Words Mean Things

I had a tactical (TAC) officer in Warrant Officer Candidate School, Kevin, who would always harp on us about how “words mean things.” Exhausted, in desperate need of coffee, and annoyed at the world, I would sit there and think to myself “well thanks a lot sherlock.” It was probably the most simple and unassuming things I had ever heard. I didn’t understand why he felt the need to insult our intelligence.

It didn’t take long, however, to realize why such a stupid saying was so important. It doesn’t matter if you’re writing an operations order (OPORD), listening to a press conference, or reading a job resume, it is almost guaranteed that someone will try to enhance what they have to say without taking into consideration the implications of doing so.

I’ve taken Kevin’s words of wisdom and decided to use them during my protection courses. Every single class I teach, I want to make sure my students understand that there are consequences to defending oneself. Even if you are completely justified in your defense, it does not mean that you won’t find yourself being questioned. I encourage you to be cautious, use, and articulate your words wisely.

A good example would be when I hear other instructors using the term “shoot to kill” in their classes. This is probably some of the worst advice ever given in the self-defense or protection industry. And it could result in someone facing legal issues. Remember, words mean things!

You’ve already taken the steps to defend yourself physically, so why would you throw it away after the fact. It’s important to understand that whoever is questioning you may not be supportive of your 2nd Amendment rights. For all we know, they may have lost a loved one to gun violence or were even victims of it themselves. We don’t get to choose who we have to answer to, so, we have to be very clear and concise in how we communicate our intentions to those individuals.

At Low Ready Arms, one of our philosophies is to shoot only to stop the threat. I’m not saying take warning shots, aim for the leg or anything else ridiculous like that. We still aim center mass and make shots count. However, when the threat is stopped, whether the attacker fled, became immobilized, or died, the shooting immediately stops. This sounds better than “shoot to kill,” and could potentially save you in the event of legal and moral battles.