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[Revealed]: Your #1 Lifesaving Tool...
BY TIM SCHMIDT - USCCA FOUNDER[/TD]
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A few days ago, as I was grabbing a cup of coffee from the machine downstairs, I overheard a couple of USCCA team members talking about situational awareness.
Well, sort of. Hang with me for a second here...
As it turns out (at least from what I could gather), a female employee was relaying to another how the Rear Park Assist on her car had suddenly stopped working. Apparently, she had only realized the issue after she had backed up off of her driveway and onto her lawn, leaving some tire tracks in the melting snow.
"I always check my mirrors — or at least I thought I did," she said. "But I didn't even realize I was backing up off of my driveway until I was already about 3 feet onto the grass! I had gotten so used to hearing those little 'beeps' when I got off course that it didn't even register until it was too late. I guess I wasn't really paying attention. Or maybe I had just come to rely on that technology a little more than I should have."
Although I was, admittedly, eavesdropping, I had heard enough of this team member's story that it sort of stuck with me for most of the morning. I couldn't help but wonder if there was a lesson to be learned here.
And then it hit me: how that same attitude could be related to carrying a firearm for personal defense — and how it could get some of us in big trouble.
See, this situation served to reiterate (at least to me) all of those cautionary statements we're always making here at the USCCA:
Adopt the mindset that evil can strike anytime, anywhere — and be prepared by always paying attention to your surroundings. (Situational awareness)
Don't go somewhere with your firearm that you wouldn't go without it. After all, it's better to avoid a fight than to win one. (Conflict avoidance)
Only engage a threat if you absolutely have no other choice. (Threat de-escalation)
Only utilize your firearm if you fear death or grave bodily harm as a result of a conflict you didn't start and couldn't escape from and in which no lesser force is sufficient to stop the threat. (Rules governing the justifiable use of deadly force)
My employee's mishap also reminded me that the #1 lifesaving tool we each have available to us is our BRAIN.
The way I see it, if you've done everything you can to avoid a conflict but you're still forced into a corner and must defend yourself against a potential deadly threat, then (and only then) can you introduce your firearm into the equation.
But don't put yourself at risk simply because you're armed.
And, well ... since I'm already dispensing good advice, remember not to back out of your driveway without checking your mirrors. 
Take Care and Stay Safe, 
Tim Schmidt
Publisher - Concealed Carry Report
USCCA Founder
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