Mutual Aide

A couple of classes ago I overhead a student talking about a cool program he attended where he was thrust into role playing scenarios. The problem is as a concealed carrier these scenarios are the scenarios you want to avoid, not go rushing towards.

Your First Priority

You have to acknowledge we are in different times. The days of jumping into the fray are long gone. For lots of reasons, the biggest being the litigious society we have become. To help cope with this new reality you have to consider a tiered approach to the various situations you may find yourself in and what you should do in advance to prepare. Starting with the most obvious, your safety. While you may be out by yourself, if you have a family, a career or people who depend on you it should be your priority to make it back safely. This includes avoidance, deescalation and disengagement. It is ideal to avoid most confrontations, but if you are on the clock then trying to deescalate in order to work towards disengagement should be your priority. Remember your objective, your mission is return to base safely.

Moving as a Team

The next scenario is to consider what to do when you are out with your team. Who is on your team, your family and immediate family and close friends. These are the people who you are working to return safely to each night. While you may find yourself in a variety of situations, the goal of each one is to navigate safely back home. This may require you to break into smaller elements. Where you work to secure safe passage while the team strong points in the most secure area available. As you scout the terrain, you are looking to see if it safe and if so, what is the best route to get out of the danger area. Or, you have to sit tight in your secure area and let things unfold so you can wait for an opportunity to take action.

Actions On Contact

At some point the scenario drifts to outside of your team. You happen to be minding your own business when you stumble across a situation. Do you intervene, do you observe or do you continue on your route. All good questions and to be honest the best answer is to continue on your route. If they are not part of your team, don’t compromise the safety of your own team for an unknown. I know that may seem pretty cold hearted, but it is a fact of life. The only exception is if you saw the situation from the beginning. In this case, you have the full picture and can make a more informed decision.

Your True Mission

The problem with not having all the information is you are making decision with limited intelligence. You don’t know the background, context, the instigator or the victim. Looks can be deceiving, words can be misleading and the situation can seem clear cut, but it is not. If there is any doubt you do not have all the information, then involving yourself is a poor choice. Of course, you can do what you feel is necessary and you may even be able to legally justify, but did you take the time to consider the moral implications. Most people will feel a sense of accomplishment they helped a stranger. I can appreciate that sentiment. However, in so doing you brought great risk and jeopardy to your family. Strife and stress from traversing the legal landscape. Uncertainty of your financial future along with time away from your true mission, your family.

Stop to consider if your actions truly support your team mission. If it does, move swiftly and surgically to solve the problem or move swiftly and surgically to return to base.