October 13, 2011

Hi There!

Did you ever wonder how to fit concealed carry into your ordinary lifestyle? After all, we carry firearms to protect our lives as they are right now -- not to change them radically, but to protect them. It's true that when you decide to carry a firearm, you will need to make some changes. For example, depending on your state laws, you might need to avoid walking into places that serve alcohol without a little advance planning. Or you might need to change your routine as you get dressed in the morning so you remember to put on your holster and firearm. But with just a few minor tweaks here and there, you shouldn't need to change everything about your life when you decide to be prepared to protect yourself.

In the same way, you shouldn't need to radically change your preferred wardrobe or your overall look. But you may have to make some specific carry-friendly choices when you shop for clothes. For example, if you want to carry a gun on your belt, you may choose to buy a slightly longer fall sweater rather than choosing one of the same basic color and shape that is very short at the waist. This minor change doesn't affect your overall look; it's just one small choice that makes it easier to do what you want to do with that article of clothing. If you are afraid you'll need to wear super-baggy clothing in styles you'd never be caught dead in otherwise -- well, that isn't in your future unless you want it to be. No matter what styles you currently wear, you should be able to find some way to carry the gun without radically changing your overall look.

Bottom line: You'll almost certainly need to make some adjustments to specific outfits, but if you find yourself changing everything about how you dress, you're probably on the wrong track.

Blame the Victim?

"Always remember: It's not the victim's fault. If you're attacked, it may be important for your future self protection to figure out what -- if anything -- you could have done to prevent it, but even if you find something you could have done better, the attack was not your fault." -- Nancy Jane Moore

I love this quote from Nancy Jane Moore (who is not a firearms person, by the way). For people who spend their lives teaching others how to be safer, that's a very hard message to get across. Survivors often beat themselves up for providing a criminal with an opportunity to do wrong, and many people blame victims for not being more careful. But all the opportunities in the world won't result in a crime if there is no criminal to act on them, or if the criminal chooses not to attack for some reason. The difference between a crime that happens and a crime that does not happen isn't opportunity; it's choice... the criminal's choice.

No matter what the victim does or does not do before the attack, only the criminal makes the decision that turns the event into a crime. Remember that!

Of course we can and should try to avoid offering criminals the opportunity to prey on us. But we're human and we make mistakes. We're human and we make human choices. No matter what we do, we cannot utterly eliminate those opportunities. We can sometimes limit them, but we cannot eliminate them. Ultimately, it is the criminal, and only the criminal, who decides whether or not an opportunity turns into a crime.

Make good choices. Live your life. And if something bad happens, put the blame squarely where it belongs: on the criminal.

And that brings us to the next segment. There's a new article up on Cornered Cat!

New Article: "Are You Paranoid?"

"It's easy to criticize, but if everybody hated you, you'd be paranoid too." -- D. J. Hicks

Awhile back, I got to thinking about this question of paranoia. It's a common question, I guess, often leveled at new gun owners and concealed carry people. Well-meaning friends ask it, and so do scornful online strangers: "Don't you think you're becoming a little ... paranoid?" The tone might be concern, or worry, or disdain. It might be accusatory or simply inquisitive. And like so many other questions and accusations related to self-defense, this one strikes right through the heart of some very personal territory.

[Read the rest of this article at www.corneredcat.com/Are_You_Paranoid.]

New Article: "Pistol Shooting for Ladies"

The other "new" article on Cornered Cat this week isn't new at all, and I didn't write it. It's titled "Pistol Shooting for Ladies," and it's an excerpt from a book written by A.L.A. Himmelwright in 1908. It's on Cornered Cat because I found it charming, and because I thought you might enjoy a look into the past of women's defensive handgunning. How far we've come!

You can find this new article at www.CorneredCat.com/Pistol_Shooting_for_Ladies. I hope you enjoy it.

Do you like Cornered Cat? If so, please Like it on Facebook!

I've been working hard to reach out to people on Facebook and Twitter. I would love to see more people join us. My Twitter feed is Cornered_Cat, and you can find the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cornered-Cat/132846980141734. It would be great to see you there.

That's about it for now. I'm still working on lots of super-sekrit stuff I can't tell you about yet, but stay tuned. Soon, soon!

Stay Safe,

This is what you'll get:

Updates — When a new article is posted or an old article is updated on Cornered Cat, you'll be the first to know.

News — There's a lot of interesting stuff going on in the world. My position gives me access to stories that otherwise get buried by the general tide of information. I weed the clutter out and share what's relevant to the concealed carry woman.

Announcements — Up-to-the-minute information about upcoming classes or seminars sponsored by Cornered Cat and her associates.

Training and Carry Tips — It's all about learning how to carry comfortably, how to shoot accurately, and how to defend yourself successfully. I've come across a lot of good ideas and I'd like to share them with you.

Recommendations and Reviews — I have been blessed with the opportunity to get my hands on a wide variety of products, and I'm looking forward to telling you about the best of these.

Questions — Sometimes, students ask great questions, with answers that really deserve a wider audience. Think of this as your chance to "listen in" on my classes and seminars!

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Spam — Your email address is private to me. I never share it with anyone else. Period. And I won't sign you up for a bunch of lists you didn't ask for.

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Disappointment — I think you'll love the newsletter, or I wouldn't be offering it. But if you try it and later change your mind, it's easy to unsubscribe.