What's your Failsafe?

reply to post by Blade The Hunter


Yes... We are all human here... This thread has not changed into a reptilian thread yet.

In a dire situation there will always be people that must have what you have and they will stop at nothing to get it. This act of human nature is amplified when a group is present and they are all competing for the same resource.

If the resource that they seek belongs to me, trouble is eminent. I have a wife and children to protect and provide for at all costs. The rules of engagement change greatly when those factors are involved.

You can't reason with a crazed mob let alone two or three desperate thugs. If you don't use lethal force you are forced into a hand to hand fight. If you are outnumbered, you will lose and your family will then be at a greater risk of harm. Man to man fighting rarely plays out like you see it in the movies. A one punch knockout?? questionable, and if you are successful, you just broke your strong hand and are now pretty worthless.

Take out the threat before it can take you out.

[edit on 2-9-2010 by jibeho]

Originally posted by jibeho
In a dire situation there will always be people that must have what you have and they will stop at nothing to get it. This act of human nature is amplified when a group is present and they are all competing for the same resource.

If the resource that they seek belongs to me, trouble is eminent. I have a wife and children to protect and provide for at all costs. The rules of engagement change greatly when those factors are involved.

You can't reason with a crazed mob let alone two or three desperate thugs. If you don't use lethal force you are forced into a hand to hand fight. If you are outnumbered, you will lose and your family will then be at a greater risk of harm. Man to man fighting rarely plays out like you see it in the movies. A one punch knockout?? questionable, and if you are successful, you just broke your strong hand and are now pretty worthless.

Take out the threat before it can take you out.

[edit on 2-9-2010 by jibeho]

Keep in mind the threat can and will be everyone of any age......bottom line, them or me. It most likely wont matter what you have they will want, you are in their way regardless.

reply to post by Jkd Up

My "failsafe" is to only draw weapon upon a clear and present danger of death to my life or my loved ones or friends.

I don't draw for theft of property. I don't draw because I'm pissed off at someone. I certainly never draw to threaten. The warnings must be given before a draw. Once you draw, you fire, because once you draw, you can become a target. So you better make your shot fast and make it count.

Post shot, make sure all threats have been eliminated. Once clear, holster weapon or put weapon down. Stay put. Call your attorney (yes, you better have one). Call authorities. In that order.

Your life has just changed for ever.




[edit on 2-9-2010 by harrytuttle]

The only people I might call would be the police, and to heck with the laywers. As I stated earlier, my camera would be recording everything as I have a helmetcam that I wear every day.

reply to post by Blade The Hunter

LOL - you wear a helmet came with you everyday? Like, at all times? That's pretty funny, when you really think about it.

My failsafe is morality. While it is not popular to say one way of thinking is right or better than another...

The god-given rights to protect yourself, your family, your property are righteous and timeless. If you hold those rights dear, you hold them dear for your neighbor, and subsequently infringing upon his rights violates your own rights.

As for the what if TSHTF scenarios, core values are hard to dismiss. We see our firearms as powerful tools, that come with great responsibility. That won't change when TSHTF.
The problem with folks unlike us, is that they see guns as a powerful tool, but deny the moral responsibility involved. Thus guns become a powerful tool to advance their wants and desires. Whereas for us, guns are a tool to provide for and protect ourselves, our families and our community.

As for 'what if your daughter was raped?' scenarios...that's a whole other discussion involving justice and rule-of-law. It goes back to very old, deep seated principles. Justice must be served for a society to survive. It's ingrained in the human psyche.

I respect those who can turn the other cheek, I am too weak to be that humble, and I pray God will forgive me for that. I will give up my property and home and take to hiding if being attacked to save my family. When cornered, it's all bad from there on. When fighting a losing battle I will choose how I lose because I will not allow myself to endure certain things.

reply to post by Blade The Hunter

Wow! You wear it everyday!?... That's a new level of prepardness to me...

Originally posted by Jkd Up
What stops us from falling over the edge? Falling to the darkside? BGeing grasped by the need for vengance or revenge?

Simply put for me...the belief in God and in the good in people. I'm a sinner, i'll openly admit that. Though just because i sin doesn't mean i don't believe in something greater then me. Call it The force, call it Allah, call it God, call it Buddha, call it The Gods....whatever it may be for you. For me its a higher entity that represents the good in people. I respect human life...

reply to post by Jkd Up


Failsafe is never pick up and aim your weapon unless you are willing to kill.

Relying on a moral, ethical and logical internal compass is the only thing that keeps humans from going on rampages, and that's what we must continue to rely on.

Anti-gun lobbyists seem to neglect the fact that the majority of gun owners are not violent people, and that a majority never have and never will fire their weapon in anger, or self-defense for that matter. If firearms were to be banned tomorrow, the criminals and violent sociopaths in this nation would remain armed, and then we would have a more serious problem.

The wolves love eating the sheep. The sheep have guard dogs that keep a majority of the wolves at bay. Occasionally a mentally-ill dog might attack one of its own herd, but take away the dogs and the wolves have an open buffet.

reply to post by TheVaultDweller



Thank yuo for that very honest answer! I am awed by your simplicity and yet how deep the subject is! Thank you again!

Originally posted by Shark VA84
reply to post by Jkd Up

 

Failsafe is never pick up and aim your weapon unless you are willing to kill.

Relying on a moral, ethical and logical internal compass is the only thing that keeps humans from going on rampages, and that's what we must continue to rely on.

Anti-gun lobbyists seem to neglect the fact that the majority of gun owners are not violent people, and that a majority never have and never will fire their weapon in anger, or self-defense for that matter. If firearms were to be banned tomorrow, the criminals and violent sociopaths in this nation would remain armed, and then we would have a more serious problem.

The wolves love eating the sheep. The sheep have guard dogs that keep a majority of the wolves at bay. Occasionally a mentally-ill dog might attack one of its own herd, but take away the dogs and the wolves have an open buffet.

Great point! I think the first thing everyone feels when they get their first weapon is like we are against the wolrd. Lobbists love to tote that we are the wackos... But we are the ones who must pass inspection and scrutiny before possessing what we desire... Theives and killers don't usually go to a shop to get a weapon to kill someone...

Thank you! Great post!

I am happy to see so many people with morals possessing firearms! Now if we could only get criminals to value the same... Great posts all!

The guns are the failsafe, but they are imperfect. The whole idea of a failsafe is that when things don't go as they should, they can be brought to a stop. That is the situation when one man snaps and the other armed citizens have to stop him.

But if you don't have an equal distribution of that power, of course things are going to spin out, and then its harder to stop. The more equal the distribution of power is- whether we are talking about the powers granted by the first amendment or the second- the better able we collectively are to start and stop things happening, and that control is the failsafe.

Very interesting and thought provoking thread! Star and Flag!

For me, my failsafe that keeps me from expressing my anger through the liberal use of my weaponry is very simple.

It is the same thing that turned me from being a steet punk years ago. The same thing that motivated me to enlist and serve for three years, and to do all of the awesome things that I have done since.

Lately, I have been very grateful for my failsafe, cause I have been downright pissed off at a lot of things lately (and IMO, rightly pissed off).

What keeps me from pulling the trigger?

My four children...

Nothing else has ever motivated me the way they do. They keep me in check now, and if they are ever in danger, or a paradigm shift happens (societal collapse, global disaster, war, etc.), I know that without any reservation whatsoever, I will pull that trigger when they need it.

They keep me in check now, and would provide me with the same strength that I had while serving overseas. Because of my kids I can honestly say I am ready anytime to 'Cry Havoc, and Unleash my own Dogs of War!'

Until then..I'll keep playing legos with them, and I'll also keep going to the range once a month!

Thanks again for a really cool thread. I have enjoyed many of the posts on here!

reply to post by Jkd Up


Common sense and logic my friend. We have been entrusted with both, and I prefer to use them rather than squander my rights on something I will feel differently about tomorrow.

Self control is something Im sure we all practice, every single day. Whether it be the extra piece of pizza, or slapping the rude person behind the counter for snide comments. It is what separates us from the rest of the animals.

reply to post by ThomasNHunter

Just a point on our constitutional rights. The Constitution nor The Bill of Rights grant any rights whatsoever. If you read the Declaration of Independence and other founding father writings, you'll find that they are God given rights, natural rights, if you will. The Bill of Rights was a panacea for the concerned "rightists" of the Constitution as it did not offer any specifics as to what "rights" existed. The other name for the Bill of Rights is "the enumerated rights" of the people. We have an inherent (God given) right to "do, say, or think anything that we want to", period; so long as we do not endanger,slander or libel someone or group of people. It's that simple. We cannot shout "fire" in a crowded theater or incite to riot (endangerment), defame someone's reputation (slander) or make publicized false defamatory statements (libel). I have a right to have a purple house, be stupid, not shave, ad nauseum etc. I find it difficult to understand the angst of JkdUp and others about the use of deadly force. If it bothers people that much, then they should not have any firearms until they have made a choice to be decisive and obtain a set of cahones (figuratively). I am a firearms instructor of over 20 yrs and military since being drafted in 1972, retired 4 mos ago. It is an issue if you have a firearm in your possession in a circumstance of the gravest extreme and cannot make a decision. Your hesitation may make a situation even worse. You have to mentally make a choice, in advance....in advance, that you are willing to kill someone, you must acknowledge upfront, that it is highly probable in certain circumstances. If you can't do that, you don't need a firearm, it will get you hurt. No situation is going to be a text book event. There are as many potential events as there are possible combinations of people and moods on planet Earth, in other words an infinite number. The decision is to determine, that you are going to make every good faith effort to properly assess a situation and react in the best manner possible with the use of a firearm to protect your family or yourself. Of course, if you are in a kommunist state that forces a "duty to retreat" in your own home, move! If you are in a state like that you are in a poor survival situation to begin with. Now, all that I've said, is for "normal" circumstances. If you are talking TSHTF, then all is off. Use your instinct. If people look no good and of a bad nature, they probably are, that's just the way of the world. If you and a running buddy are covering the wives and kids, while they sleep, and three armed men approach your position, you two are the only thing between, you two being dead and all the useless children (eat too much) with a bullet in their heads, unless 'you got sum purdy lil girls', and your wives being sex slaves, until something better comes along. Maybe they don't have anything bad in mind, maybe. You better be able to get them to leave or deal with them, however it turns out. If they are pulling along prisoners (slaves) or something they do or say makes it obvious they are up to no good, then you have to make a decision. Stay low if they haven't seen you and let them go by, or if you have compassion for the slaves, you will have to kill the men. It's a lot easier to eliminate the threat if they don't know you are there (yes, you bushwhack them). They will not have a "code of honor" so don't count on it. If you let them go by, however, they are a future threat, that may get the drop on you and yours later. That's not to say that the slaves aren't a threat either, they will have to be interrogated, no, not tortured, to determine if they are of value to you as members of your group. If they are a danger....! If they are of no use give them some food and send them on their way and make sure they leave. The best way to solve that dystopian possibility is to move to a rural area, have food storage, have a like minded group of people and be able to grow vegetables and animals. Become a homesteader. 2cents