Refuse to be a victim!
Recently I wrote an article entitled “Are you a Defender or a Hunter.” In this article I spoke about certain reactions that people take when a life-or-death scenario occurs. I spoke about the Defender doing whatever possible to defend themselves and those around them, and the Hunter being that person who has the mental capacity, training, and courage to actually seek out the threat in hopes of stopping the violence. The category I did not speak of was the “Victim.” In each of us lives the mentality of one of these three characteristics. These characteristics might not be visible during every day routine tasks, but during life and death violent encounters such as a fire, vehicle accident, tornado, or an active shooter one of these characteristics will present itself in each person close to the threat.
The “Victim” can be someone who freezes, gets caught off guard, or is too weak physically or mentally to do anything and unfortunately there are victims who just coward during the incident. The “Defender” does everything possible to defend themselves and to help others around them such as evacuating them from the threat area, tending to injured, providing necessities to help them survive…. The “Hunter” does many of the things the Defender does, but their main concern is stopping the violent act in any way possible. I personally wouldn’t attempt to wrestle “the tornado,” my focus would be more on the violent acts committed by persons.
Now, let me be clear in saying I am not putting down anyone for being in either of these categories, mostly the one of the victims. I understand that there are reasons that certain people could not fall into the Defender or Hunter category. Nor would I ever demand anyone to put themselves into one of these categories unless they were prepared to do so.
But, if you are capable of being a Defender or a Hunter, wouldn’t you rather take one of those roles?
There will always be victims, but the more Defenders and Hunters there are, the easier we can all survive a violent incident with minimal harm to innocent parties. Look at the recent incident that just occurred in Yuma, AZ when the marine took charge of the gunman entering the convenient store. How would you have responded? In my opinion he behaved as both a Defender & Hunter.
The first step to becoming a Defender is mentally preparing yourself to do so. In my article “Are you a Defender or Hunter” I wrote about the mentality of both categories. The mental preparation of both takes time and commitment. In addition, the mentality of the Hunter takes time, commitment, and a ton of repetitious training. Most people have a human nature that will instinctively make them a Defender, help out as much as they can. But as a Defender you can train to do more.
Have you ever thought about taking an emergency medical course? There are so many medical techniques you can learn that can be lifesaving in certain situations. Pre-plan the “What If’s.” During your pre-planning do you only think the “what if it happened to me” or do you think “what if it happened to someone else within your view?” Look at the big picture! If you are mentally pre-planning, you’ve already created a possible plan.
If you choose to NOT to be a Victim… you will most likely fall into the Defender category. Years ago in a SWAT Tactical Training Class, on the back of our class hat was a simple statement, “Do Something.” If you do nothing you most likely will become a victim. Are you prepared to “DO SOMETHING?” And not be a Victim? My philosophy is “NEVER STOP TRAINING.” Today may be the day to make that decision and “Do Something” so that you can protect yourself & others….
Whatever category you feel you are in, do not take the third choice lightly. I’ve been training for over 30 years with firearms and tactics. But still, I will say that the most important aspect of being a Hunter, is your mentality.
As an Official Partner with USCCA we would like to provide you with a FREE Guide on “3 Pillars of Self-Defense” call or send us an email and we will get it to you right away.
NEVER STOP TRAINING!
For any questions regarding my article, please email me at
[email protected]
Oz Johnson/Lead Instructor, NRA Certified
Karin Johnson, Operations Manager
JohnsonGroupTAC.com
602-410-7355
