Defense-minded people

It was refreshing to talk to someone who's thoughts on defense were more involved than "If som'un be all up in mah sheet, I's be all like 'Bam, sucka! Glock foe-ty, yo!' an I's be all like, 'pop! pop! pop! sucka-what?! pop! pop!'" *ahem* Quite.

After a bit of time at the range last night, I went to the parking lot to leave. I saw a man shine his flashlight on and around his car as he approached it. I was a little bit behind him, and asked him if he had an inova light since the beam was clearly from an LED. He said it was a Surefire, and talked about it a little bit. So I showed him my E2 and we talked flashlights for a few minutes. Turns out he did some work for Surefire so he was well versed in their line.

I mentioned that I was planning on picking up an E2D (Yes, I STILL don't have it; but my E2 was working so well...) and he advised against it. He spoke about the legal ramifications (in Kalifornia) of carrying such an aggressive product. I told him that it shouldn't matter, because the striking bezel also serves the function of protecting sensitive areas. To which he replied that it wouldn't matter since the product is advertised as a product with weapon-like features. This would defeat the purpose of the innocuous use of a flashlight as a kubaton, because the flashlight became a weapon as soon as it was marketed as one. (Damn marketing!) Then he asked if I was going for my CCW, and after I remembered that I'd asked about a letter in the range lobby, I told him I was. Then we started talking about how the California legal system protects a criminals, and appropriate response.

While it may have been clear to you that force was the correct action, in California it's almost guaranteed that you will be sued by the aggressor's family. Without going too much into appropriate response, he talked about a layered response, and how it could make a serious difference to a jury or judge. Things like flashing your flashlight and warning on the first degree, pepper spraying as second, and drawing as the third.

Certainly there are many situations where drawing is the appropriate first response, but the chances are that you will encounter a situation that falls in one of the many shades of gray. The gray area is where the hero gets thrown into jail or bankrupted financially. Having the ability to take that gray area, and respond with "gray" actions keeps you from having to go to the extreme of drawing your gun, and would make it clear to a jury that an aggressor who was not deterred by these gray actions needed to be drawn upon.

We talked about a number of other topics pertaining to defense, and I was glad that I was able to hold up my end of the conversation, but realized that I needed to develop a more complete carrying strategy. I'm glad I got a chance to talk to him, and hope to see him again.

Are we crazy for giving this kind of thing so much thought? Maybe. But I'd rather be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war.