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A family protector, which is you by the way, will use all the tools at his disposal to protect the ones he loves. This post is my take on firearms training and how it applies to manhood with you being the sole family protector. There are numerous reasons why proper firearms training is so important in today’s society and as a man, it is your responsibility to become proficient with the modern tools of defense available to you. Especially if you lead a family. It is important for a man to take up firearms training and think about how it should fit into his role as a leader, family protector, and man.
Table of Contents
A Family Protector Knows Their Natural Right to Self Defense
I am not ignorant of the fact that this topic is a very political one. I am open about my 2nd Amendment beliefs and the right to own firearms for everyone. In all honesty I think it is safe to assume that if you are reading this then you most likely agree. If you don’t then I hope you still find the info helpful and it can put things into perspective.
Firearms, and the citizens’ right to own them, date back to the founding of the United States of America. They are quite literally connected to the start of this country.
Take it back even further to ancient history, and men stood for their right to keep and use weapons and they resisted those who would take them from them.
Look at the famous 300 Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae. King Leonidas I’s famous response to the Persians trying to take their weapons (and freedom) was “Come and take them” ( or “Molon Labe” in ancient Greek).
Men have an inborn attraction to weapons because their instincts are to protect and defend. It is in their blood to be a family protector. Not only through firearms training but through all means of defense. However, for the sake of this article, we are only going to talk about firearms training and its benefits.
This may not be a blanket statement, especially in today’s society, but most true men out there have some sort of desire to protect their own and want to do so with effective tools that are available to them.
As citizens of the U.S. we have a natural right to defend ourselves, our families, and our belongings. That being said, I want you to read this next part VERY CAREFULLY:
The Second Amendment does not grant us that right. The 2nd Amendment was created to protect that natural born right from tyrannical governments and whoever would try to take our natural rights away from us. That is the distinction.
The sooner we understand this distinction, the sooner we can learn to defend our rights instead of letting them be tread all over.
Men’s Role As A Family Protector
I am a firm believer in men holding the role of family protector. It is an incredible honor and responsibility to have. Not only are we responsible for protecting our families, but it is our duty to protect others as well according to Psalm 82:4.
Don’t think that society is so safe nowadays that we don’t need to protect ourselves and others from evildoers. That is a horrible mindset to have as a man and family protector. What happened in Ukraine is a good example of why you should not think like this. The citizens were required to take up arms and defend themselves and had no tools or skills to do so.
Furthermore, there are thousands of home break-ins, robberies, murders, muggings, and kidnappings a day across the world. All of these crimes are on the rise.
Do you think that you or your family are immune to being victims of these crimes? I think not. There are so many people around that the statistics say there’s a lower chance of it happening to you, BUT it can still happen any day.
In addition, the rapidly growing industry of child trafficking and sex trafficking is terrifying in itself. I consider this for my children’s safety and make decisions based on that reality on a day-to-day basis.
Not to mention the growing possibility that our government, and governments across the world, are working to take away your freedom, and instill a new world order with a one-world government but I digress.
The fact is that you and your family need protection. From criminals, from governments, from life itself, and you were made for that position.
You are the shield between the evil intentions of others and your family. You are the family protector.
Benefits of Firearms Training
First off, I want to start by saying that I think that self-defense, MMA, or BJJ are extremely important and more applicable in a majority of scenarios you may run into. This post is dedicated to firearms because I think that they are more effective in life-or-death scenarios. I am a firearms instructor so naturally I focus more on training with firearms. However, less lethal uses of force are extremely important as well as a family protector.
I have spent a lot of time training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Krav Maga, MMA, wrestling, kickboxing, and Muay Thai in previous years. I used to be a Sheriff’s Deputy so I have experienced the need for these kinds of skills on a regular basis.
On the contrary, there is no escaping that firearms are the great equalizer. No one is safe from a bullet in their direction, no matter how big, strong, or skilled you are. The little old lady next door only needs to pull the trigger with her sights on you and you will suffer serious injury or death.
Training with firearms has extensive benefits some of which are:
Safety:
Everyone can benefit from proper firearms training. Knowing proper firearm safety rules and proper handling reduces the risk of a negligent discharge or improper handling of guns. Training is undoubtedly beneficial for gun owners, even if they don’t plan to use them regularly. Being properly educated about firearms, their use, and the safety around them would greatly lower the misconceptions surrounding them. They are to be treated with respect at all times.
Accuracy:
Regular and consistent firearm training will greatly improve your accuracy. Learning about proper grip, stance and trigger pull will help make considerable progress on your skill level. Accuracy helps prevent miscalculated shooting, which in turn helps against accidents to a degree. It will also make you more effective should the need ever arise.
Confidence:
Knowing more about firearms and their effective use will make you a confident and responsible gun owner. The more training you have, the more confidence you will have in your ability to protect yourself and your family during a critical incident. When you can confidently handle/manipulate a firearm, you can be much more safe as well.
Tactical Mindset:
The skills needed for effective use of a firearm go far beyond target shooting. They include critical thinking, staying calm under pressure and the ability to know when to shoot and when to refrain from using it carelessly. Without fully understanding the complexity of the situations you can find yourself in, you will be more likely to make a bad decision, and reality-based training will prevent you from falling back on an unplanned response.
This is probably the most important aspect of firearms training and in self defense even. Mindset is so important and tactics on how to handle certain situations can be a life saver.
Unlike the common misconception, tactical training isn’t just for the police and the military personnel. In fact, it is probably more beneficial for civilians as well since they do not get any training like this through their own work and you are your own protector until the police arrive.
In times of distress, you won’t have a police officer by your side. In such situations you’re responsible for your own survival and for the safety of your family.
To best understand why tactical firearms training is important, you can look at reasons why the military and law enforcement are trained.
Taking Up Responsibility:
Tactical firearms training enables civilians to take up responsibility when there’s no one to defend them. Independent defense is the best form of protection when you’re alone and in danger.
Needless to say, it’s a survival skill as well. Unexpected circumstances can arise any day without warning and then it’ll be too late to learn how to shoot. That’s why it’s better to sweat in peace than bleed in war.
Increase Knowledge:
Merely holding firearms ceremoniously in your home is not enough to protect you from adversaries. In order to make use of them, you need to know how to operate them. And unlike the fake action scenes in movies, no one learns to properly mount a rifle and pull the trigger in one go.
You need to be train for thousands of repetitions of that before you can really use it to your benefit. Tactical firearms training knowledge can save your life any time when you’re least expecting it to. And even if you never need it, it never hurts to acquire knowledge and be prepared. It is better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war.
Enhance Your Skillset:
Owning firearms is a start and your lawful right. However, if you really want to be able to protect yourself and your family, you need to know how to use the firearms you acquire.
In times of danger and under pressure, you won’t magically become John Wick and learn how to use it in no time. It takes a long time to properly train and practice handling firearms safely and effectively. This is a life skill that you should invest in while you have the time and energy to do so; it can prevent you from losing things dear to you!
Confidence, Again:
Confidence behind the firearm is huge when it comes to handling and being effective with them. You get that through training and practice. Everyone always gets a little nervous and kind of fumbles with them when they do not know exactly how to handle them properly.
By getting proper firearms training or at least getting out and using them regularly, you’ll become more confident in using a rifle or a pistol and not hold it clumsily when time comes. Confidence is key to getting your shots on target! its also key to being effective and safe!
Pleasure/Fun:
There’s also the fact that you need to take into account that shooting guns is fun as heck to most people! I have never met anyone who didn’t have a blast shooting guns (pun intended).
From the casual occasional shooter, to the hunter, to the hardcore tactical guys, to the competition shooters, they all have an immense amount of fun partaking in their respective areas of firearms training.
There is just something about them that fills the heart with joy. If you haven’t felt this experience then I highly recommend you do as soon as you can.
Plus acquiring quality gear is a fun hobby in and of itself.
A Family Protector Can Use Firearms to Provide
Aside from everything I have just talked about. Firearms can help a man provide. Which is a major part of his role on this earth.
It can aid him in providing protection like I have talked about, and another big one is that they are a great tool to help a man provide food, through hunting.
Hunting is as old as human existence and I believe is in direct alignment what it means to be a man. It is extremely primal, instinctual and natural in my eyes. Now ironically enough, I am not hugely into trophy or sport hunting. I am not against it but, unless its actually helpful, I don’t care much about killing beautiful animals for fun, but that’s just me.
I do however, believe that hunting is a part of a man’s calling. I think the fact of providing meat and the entire ritual from making the kill to harvesting the meat and thanking the animal is very meaningful.
Hunting is primarily done with firearms these days. There’s also archery and other methods and they all are great methods as well.
Firearms can help you hunt more effectively, which means they are the bridge to the activity that has been part of being a man since the dawn of human existence.
Conclusion
In conclusion, firearms are a hot topic in today’s society. I get it, they can be dangerous. Especially in the wrong hands. However, so are motor vehicles, alcohol, pharmaceutical drugs, and a host of common things we take for granted and accept as necessities we use on a daily basis.
Automobiles, alcohol, drugs, and medicine all kill far more people every year than guns do in all instances. That isn’t an exaggeration you can look it up.
With proper education, great gear, quality firearms, training, and practice it is a perfectly safe activity and more importantly it can keep you safe when evil knocks on your door.
Yeah, there are bad guys out there but remember an armed society is a polite society and as a man, it is your role to be the family protector.
