I need to start off by saying that I have learned so much from this forum, I dont post much but I read everyday. With that being said, there are alot of like minded people here that offer great advice. My problem is that these kind of people are hard to come by in everyday life. I just graduated p.o.s.t. a couple of months ago and I must say that it was not what I expected. Coming from the Army I guess I just had a certain mindset that not everyone has. Most of the people I graduated with have no clue what its like to be in a combat situation and their mindset reflects that. The guys I made friends with were all former military, had been in combat, and had the same mindset as I do. Now I am not saying that you have to be in combat to have the right mindset, you just need to open your mind to the possibility of being in that type of situation. This situation could be in your own home, on the streets, in your childrens school, at your work, anywhere! My point is, that if everyone had the mindset that they are going to come home everyday, no matter what, then these criminal jackasses with guns who pick on helpless sheep would think twice before they acted. Mayby I have this all wrong and I need to just think that nothing bad will ever happen. I just cant think that way. Hopefully this makes some sense…
I think that Col. Cooper would have agreed with you.
I agree after coming back from FT Knox .19 kilo taining I have a different outlook on a lot of things.we were combat arms ,not support we were taught to kill and it took a little time to adjust back to the civilian world ,but i still use my training, being aware of what is around me and the mindset of defending myself with deadly force if necessary.
I think its more like, I agree with him.
You shall continue to find that most people are absolutely clueless.
Just always remain “Condition Yellow” anyway, and let most of the rest of the country mindlessly float through life (or for some – unfortunately – to their death) in “Condition White”.
Congrats on getting thru POST! I’m an LE and have been in 3 gunfights, and feel the same way.
The new breed of Police recruits are those with college degrees. I’m not knocking that, but most seem to be clueless when it comes to street smarts, unless they have experienced some form of combat.
I firmly believe that most are not prepared anymore for what WILL face them out there on the street. The pendulum has swung way too far toward college education, and not common sense. I think some military leadership type training should be mandatory in the police academies.
That is correct. Too many take everything for granted, where as I and many here take nothing for granted. As well, I understand where the Johnson601 is coming from. No, you don’t necessarily have to have gone to war to have the mindset, but some traumatic events in one’s past to keep them sharp can’t hurt. I know it works very well for me.
Never been in combat. however I was brought in a military family & served in the Marine Corp. I agree with everyone that the average person just doesnt see things the way most of us on this forom do. And good luck trying to explain it to them. The typical response I receive is either a blank stare or they look at you like you are a paranoid psycho killer. At least that has been what I have encountered. I have managed to keep one childhood friend. the rest of my friends are former military, LEOs or other generally paranoid people
+1, and he happens to be career Air Force. We catch-up every few years or so, and at one point discovered we had both (separtely) developed interests in shooting, self defense, EBR’s, etc.
So he says to me “Hey, isn’t it funny that we both – uh, that we both…”
And I reply "Both turned into gun nuts ??? " 
But seriously, he and my wife of 26 years are the only ones from “back then” who get it ! ! !
I hear ya brother.
Most of my friends and family think that I’m paranoid because I carry my CCW almost anywhere that I’m legally able to do so. When I’m not able to do so (i.e., Gun-Free Death Traps like schools, establishments that make over 51% of their profits through alcohol, etc…) I carry my Spyderco knife.
When I go on road trips, I have my M4 with plenty of ammo, water, food, fuel and a go bag with some extras.
Most of them feel that way, until something happens to them. My wife was followed from Walmart by a guy one night. She had the brains not to lead him back home, and called me instead (in which I told her to call 911). One of my best friends was mugged at his car by two thugs one night at an apartment complex. After they took his money, they told him to lay down on the ground, facing down. He said fucked that and jumped a fence… possibly preventing his own murder.
They all have CCW now.
Like I said, “like minded people are hard to come by”. I am glad to hear these responses, it makes me feel not so crazy! My best friend feels the same way, and he has never been in combat. I finally got my wife on board, she called me from the UNR college parking garage and she was scared that someone was following her. When she got home from Reno we went down to the local fun store and got her a .38 to carry in her purse (she thinks my weapons are to “scary”).
Unfortunately in our new times it’s a shame that we, the legal law abiding citizens have to live in fear, or carry weapons because we worry about the “what if” will happen.
I am a full time LEO, and I see it far to much, almost every call I go on now is an assault of some sort, not to mention the robberies or muggings.
I firmly believe that it’s everyone’s given right to carry a weapon if they feel they would like to, with that said, I CAN NOT stress enough for them to receive good quality training, learn it, live it !
There are arguments on both sides of the issue of gun control, some feel that arming our society would make things worse, other’s say there would be less crime if we all carried weapons.
I personally believe that we all must have stricter gun control, otherwise you cant hit your target
My father taught me three things long ago when I was just a child, and I have lived by those three things as if it was the word of God himself.
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Better to have something and not need it, then need it and not have it.
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Better to be judged by twelve, then carried by six.
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Never let anyone tell you what you can and can’t do, if you know you’re right, then go with your own best judgement.
Having been in LE for the last 9 years now, I can say that if everyone did carry weapons, there WOULD be LESS crime, plain and simple.
Sure we would have incidents where mistakes might happen, but that would be the mistake on the part of the person, NOT the gun. People kill people, the gun is merely a tool, designed for a purpose, it’s no different than any other tool like a hammer.
But I feel we would live in a safer society, if every criminal had to guess that a victim was armed, I bet less criminals would take the chance.
Countless times, our government has attempted to create and pass laws restricting firearms, and it has done nothing. (i.e. Brady Bill)
I am a die hard supporter of the 2nd Amendment, I not only feel that our forefathers gave us this right to carry and protect us, I feel they intended us to be armed, and would have wanted us to have the ability.
If they were alive today, there would probably be a requirement that all law abiding citizens carry weapons at all times.
Training is paramount, get the training, then carry legally.
As a police officer, I have no problem going to any call where a law abiding citizen may have a weapon, my training has taught me to believe everyone has a weapon anyways, so it’s no different from my every day thinking.
We can Never let the goverment decide what’s best for us as individuals, only WE can make that choice for ourselves.
Whenever I get fed up or frustrated, I take a moment to read LTC Grossman’s essay “On Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs”. It always puts things back into perspective and I continue on with the task at hand.
I agree with you. I have been passed up for a Municipal Job b/c “you dont have any college experience”, my response was " no I may not have any college experience but I have actual on the job experience as a part time officer in my home town". But that wasnt good enough.
Johnson a completely and wholly agree with you. Even though I only work at a college I still operate with an attitude of not “if” but “when”. A lot of the retards that it work with (and truly mean that because the are completely incompetent) bust my balls for being a “super cop” or “to hardcore”. But we have had some serious incidents here and those retards are always the ones running for the hills when we are running toward the shit.
-DM-
Luckily, you’ll find a bunch of like minded people here 
Very true - yet another reason why I enjoy attending classes so much.
When it all comes down to the nitty-gritty I could care less if you agree with me or not on bullet choice, how to zero your hooded front sight, or how to use your vertical grip. I really don’t care where you went for training or what ninja-esque unit you were in.
What it all comes down to is do you have the right mindset or not, and can you use your skills when they matter?
I don’t care who you are, what you do, how long you have done it, or how good you look doing it.
All that matters is how well you perform when you are tired, miserable, and bloody.
I am a Columbia Mo. firefighter and my wife still has the idea that some day I will step down, and off duty will not CCW. I tell her thats not going to happen any time soon.
Excellent post and after 17-years back in Western Massachusetts thinking I’m alone in this line of thinking, I’m actually finding that there are a few people out here that feel the same way. I guess I wasn’t looking hard enough…
My criteria for friendship as evolved (regressed?) to the point of whether I can count on them when the stuff hits the fan… all others are acquaintances.