But there are times when I can't help it. A man has to make a living, and unless you're lucky enough to work out of the home, you have be away. And that means that many times the people you love have to be by themselves.
I'm not crazy about that idea, but it's unavoidable. But you can give yourself some peace of mind by helping the ones you love prepare themselves if, God forbid, something bad happens.
My wife is pretty squared away emotionally, and is pretty cool under pressure, but she's never been in that sort of situation before. I have faith that she can deal with it accordingly, but I like think I have given her every upper hand I can. First thing I did when she and I got serious, I started taking her out to the range and teaching her to shoot.
My wife was never opposed to guns, but had almost zero experience with them. Her first firearm experience was with a 12 gauge shotgun, which nearly soured her on the whole damn thing. ( I can thank my brother in law for that). I took her out to my range and let her watch me shooting Ruger 10/22 rifle and a Walther P22 pistol. She got accustomed to that, and then she began to shoot these herself. She had gotten quite good with the P22, and while she was less thrilled with the rifle, she did gain a measure of control of it as well. A little more time, and she was ready for my Ruger P95 in 9mm. I taught her the function of the pistol, the operation of the slide, the de-cocking feature, how to load the magazine, how to load the mag into the pistol, every little detail of how the pistol worked. She knows that gun intimately now.
Whenever I go out of town, I always make sure she has quick access to the pistol, within just a few steps. She knows the procedures that we've gone over about how to handle a potentially deadly situation.
But being prepared in a home situation isn't just about being able to shoot. It's the subtle things that matter. Like always make sure the exterior lights of your home work ; motion sensing light fixtures are a good idea. Keep the doors locked and dead bolted. If it's feasible, have a gate put up at the end of the drive. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, just something to keep a stranger from driving right up into the middle of your yard. If possible, have all your vehicles at home. It gives the illusion everyone is home. If you can afford an alarm system, by all means get one. While they are not the end all be all of home security, it's definitely another layer of protection. 911? Well, with all due respect to our law enforcement, they can't be everywhere at once, and like the saying goes: "When SECONDS count, the police are only MINUTES away."
I certainly am not trying to be paranoid, and I don't think anyone should sit around terrified of the world around them, but this is a nasty world we live in....and it's getting worse.
I'd also like to point out that I be no means doubt the fortitude and resolve of women, I certainly don't think that they need a man to constantly provide them with protection. On the contrary, these things I've talked about are for giving them more self defense independence. And honestly, there may be some women who might read this and realized THEY need to apply this to their HUSBANDS. In todays' world, sometimes the women are the sheepdogs of the family. Which speaks very poorly on today's American male....but that's a post for another time.
If you think that the world is a dangerous place now, You ain't seen nothing yet. That's why a few things like these could give you a little peace of mind, and allow you to enjoy life, not be afraid of it.
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