{"id":832,"date":"2012-03-24T11:09:43","date_gmt":"2012-03-24T16:09:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hammerheadcombatsystems.org\/?p=832"},"modified":"2012-03-24T11:09:43","modified_gmt":"2012-03-24T16:09:43","slug":"trayvon-martin-george-zimmerman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/2012\/03\/24\/trayvon-martin-george-zimmerman\/","title":{"rendered":"The Discretionary Mindset"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align:center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-882\" title=\"FL\" src=\"http:\/\/hcsblogdotorg.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/03\/fl.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"196\" height=\"244\" \/><\/h2>\n<h2>With the recent <a title=\"headlines\" href=\"http:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/2012\/03\/22\/stand-your-ground-law-at-center-unarmed-florida-teen-shooting\/\">headlines<\/a> of the neighborhood watch shooting of Treyvon\u00a0Martin by Martin Zimmerman\u00a0in Sanford\u00a0Florida, I thought it pertinent to touch upon the topic of\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration:underline;\"><em>discretion<\/em><\/span> in relation to Concealed Carry and personal defense.\u00a0Since\u00a0the gun-prohibitionist movement wants to use this case to demonize <strong>ALL<\/strong> people who carry concealed firearms, I will be commenting on\u00a0what we need to do as <strong>RESPONSIBLE<\/strong> gun owners and Concealed Carry License Holders\u00a0to combat the type of behavior Mr. Zimmerman exhibited that night, as documented in the Sanford PD\u00a0report. The bottom line is Zimmerman was within his legal means <strong>OWNING<\/strong> and <strong>CARRYING<\/strong>\u00a0the weapon, but\u00a0not how he <strong>USED<\/strong> the weapon. This I believe is a training and education\u00a0issue that each individual concealed gun owner\u00a0needs to address. We will reverse engineer this scenario and\u00a0discuss in detail how we do that.<\/h2>\n<h2>Firstly, let&#8217;s define\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration:underline;\"><em><strong>Discretion<\/strong><\/em><\/span> from Webster&#8217;s:<\/h2>\n<h2><strong><em>&#8220;Quality of being discreet; careful in speech and conduct; prudent, cautious.&#8221;<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n<h2>I am going to start out with a credo that was taught to me\u00a0when I first started carrying a gun concealed. These three basics are taught to Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) and security personnel worldwide.\u00a0They are simple and easy to remember:<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h2><strong><span style=\"text-decoration:underline;\">Avoidance<\/span>:<\/strong>\u00a0 Stay Away from Stupid People and Stupid Places and DO NOT\u00a0Start Fights (&#8220;Rambo Syndrome&#8221;).<\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h2><strong><span style=\"text-decoration:underline;\">Deterrence<\/span>:<\/strong>\u00a0The act of detouring bad behavior<\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h2><span style=\"text-decoration:underline;\"><strong>De-Escalation<\/strong><\/span>:\u00a0If a fight starts, try to walk away at all cost from it\u00a0and eat your pride, because if\u00a0you have the only\u00a0gun in the fight, on moral grounds alone, you are required to\u00a0use more\u00a0DISCRETION than the other guy because ultimately,\u00a0you have the option of LETHAL FORCE if certain criteria are met.<\/h2>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-883\" title=\"CCL1\" src=\"http:\/\/hcsblogdotorg.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/03\/ccl1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"148\" height=\"148\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Since we are using someone&#8217;s bad example of what <span style=\"text-decoration:underline;\">NOT TO DO<\/span>, the blatantly simple ideal of not starting confrontations needs to be discussed.<\/h2>\n<h2>Most all States self-defense penal codes are clear on &#8220;<em><strong>Verbal provocation never being justified grounds for force against another<\/strong><\/em><strong>&#8220;(Texas PC 9.31).\u00a0<\/strong>Simply put<em><strong>,<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0a civilian confronting somebody on suspicion (because of the type of clothing they are wearing for instance)\u00a0or verbal accusations alone, is pure stupidity and NEVER legally\u00a0constitutes <strong>USE OF FORCE.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-890\" title=\"thug1\" src=\"http:\/\/hcsblogdotorg.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/03\/thug11.jpg?w=150\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>People notice what type of clothing you are wearing, as we have already discussed in a\u00a0previous article. Often first impressions of people are often\u00a0deduced from the type of\u00a0clothing alone and not their\u00a0actions.<\/h2>\n<h2>We need to exercise EXTREME\u00a0caution in this area, both in how we dress and how we perceive others,\u00a0as this\u00a0is one of the factors that got Zimmerman in trouble.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The &#8220;Rambo Syndrome&#8221; typically stems from people who think they are the self-appointed\u00a0&#8220;law enforcement&#8221; in their community or neighborhood.<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_907\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-907\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-907\" title=\"Trayvon Martin\" src=\"http:\/\/hcsblogdotorg.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/03\/treyvon_martin.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"202\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-907\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Trayvon Martin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><strong>Let me be clear on this: If you don&#8217;t have a badge, you are not a cop. Don&#8217;t be a Hero! Report the crime (or suspicious behavior) and let the police do their jobs.<\/strong> Even if they fall short in this area, let the blame squarely rest on their shoulders and not yours. Be Smart and objective, not hotheaded and trigger happy. As a sidebar to this warning I will also say being &#8220;level headed&#8221; does not mean being <strong>STUPID<\/strong> and\u00a0depend on the Police to protect you when some crack head\u00a0has beat down your door and entered your home&#8230;the\u00a0laws regarding Use of Force are not rocket science guys, just read them frequently and if you are not clear on them, have\u00a0your lawyer explain it to you.<\/h2>\n<h2><span style=\"text-decoration:underline;\"><em><strong>Deterrence<\/strong><\/em><\/span> can be readily defined as:<\/h2>\n<h2><em><strong>&#8220;The act of making someone decide not to do something. The act of preventing a particular act or behavior from happening.&#8221;<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n<h2>Although it is a hotly debated topic whether firearm carry laws actually deter or stop violent crime, anybody who is willing to look at the statistics honestly must give CCL some credit for the reduction in crime I feel. Although the actual numbers vary, since each state issue those statistics seperately. <a title=\"Texas\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myfoxhouston.com\/dpp\/news\/texas\/100707-concealed-carry-effects\">Texas<\/a> for instance between the years of 1994 and 2008 had a reduction in violent crime of 6,274 and 648 \u00a0homicides. I believe\u00a0Carrying a gun legally deters crime. The more people who have a CCL, the better off we are as a nation.\u00a0 The case in question in Florida is the exception and not the rule IMO. It is simply a case of a person who was poorly trained and overly enthusiastic to &#8220;fight crime&#8221;.\u00a0 A very wise man once told me <strong><em>&#8220;Never confuse ENTHUSIASM for CAPABILITY.&#8221;<\/em> <\/strong>Words to live by.<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-884\" title=\"CCL4\" src=\"http:\/\/hcsblogdotorg.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/03\/ccl4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"226\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"text-decoration:underline;\"><em><strong>De-Escalation<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>can be defined:<\/h2>\n<h2><em><strong>&#8220;To decrease the size, scope, or intensity of\u00a0 a conflict (a war, for example).&#8221;<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n<h2>Once you have tried all the above and you still find yourself in a situation where violence is about to occur, your last obligation is try to diffuse the situation by all means. The two areas to diffuse are\u00a0 language and gesture. If you have ever been in a fight, the verbal part of it, on both sides, is often the final straw. \u00a0We have to be the adult here and swallow our ego. We can start off by\u00a0saying <em>&#8220;I don&#8217;t want to fight, please, just leave me alone&#8230;I am walking away.&#8221;<\/em><\/h2>\n<h2>Say this <strong>LOUDLY<\/strong> and within <strong>EARSHOT<\/strong> of any bystanders. While doing this, put your hands in a non-threatening posture,\u00a0above your waist,\u00a0but in a position where you can defend yourself and access your weapon.\u00a0 Never take your eyes off your attacker; find a clear route of escape and start making your way there. If the &#8220;hostile party&#8221; wants to block your escape, now we have entered an area that technically (and legally)\u00a0can be defined as Assault, and we need to now cross the bridge of taking action.<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/hcsblogdotorg.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/03\/neighborhood-watch2.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-905\" title=\"Neighborhood-Watch2\" src=\"http:\/\/hcsblogdotorg.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/03\/neighborhood-watch2.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align:left;\">\u00a0Always consider the flip side of this coin also; are YOU, by your immediate actions, <strong>PROVOKING<\/strong> the other party? Zimmerman gave\u00a0chase\u00a0to Martin after being advised not to do so by the PD Dispatcher. Take into account this was at night and Zimmerman was yelling commands and expletives while running after him. This clearly is not <em><strong>&#8220;Standing your Ground&#8221;<\/strong><\/em> as set forth in the Florida Penal Code, so was\u00a0use of force\u00a0justified?\u00a0We will come back to that.<\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align:left;\">Granted, we do not yet know the full story or Martin&#8217;s motives during this time, but\u00a0put yourself in Martin&#8217;s shoes at that moment; you are holding a soda and a bag of candy walking down the street and a stranger starts chasing and yelling at you at night, would you be on the defensive? Would you react to defend your life?<\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align:left;\">When we reverse engineer a tragedy like this, we can readily identify where doing <span style=\"text-decoration:underline;\"><strong>ONE<\/strong><\/span> thing differently could have changed the outcome and\u00a0\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration:underline;\"><strong>POSSIBLY<\/strong><\/span> made the difference between life and death. That one thing in this scenario is Zimmerman chasing Martin.<\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align:left;\">When we look at the Penal Code Statute, as soon as Martin fled, Zimmerman was obligated to stop; it was no longer a Use of Force Situation. When Zimmerman pursued, he was <strong>&#8220;PROVOKING&#8221; <\/strong>Martin (Texas PC 9.32) and therefore, in the authors opinion from all the information available, Zimmerman\u00a0 WAS NOT justified in the\u00a0Use of DEADLY FORCE.<\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align:center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-885\" title=\"pepper1\" src=\"http:\/\/hcsblogdotorg.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/03\/pepper1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"161\" \/><\/h2>\n<h2>We would be amiss here not to discuss the use of <strong>&#8220;less than lethal&#8221;<\/strong> options as a deterrent and\u00a0de-escalation tactic. Having this tool in your toolbox could prove invaluable when\u00a0lethal force is not yet\u00a0needed.\u00a0Since the laws of each State vary dramatically in this area, I am going to once again,\u00a0add this caveat:<\/h2>\n<h2><em><strong>Check with your local and State laws before carrying any device! This article is for information purposes only and is not a substitute for training by a qualified and licensed\u00a0instructor.<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n<h2>The primary less than lethal option that I would consider is Pepper Spray or OC. In Texas, it clearly states in <em><strong>Penal Code\u00a0Section 46\u00a0(14)<\/strong><\/em> a small\u00a0Chemical Dispensing Device for personal protection is legal. A small 2 oz can of OC\u00a0can easily fit into your front pocket or a key chain, which I recommend since your keys are with you 24\/7.<\/h2>\n<h2>Just like any other weapon, you need to realize the potential of harm that OC can inflict and you need to practice with it as often as you practice with your gun. The only way to realize the potential is to get sprayed, just like cops do in Police Academies across the nation. You also need to buy a few &#8220;inert&#8221; (harmless)\u00a0cans to practice with. We will be doing an in-depth piece on OC coming up, so\u00a0I will not go into the specifics of training\u00a0here. Please visit our store for OC that we would recommend and also some excellent\u00a0non-lethal\u00a0training DVD&#8217;s.<\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align:center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-886\" title=\"shooting\" src=\"http:\/\/hcsblogdotorg.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/03\/shooting.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"163\" height=\"122\" \/><\/h2>\n<h2>In closing, there is no doubt that the recent shooting in FL was a\u00a0tragedy. A\u00a0young man was shot and killed due to another man&#8217;s poor judgment. Sadly, poor judgment shoots are more common in Law Enforcement than in Concealed Carry cases, but never the less, in either case,\u00a0the subject of <strong>TRAINING and EDUCATION<\/strong>\u00a0needs to be openly\u00a0discussed. I am aware that Hindsight is always 20\/20 and &#8220;tactical quarterbacking&#8221; situations like these can be unfair, but we have to learn from these debacles if we are not going to repeat them. I am not an advocate of the State&#8217;s or Federal government re-examining\u00a0Florida&#8217;s Concealed Carry laws and instituting tighter restrictions or training, ultimately making it harder for somebody to get a CCL by more bureaucratic intrusion.\u00a0The last thing this country needs more of\u00a0 is bigger Government telling us how to live our lives.<\/h2>\n<h2>I am an advocate of more <strong>PERSONAL<\/strong> responsibility in Concealed Carry License holders\u00a0seeking more open source training for themselves and also being Educated on all of their State&#8217;s specific Personal Defense\u00a0<strong>STATUTES.<\/strong> Knowing what &#8220;Stand your Ground&#8221; and &#8220;No Duty to\u00a0Retreat&#8221; really means is every CCL holder&#8217;s responsibility.<\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align:center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/hcsblogdotorg.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/03\/map.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-928\" title=\"map\" src=\"http:\/\/hcsblogdotorg.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/03\/map.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" \/><\/a><\/h2>\n<h2><span style=\"text-decoration:underline;\"><em><strong>Texas Penal Code Section 9.32(c)<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n<h2><span style=\"color:#ff0000;\"><em>&#8220;A person who has a right to be present at the location where the deadly force is used, who has not provoked the person against who the deadly force is used and who is not engaged in criminal activity at the time the deadly force is used is NOT REQUIRED TO RETREAT BEFORE USING DEADLY FORCE AS DESCRIBED BY THIS SECTION.&#8221;<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n<h2>Most States\u00a0Concealed Carry License Class only\u00a0teach the fundamentals and is never intended to be the ONLY training the licensee receives. I always tell new license holders&#8230;&#8221;Always budget\u00a0for a GOOD Advanced Concealed Carry Class from a reputable teacher after you get your CCL&#8230; A good gun is useless without a GOOD plan.&#8221;<\/h2>\n<h2>We can never prepare for all the eventualities in life. We can only train for the worst and hope for the best. But make no mistake, when you legally carry a gun, you are\u00a0 making a choice to always take the moral high ground, meaning you have to be the one to know the\u00a0LAW regarding self-defense,\u00a0exercise self-control, good judgment and a cool head,\u00a0without exception.\u00a0You owe it to yourself and your family to train regularly and educate yourself\u00a0to <strong>NOT<\/strong> get into the type of situation that happened in\u00a0Sanford, FL.<\/h2>\n<h2>Stay Safe and Stay\u00a0Dangerous!<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the recent headlines of the neighborhood watch shooting of Treyvon\u00a0Martin by Martin Zimmerman\u00a0in Sanford\u00a0Florida, I thought it pertinent to touch upon the topic of\u00a0discretion in relation to Concealed Carry and personal defense.\u00a0Since\u00a0the gun-prohibitionist movement wants to use this case to demonize ALL people who carry concealed firearms, I will be commenting on\u00a0what we need&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[13,74,17],"tags":[186,187,188,189,190,191,77,192,193,194,195,78,196,197,198,199,200,201,202,203,204],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=832"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}