rudiepop
New member
The invisible line is the point in your mind when you decide to draw your weapon and shoot. How do you define that line? Is that line always the same? How do I determine where my line is?
These are important questions that everyone should be able to answer if they carry a firearm for self-defense. If your line is not clearly defined you could draw and shoot too quick resulting in innocent people being harmed and legal action against you. On the other hand you could draw too late and loose your life in a violent encounter. The ability to properly define that line in your own life is crucial to keeping you and your loved ones alive and you out of jail.
The key to understanding this is to recognize that your line may be different from mine. You are the only person that can determine where that line is drawn, and if I may suggest, in some instances, the line must be fluid. Let me give you a few examples.
When I was single with no one depending on me for anything I would tend to take more chances and tolerate more danger before I chose to take action. (young and ignorant) If someone threatened me they were only threatening ME. Now I have a wife and three children and my perspective has changed a bit. I now feel that any threat to me is a direct threat to my family, a threat to leave my wife a widow and leave my children fatherless. No parent will tolerate a threat to his or her children. That changes the rules. It also helps me to more clearly define that invisible line.
All scenarios will require you to adjust that line on the fly and since most violent encounters are over in a matter of seconds this line of thinking should be automatic. For instance: Some stranger grabs your child and holds a gun to their head. You can’t draw your weapon without putting your child in danger. The line has already been crossed yet you still have a tactical advantage of having a concealed weapon that the bad guy does not know about. If you OC your response will be different. You should be thinking … ok, if he does this, I am going to do this. That is the invisible line, the point in time where action is demanded.
The idea is to always be aware of the crucial time to act. You must determine the instant that your life is threatened and be prepared to act.
Please give some input, ideas, experiences etc. This is an important topic that we all should be thinking about.
These are important questions that everyone should be able to answer if they carry a firearm for self-defense. If your line is not clearly defined you could draw and shoot too quick resulting in innocent people being harmed and legal action against you. On the other hand you could draw too late and loose your life in a violent encounter. The ability to properly define that line in your own life is crucial to keeping you and your loved ones alive and you out of jail.
The key to understanding this is to recognize that your line may be different from mine. You are the only person that can determine where that line is drawn, and if I may suggest, in some instances, the line must be fluid. Let me give you a few examples.
When I was single with no one depending on me for anything I would tend to take more chances and tolerate more danger before I chose to take action. (young and ignorant) If someone threatened me they were only threatening ME. Now I have a wife and three children and my perspective has changed a bit. I now feel that any threat to me is a direct threat to my family, a threat to leave my wife a widow and leave my children fatherless. No parent will tolerate a threat to his or her children. That changes the rules. It also helps me to more clearly define that invisible line.
All scenarios will require you to adjust that line on the fly and since most violent encounters are over in a matter of seconds this line of thinking should be automatic. For instance: Some stranger grabs your child and holds a gun to their head. You can’t draw your weapon without putting your child in danger. The line has already been crossed yet you still have a tactical advantage of having a concealed weapon that the bad guy does not know about. If you OC your response will be different. You should be thinking … ok, if he does this, I am going to do this. That is the invisible line, the point in time where action is demanded.
The idea is to always be aware of the crucial time to act. You must determine the instant that your life is threatened and be prepared to act.
Please give some input, ideas, experiences etc. This is an important topic that we all should be thinking about.
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