Nick1911
Member
After thinking about several of the activities I choose to participate in, I’ve come to an interesting conclusion. It seems that there are two schools of thought when it comes to safety; primary vs. secondary. People who focus on primary safety place emphasize on their abilities to keep themselves out of trouble. Secondary people focus on the ability to survive troubles that they may wander into.
On this forum, we always say that the most important safety you have is the one between your ears when talking about gun safety. The same applies to tactics, IMO. We strive to keep ourselves out of situations where we would need to use a firearm – keeping out of condition white and what not. Our situational awareness is our primary safety, and it is what keeps us vertical 99% of the time. It’s an active safety measure.
I carry a gun. This is a secondary safety. Plan B, if you wish. For this safety I trade some convenience. I have to have a valid permit, a reliable firearm, a good holster, and training. Instead of accepting what happens after my situational awareness fails to tell me to get out NOW!, I take steps to control my destiny after I’m already in trouble.
I also ride a motorcycle. Same deal. My motorcycle accelerates, turns and brakes much faster then my car. For this maneuverability I trade stability and crash protection. The motorcycle is, by definition, an primary safety vehicle. Instead of accepting that a crash in enviable, and surrounding myself be as much sheet metal and airbags as I can, I accept the risks inherent of riding in traffic and use the capabilities of my motorcycle and my training to avoid collisions.
When I ride, do I have a plan B? You betch’a. Once I’m already in trouble, and I hit the asphalt, my helmet protects my head, my jacket protects my torso, my gloves cover my hands, and my boots protect my feet. My secondary safety.
My point to all this is that we, THR’s members, emphasize both primary and secondary safeties. The average person does not – most people only look at their secondary safety options. This is what I believe is what sets apart the sheep from the sheep dog.
Your thoughts?
On this forum, we always say that the most important safety you have is the one between your ears when talking about gun safety. The same applies to tactics, IMO. We strive to keep ourselves out of situations where we would need to use a firearm – keeping out of condition white and what not. Our situational awareness is our primary safety, and it is what keeps us vertical 99% of the time. It’s an active safety measure.
I carry a gun. This is a secondary safety. Plan B, if you wish. For this safety I trade some convenience. I have to have a valid permit, a reliable firearm, a good holster, and training. Instead of accepting what happens after my situational awareness fails to tell me to get out NOW!, I take steps to control my destiny after I’m already in trouble.
I also ride a motorcycle. Same deal. My motorcycle accelerates, turns and brakes much faster then my car. For this maneuverability I trade stability and crash protection. The motorcycle is, by definition, an primary safety vehicle. Instead of accepting that a crash in enviable, and surrounding myself be as much sheet metal and airbags as I can, I accept the risks inherent of riding in traffic and use the capabilities of my motorcycle and my training to avoid collisions.
When I ride, do I have a plan B? You betch’a. Once I’m already in trouble, and I hit the asphalt, my helmet protects my head, my jacket protects my torso, my gloves cover my hands, and my boots protect my feet. My secondary safety.
My point to all this is that we, THR’s members, emphasize both primary and secondary safeties. The average person does not – most people only look at their secondary safety options. This is what I believe is what sets apart the sheep from the sheep dog.
Your thoughts?
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