I had originally planned on writing about a different topic for this newsletter (or blog if you’re reading this on the website).  However, upon hearing the comments, news stories and the way people and politicians have decided to turn the tragic shooting in Colorado into an argument in favor of their opinions, I’ve felt the need to explain some facts.  The same discussions come up every time a tragic shooting occurs, whether it’s Columbine, Virginia Tech, or the recent Colorado shootings.  One side says guns should be outlawed, the other states the tragedy wouldn’t have happened if people were allowed to carry guns with them.  While I have no interest in writing an article about gun control or stating my opinions on the matter, I do want to state the fact that these tragedies would have happened no matter what.  Guns, or lack thereof, had no bearing on what happened in any of these tragedies.  Why?  This is what I want to discuss in this article, and yes, it relates to martial arts.

There are a couple things I want to discuss, the first of which is the mental state of an attacker and second, the mental and physical state of the victim.  Let’s start with the mental state of the attacker.

When tragedies like this happen, the first thing on everyone’s mind is, “Why did they do it?”  While there are many different types of attacks, all of which have different reasons, I want to address the act of attempting to kill another human being.  It is ingrained in us NOT to kill our own species.  All creatures on this planet have this same instinct.  A species survives by protecting its own, so to kill within its own species goes against its own interest.  In order for a species to kill its own kind, one of two things needs to happen; to protect itself/family (or at least believe it’s to protect themselves) or there is a mental illness (even if temporary).  Hence the reason for political propaganda during war time, to put an “evil” face on the enemy drawing them as inhuman, or not like us, to help assure soldiers that they are killing to protect themselves, their freedom, and their country.  Even then, as stated in “Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows” by Melanie Joy, research suggests that only about 15-20% of ground soldiers attempt to shoot at the enemy.  Nearly 80% shoot over their heads or not at all.  The instinct to avoid killing another human is that strong!

So we have to conclude, even if there were reasons stated for attack, the fact is there has to be something mentally wrong with someone who can kill an innocent person who has no direct intent on harming them.  On a related note:  As a martial artist, or self defense practitioner, we understand this mental state quite well as it’s what we discuss when it comes to dealing with gun and knife defense.  If an attacker has intent to kill you through the use of a weapon, they will do so.  There isn’t much you can do about it.  They don’t show you the weapon before they do so, they simply do it.  When they show the weapon, they do not want to use it unless they have to.  It’s a fear tactic.  It’s also where we realize we can manipulate the outcome, ideally nonviolently.

Now let’s discuss the mental state of the victim.  In order to understand the mental and physical state of the victim, we must understand the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS).  I’ll do my best to keep this as simple and as short as possible without going into a biology lesson!

The ANS is divided into Parasympathetic (PNS) and Sympathetic (SNS) systems.  The PNS is active during non-stressful times where SNS is activated during stressful moments (more commonly known as fight or flight).  Most of us have heard, and broadly understand, what the fight or flight system is about.  When in a highly stressful situation the body discharges a large amount of stress hormones that give us additional strength and enhanced gross motor skills in order to physically “fight” or “flight” when presented with a life threatening situation.  While this may sound great, it is not.  It is a last resort for the body in a stressful situation.  Enhanced strength and gross motor skills are great, but they come at a cost.  First, they only last approximately 10-15 seconds.  After that, you’ll be too exhausted to fight efficiently.  Secondly, vasoconstriction of blood vessels at the end of the limbs, pupils dilate and the digestive process ceases, and in some cases waste is expelled (ever wonder where the term “scared shitless” comes from?!)  Third, your complex motor skills (hand/eye coordination, accuracy, etc.) and fine motor skills (grabbing, pulling a trigger, etc.) will be lost or dramatically deteriorated.  Lastly, higher brain function, such as communication and other complex thoughts, also deteriorate.

So let’s break this down.  When you’re faced with an immediate life threatening situation you lose the ability to think properly, lose accuracy and hand/eye coordination, and you’re left with the enhanced ability of strength to either punch/kick (with less accuracy) or run away.  Does this sound like a good mental and physical state to pull out a gun, aim, and fire accurately in a stressful situation?  Absolutely not!  Look no further than the recent neighborhood watch incident where the neighborhood watchman shot and killed a 14 year old who was unarmed.  Why?  Because the SNS took over and every little movement and object became a perceived threat in his mind, leading him to the knee jerk reaction to shoot and kill.

So how do law enforcement, military, and martial artists perform these skills in these situations?  They train under stressful situations to teach the body to avoid entering SNS activation through threat recognition, or at least retrain their instinctive skills to react appropriately if it does become activated.  Shooting a few rounds at a target at a local shooting range is simply not enough!  Nor is casually throwing kicks and strikes in the comfort of your own home learning martial arts from a book or DVD.  This is why we as martial artists spar in class, compete in tournaments, and participate in rank testings in front of large groups.  These are all ways to induce stressful situations in which the student needs to perform.

So are guns useless in self defense?  Of course not.  What I have written above are facts of what the body goes through during life threatening moments.  There are several other factors involved with how an outcome is played, but for the untrained civilian it’s all a chance game and the numbers don’t go in their favor.  The simple act of having a gun in some cases can deter a criminal, the same way it can deter you from fighting back when the criminal pulls a gun on you.  The intent no longer matters; it’s the perception of intent that matters.  Many have quoted Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto as stating, “You cannot invade the mainland United States.  There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass.” While this is a misquote and was never actually said by the Admiral, the statement itself is still quite true. The perception that every household has a gun and is willing to use it is enough to deter any army from stepping foot on US soil.

We all have those dreams of jumping into action to stop a criminal act in progress, whether it is with your bare hands or with your trusty side kick that you carry in your holster everywhere you go.  The fact of the matter is, it’s just not going to happen if you’re not trained properly, which very few are.  You can’t spend your life on the couch or in a cozy office job and suddenly jump up and be a hero.  Our heroes are trained, be it through our law enforcement, military or other. Oddly enough, most who are trained for it will tell you, they don’t want to be in a position to be the hero, as it will be their life on the line.

So please, if you decide you want to purchase a firearm for protection, learn everything about that firearm and how to use it in a stressful situation from a professional.  And understand that the firearm you are holding is meant for one thing, destroying and killing anything it is pointed at.

As with all of the articles I have written and posted, I welcome questions, comments and discussions.  There is obviously a great amount more that could be written here but I wanted to avoid writing an entire book!  So post your comments on the website, or on our facebook page or facebook group, I look forward to it!