How do you present yourself in public?

This topic is one of my favorites, and it applies whether you are armed or unarmed while going about your day in a public setting.

Most of you may already know what I am going to talk about, but for those of you that dont…

I am talking about the “Victim mindset”.

Do you look like someone that could be easily victimized. Believe it or not… Not looking like a victim, could most likely keep you out of a bad situation.

I will give you a quick visualization.

• Individual #1 is a 220 pound, in shape male who is dragging his feet down the sidewalk with his head buried in his phone, and has earbuds in. This individual obviously is not paying attention to his environment and has no clue what is going on around him. Maybe he is listening to music, playing a game or something of that nature. The last thing he is paying attention to is where he is going or what and who is around him. If you ask me, this gentleman, no matter how big he is or how strong he looks could potentially be an easy target for a quick wallet grab or a victim of any crime really.

• Individual #2 is a 120 pound, normal build female who is walking with purpose. She obviously looks like she has somewhere to be, but is walking within a crowd. She makes eye contact with everyone that comes close to her vicinity and she gives them a slight nod, letting them know that she sees them and she is obviously paying attention to where she is going and what others are doing around her. She leaves her phone in her pocket or purse. This person, even though she is quite a bit smaller than individual #1 looks like she would not be such an easy victim of a crime. She looks prepared for anything.

  Now that you have a good mental picture of each of these two individuals, I hope you can picture the fact that it doesn’t matter whether you are a man or a woman. It doesn’t matter your size or strength. When it comes down to it, a criminal is generally looking for a quick and easy target. They can grab your wallet or purse and get away quickly before there are any witnesses and before they get the crap kicked out of them. Even though the 220 pound buff man could probably hold his own against your average criminal, he is pretty much blind and deaf at the moment, leaving him more defenseless than the 120 pound female. This is something that I teach all of the time. It’s not just about trying to prepare for bad things to happen, it’s also taking those additional steps to make sure that a situation like this is less likely to happen to you.

  If you are a permit to carry holder, I hope that you learned that the main curriculum that instructors teach during the class is actually how to avoid a situation that could turn violent. Sure, you have a gun to protect yourself and your loved ones, but does anyone really want to have to use it? The answer should be NO. If you are carrying a firearm in public you are held to a much higher standard than most people. You are expected to know better than to use your firearm unless it is your absolute last resort. If you are like me, you don’t want to be victimized whether you are carrying a firearm or not. That is why we talk about the simple things like these that can actually keep you out of potentially dangerous situations.

• Avoid blind spots, such as walking right next to the wall of a building while approaching an alley. You may want to take a wide berth and get away from that wall a ways so that you could potentially spot a threat while you still have time and distance to get away safely.

• Avoid low light areas. Even if this means taking the long way back to your vehicle at night. I would much rather walk an extra block and a half to get to my vehicle than to put myself in a bad situation that could have been avoided.

• Stay with the crowds. I say it over and over again… Criminals are generally cowards, and they want to criminalize with no witnesses. Stay with the crowds to avoid situations that criminals count on.

• Keep your head out of that phone. The sooner you can spot a potential threat, the more time and options you have to avoid that threat. You want time, and you want options. Keep your head on a swivel, and just pay attention to what is going on around you.

• Have a plan. Having a plan, or plans is a great benefit for you. Know where your exits are. Are you carrying other means of defense other than your firearm? Maybe pepper spray would suffice in most situations. If heaven forbid you have to use your firearm, what condition is it in right now? Is there a round in the chamber? Is the manual safety on? Are there additional steps I have to take to get the gun out of my holster? How many garments do I need to lift away in order to get my hand firmly on the grip?

• Many people believe that bad things happen in other places, and that they live in a very safe area. I am writing this to break that bubble and tell you that there is no such thing as a safe area. I live in a very small rural town that many people think is safe. Everyone knows everyone here. I have seen bad things happen here that many people that live here don’t even know about. The difference… I keep my eyes and ears open and pay attention to what is around me. I see the things that those people that are buried in their phones with their ear buds in would not believe if I told them. I would consider my town to be a safer town than some other towns around it, and I love it here. It is peaceful for the most part. You don’t get to pick the time and place for bad things to happen. It is up to you to be alert and make quick decisions when that time and place happens to catch you when you least expect it. Hopefully you stay vigilant, and you have plenty of time to get out of the area before the situation turns bad, but if you carry a firearm, please know how to use it incase your window of avoidance and escape has lapsed, and you are left with no other choice than to defend yourself or a loved one. If you don’t train than you are not prepared. I promise!!!

  We will talk about practice and training down the road to cover more on those subjects as we go. I will be posting often, so keep an eye out for future topics and posts, and feel free to let me know what you think. Do you have anything you would like to add to this topic, or maybe something that you don’t agree with. I am of course just skimming the surface of this specific topic and not going into to much detail, but the point I am trying to get across today is simple… Not looking like a victim is a great thing to work on and could keep you from being a victim. Think about it, and pay attention to how you present yourself in public. I’m sure everyone has something they could change about how they present themselves. Be your own judge. Watch what other people do, and judge them as well. Make a game out of it. Pay attention to your habits while you are in public, and modify them as needed so that you are not accidentally projecting that victim mentality towards potential criminals.