Tuesday, April 2, 2013

To the weaker sex: accept it, plan accordingly!

My daughter is now seventeen, getting ready to graduate from high school next month... and much to her dismay, she seems to be stuck at an altitude of five-foot, six-inches.  She's still Daddy's little girl, but as I've said before, "We're raisin' a Christian daughter to want a man in her life, but never need a man in her life." With that in mind, she has been taught to know, determine, and maximize her abilities, her knowledge, her resources, and also recognize and admit her limitations.


"To call woman the weaker sex is a libel; it is man's injustice to woman. If by strength is meant brute strength, then, indeed, is woman less brute than man. If by strength is meant moral power, then woman is immeasurably man's superior. Has she not greater intuition, is she not more self-sacrificing, has she not greater powers of endurance, has she not greater courage? Without her, man could not be. If nonviolence is the law of our being, the future is with woman. Who can make a more effective appeal to the heart than woman?" ~Mahatma Gandhi


Unfortunately for Gandhi and the rest of us, nonviolence is not the law of our being and a woman needs to equal the brute of a man when necessary.  I've met so many gals in my NRA and Ohio CCW courses over the years that never seemed to realize that or were just in denial of how unprepared they were to deal with a violent encounter, or even just a physically stronger man, until they had a life-changing experience smack them in the face... or worse.


Now this is not to say that there are not weaker men out there, but on average... most men have a significant physical strength advantage over most women.  With that in mind, a gal needs to educate herself, train, plan, adapt, and adopt force multipliers and tools... such as a mindset, defensive training, knife and firearm usage, and other tactics that can help them be prepared to defend themselves and/or their family.


My daughter heads off to college next fall being denied the legal ability to defend herself with the one tool that Sam Colt created to make men equal.  She'll have to use what she has available to her since the university even limits students to knives with blades less than three-inches in length.  The blades on the knives they eat lunch with are longer than that!  While we're taking her to the Tactical Defense Institute's Defensive Pistol Levels I, II, and III in this spring, I'm still hopin' to get her to Greg Ellifritz's defensive knife course in the near future.

So where am I headin' with this whole diatribe... well I'm tired of gals who tell me they'd do anything to protect their kids when they don't have a plan, training, or tools for that night when some scumbag kicks in their door during a home-invasion. You don't need a "rape whistle" or to fire off a double-barrel shotgun into the air. You need sound advice and the determination to take care of yourself and survive no matter what you encounter.

It's not paranoia, just reality and the world we live in... so... To the weaker sex... accept it and plan accordingly!

Go ahead gals... fire back... and feel free to share how you're preparing too!


15 comments:

  1. I love this blog, I love what you do for your family, I love the comments you leave on my site and I respect the SR9... but man that is 1 ugly gun!

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    1. Yeah, but what about that sweet MTAC holster she's packin'...

      Dann in Ohio

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  2. Training. Training. Training.
    I'm taking several training classes this year so that I can learn and continue to learn how to respond under stress and duress when/if I ever need to.

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    1. Life-long learning and preparation... even as an instructor... I'm constantly learning and seeking out new training opportunities...

      Dann in Ohio

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  3. I love the MTAC too!

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  4. Replies
    1. Looks like we both have a couple of seventeen year-old gals to be proud of...

      Dann in Ohio

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  5. Theres a guy in dayton that teaches (or used to teach some pretty awesome knife fighting techniques.. if youve ever seen the movie Hunted.. its all that and more.. from empty hand, to stick, to knife.

    asian fighting arts

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  6. I love reading your posts, but this one really spoke to me! I have also tried to raise my girls to be able to take care of themselves, no matter what situation they find themselves in. Even if that means having the good sense to NOT allow themselves to get into situations they can not handle.

    I also get irritated by those that "talk the talk", but have no idea how to actually "walk the walk!" Have a plan!

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    1. Thanks... and you can never guarantee outcomes, but you move forward and do what you can... prepare, plan, progress... I noticed your daughters are doing many of the same activities mine has done... good stuff...

      Dann in Ohio

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  7. Dann, I am stealing the want/not need a man line. That is my goal with my daughter although I would add that any man who wants to marry M&M must prove he is worthy. As to Ron's comment, the SR line of pistols is a lot prettier than the Glock in my opinion; however, that loaded chamber indicator sticking out the top like an extra front sight post bothers me a bit. Personally, I think the witness hole of the M&P is a more simple and elegant solution; however, it's drawback is losing the ability to feel the condition in the dark.

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  8. Glad to hear that you are raising her to be independent!

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  9. Hoping to raise our little spawn this way (a parent can try...never really know until they're out on their own whether it worked or not). She's 4, and already comfortable around firearms. She's held all of ours (under supervision) and fired the .22 handgun once (also under intense supervision). She's not afraid of them, and she's not fascinated by them anymore. They're tools, like Daddy's screwdriver set and cordless drill. She's already got an independent streak a mile wide (which constantly adds to Daddy's grey hair collection), I just pray each day that she grows up to be, as you stated it, confident enough and strong enough to want a man in her life, but not need one.

    I look forward to the day, though, that her boyfriend comes over to pick her up for a date, and both she and I are cleaning our rifles or checking handguns in preparation for heading out. I gleefully anticipate watching the light flicker behind his eyes as he realizes that Daddy has handguns and rifles and shotguns, but will only need them to act as her backup.

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  10. Well said Dann. I'll save you a seat at the camp for unrepentant men who think women ought to have the option of being armed. I think we'll have an awful lot of company.

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  11. M&P9FS w/CT laser grips
    CompTac MTAC or Blade Tech owb
    appropriate belt
    Jetbeam PC10 light in pocket always
    range membership
    Just completed my first formal pistol training class. (Plan to take another when time and budget permits)
    Fox OC when I feel it necessary
    Spyderco PM2 always and either a BK-11 or Tarani Karambit at hand also.

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