Gear Is The Least of Your Concerns

Self-defense can be defined many ways, but all of those definitions boil down to protecting yourself from harm. If you browse online self-defense, conceal carry, and home defense communities, a lot of questions are asked and debated about gear. What's better for home defense, a rifle or a shotgun? What's the best plate carrier? What's the best light to mount on my home defense weapon? While gear plays a part in self-defense, the amount of debate on the subject is far greater than the actual importance. The indian, not the arrow, is far more important to the outcome of a self-defense situation.

What does the indian entail in this case? Many things including physical fitness, ability to stay cool under stress, ability to overcome the freeze response in a life or death situation, skill with communication and conflict resolution, skill with weapons, skill at administering first-aid, situational awareness, etc. All of these characteristics play a far greater role in the outcome of a self-defense situation than the specific gear you choose.

The hard truth is that here in the United States experiencing a violent encounter is rare. Barring the exception of people involved in violent activities, such as participating in a gang (either private or government), most people in this country will go through their life without suffering a violent encounter. Furthermore, most of those violent encounters will be one-on-one (typically somebody known to the victim) or maybe two-on-one and something as basic as a .38 Special revolver will be more than sufficient. Even in those uncommon situations the tool plays only a minor role in the outcome. A far greater role is played by being able to hit a target with the gun, maintaining some semblance of cool during the situation, not freezing in place when the situation begins, etc.

My advice when choosing a self-defense weapon is to find something made by a reputable manufacturer that you like and fits your budget. My advice when choosing ammunition is the same. Don't overthink it too much. A Glock 19 loaded with Federal HST is fine. a Smith and Wesson snubnose .38 revolver loaded with Hornady Critical Defense is fine. A basic AR-15 loaded with 55 gr. PMC ammunition is fine. Instead of spending hours debating the minor difference between two guns or two cartridges, spend that time taking self-defense and first-aid classes, exercising, and shooting at the range.

Physical condition, skill set, and how you response to stress determine whether your survival is primarily dependant on you or luck (luck always plays some part, but you can reduce how big of a part). If somebody breaks into your home and oh dark thirty and your response is to curl up into the fetal position in a closet, your survival depends almost entirely on luck. Luck of whether the attacker finds you and luck of what the attacker's intentions are. If you're lucky and the attacker doesn't find you or finds you but doesn't perform violence against you, you survive. If you're unlucky, you die. Compare that to the same scenario where you still hide in the same closet but you have a weapon with which you're skilled as well as the ability to act with those skills under stress. Now luck plays a far less significant role. Whether the attacker finds you or not is far less critical to your survival. If he doesn't find you, you still survive. If he does find you, your chances of surviving are far greater because you can shoot the bastard if he intends you harm. Whether you shoot him with a 9mm or .45 or whether you had Federal HST or Speer Gold Dot loaded will likely play no role in the outcome of the scenario.

Rather than focus on gear, focus on yourself. What is your diet like? How good is your physical condition? Do you get enough sleep regularly? How do you respond to stress? Are you able to stay cool in stressful situations? Can you use your chosen weapon effectively? Do you know how to treat a wound? Can you stop arterial bleeds so you don't die before an ambulance arrives? What's your situational awareness like? The answers to these questions will play a far greater role in a self-defense situation than your gear.