Mindset - Part 1
Mind set encompasses several different things, but first and foremost, mind set has to do with your mental attitude toward using a firearm for self defense. By this I mean, you must be willing and able to kill a human being if necessary. You cannot just give this lip service, you must really think your way through this most basic principle of mind set. None of the other principles will mean anything if you cannot pull the trigger when the trigger needs to be pulled.For God's sake, do not be a Pee Wee Herman!
I will say this. In order for a person to become a law enforcement officer the applicant must be able to say with conviction that he/she is capable of taking a human life if necessary. Let's go through this thought process. Hopefully, none of us wants to kill a person, but we must confront your self doubts on this subject if we are going to carry a gun for personal protection.
Some people are just sheep and nothing we say or do will cause them to change their sheep ways. They just do not have it in them. In all honesty, I feel sorry for them because they are perpetual victims. The wolf, the bad guys, can see a sheep from a mile away and they will take advantage of the sheep every chance they get. On the other hand the wolf also can see a Sheepdog from a mile away and they avoid the Sheepdog because they know the Sheepdog type person will fight back and will fight back viciously. No wolf wants to be injured or killed, they want to take on their prey with little to no resistance from their prey. They do not want to take on someone that is dangerous to them and we Sheepdogs are that - We are damn DANGEROUS to the wolf.
Some people are just sheep and nothing we say or do will cause them to change their sheep ways. They just do not have it in them. In all honesty, I feel sorry for them because they are perpetual victims. The wolf, the bad guys, can see a sheep from a mile away and they will take advantage of the sheep every chance they get. On the other hand the wolf also can see a Sheepdog from a mile away and they avoid the Sheepdog because they know the Sheepdog type person will fight back and will fight back viciously. No wolf wants to be injured or killed, they want to take on their prey with little to no resistance from their prey. They do not want to take on someone that is dangerous to them and we Sheepdogs are that - We are damn DANGEROUS to the wolf.
The wolf is a vicious predator. The Sheepdog says, "So am I. I hunt the wolf."
If you are a self proclaimed Sheepdog, you are a person that has convinced yourself that you will kill the wolf to protect yourself or the sheep of the world. Thank God for us Sheepdogs. Can you imagine what this world would be like if there were no Sheepdogs in the world. Think about this - just wolfs and victims (sheep). This world would suck big time. Only the wolf would be happy in a world like that.
So for you people out there riding the fence, GET OFF THE FENCE! There is no room for doubt in this area. You must visualize shooting a bad person with your gun and as a result of that shooting you must visualize that the bad person dies. We are not talking about murder here, we are talking about shooting some scumbag in self defense, in other words, it is him or it is me. Sorry, it is not going to be me. I have no hesitation built into me when it comes to killing a bad guy. I have tried to think what has made this a fairly easy decision for me. I guess it has to do with the aggressive sports I participated in as a young man, such as football and rugby. At age 19 I became a United States Marine and believe me, they teach you how to kill people. At age 23, I became an Evansville Police Officer and I again I was taught how to kill human beings under certain conditions.
I then became a member of the EPD SWAT Team and again killing was ingrained in me. It had to be because I became our primary sniper for a period of time. While I was the primary sniper, I had the crosshairs of my .308 sniper rifle on the bad guy several times, and I was prepared to squeeze the trigger and end his life if necessary. Fortunately, it was not necessary, but my resolve was strong and my nerves were like cold steel. It is hard for me to explain, but I was in the zone, I was prepared to end the wolf's life to keep our Sheepdogs (EPD Officers) safe. That was my job, my responsibility and I took it very seriously.
During my police career I could have shot any number of people, but I did not because, I felt I was in control of the situation and in my opinion at that time deadly force was not necessary. I am sure I could have justified it, but it was not necessary. When I look back, I believe I have demonstrated excellent control over my "killer instinct." Boy, that sounds like a dirty word - "KILLER INSTINCT." But, all of my training has pointed me in that direction.
So, when it comes to mind set, the very first thing you have to do is believe with all your heart that you will kill if necessary. Again, no one wants to do this, but it is comforting to know that this is one less thing to think about when the shit hits the fan.
How do you see yourself?
Another important aspect of mind set is that I will survive, no matter what happens. You must prepare your mind for the battle. In battle you will very likely be shot or stabbed and if you are, the last thing you want to do is, "lay down and die." I have talked to several doctors over the years and they have all told me how important your will to live is when you have suffered a horrendous trauma. People that should be dead are alive because of their powerful will to live, and vice versa, there are people that are dead that should not be dead, but in their mind they convinced themselves that they were going to die. Your "will" is a powerful thing that can be used to get you through most anything.
Here are some facts that you should know. If you are shot with a handgun, the odds are that 80% of all victims shot with a handgun will survive their wounds. Those are great odds and I will take those odds anytime. Four out of five times you will survive the effects of gunshot wounds inflicted by a handgun. Another important fact is referred to as the "golden hour" after receiving a serious trauma type wound. If the emergency medical service people can get you to the hospital and into surgery within an hour of your serious wounds, there is an excellent chance that you will survive those wounds.
The great news here is that EMS usually arrives within a few minutes of you being shot or stabbed, and they are very effective at stabilizing the patient and getting the needed drugs and fluids into the victim to help them survive. The EMS personnel are all about stabilizing the patient and getting the patient to the hospital very quickly. So, the golden hour should be no problem for anyone in the Evansville area. Just say to yourself, "I am going to live, I will not die!"
Another aspect of mind set is - I WILL NEVER GIVE UP! I WILL NEVER QUIT! This is an extremely important part of mind set. When the fight goes down, it may not go the way you would like for it to. No matter how badly it is going, quitting is NEVER an option. To quit is to die and to die is unacceptable. You must convince yourself that if you are shot or stabbed you will not stop fighting. You must continue to fight until the fight is over and the fight is not over until you have won the fight. Your mind set has to be, "I will not start the fight, but I will finish the fight. I will not only win the fight, I will DOMINATE the fight!" I am a Sheepdog and I will rip your heart out of your chest and stomp on it if necessary to defeat you. Do not tread on me!
Remember, you must make the decision now that you can and will kill your adversary if necessary. There is no time to debate this issue with yourself when bullets are flying. You must also know that you will survive no matter how grievous your wounds and you will never give up, you will never quit, you will fight until you take your last breath.
I have said it before and I will say again, "You may kill me, but I promise you, I will drag you through the gates of HELL kicking and screaming. I will take you with me!"
So for you people out there riding the fence, GET OFF THE FENCE! There is no room for doubt in this area. You must visualize shooting a bad person with your gun and as a result of that shooting you must visualize that the bad person dies. We are not talking about murder here, we are talking about shooting some scumbag in self defense, in other words, it is him or it is me. Sorry, it is not going to be me. I have no hesitation built into me when it comes to killing a bad guy. I have tried to think what has made this a fairly easy decision for me. I guess it has to do with the aggressive sports I participated in as a young man, such as football and rugby. At age 19 I became a United States Marine and believe me, they teach you how to kill people. At age 23, I became an Evansville Police Officer and I again I was taught how to kill human beings under certain conditions.
I then became a member of the EPD SWAT Team and again killing was ingrained in me. It had to be because I became our primary sniper for a period of time. While I was the primary sniper, I had the crosshairs of my .308 sniper rifle on the bad guy several times, and I was prepared to squeeze the trigger and end his life if necessary. Fortunately, it was not necessary, but my resolve was strong and my nerves were like cold steel. It is hard for me to explain, but I was in the zone, I was prepared to end the wolf's life to keep our Sheepdogs (EPD Officers) safe. That was my job, my responsibility and I took it very seriously.
During my police career I could have shot any number of people, but I did not because, I felt I was in control of the situation and in my opinion at that time deadly force was not necessary. I am sure I could have justified it, but it was not necessary. When I look back, I believe I have demonstrated excellent control over my "killer instinct." Boy, that sounds like a dirty word - "KILLER INSTINCT." But, all of my training has pointed me in that direction.
So, when it comes to mind set, the very first thing you have to do is believe with all your heart that you will kill if necessary. Again, no one wants to do this, but it is comforting to know that this is one less thing to think about when the shit hits the fan.
How do you see yourself?
Here are some facts that you should know. If you are shot with a handgun, the odds are that 80% of all victims shot with a handgun will survive their wounds. Those are great odds and I will take those odds anytime. Four out of five times you will survive the effects of gunshot wounds inflicted by a handgun. Another important fact is referred to as the "golden hour" after receiving a serious trauma type wound. If the emergency medical service people can get you to the hospital and into surgery within an hour of your serious wounds, there is an excellent chance that you will survive those wounds.
The great news here is that EMS usually arrives within a few minutes of you being shot or stabbed, and they are very effective at stabilizing the patient and getting the needed drugs and fluids into the victim to help them survive. The EMS personnel are all about stabilizing the patient and getting the patient to the hospital very quickly. So, the golden hour should be no problem for anyone in the Evansville area. Just say to yourself, "I am going to live, I will not die!"
Another aspect of mind set is - I WILL NEVER GIVE UP! I WILL NEVER QUIT! This is an extremely important part of mind set. When the fight goes down, it may not go the way you would like for it to. No matter how badly it is going, quitting is NEVER an option. To quit is to die and to die is unacceptable. You must convince yourself that if you are shot or stabbed you will not stop fighting. You must continue to fight until the fight is over and the fight is not over until you have won the fight. Your mind set has to be, "I will not start the fight, but I will finish the fight. I will not only win the fight, I will DOMINATE the fight!" I am a Sheepdog and I will rip your heart out of your chest and stomp on it if necessary to defeat you. Do not tread on me!
Remember, you must make the decision now that you can and will kill your adversary if necessary. There is no time to debate this issue with yourself when bullets are flying. You must also know that you will survive no matter how grievous your wounds and you will never give up, you will never quit, you will fight until you take your last breath.
I have said it before and I will say again, "You may kill me, but I promise you, I will drag you through the gates of HELL kicking and screaming. I will take you with me!"
Address:
Guy Minnis, Director of TrainingHARD TARGET Firearms Training5610 Creekstone DriveEvansville, Indiana 47711Email:
gminnis@hardtargetfirearms.comPhone:
(812) 483-5443
