheepdogs” of the world, from the delusional gun nuts.
I can think of no better expert on that topic than Lt. Col. Dave Grossman.
Recently, I discussed these issues with him, and here are some of the lessons learned from our discussion.
3 Things That Separate Sheepdogs From The Delusional “Gun Nuts”
Most people who follow the “tactical” community, most people who are armed and at least a little trained, want to consider themselves “sheepdogs.”
The problem is that there are a lot of guys out there who buy a gun and consider themselves “sheepdogs” without the training and preparation to back up that attitude.
These are the people who delude themselves into thinking they’re ready for violence… and when things get only too real, they’re the first people to get in the way, or make things worse, in a real violent altercation!
Understand this: There is a continuum between the “sheep” of society — the people who don’t take responsibility for self-defense — and the sheepdog, the people who look after everyone else, who are prepared and ready to do violence to protect their loved ones and their communities.
There are no ultimate sheepdogs, however, and there are no ultimate sheep:
There are only people who live somewhere up and down that continuum.
Sheep, sheepdogs, and wolves are a metaphor we use to explain life.
There are many ways to look at this model, but to truly be a sheepdog and not a delusional gun nut requires that you do three things.
Sheepdog Tip #1: Carry As Much Gun As You Can Comfortably Conceal.
Don’t carry a mousegun if you can carry and conceal a full-sized pistol.
I know, I know: It can be inconvenient to conceal a full-sized gun.
The fact is, though, lots of people do it every single day.
It isn’t hard and, while it make require you to make some concessions where your wardrobe is concerned, this isn’t much of a sacrifice where your life and the lives of your family are concerned.
When you’re staring down three thugs determined to mug you and rape your wife, what do you want on your side…
…A .22 caliber mini-revolver that is accurate to about three feet away…
…or a full-sized 9mm or .45 that you can use to quickly take down all three of them if you have to?
Sheepdog Tip #2: Train With That Weapon
If you’re going to carry ANY gun, you should be training with it constantly.
There are too many gun owners out there carrying guns that have never even been fired.
You would be amazed how often that happens.
Any gun you carry is a tool of lethal force used in life-and-death scenarios.
You owe it to yourself and your loved ones to log thousands of rounds of training with that weapon.
If it’s worth carrying, it’s worth knowing, inside and out.
Sheepdog Tip #3: Live Your Life In Condition Yellow!
Stay aware of your surroundings at all times.
That means being armed, being prepared, and being aware at all times.
But condition yellow as an armed citizen doesn’t JUST mean that you should carry as much gun and ammo as you can comfortably conceal with you.
I say conceal because you should be living what John Farnham calls “the stealth life.”
The rest of the world should not see you passing.
You’re low key, you’re not looking for trouble, and your focused on survival.
You want to keep your loved ones as safe as humanly possible, which means not drawing attention to yourself.
Think of it as partisan warfare against criminals.
We are fighting a guerilla war against the wolves, choosing the time and place of battle… not walking around with a bull’s eye on our chests.
Keep these tenets in mind and you’ll be one step closer to living the sheepdog lifestyle, rather than just joining the ranks of the delusional gun nuts.
The sheep need you, the sheepdog, to protect them from the wolves.
Don’t let them down!
