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After reading some recent news: ISIS Camp a Few Miles from Texas, Mexican Authorities Confirm

I thought these two blog posts might be thought-provoking and worth sharing.

Concealed Carry in the Era of Terror: Part One

Concealed Carry in the Era of Terror: Part Two

Excellent read.

Thanks for posting!!

I've noticed just the last month or so that my head is on a swivel more than usual - particularly if my wife is with me. It's weird....I've caught myself doing it, and it's involuntary. I don't even think about it until I catch myself doing it. Just this morning.... fairly innocent scene..... my wife and I went to Costco. Head was on a swivel on our way back to my car, but that's normal, just keeping an eye out for ricky racers in the parking lot. But while we were loading the car, I was still doing it; and then when my wife walked the shopping cart over the the collection station, I took up a position on the rear corner of the car and kept up about a 300º back and forth sweep as I watched her go and return until my wife was safely back to the car. There were no threats ongoing or anything, it's just like my situational awareness has kicked up a considerable notch in the last month.....and I can't explain why. That's why I said it is weird. But, it's not a bad habit to pickup I guess, so hopefully it becomes permanent.

A colleague and I walked to lunch today. On our way back a guy in baggy pants was walking towards us appearing to be holding his "junk". I've recently learned that this is often a sign of someone with gun (no holster) tucked in their waistband and trying to keep it from moving around or falling out. He passed us without incident, but I kept watching him. My friend asked why I kept turning around. When I told him the guy may very well have had a gun and why I thought so, he was surprised. This friend is not anti-gun at all. We talk about them lots especially since he used to own a gun store. But he never associated that hand placement with possibly holding the muzzle of a firearm.

I've found myself over the past month or so noticing things I had not previously. Some of that is due to recent training. Some of it's because there just seems to be more bad stuff happening.

I agree with the blogger that an attack in the US is not if but when.

The Annoyed Man wrote:I've noticed just the last month or so that my head is on a swivel more than usual - particularly if my wife is with me. It's weird....I've caught myself doing it, and it's involuntary. I don't even think about it until I catch myself doing it. Just this morning.... fairly innocent scene..... my wife and I went to Costco. Head was on a swivel on our way back to my car, but that's normal, just keeping an eye out for ricky racers in the parking lot. But while we were loading the car, I was still doing it; and then when my wife walked the shopping cart over the the collection station, I took up a position on the rear corner of the car and kept up about a 300º back and forth sweep as I watched her go and return until my wife was safely back to the car. There were no threats ongoing or anything, it's just like my situational awareness has kicked up a considerable notch in the last month.....and I can't explain why. That's why I said it is weird. But, it's not a bad habit to pickup I guess, so hopefully it becomes permanent.

Try De-Caf

suthdj wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:I've noticed just the last month or so that my head is on a swivel more than usual - particularly if my wife is with me. It's weird....I've caught myself doing it, and it's involuntary. I don't even think about it until I catch myself doing it. Just this morning.... fairly innocent scene..... my wife and I went to Costco. Head was on a swivel on our way back to my car, but that's normal, just keeping an eye out for ricky racers in the parking lot. But while we were loading the car, I was still doing it; and then when my wife walked the shopping cart over the the collection station, I took up a position on the rear corner of the car and kept up about a 300º back and forth sweep as I watched her go and return until my wife was safely back to the car. There were no threats ongoing or anything, it's just like my situational awareness has kicked up a considerable notch in the last month.....and I can't explain why. That's why I said it is weird. But, it's not a bad habit to pickup I guess, so hopefully it becomes permanent.

Try De-Caf

I don't really drink that much coffee....... maybe a small cup or two in the morning, that's about it. I have to say, I am NOT paranoid. I don't actually think or worry that something bad is going to happen, and like I said, I didn't actually realize that I had been doing it until about a month ago, so I don't really know how long it has been going on. I just don't remember being that way in the past.

Compare my behavior to the fact that I carry a gun. I don't actually think or worry that I'm going to be in a gunfight on any given day........but I carry one anyway.

I couldn't do the Die Hard thing. I'm not a soldier, I don't have the training or the physical ability. I hope I would set aside fear and panic and give it my best shot, but I'm sure I'd be taken out in nothing flat.

Even in confrontation with criminals, I believe my family's best hope is that I'm not the only one armed. As I tell my (adult) kids, an attacker would be dealt with the way the Velociraptors in Jurassic Park hunted. An attacker's worst threat would come from the one he didn't even know was there or armed.

If every shopper in the mall was armed when the jihadists struck, that might make a difference. But there I go again, dreaming the impossible dream.

Great reminders. When violence occurs, the only way to stop it is with more violence. And even if the only thing you want to do is get out, it might take some violence to achieve that. Hesitation can be costly.

Even John McLain would have rather been some place else. I think he said in Live Free of Die that the only reason he did what he did was because there wasn't anyone else there at the time to do it and someone had to.

What? You'all mean we can't just call 9-1-1 and everything will be okay?

The Annoyed Man wrote:

suthdj wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:I've noticed just the last month or so that my head is on a swivel more than usual - particularly if my wife is with me. It's weird....I've caught myself doing it, and it's involuntary. I don't even think about it until I catch myself doing it. Just this morning.... fairly innocent scene..... my wife and I went to Costco. Head was on a swivel on our way back to my car, but that's normal, just keeping an eye out for ricky racers in the parking lot. But while we were loading the car, I was still doing it; and then when my wife walked the shopping cart over the the collection station, I took up a position on the rear corner of the car and kept up about a 300º back and forth sweep as I watched her go and return until my wife was safely back to the car. There were no threats ongoing or anything, it's just like my situational awareness has kicked up a considerable notch in the last month.....and I can't explain why. That's why I said it is weird. But, it's not a bad habit to pickup I guess, so hopefully it becomes permanent.

Try De-Caf

I don't really drink that much coffee....... maybe a small cup or two in the morning, that's about it. I have to say, I am NOT paranoid. I don't actually think or worry that something bad is going to happen, and like I said, I didn't actually realize that I had been doing it until about a month ago, so I don't really know how long it has been going on. I just don't remember being that way in the past.

Compare my behavior to the fact that I carry a gun. I don't actually think or worry that I'm going to be in a gunfight on any given day........but I carry one anyway.

A paranoid is someone who knows a little of what's going on.
- William S. Burroughs

Excellent read Roy! Thanks for posting. The author of the articles imparts very useful and critical information.

I'd like articles like these posted in a sticky thread. They fully deserve reviewing frequently.