In our society, the honest citizen is not the aggressor in a violent situation—that is, he or she does not initiate the trouble. This stems from our natural belief that people who are behaving themselves should be left alone. However, for some this has come to mean that aggression of any kind is bad. They are the ones who act timidly and uncertainly even when the flag has gone up.
The criminal always makes the first move, which puts the law-abiding citizen at a tactical disadvantage. When there is no exit, no way to get away from violence, we must act aggressively to take the advantage away from the attacker. And that means that we must act quickly.
If you are in a convenience store and an armed robbery occurs, the time to act is as soon as the criminal makes his deadly intentions known. The best chances for survival occur while things are in those first, early stages of confusion, before the criminal has taken control of the situation. The longer one waits, the better the odds favor the crook.
When it appears that innocents stand a good chance of being injured or killed, there is not much to be lost by pressing an aggressive response. We have seen that time and again when citizens refuse to be willing victims of someone intent on murder. In any defensive action there is never a guarantee that we won't be injured or killed. Our best chance for survival lies in the decision to take it to the attacker quickly and certainly.
I fear too many people think that, since they have the latest and greatest shooting iron on their hip, they will automatically come out the winner. Unfortunately, such is not the case. Training and mindset are what win deadly encounters. In the end, it is not what you are carrying that makes the difference. It is your determination to not be a victim and your ability to press said determination aggressively that will win the day.
