Gun-free dining in Tennesee

[spin]

12. Long ago in a martial arts class I learned some wisdom. ...

My sensei was one of the highest ranked judo black belts in the United States. He had originally trained in the Kodokan in Japan and also held a black belt in karate and jujitsu. I attended his self defense jujitsu class which incorporated techniques from many different martial arts. The class was devoted to techniques used to disarm an armed attacker and how to fight and subdue an unarmed attacker. Some "tricks" might prove lethal and many would definitely disable an attacker and put him in the hospital. This was not a class that taught martial arts as a sport but instead was a class on dirty but effective street fighting. My sensei was very careful on who attended his class. He definitely had no interest in teaching anyone who would misuse the lessons he learned.

He told my class, "You only use the tricks I will teach you if absolutely necessary. If your situational awareness fails you and you find yourself confronted by a man with a knife or a gun, look into his eyes as the eyes are the mirror of the soul. If you feel that all he wants is your wallet, just give it to him. You can always replace your money, your ID and your credit cards. You can't replace your health as easily and you definitely do not wish to get killed. If you do believe that he will seriously hurt or kill you even if you do comply, then use what I will teach to stop his attack. You will have nothing to lose."

I am now much older and not in the physical condition that I was when I took the class. While I still remember many of the techniques, I haven't practiced them in years. A predator would consider me a weak member of the herd as I am now elderly and walk with a bad limp. I can no longer run away as a five year old child could easily catch me.

Still I have no desire to end up as a victim in the hospital for a long stay or six feet under merely because some individual would enjoy beating me up or killing me. If all he wants is my wallet, I will give it to him. If he attacks, I will use my handgun to stop him if I can. I have absolutely no intention of ever drawing it unless I intend to fire it to stop a violent attack.

If I find an intruder in my home, I have every right to suspect that he is very dangerous. It's fairly easy to determine if a house is occupied and break in when it is not. If the intruder obeyed my instructions or ran I would not shoot him. but if he attacked I would be willing to use my weapon. I'm not worried about my possessions as I have insurance and can replace them, but I do value my life and my health.

Actually I doubt if I will ever have to use a firearm for self defense as violent crime in our nation has fallen to levels last seen in the late 1960s. Still violence has not disappeared from our society and the chance that I might be attacked exists. I don't feel that I am excessively paranoid but just realistic. I've found that life sometimes comes at you in surprising ways and there is some wisdom in being as prepared as is reasonably possible.

We probably come from far different backgrounds and have a different philosophy on life. Chances are that neither of us will ever be a victim of violent crime. I definitely will not advise you to run out and get a gun for home defense or a license to carry one. After careful consideration, I have made that decision but I do realize just how dangerous they are. Firearms are definitely not for everybody.