Reply #39: I can tell stories of people who had considerable martial arts training ... [View All]

who got their ass kicked by some street fighter.

I remember one time my judo, jujitsu instructor told of a black belt in Karate who soundly defeated an attacker and having left him on the ground in pain turned to walk away. The attacker picked up an object (a brick as I remember) and hit the black belt in the back of his neck. The black belt ended up paralyzed. Obviously the moral of the story was to never be over confident and to always consider your opponent to be very dangerous even after defeated. The fights never over until it's over.

One time at the dojo, a black belt in Jujitsu and I were practicing disarming an attacker with a knife. I had the rubber knife and he successfully disarmed me and we ended up on the mat with me on the bottom. I noticed the rubber blade lying where I could grab it, so I did and stabbed him in the back. When he realized what had happened he turned white and said, "In real life you would have killed me."

Yet skill in martial arts is valuable and has saved many lives.

Many people who carry a concealed firearm have been able to stop an attack often without firing a shot. Most muggers are not looking for an even fight and feel that if they are armed they have such a significant advantage that they have little to fear. When they confront someone who is armed, they often flee rather than get shot. Many of those attackers really have little interest in hurting their victim but unfortunately a percentage will enjoy shooting or slashing their victim even if he complies with all their commands.

In the linked story, it appears to me that the attackers wanted the nighttime deposit and were probably aware that the person carrying it was an off duty cop. The article doesn't say that the officer was in uniform, but often the cops I know wear their uniforms while working security. It appears these attackers decided to shoot the officer and grab the money. The shooter may have aimed for the officers head if he knew or suspected the officer might be wearing a bullet proof vest. No matter how proficient you are with a firearm it's hard to avoid injury in such a situation. however you may be able to return fire and survive. Handgun bullets are nowhere near as lethal as portrayed on TV or in the movies.

A firearm whether concealed or carried in the open is no guarantee that you will survive an attack but it does give you a better chance than being unarmed and facing an opponent armed with a knife or a firearm or a much larger and stronger foe.

A combat soldier once told me, "You can do everything right and still end up dead." That is simple reality but it doesn't mean that you shouldn't try.

Note that I am not recommending in any way that everybody run out and get a concealed carry license and a gun. That's an individual choice and much depends on your background and situation.