Field of View
Recent events have renewed, for most of us, our appreciation of living in a country that guarantees, in writing, the right of its law-abiding citizen’s to defend themselves with arms, and most venue’s do not interfere with a citizen's ability to do so—to defend themselves from deadly threats. We do it with guns.
Some important rules apply to the use of arms, and it behooves every citizen to know the rules. It’s a blemish that the rules of responsibility and safe marksmanship are not taught nation-wide in the government school system; hopefully, if we last long enough, a trustworthy curriculum will see life… But I digress.
When it comes to using guns for self-defense, the late Bill Jordan used to say “speed is fine, but accuracy is final”—a succinct way of saying that getting a shot off is not the ultimate goal; stopping the threat by getting an effective hit on target (without delay) is the ultimate goal.
Another, more recent, piece of sage advice along these lines comes from Ken Koch at Guns Magazine:
You can’t miss quick enough to win a gunfight, but you can hit slowly enough to lose one.
Keep your balance.
Semper Paratus,
/fl