Cope Reynolds (@Desertscout1)

A friend of mine from Tucson just called me and said he had something I might want to mention in my classes. Of course, I always mention it anyway, but now it has involved someone we knew. Long story short, the kid was out in the desert on a 4-wheeler. A couple of guys on motorcycles were being inconsiderate and reckless, so he approached them to request that they cool their jets a little bit. Basically, a road-rage incident. One of the cyclists pulled a gun and shot him in the head. The kid was carrying a gun but forgot the primary rules of self-defense... Mind your own business. If you CANNOT leave, try to de-escalate the situation, if that doesn't work and all other avenues have been exhausted, then, and ONLY then, do you produce your weapon and execute the final option. This happened 3 or 4 days ago. His father is taking him off of life support tonight... Many lives were affected. Besides for the kid's family and friends; the shooter, regardless of his bad choices, probably had someone who loved him. Parents, girlfriend, siblings, maybe even a wife and kids. Who knows? They caught him, and he will be going away for some time. Simply HAVING a gun is not the answer to any problem. Being able to shoot tidy little groups on paper on a square range does not make you a gunfighter, it makes you a good shot. It's not the same thing. If you have intentions of a carrying a gun, TRAIN! Your training is NOT simply about how to operate the gun and hit your target in a no stress environment. Learn about the liabilities. Learn about the sacrifices you may have to make if you're wrong. Learn about the sacrifices you may have to make if you're right. Make sure that when you pull that trigger, you feel that it is important enough to you that you are willing to possibly spend 20 years behind bars, no matter how justified you were. Learn about situational awareness and the OODA Loop. (http://www.swsablog.com/2022/09/situational-awareness_24.html) Learn about tactics from a reputable instructor that may help keep you alive . Don't carry a gun to make a political statement. Don't carry a gun thinking that it will magically transform you into John Wick. Don't carry a gun because you think it's cool or because you want to look tough for your friends. Carry a gun so that you, or a loved one, will have a chance to live when faced with one or more attackers that you feel fully intend to do harm and THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO OTHER REASONABLE OPTION! That is all. I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming...