You’ve got your gun. You’ve got your permit (if you live in a state that requires one). You’ve even gotten some training. So now you are ready to go anywhere, right?
Excellent! To the point, one of the best things you have done.
Agreed. Well presented. This is a recent and true story.
About 3 weeks ago. My friend manages a bar in downtown Louisville. It is closed but he checks it daily for break ins etc. Leaving about 5pm he left the parking lot and turned towards the freeway on ramp right into a riotous mob. They surrounded his truck, broke windows and dents all over. He has his pistol with him and does have his ccw permit. He was terrified and felt certain if he brandished or fired his pistol he would have been killed. He did continue driving slowly and they finally allowed him to proceed.
As I wrote this the realization hit me the point you make about having ammo with you. I realize the need for more loaded mags.
I agree 100%! A gun doesn’t make you bulletproof. It doesn’t keep you from getting overrun and beat to death. The fights we don’t fight, the confrontations we avoid are the only ones that we are guaranteed to win. The fights we have to fight are more survivable if we are prepared. The correct gear, training, well maintained tools, and knowledge of the law will all be beneficial to you in your fight…both physical and legal defense. There is no item you possess that is worth your life or another. It can be replaced. Say your car gets flooded… you aren’t going to get in a gunfight with the water. Same with car accidents… you aren’t going to get in a shootout with the other driver. So why risk life because your car got broken into by a criminal? Things happen, and it’s how we react to those things that dictates who we are. If you react poorly and turn into the aggressor or use excessive force, you have engaged in a fight legally… possibly physically. Now you have to contend with the legal system, which may not see things as you do. We as responsibly armed citizens have to be proactive and reactive. Proactive in training, study, practice, observation, alertness. Reactive in interpretation, and action. Being proactive will help produce more efficient action if there is a situation to which we need react. A tool for defense does no good if you can’t use it efficiently. It doesn’t help to react to Billy that has a gun pointed at you if you shoot Becky 3 feet right of him. There are many materials available to us to learn to avoid confrontation, the laws of self defense, and the skill to to effectively defend ourselves and our loved ones… but it’s up to us to put those items in our toolbox.
Teach your kids how to get home on foot by alternate routes from some place like school. Maybe there is a hideaway or safe spot along the way where you could go get them. This would be easy where we live in the country. In a town maybe a particular store or business could be a sanctuary in an emergency.
@Joe61 Good advice. Welcome to the community, we are glad to have you. Stay safe, Bruce and Nancy. 
Yep, face out of your smart phone paying attention to your environment. An ounce of prevention is worth 2,000 pounds of cure and… Don’t go to stupid places, at stupid times and/or with stupid people. That adage has saved my cheese more than once.
I agree up to the point of defending my home. I am not going to flee or stand by and do nothing if a mob starts to ransack or burn down my home. It may be only property but it is MY property and it is special to me and if I have to use my firearm to defend it I sure will. I think we are putting up with a whole lot too much in this country and people need to start defending themselves. This is coming from a guy who hasn’t been in a fight since 5th grade and I am now 70 so don’t assume I am looking for trouble.
Sir, that was a very informative and gut check article. Serving 20 years in Law Enforcement, you realize the nation we are now living in. It is something I never encountered before, but believe me I have my family protected. Thank God for the USCCA. I’ve had a LTC in the great state of Texas. For the first two years of the 4 year license, I have not carried concealed because I knew I did not have the protection I would need if I ever had to pull the trigger in a self defense encounter. I am new to USCCA, but I am convinced this is the best place to become a member for a piece of mind when things don’t go the way you want them to go, but I know I have USCCA in my corner. Thank you for your time. I just want to give a shout out to Lauren, Customer Engagement Advisor. She is awesome and will answer any questions you might have,
Excellent article. At 76 year old, in very poor health due to being exposed to Agent Orange while aboard Swift Boats on missions up the Cua Dai River, I do fear for myself and my wife (also in poor health) ending up with a mob of radicals surrounding us. Thankfully we live in a more secure neighborhood that some being terrorized on TV. However, in this day and age anything can happen. I don’t ever want to draw my firearm much less pull the trigger on another human and I so hope that does not happen to me. I do carry a spray that is a combination of CS Gas, Pepper, and Orange Dye that hopefully I would have the opportunity to use before my firearm. Perilous times that we are living in and I pray to my Savior Jesus every night to help America out of these terrorists activities. My Best regards to all of my Brother/Sister USCCA members…be safe. Sincerely, Tuck RMCS USN (Ret.)
Hugh7 I agree with you. I’m all about avoidance and can’t tell you how many time I’ve kept my mouth shut or changed my course of travel to avoid conflict. But when it comes to my home I’ll be damned if I’m going to try and “safely escape” . My home is where I draw my line and anyone entering it illegally will have to bear the force I can bring against them. I’ll deal with any legal consequences later on.
Thanks Doug,
I hope you live in a self defense friendly state. I feel comfortable living in Montana but my town has turned very liberal even to the point of considering defunding law enforcement.
I live in central Illinois about 100 miles north of St Louis and 200 miles south of Chicago both of which are a mess. This part of Illinois is, for the most part, self defense friendly. But so far we haven’t seen the problems other areas have had to deal with.
Just last week my girlfriend and I returned from a fly-fishing trip to states in the mountain west which included your beautiful state.
Let me guess, you in Missoula?
Prepare today for tomorrow’s emergency
Bozeman, the other major college town.
Figures 
Prepare today for tomorrow’s emergency
What really struck me about the video of the Kenosha shooting was the image of Anthony Huber(?) charging after Rittenhouse.
Rittenhouse armed with his AR-15,
Who the h*ll charges after somebody who has a rifle?
Year’s ago the National Waterskiing Championship was held in Carbondale, Il. My friend and I flew to St. Louis and then drove to the site. I remember driving through a lot of corn.
Yes lots of corn and beans in Illinois. The southern part of the state you were in has a lot of the Shawnee national Forest which is a lot more rolling hills and timber. As you move further north in the state the ground becomes a lot flatter, the soil a lot darker and the fields much larger.
Prepare today for tomorrow’s emergency
SO, I go to the Portland Oregon BLM Protests as a Citizen Journalist for my Church weblog. I go there with an open mind and Just to observe not to be a part of either way. I watch to see citizens exercise their 1A rights. What happened next shocked me. It was night 56 my second night going down there. I was right behind the front lines against the fence. there was about 4000 people total and about 25-30 of them were being “rowdy” (starting fires out front of the building painting slogans and whatnot.) The Feds then came out , no warning, nothing teargas away, right in my direction.I had no gear,(I do now) I had no defense to help, I was there to exercise my 1A rights to both Press and Redress of grievances, When lo and behold MY governing body has agents teargas ME because of a few lawless anarchists.It should be said I didn’t take my pistol with me then, however, since then there have been at least 2 cases of “Right-wing” nut-bags shooting people at the protests I probably will from now on.and lastly, I Conceal carry , (not all out in the open which to me is just sooo dumb.
)
You’re right. What are your thoughts about not standing so close to the rowdy ones? Don’t know how you did it, but I’d need a plan or something to avoid trouble. I conceal carry, too. Sometimes it does get out in the open…not all of it, just the tip. When I notice it…I pull down my shirt and look around to see if anyone saw it.
Good Luck! Tell Ted “Hi!” for me and look forward to his listing on redfin.com.