I typically hate taking any kind of absolute position when it comes to anything in life. Humans and social interactions are typically anything but simplistic enough for absolutism. Guns and weapons however are one of those things I am very resolute in.

summary

This topic was sparked by a post over in askTRP, the shorthand of it was a guy and girl are at a bar. Drugged guy comes in with gun threatening to shoot people. Boyfriend was raised in France where guns are not the norm. Boyfriend doesn’t realize his girl is carrying, she pulls. Robber makes a mistake and lowers his guard for a split second, she shoots him, he’s tackled by others. He didn’t die but the boyfriend is shook by the incident.

The TRP analysis from /u/Archwinger is that he is having trouble realizing that this woman who he thought needed him, doesn’t need him at all. Boyfriends issues aren’t that his girl shot someone but that she didn’t need him at all to do it, or afterwards she didn’t need any emotion support from him with handling it.

Later down the analysis other members point out that his lack of preparation for a situation like this and the fact that he tried to stop her was a direct show of weakness. While it can be argued a lot of different ways, ”it’s not worth risking your life over”, ”He’s from a country that never had guns”, ”He could have died”, ”don’t risk your life for some bitch”, ”he did the right thing by trying to stop her, it could have ended a lot worse”.

You know what all of those statements are? Hamstering.

Body

Here is the simple, cold hard truth that is reality and mother nature.

You are a man, your job as a man is two things, fuck and protect, die if need be.

It’s a shit job but it's OUR job. It's thee job nature and evolution has built us for. If you have studied sexual dimorphism, the larger sex always protects and fights for the weaker sex. It is our biological imperative, to fail it is to fail as a man, simple as that. No amount of rational can hamster away evolution. This phenomenon explain why white knighting is even a thing, why guys move fucking mountains for pussy, it's why civilization exists. It is biologically ingrained in us to protect. and fuck.

If this was 20,000BC and that robber was a raiding band from another tribe, everyone in that bar would be dead and his women would be the last one to go down as she had the most fight.

No matter what rational you put behind his actions, he was an ill prepared and weak man in the eyes of nature. She stepped up and possible saved someone's life. He might be the Steve Fucking Jobs of his career path, he might be a $600,000 CEO with beach front property in Bora Bora. He might have 1000 girls on his belt. Doesn’t matter, in that situation he failed as a man and she will forever remember it.

People sometimes get in the gun conversations here in the US and it inevitably turns to, ”Would you shoot someone in self defense?” or ”If it ever came to it, would you shoot someone?”. Most people will give roundabout reasoning or try to take the moral high ground as if they are above such barbaric things , ”Idk, depends on the situation.”, ”Well I don’t WANT to shoot someone (like it’s the fucking norm to WANT to shoot someone?)”, ”If my life was threatened, probably”. The truth is, very few people actually have it in them to do what his girl did. My answer to these questions are always the same,

”I’ll kill them”

”Ya but what if…”

”I’ll kill them”

”What if you had a kid with…”

”I’ll kill them”

There is no other answer to the question.

Luckily we live in a day and age where you can live your entire life and hopefully never be put in a situation like that. but don’t take your comfy life for granted. If that day ever comes, you have two choices, kill or die. If you’re lucky you have a third option of fleeing.

Now, most people take classes to teach proper gun usage and safety. Those are the bare minimum requirements to protecting yourself. If you think that’s all you need and you’re ready to take on any robber or bad guy that could threaten your life or your family's, you’re a fucking fool.

My father taught me to shoot at the age of 5. He taught me how to properly handle, store and carry a firearm. But out of all the thing he taught me, the best thing he ever gave was the mentality needed for protecting myself and my loved ones.

I hope that all of you are familiar with this man, Conor McGregor, if you aren’t you should be as he is a great example of IDGAF mentality and being absolutely resolute in what he believes in and is capable of. He has one other remarkable trait that a lot of fighters have, and that is the mentality that when he steps in that ring, he is 100% positive he will come out on top. There is no doubt in that man's eyes that he will not destroy his opponent.

And that’s the mentality you need if the time ever comes for life or death. You must be 100% sure of yourself, in your abilities as a man and protector, that if someone threatens your life or your families, you will kill them, no questions asked. Any doubt, any hesitation and you could be on the wrong end of the exchange. That guys girls from earlier, if asked, I’m sure has played that scenario in her head a thousand times over. Her father probably trained her on how to act, how to conduct yourself, to be resolute, quick and decisive if the time ever came.

An ill prepared man is hesitant, he’s unsure of his abilities, he questions if he should run or act.

Why is my answer always and only ever, ”I’ll kill them”? Because it has to be, there can be no doubt in your mind, ever. You must repeat it to yourself, you must imagine and play out the scenario a 1000 times in your head. You must practice draws and firing. You must be 100% confident that if the time ever comes, you will be ready.

I've played the scenarios out thousands of times in my head and practiced it in martial arts a 1000 times more. Robber in a store, draw, cock, find a safe line of fire. Guy holding gun point blank to face, under over right hand, grab gun an slide, left hand strikes jugular till Adam's apple collapses and death. If i have a knife and in range, stab to the neck, pull it towards you to rip out trachea and jugular. Guy pulls out knife, run the fuck away cause he only has a knife, and no one wins in a knife fight.

There are times when fleeing is the right action, a lot of times it can be, someone else might get killed but that's a choice that can only be made in the moment. You might not be lucky enough to have fleeing as an option.

Brutal? Fuck yes. Unnerving fuck yes. I don't think any sane man likes to think about killing another. But it's our job, it's what men are born to do. Civilization has made it so it is a relatively low threat to the average man. But, You must familiarize yourself with the possibility that you one day may have to take someones life, and you better be fucking prepared.

Conclusion

Now, if you are someone who’s against guns, against violence, whatever, I applaud your ability to sit on a high horse. But you are a fucking fool. If you live in the US or have that availability to own a firearm and you don’t, you are a fool and though i rarely admit such a thing, In the eyes of nature, I’m a superior man to you.

If this was 10,000BC and our tribe was raided, one of us is going to be a lot better prepared.

(If you don't live in the US then this post doesn't really apply to you but you should still be well versed in the most lethal form of defense you can legally obtain. Because Nature does not care.)

If guns were outlawed in the US then I’d carry the biggest fucking blade i could on my person(that’s 6” non folding in most states”). I have a Taurus Judge loaded with 410 shotgun shells on my dresser, right next to my Khukuri blade, with a machete by my door and another hidden on my bedside, a 6 foot hardwood Bo staff as decoration downstairs, another machete and khukuri hidden under a couch, an AK with magazines in my closet, a 44 in my desk at work and a mossberg 590 in another room.

the AK is pretty much only useful if the US ever was invade which will probably never happen. The machete has enough weight and size to cleave off any limb but to large to effectively wield in a house(I mostly use them to clear brush outback), the khukuri won't be taking off a torso or head but it will easily sever a hand or arm if a weapon is drawn and coming around a corner. Being 6'2" 200lbs, The Bo staff is powerful enough to knock a man to the ground in a single good blow while i reach a blade or gun. It's also stylish and easy to hide in plain view and no one is going to cut themselves on it. The judge is pretty much the best home defense pistol you can buy. Shotguns are your best home defense bar none.

All of those these weapons are different, they have different methods of use, different purposes they were built for. But all of they are all built for one thing, killing. Some do it better than others, some would fail in a situation where others wouldn’t. You should be well versed in many different forms of self defense, not just guns. I've trained in material arts since i was 6.

Overkill? Maybe? Paranoid? Could easily be argued for. But you know what? If anyone comes in my house with intent to kill or threatens my life or others, there’s a good chance I’ll still be the one alive the next day. My 3 other roommates all have guns also, we regularly go out and shoot and become accustom to any weapons in the house. Oh, and one of my roommates is a chick.

When it comes to life and death situations, mother nature does not give a fuck. Mother nature will say straight to your face, "fuck your morals, fuck your ethics, fuck your religion and fuck your humanity. One of you is going to die today, hope you prepared."

Lessons learned

This is always hot topic of debate. Everyone always has an opinion, but you know what? Nature. does. not. give. a. fuck. The universe gives no fucks about any of that. It doesn't care what you think, what other people think, what is right or wrong, what is moral or immoral. No amount of high horse rational will save you, all the opinions, judgements and shaming you get for whatever stance you have on weapons will not matter. Your morals will not save you, you're ethics will not save you, your religion will not save you. You kill or die, end of story.

Learn to protect yourself and your loved ones, whatever weapon you can legally obtain, you should be well versed in using it, no excuses. You are a man, it's your job. It's a shit job, but it's your job.

TL;DR

Mother nature does not give a fuck

Cited girl is alive today because she was prepared

Don't be unprepared

Edit:

deescalation

I figured I'd add this. For anyone that has trained in a defense martial arts, a lot of those teaching are actually how to avoid a fight all together. While my post is very heavy into protecting yourself and being prepared, how evolution has built us to be this way, etc. Being able to identify a threat and deescalate it was not within the scope of this written. However it is just as important if not more to be well versed in how not to get into a conflict. Sometime the best defense isn't a weapon at all but just using your fucking brain.

I've seen a few guys in TRP that are self defense instructors, they can give much better write ups on this topic than i could as this post is already pretty long. Feel free to comment on deescalating situations.

I would personally recommend taking a martial art, most of them teach techniques on this. Also read, "What Every Body Is Saying", a great book for reading non-verbals and how you can convey body language yourself to show submissiveness that can quickly calm an aggressor. Those same submissive body language ques can also be used as a ruse to fake submission for a quick and lethal blow if needed.

Off the top of my head,

  • present your palms to the attacker, as if to show you hold no weapons. Strong sign of submission and compliance

  • shrug your shoulders up as to hide your head, called "turtling" sometimes

  • Just take a fucking step back

  • Don't gorilla flair or power pose. Often guys will puff up right before a fight, this is tied with or mammalian brains and something we share in common with all primates. It's a subconscious thing so paying attention to yourself can sometime be hard, especially if alcohol is involved.

  • piercing eye contact is obviously something not to do as its a show of dominance or non-compliance

  • If you are in your home and suspect someone inside, the sound of a shotgun cock is probably the #1 best way to make them shit their pants and run the fuck away.