Concealed Carry Corner: The Art Of De-escalation

Welcome back to another edition of Concealed Carry Corner. Last week, we discussed holster and ammo selection when it comes to your carry gun. If you happened to miss that article, be sure to click the link here to check it out. This week, I want to talk about one of the most important aspects of carrying a concealed firearm. Talking about the latest and greatest gear is one of the best parts of these articles but the most important factor is your ability to have situational awareness and defuse a potentially deadly situation, The trauma and legal repercussions of defending yourself can last years if not a lifetime. Although we carry a firearm for protection, the real skill is being able to avoid danger before you ever need to pull your firearm. Let’s take a closer look at the art of de-escalation.

This imbalance of power in your favor means you need to not only be the best version of yourself but also go out of your way to avoid the use of your power in potentially dangerous situations. I will often see people ask ridiculous what-if questions when they are taking a concealed carry class about when they can draw and use their firearms. Some individuals don’t understand the responsibility of carrying a concealed firearm. Your attitude, demeanor, and behavior need to center around conflict avoidance and defusing conflict before you ever get into a situation where you need to defend yourself.

Understanding Situational Awareness

The first step in avoiding any violent conflict is having the ability to see a potential issue well before ever being in a given situation. There are a number of steps that can make life easier when out in public with a concealed handgun. The first factor when it comes to situational awareness is having keen observation. Being able to pay attention to people, and movements and looking for things out of the ordinary. Being able to see potential threats from a distance is the first way to avoid conflict entirely. One of the most important aspects of observations is being able to see the baselines of society and judging if your surroundings are normal or something is off.

Being able to pick up small things that seem out of place or not normal can be the biggest warning to avoid an area entirely. Once you start to understand baselines in society, the last part of situational awareness is predicting outcomes and then basing a plan on those predictions. With more practice and changing your mindset to start looking for things that don’t seem normal, it will become easier to pick out certain situations or individuals who seem out of place. Having simple situational awareness and avoiding things that seem out of place will allow you to avoid 90% of all dangerous situations.

The Importance of De-escalation 

There will always be unavoidable situations. No matter how aware you are, there is always the chance of something happening suddenly with no time to avoid the situation. This is when de-escalation is paramount to avoid any violent interaction. De-escalation can be anything from having effective communication skills where you talk in a calm and clear voice with no aggression to factors like body language and proximity that can also play a role in how people react. The best thing to do is not puff up and prepare to fight but instead remain calm and create distance from the person you’re interacting with.

Trying to create distance and having a calm demeanor can usually be enough to show you don’t want to advance any aggression. Some people say finding common ground is also important but the faster you can put distance between you and a threat, the better the outcome typically. There’s a stigma out there for a portion of the community that thinks their gun is the first thing they should go for when put in danger but it’s truthfully the last resort rather than the first choice. The legal battle along with the trauma that follows from a violent interaction will last much longer than simply taking extra steps to avoid a dangerous situation. Having the power of a concealed firearm should be the driving force not to have to use it in a violent situation and avoid taking life no matter what.

Overall Thoughts

Although talking about the latest carry guns, holsters, and other accessories is important, it’s also extremely important to talk about the importance of avoiding harmful situations and de-escalating them if you find yourself in a bad situation. The key is to remain calm and put distance between you and the threat. Whether that’s moving away or driving away in a vehicle just getting away from the threat should be the most important task at the given moment. If you become cornered and have no other option, it would be time to draw your firearm as a last resort.

What do you guys do to be aware in public and do you agree with avoiding conflict at all costs? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. If you have questions about carrying concealed or firearms in general, feel free to shoot me a message on Instagram @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there and we will see you next week for another edition of Concealed Carry Corner.