Background

Over the next few months, I will try to document my journey of firearms and tactical training. I was born into a family and culture that never saw firearms as a way to protect family and property. As my worldview matures, I can understand why firearms are an essential part of defending freedom and balancing the power between the government and its citizens. I do not want to get into the politics, so I will focus primarily on what it takes to own an essential tool.

I remember my FBI buddy coming over to my house about 15 years ago. He came right from work to catch up as we both just got married. I asked him if he was armed given my curiosity and my new found desire for self-protection. He acknowledged with a nod, and took out his Glock 23 from his deep concealment holster. I was shocked not only because of the presence of a gun, but also how he could conceal the gun without any printing or fear of shooting himself. I remember touching the pistol for the very first time and my hands were shaking with cold sweat between my fingers.

Over the next few months, he took me under his wing and taught me how to shoot a pistol. It was unique because I didn’t start off shooting from a bench because my friend did not believe that a static “sanitary” range will be conducive of protecting one’s family. He gave me a holster, taught me the firearm safety rules, and had me drawing and shooting within a few sessions. I quickly got hooked, and I have been training with firearms, and tinkering with holsters, belts, and all the accessories that you can imagine ever since.  It’s been 15+ years and likely 30+ classes taught by civilians, LEO, and MIL.

Mindset of owning a firearm

Some individuals see firearms as a recreational hobby. Therefore, they purchase multiple handguns and mainly shoot from a static bench, typically in an indoor range. This is a legitimate and frankly a fun hobby to pursue, but it does hinder, in my opinion, how one progresses in shooting since brands do not share the same mechanisms to manipulate the firearm, grip angles, safety features, aiming sights, optics, and many more.

If your decision to own a firearm is primarily self-protection. I would argue that your mindset needs to change. How you prepare each day, how you dress, how you pay attention to the local and state laws, and your surroundings. You essentially need to see yourself as a “sheepdog” to monitor and be aware for your family. (Note that your spouse or family will think you are a little “on edge” until you educate them with your rationale).

Another huge factor that you will emotionally (arguably spiritual as well) need to grapple with is your willingness to take a life. Are you willing to deal with the ramifications of shooting another human-being when you need to? Even if you are justified with deadly force, are you willing to live with that weighing on your conscience? What about your family and friends? Legal implications for you and your household? You will most certainly need to deal with it at work and in your neighborhood. These are all considerations that will need to be incorporated in your preparation.

It is difficult to really comprehend the burden of the self-protection mindset until you take a force-on-force class and viscerally feel the impact of shooting another person and “turning on” to a major adrenaline event. To the degree you can imagine and reflect on this issue, I would recommend you making a decision and talking it out with a buddy.  This mindset is fundamental and will be a life long journey.

Stages of owning a firearm

Very quickly you will notice the number products you will need to know and evaluate for your own context.  From owning the actual firearm to belts, holsters, lights, and gun safes.  Consumerism is both a blessing and a curse.  It is important to create “horizons” in your journey so you can budget and create realistic expectations for yourself.  Many, including myself, have fallen victim to buying a ton of accessories and not truly understanding the use and how it functions in a given context. 

There is an element of truth of making purchases parallel to your training and skillset. Generally speaking, one can only evaluate the product to the degree one has the knowledge to do so. For example, there is no point buying a battle belt until you understand your context and “mission”.  Your mission could be as simple as home defense and owning a battlebelt is unnecessary.  I cannot stress this enough if you want to minimize the money you spend.  There is inevitable “waste”, but my attempt over the coming blogs is to help you keep this to a minimum.

For the sake of simplicity and without getting into too much detail to bog us down, here is a basic journey for your consideration. The “Horizons” are not sequential (other than the 1st one) nor are they a sign of maturity or have any linear linkages.  You can move between Horizons or adopt more than one at any given time.  The last point which is likely the most important is to keep a humble and teachable mind.  I can’t tell you how many times when I show up at a training class where you have an overly zealous person who fail to grasp the lesson. Remember that this is a lifelong journey. Stay humble!

Note: Prices vary and given inflation, I recommend adding another 15-20%.