if they’re coming to deal you potentially fatal bodily harm for their own ill gain, they don’t deserve forgiveness or mercy. What they deserve is shattered bones and unbearable agony!

At it’s core, self-defense training, of any reasonable kind, will usually produce confidence. This confidence will usually come across in one’s bearing. That alone has a great deterrant effect on random violent crime. Most criminals want an easy target. If you walk like YOU are the predator, you improve the chances of not being selected as a target. For this reason alone, self-defense training is worth it.

However, if you are attacked, you will need the skills and the mindset to destroy an attacker before he can do the same to you. It is suicidal to assume that ANYONE who points a weapon at you has no intention to use it. Thus, your first immediate response must be to destroy your assailant. If you are alive, then it will be a blessing to worry about the legal issues afterword.

There are people on gun-related discussion forums who would give you all kinds of reasons why carrying a gun is not meant to be convenient. I won’t get into all that because it could take me half the night and I’d still forget something.

I’ll just say that I’m 5’3″, female, thin and always have a gun (compact .380) with me (IWB). Always have my Benchmade MiniGrip. Usually have a flashlight with me, also. (I never made it past Brownie, but I’ve always been a Girl Scout at heart–always be prepared.). If I can manage to always have a gun with me (’cause you certainly never know when you might need it. better to have and not need, than need and not have, no?), pretty much anyone can.

However, these beliefs do not conflict with my understanding that many criminals DO come from environments that nurture asocial behavior. I think that Mr. Larkin would agree that being ignorant about the psychological development of some of these “scum of society”, is like believing that the Earth is still flat. We do as we are trained. Many of the “scum of society” were trained/raised out of mainstream social norms or experienced a negative one-trail learning event or repeated trauma over time. We all will “snap” when push comes to shove. We are all born with a “blank slate”. Education on all aspects life is what makes a truly informed human. Isn’t that Mr. Larkin’s core philosophy?

Without a second thought I agree there are some genuinely “bad apples” that seem to be born bad. But we can’t assume because more often than not, nothing as what it seems (this is what the London Times failed to say). Take this from an amateur magician who’s spent more than a few years learning hands-on psychology through practice. Also, much of the western world has adopted a complex society. It doesn’t surprise me that a well-socialized reporter would seek a more complex answer to violence because the rest of society’s dilemmas are complex (race, gender, politics, etc.). Society is in color, not black and white.

These comments here have exhibited fear of “social color.” TFT training, as I understand it, DOES NOT discredit the fact that moments up to violence are gray. TFT teaches us that we have a choice in an escalating asocial situation. Modern society looks out for the future. So, in a socialized sense, killing someone to save your own life kills a future which is taboo. TFT looks out for the present and immediate future. That’s the clash of ideals at work here.

My respect for Mr. Larkin and his team grows every year as he proves to the world that he’s not afraid to speak the professional truth about violence to the public.

P.S. I’m 21 year old college student. This is your future speaking.

On the other hand, I wish him and others like him would stop debating other peoples’ God-given right to defend themselves. Displaying a warped concern for common criminals while having absolutely no empathy or the least little bit of compassion for victims does not make one morally superior and certainly does not qualify one to decide how others in society should think and act.

If a criminal attempts to victimize you and you destroy him, you can bet there will be a long line of politically correct buffoons who will be waiting for their chance to finish what your attacker started.

So, that’s what I think of that article.

Such violence is never pretty & never comes from being ‘misunderstood’… BUT IT IS always intentional !
Trauma is dreadful -often dire- and NOT wanting to be victims ourselves, we both have concealed carry permits. We grew up with guns but were thinking of tactical-training with ‘Front-Sight’ – a great organization and although at a reasonable cost, they are not cheap.

It is not really convenient (or legal) to carry my gun all the time. Now, after briefly looking over your site here, I am pondering the TRUTH and old addage that a weapon gives you the advantage -UNLESS- it is taken,
& maybe turned against you.
NO chance of that with YOUR Tactics though, is there ?

I am going to look closer, but think I will be postponing our plans to travel cross country, AND saving a lot of money instead, ie, as soon as I buy your course tomorrow.

Thanks – hope to talk with you someday.

And as for what they say about tft where I live in the uk is crap because what I have seen on your sample dvd speak truth to me and I can not wait to learn.

Cheers
Jason