Gear Is The Least of Your Concerns

2025-03-24T09:00:00+00:00

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.

Bugging Out

2025-03-22T11:00:00+00:00

If you browse through online preparedness communities, you'll see a lot of discussions about assembling bug out bags. You'll see significantly less discussion about what to do with a bug out bag. A bug out bag is little more than a talisman to many people who possess them. Having the bag makes them feel safe because when shit hits the fan, they can grab the bag and... do something? A lot of people seem to have a fantasy where a situation demands that they grab their bug out bag, fuck off to the woods, and survive until the situation blows over. Most of these people don't have a plan though.

Having a plan requires assessing your situation and capabilities. Let's consider the fantasy above. First, can you even fuck off to the woods? Are there woods anywhere near where you live? If you live in a large metropolitan area, the nearest woods might be 10, 20, or even 100 miles away. How are you going to get there? By vehicle? Do you think the roads will be clear during this situation? Maybe you'll walk! Have you ever put on your bug out bag and taken a several mile walk? Second, can you even survive a night in the woods? Do you know how to start a fire? Do you know how to build any kind of temporary shelter? Have you tried spending a night or more in the woods in your area with only your bug out bag? All of these questions become even more complicated if you have dependents.

My point here isn't to discourage anybody from assembling a bug out bag. A bug out bag is a tool and it's always good to have tools in your tool belt. But you need to have a plan for what you will do with your bug out bag. That plan has to be realistic to your capabilities. A good place to start is to ask yourself where will you go and how will you get there. The woods is actually a terrible bug out location for a vast majority of people. A far better destination might be a hotel or the home of a friend or family member. Getting there by car will certainly be the easiest method, but it doesn't hurt to take long walks while wearing your bug out bag so you can confidently do that if needed (and it's good exercise to boot). Bicycles are also a flexible transportation option.

The advantage to planning is that you can fit your bug out bag to your plan. If your plan doesn't involve fucking off to the woods, you can leave out a lot of wilderness survival gear. That allows you to either enjoy a lighter pack or fill the space with things that you'll actually use. I'll go so far as to say having a plan is much more important than having a bug out bag. A bug out bag without a plan is almost useless in most cases. A plan without a bug out bag is still incredibly useful.

A Geek with Guns - Preparedness

Gear Is The Least of Your Concerns

Bugging Out