Recently we considered the absence of innocents being hurt by defenders during a defensive action. We analyzed 11 times however, that lives were taken or endangered due to recklessness of faith-based defenders. I stated all who made mistakes endangering others should face some consequences. I also do not believe every instance of mistakes should mean that person being forever disqualified as a defender. I consider a young man who was a friend our family. He loved hearing my sons and I talk of our hunting trips, but his family never hunted (or handled guns much). We loaned him a .270 rifle and helped him prepare for his 1st elk hunt. One hunting day as we were putting our rifles back in cases in the bed of my truck, he fired a round that went through my truck toolbox. The young man turned white as a sheet. It was a foolish…
2023 April
Last week I asked a question to readers, “Can any one of you name a time when an armed uncredentialed defender, acting in official capacity of an American church, school or any other business, accidently hurt innocent people while trying to protect others during an attack? That article was posted on and forwarded from social media sites, the FBSN website and a secure forum. It was read by hundreds (if not thousands) of viewers. Nobody listed a single example. The work that has gone into the Deadly Force Incident study (https://fbsnamerica.com/deadly-force-statistics) includes 2,183 documented incidents of deadly force violence associated with faith-based organizations in the United States in the 21 full years between (and including) 1999 and 2019. Thousands of hours of research and fact checking went into that study. Never in all that study has any volunteer protector hurt unintended victims while confronting an attacker. But to focus where…
An old joke says, “Experience is that thing that helps you recognize a mistake when you make it again.” That seems to be the case when considering armed defenders. Many resist it out of a fear that an armed defender, who is not “credentialed” (meaning, by most, law-enforcement certified or otherwise licensed for protection), would accidently hurt innocents in a protective action. Most opposed to armed defenders, carry their concern further, to anyone, regardless of credentials. This Think About It commentary runs publicly every weekend and has since 2011. Thousands have read it in one of the many places it is published. I am asking a question to the entire audience of readers. Can any one of you name a time when an armed uncredentialed defender, acting in official capacity of an American church, school or any other business, accidently hurt innocent people while trying to protect others during an…