USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- One of the things that drives me crazy is the binary nature of people. I’m talking about our opinions on what the “right” answer is for any given situation.
Maybe it’s because we’re immersed in the topic, but the problem of binary thinking seems especially pervasive in the shooting and self-defense community. What do I mean by binary? The assumption that there is only one correct answer for a given circumstance and everything else is wrong. You’ve heard plenty of examples of binary discussion…
- I only train for headshots.
- Lasers are useless because they will give away your position.
- I carry on an empty chamber and will load a round quickly when I need it.
- You only need one shot if you carry a 45.
The list of controversial epiphanies like these is endless. What makes them controversial is that there’s usually a fractional nugget of truth in them. Yes, in some situations, one might need to make a head shot. However, in the vast majority of self-defense scenarios, making a headshot while both you and your attacker are amped up at top speed, moving, and trying very hard not to stand still and get shot, relying on a headshot is a pretty unrealistic objective. And yes, in some situations, a laser may “give away your position.” Does that risk outweigh the benefits of getting shots on target quickly, in low light, and from unconventional shooting positions? You get the idea. There’s seldom one correct and incontrovertible answer to anything.
When contemplating the strategies around the use of concealment and cover, we run into similar issues. Are the “conventional wisdom”