by Michael W Loos
USA –-(Ammoland.com)- As we move closer to the election, with terror attacks taking place and the uncertainty of the coming changes in the Supreme Court and thus, the Second Amendment, the questions about the concealed carry lifestyle keep on coming.
Here are a few more…
With the thought of carrying, many people want to know how to avoid the fight all together, or they are afraid of being surprised and being unable to defend themselves.
I talk to them about Condition Yellow and use this analogy.
This is NOT Condition Yellow:
You get up in the morning, shower, get dressed, make breakfast, help get the kids out the door, their smiling faces a nice send-off to your busy day at work.
You kiss your spouse good-bye, give them a hug and jump into the car. Starting it up, you put it into reverse and as you back up, you look back over your shoulder and have to hit the brakes as a car suddenly comes from behind a parked car. Finally you swing into the street.
As you pull away your hand reaches out to the radio, changing the channel, turning up the volume. You hear a yell and look up to see your neighbor waving at you as they jog down the street moving quickly up onto the curbing as you go by them. You wave back with a smile, thinking ‘why is he waving with his fist?’
At the stop sign you turn right, the sun shining in your eyes, and you wonder at the brilliance of the blue sky as “Hey Carrie Anne…” blares through the speakers. A pothole shakes the steering wheel and you make a mental note to call the city when you get to the office.
As you come to the stoplight, which is green, you are in the right hand lane, tapping your hands to the wheel in time to the music. The car on your left slows to make the turn while you continue on through the intersec…BAM! CRASH! A car has just crushed the drivers side door, slamming you to the left, the side airbag deploying, the front airbag deploying, smoke and the sound of twisting steel and a racing engine attack your ears as your car spins crazily across the road into a telephone pole.
The last thing you hear as blood flows into your eyes and you pass out is “Hey Carrie Anne, what’s your game now, can anybody play…”
This IS Condition Yellow:
You get up in the morning, shower, get dressed, make breakfast, help get the kids out the door, their smiling faces a nice send-off to your busy day at work.
You kiss your spouse good-bye, give them a hug and jump into the car – looking behind it to make sure none of the neighborhood children are there. Starting it up, you put it into reverse and as you back up, you look back over your shoulder watching not only the road, but the sidewalks for people walking. You see a car just as it moves through some parked cars on the street and you gently brake, letting him go by before swinging into the street.
As you pull away you look into both side mirrors and then your rear view mirror to make sure everything is set correctly. When you are comfortable you reach over to the radio and turn it down a little, so you can concentrate on your driving. You notice your neighbor jogging next to the curb and move over a little to give him room, smiling and waving as you do.
At the stop sign you turn right, the sun shining in your eyes, and you wonder at the brilliance of the blue sky as you pull down the visor, cutting the glare and allowing you to see a child’s ball in the roadway, going around it. You laugh as you think of the next person who doesn’t see it and runs over it with a bang – thinking it’s going to feel like a pothole!
As you come to the stoplight, which is green, you are in the right hand lane, lightly tapping your hands to the wheel in time to the music on the radio. The car on your left slows to make a left… and you wonder why? There is no oncoming traffic. The road ahead is clear for him to turn left. You lift off the gas pedal, allowing your car to slow as you look around, trying to see if there is a problem. And then on your left you see a car that is swerving, bearing down on the intersection, about to go through a red light!
You easily stop your slowing car, watching as the idiot blasts through the intersection, a phone to his ear, completely unaware of the carnage he has avoided. You shake your head, look at the car on your left and nod in commiseration with the driver at the idiot drivers stupidity, look both ways, check the light and go on your way to work.
As you do, you realize your favorite song is playing gently through the speakers, “Hey Carrie Anne, what’s your game now, can anybody play…”
Condition Yellow allows you to see everything coming before it gets to you.
It allows you to make decisions ahead of time that can not only keep you out of the fight, but if a fight arrives, will allow you to be better prepared to work up a plan.
If you are not in Condition Yellow, it’s as if you are standing in the middle of the expressway with cars roaring by at 60 mph, just inches from you, your hair and clothes flapping in the wind, going far to fast for you to react – so you stay there, frozen.
If you are in Condition Yellow, you are driving at 60 mph, right along with traffic, seeing everything as it happens in real time, slowly, allowing anticipation.
Stay Safe and Carry Responsibly,
Hipshot – NewGunnerJournal.
My new book – Concealed Carry and the War on the Second Amendment, a collection from the New Gunner Journal – is now available at Lulu.com, Amazon and Barnes and Noble. If you have any questions about Concealed Carry or are sitting on the fence, this would make a nice Christmas present to learn about the lifestyle and those who live it.