When lightning strikes: Carrying a concealed weapon 24/7

I recently viewed a training DVD for employees and students entitled, “Shots Fired: When lightning strikes.” The 20 minute video helps trainees learn to recognize an active shooter situation and take action. The DVD explains that while no one wants to think about a shooting where they work or attend school it is an unfortunate possibility. The DVD goes on to explain that the odds of an active shooter scenario occurring in your work place are equivalent to your odds of getting struck by lightning, hence the title.

I took something else away from the comparison: if you have made the decision to obtain a concealed weapon permit then you need to carry the weapon 24/7. Unlike weather forecasters who can track and predict weather patterns with some degree of success, you and I can’t know when we will need to defend ourselves or our loved ones. No one can predict the day lightning will strike them, the day they will get in a car accident, or the day they may actually need their concealed weapon and so we live right, buckle up, and strap up every day.

I hope that none of us ever has to shoot someone, but if someone does something to threaten my life or the life of my loved ones I will meet that threat with all of the force necessary to eliminate it. I saw a video clip of a commercial airline pilot talking about training in the post-9/11 world. He recounted how someone asked him when things in airports and airplanes are going to return to “normal”. His answer? “There’s a new normal.”

You and I can’t pick the date on the calendar when bad things will happen so train hard, stay safe, and pack everyday.