I am not a Sheepdog
There is a common mantra in the concealed carry world about sheep, sheepdogs, and wolves. The quote comes from LTC Dave Grossman author of “On Killing” and is often regurgitated by citizens without actually thinking about what it exactly means.
“Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident. Then there are the wolves, and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy. Then there are sheepdogs, and I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf.”
In this quote, Grossman is referring to soldiers and police, not the average concealed carry holder. Those who have sworn a duty to protect. I have sworn no such oath. This may sound harsh but when I’m carrying a firearm I’m not doing so to protect the public, I’m doing so to protect myself and my family. Now, if I see something especially egregious and evil, I will have to make the decision to step in but I will not make that decision lightly. If you walk in on a situation that may require deadly force and you don’t have all of the obvious details, don’t get involved. Be a good witness but it’s not your job to stop a crime in progress. Once again, if it’s something especially evil, you may have to make the choice to get involved but it should be overwhelmingly obvious. Small crimes like shoplifting, theft, vandalism do not require deadly force and most certainly are not your responsibility. Getting involved will likely escalate the situation and make it worse. Instead, leave it up to law enforcement.
I am a Badger
I avoid conflict. I once heard a great quote from a radio talk show host that said, “If I knew the time and place when I was going to need to use my firearm in self-defense, I would choose not to be there.” If you carry a firearm for personal protection, you have to leave your ego at the door when you go out in public. You cannot get into arguments, conflicts, and most importantly physical confrontations. If you carry, every one of these scenarios becomes an armed conflict. Like a badger, I will do everything in my power to avoid a confrontation and only defend myself when attacked. On a recent trip to the hardware store with my son, I inadvertently cut off someone while turning into the parking lot. The man was obviously angry and followed me into the lot. I got out of my vehicle and apologized to the man while he berated me for cutting him off. I took the abuse and continued to apologize until he left. My son asked why I just accepted the man’s anger without escalating and I had to explain to him that the last thing I wanted in a hardware parking lot was to get into an armed conflict over a minor traffic error. Especially with my son in the car next to me. Even if it’s not your fault, you have to be willing to accept blame and walk away. This is incredibly hard as men since we have thousands of years of biology telling us that we have to dominate other males to gain status. You have to be willing to back down from a challenge if you go armed. If you can’t let small slights go, reconsider carrying a firearm in public.
A badger will fight when cornered
If the time does come when you do have to use deadly force to defend yourself, there can be no hesitation and you have to meet violence with overwhelming violence. You do not stop until the threat has stopped. If you watch videos of a badger fighting off a predator, they do exactly the same. They go on the offensive until the threat has left them alone. You have to train for this. You will not become John Wick in a moment of stress and you will not come up with a great plan on the fly. The time to think about and train for a situation that requires deadly force is at home or on the range while you’re safe. Your body will not go where the mind has not been.
If you’re new to concealed carry or have been doing it for a while, please keep in mind that your safety is your responsibility. Other’s safety, outside of your immediate circle, is not. Unless you’re sworn to protect the sheep, do not consider yourself a sheepdog. Unless it’s an extreme circumstance, protect yourself and only yourself from the wolves.