Armed and Unarmed: A difference in Mindset

Being armed or unarmed is, in many ways, a state of mind.

An armed person sees the world differently from a person who has decided to be unarmed.  Nicolo Machiavelli, the famed author and political philosopher, states it well in The Prince:

Because there is nothing proportionate between the armed and the unarmed; and it is not reasonable that he who is armed should yield obedience willingly to him who is unarmed, or that the unarmed man should be secure among armed servants. Because, there being in the one disdain and in the other suspicion, it is not possible for them to work well together.

Reactions to a recent murder and self defense shooting highlight the difference of the viewpoints of armed and deliberately unarmed people.

On 21 October, 2018, a neighbor, Tyler Herrick, entered a house, uninvited.  Kyle Adams, one of two roommates, was in the house.  He woke to find Herrick in his bedroom. Adams told Herrick to leave. Herrick left.

Adams texted his roommate, Brennan Pebbles. Pebbles immediately left work and came to the house. After Pebbles arrived, the neighbor, Herrick, entered the front yard carrying an  AR15 type rifle. 

Adams and Pebbles were in the living room. 

Herrick opened fire on the two men through the living room window, striking Adams, who was mortally wounded.  From ktvz.com:

“Herrick stood in front of the living room window, aimed his rifle at Adams and Pebbles, and fired multiple shots that shattered the front window. At least one of the rounds struck Adams, who eventually died from his injury.

“Pebbles fled from the living room and ran upstairs. Once upstairs, he grabbed his (9mm handgun) and hid in the bathroom of the master bedroom. Herrick fired multiple shots at the front door, and entered the home and methodically hunted Pebbles down in a room-to-room search. When Herrick entered the master bedroom, Pebbles shot and killed him.

Pebbles had made the decision to be armed by obtaining a handgun and storing it in the house. He was able to use his handgun to defend himself against an armed attacker who had shot and mortally wounded his roommate.

People who have the mindset of an armed person will read of the incident and consider it from the viewpoint of an armed person. They will consider the choice of weapon. They will consider the wisdom of storing the handgun in the house, instead of carrying it on the person. They will discuss the tactics and tools of armed self defense.

People who have made the decision to be unarmed will read of the incident and consider it from the viewpoint of an unarmed person. They will create hypotheticals to validate their decision to be unarmed. They will suggest the police should have been called. They will say if only there were no guns, this would not have happened. 

Two comments from the article illustrate the differences between the armed and unarmed mindsets. 

Comment from Boisefan:

When seconds count, the police are only minutes away. This was certainly a terrible situation to be faced with, but Mr. Pebbles demonstrated why folks fight for their second amendment rights. 

Comment from Stanley78, in reply to Boisefan:

Of course, folks fighting for second amendment rights is why the crazy neighbor was able to obtain his gun that was capable of firing into the house from outside and killing a man, so really it's kind of a wash. Or not even that. If nobody in this situation had a gun, the neighbor would have been stuck outside while the two roommates called the police and waited for him to get arrested, and everybody might have survived.

As it is now, a terrible tragedy and my heart goes out to everyone involved and their families.

People who support the Second Amendment have the mindset of an armed person.

President Trump made the decision to be an armed person. He supports the Second Amendment.

Most people who choose to be unarmed do not support the Second Amendment.  They see armed people as a potential threat.

Few people trained in arms choose to be unarmed. Most people who choose to be unarmed do so because they are ignorant of arms. Many consciously unarmed people have followed the easy path. Many never had the opportunity to learn basic firearms skills.

There are endless examples of people who, once exposed to firearms by friendly instruction, change their mindset and become Second Amendment supporters.

Few Second Amendment supporters reverse their position, and work to disarm the population.  Learning to shoot is a form of taking the red pill.

The change in mindset from unarmed to armed, can happen in one session at the range.

When you take a person shooting, make the experience pleasant. Use good hearing and eye protection. Have them shoot a .22 rifle or pistol.  More powerful guns can come later.  Have the target close to build their confidence.  Explain the safety rules so they know they are safe.

Nicolo Machiavelli was right.  Armed people view the world differently from unarmed people.

©2018 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch