Excerpted from Massad Ayoob’s book, “Straight Talk On Armed Defense”
Commandment I: If You Choose To Carry, Always Carry As Much As Possible. Hollywood actors get to see the script beforehand, and nothing is fired at them except blanks, right Alec Baldwin? You don’t have either luxury. Criminals are opportunists and will attack people in times and places where they think the victims will not be prepared for them. The only way to be prepared to ward off such predators is to always be prepared by being routinely armed and constantly ready to respond to deadly threats against you and those who count on you for protection. It’s not about convenience. It’s about life and death.
Commandment II: Don’t Carry A Gun If You Aren’t Prepared To Use It. The gun is not some magic talisman that wards off evil. It is not some status symbol hanging off your hip so you can be the “big man on campus”. It is a special-purpose emergency rescue tool.
Commandment III: Don’t Let The Gun Make You Reckless. A good person doesn’t see their gun as an excuse for aggression, but rather, as brakes which control that natural human emotion.
Commandment IV: Carry Legally. If you live in a blue state which makes it almost impossible for you to protect yourself and your loved ones, MOVE! It’s a quality-of-life issue. If you live in a state where a CCW permit is available, get it! If not, move to someplace that does. Don’t let the legal system make you into a felon for living up to your responsibilities to protect yourself and your loved ones.
Commandment V: Know What You Are Doing. Gunfights are won by those who shoot fastest and straightest. Legal aftermaths last for years, and the emotional aftermaths last for a lifetime. Get educated with everything that can and will happen if you pull that trigger in self-defense.
Commandment VI: Concealed Means Concealed. The revealing of a concealed handgun is seen in many places as a threat, which can result in criminal charges. Even if your state is “open carry” (which Pennsylvania is), don’t as it will just lead to trouble.
Commandment VII: Maximize Your Firearm’s Familiarity. If you ever need the gun, it will happen so quickly and terribly that you’ll have to be swift and sure. If not, your loved ones could be in jeopardy with your ignorance. Make gun manipulation and draw become second nature.
Commandment VIII: Understand The Fine Point. Don’t just read the headlines or editorials, read the fine print. Actually study the laws of your jurisdiction. What’s legal in one place won’t be legal in another. Remember the principle, “Ignorance of the law is no excuse”.
Commandment IX: Carry An Adequate Firearm. Carry a gun loaded with ammunition that has a track record of quickly stopping lethal assaults. Hint: if your chosen caliber is not used by police or military personnel, it’s probably not powerful enough for its intended purpose.
Commandment X: Use Common Sense. Common sense – encompassing ethics, logic and law alike – must be your constant guide and companion when you decide to carry a gun. Not idealism and rhetoric. When you carry a gun, you literally have the power of life and death. It is a power that belongs only in the hands of responsible people who care about consequences, and who are respectful of life, limb and human safety – that of others as well as their own.
