Our Duty

Ok, kids, strap in, this is going to get tough.

We have had another mass shooting, and once again, I’m appalled at the behavior of humans. Most notably, the young person, sipping on their latte, recording a young woman as she lay on the ground bleeding. The casual indifference is horrible. You might be tempted to say it was too late for her, but a deputy later rendered aid and escorted that young lady off.

What is our duty in this situation? How can we better prepare?

First, let’s address some Tactical Wisdom that applies to the coffee sipper:

If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

James 4:17

Pretty clear cut, isn’t it? If we see someone wounded or injured, we should help. The story of the Good Samaritan also applies. No one expects you to be a trauma expert, but literally anyone can apply direct pressure or, at the very least, take someones hand and comfort them in what could be their last moments here. “But I don’t want to be sued”…every state in the US has a Good Samaritan law to protect you. Besides, who sues because you tried to save their kid’s life? It’s a cop-out. By the way, James 4:17 doesn’t end with “unless you are afraid”.

What about intervening in general? If I was at the scene of an active shooter or any type of assault, I could not just let it happen. However, many folks point out that I’m not exactly a normal guy (I view myself as a Righteous Protector of those who can’t do it themselves – just how I’m built). What does the Bible say about that?

If you falter in a time of trouble,
    how small is your strength!
Rescue those being led away to death;
    hold back those staggering toward slaughter.

Proverbs 24:10-11

Seems pretty clear. We are to help our fellow man. Notice it doesn’t say anything about “only if you agree with their viewpoint”. We need to return to morality and quickly. Don’t give me the “but if I intervene, they might arrest me” stuff either. Some things are worth making a stand over. Daniel Penny and Kyle Rittenhouse went through ordeals, but they WON.

As far as your fears over the laws of man, God does NOT care. As King Baldwin said in The Kingdom of Heaven, “You soul is your keeping alone.” In fact, the Ultimate Tactical Handbook mentions this too. After Jesus was killed, the authorities ordered the Disciples to stop telling people about Jesus (much like in the present day). Peter famously answered with this gem:

“We must obey God rather than human authority”

Acts 5:29

Now, how can we be more prepared? First, ALWAYS carry at least a bleed kit. This is a pressure bandage, some gauze (preferably hemostatic), and a tourniquet. This is a bare minimum. This is FOR YOU, not helping others. I carry mine in my left cargo pocket. As much as possible, have everyone in your family or group carry it in the same place so that you can find their kit if they are incapacitated.

In my EDC backpack, which is also my Get Home Bag, I carry a larger first aid kit in the bottom front pocket (again standardize this location among your people) with multiple pressure dressings to help others. I also keep a much larger medic bag in my car. After the car accident I came across a couple months ago, I ALWAYS carry extra medical.

Keep in mind that the immediate aftermath of these incidents is overwhelming for first responders. They will be happy to let you assist by putting pressure dressings on casualties and maintaining them until they can triage everyone. This happened to me at a major accident scene years ago. The first police officer ran up, saw that I was holding a major bleed closed and he asked me if I could just maintain that until the medics arrived. I said yes and the first paramedic ran up, and he asked me to hold it until he could check everyone and confirm that my guy was the worst.

Another thing I carry is a radio and very specifically a Baofeng. Why a Baofeng? Well because in a crisis, cell phones might go down or be tied up. With a Baofeng, not only can I reach help on amateur frequencies (yes, sad hams, an active shooter qualifies as “protection of life or property”), but I can also turn on the FM Radio and receive live news to keep me informed. If all my people are carrying their radios, I can reach them and coordinate any linkups that may be needed or relay intelligence to the authorities through them. A “surviellance kit” style earpiece allows me to do this clandestinely if needed.

In this moment, we have people openly calling for more attacks like this, we have terror threats, and we have the threat of real war with multi-national drug cartels who can strike us in our neighborhoods. We must take it upon ourselves to be our own first responders. God also commands us to take charge. Sure, others might not, but Christians are SUPPOSED to be different. Be the Light.

I source a lot of my medical gear from our friends at BattlBox. If you click the above photo, the link will give your 20% off your first order. I get the Pro Plus, and I’ve never been disappointed. This month’s box was all about water: Water storage, water testing, water rescue, and water purification.

I beg you to make a commitment to be prepared and to get invovled when evil happens around you. We can’t complain if we aren’t willing to put ourselves at risk. Take a class with me, Mech Medic, or Brushbeater.

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