Articles with situational awareness

12 Reasons to Responsibly Carry a Defensive Gun Every Day

1. It’s your 2nd Amendment civil right!

[ Read the SemperVerus article, US Supreme Court Affirms Right to Carry Arms in Public for Self-Defense ]

2. It makes you more aware of your surroundings.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Simple Chart for Situational Awareness ]

3. It reinforces confidence in your personal security.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Why Do You Carry a Gun for Self-Defense? ]

4. It instills discipline in your everyday life.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Jeff Cooper’s Principles of Personal Defense ]

5. It prepares you for unexpected deadly encounters.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Live Life Left of Bang ]

6. It’s a rescue tool—like a fire extinguisher—ready to be used only in a lethal emergency.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Brief Answers for People Who Are Against the 2nd Amendment ]

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Protect Yourself from a Carjacking

Your wallet isn’t the only item criminals want to steal. Your car appeals to them too. Be prepared.

  • Read news articles about carjackings and mentally imagine what you would do in each situation
  • More than one person or a group generally commit these violent carjacking thefts.
  • Know your route. Avoid driving in unfamiliar neighborhoods.
  • Keep alert while your vehicle is moving and while it is idling
  • Carjacking most often occurs in transitional spaces such as parking lots and gas stations.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Active Self Protection Self-Defense Checklists and Acronyms ]

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Self-Defense Tactical Driving Tips ]

  • Fuel your vehicle only during the day at gas stations in well traveled areas. Scan the gas station for suspicious behavior or loitering before you select a pump. While fueling, keep your car locked and keep scanning your surroundings to be prepared to take action (e.g., use the gas nozzle as a jet stream) should a vehicle or person approach you in a threatening manner.

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Self-Defense Tactical Driving Tips

Image of two hands on a car steering wheelSince the early 1960s the phrase “Drive Defensively” has been taught in driver education courses across America. It means the skill to drive a vehicle safely despite any conditions you encounter and the actions of others. In a typical defensive driving course, students learn crucial crash prevention techniques that include:

  • Scanning the roadway ahead and adapting accordingly to your surroundings
  • Expecting the unexpected
  • Being alert and distraction free
  • Employing the two-second rule for following distances
  • Knowing your vehicle’s stopping distance
  • Being aware of reaction distance
  • Looking through a turn to know what you’ll encounter
  • Preparing for environment hazards and vehicle emergencies
  • Driving with the commitment to be the safest driver on the road

[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Simple Chart for Situational Awareness ]

Self-defense tactical driving takes the concept further, putting a motor behind the everyday proficiency of situational awareness. As always, distance is your self-defense friend. The greater the distance from a threat, the more time you have to avoid or prepare for it. Here are a few practical ways to defend yourself in your vehicle:

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Biblical Lessons to Learn De-Escalating Skills

You’ll always prevail against a threat if you’re able to avoid the threat. Proper execution of situational awareness positions you to be aware of warning signs in advance of perilous occurrences, which in turn allows you to maintain enough physical distance as much as possible to stay in control of the outcomes. In his ancient book, The Art of War, late 6th century BC Chinese general, military strategist, writer, and philosopher Sun Tzu wrote, “The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.”

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of being Aware ]

Practicing situational awareness applies to the verbal confrontations you might face as much as to the physical surroundings you encounter every day. The oral skill-set required to keep a heated argument from becoming a deadly altercation is known as de-escalation. It involves knowing what to say and not say, when to say it, and how to say it. That means the coordinated use of our brains and tongues can be just as important in our self-defense strategy as performing defensive shooting drills at the range. An excellent article on the subject is “The Truth About De-Escalation” by John Bostain, president of Command Presence Training, published in Michigan Police Chiefs.

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of spiritual fitness ]

The world’s most influential book, the Bible, has plenty to say about the words that come out of our mouths. Consider the following Scripture verses as a framework to help you in building your de-escalation mindset.

  ▶  Death and life are in the power of the tongue…. Proverbs 18:21

  ▶  Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. James 1:19

  ▶  Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him. Proverbs 29:20

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Gentle Response De-Escalation Training for Church Security Teams ]

  ▶  Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Proverbs 17:27

  ▶  Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. Proverbs 13:3

[ Read the SemperVerus article, on Concealed Carry Daily Prayer ]

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