Newsmax Article– Oct 2, 2017

As a society and as a species, we must adapt. We must become more vigilant.

History is filled with the gravestones of those who do not learn that crucial lesson.

Like many other Americans, I woke up Monday morning, Oct. 2, and turned on the television to watch the news. I watched with anger, sorrow and incredulity as the scene of the massacre in Las Vegas was described and the videos from social media were shown.

We live in a relatively free society. Sadly, evil people will take advantage of that freedom, bringing incredible harm and sorrow to the unsuspecting. It’s virtually impossible to predict every scenario that a sick-minded individual can engineer.

The concert that was attacked was surely secure from individuals with firearms and other weapons who would try to enter the premises. Security personnel, metal detectors, and checkpoints were set up to disarm all attendees.

However, those preparations meant nothing in this instance. What sane person could envision someone planning to kill as many as possible from a hotel room overlooking that venue? Who would think that a sick individual would haul all those firearms and ammo, unnoticed, to his 32nd floor hotel room?

Those questions should make people consider their own security more thoroughly. You cannot count on others to protect your life or the lives of your loved ones. With all due respect to the police officers around the country, you are actually your own first responder. You are also your own bodyguard and “point man.”

We must learn to be “tactically aware” of our surroundings. We must train ourselves to evaluate situations, locations and potential threats. People must pull their faces out of their smart phones and look at the world around them. Distractions could cost you your life. It could be from walking into a hole, stepping into traffic or not noticing the shifty-eyed person who is sweating and carrying an unusual package.

Our world has changed. New threats emerge daily. Brutality and violence are increasing. Respect for human life is fading. Indifference, inattentiveness and inaction are threats to us all individually.

Attentiveness, intelligence and responsibility are your inherently natural weapons. Arming yourself with supplemental tools, such as firearm or knives, are “force multipliers.”

For the people who think that more gun laws will fix everything, I respectfully say that you are misguided. The reason I say this a simple, indisputable fact- Laws have never stopped any crime. They merely define offenses for the criminal justice system to prosecute offenders.

Homicides, rapes, illicit drug-use/possession already illegal, yet they still occur. Criminals, thugs and terrorists are armed already. Any new gun law will not change that fact. A quote attributed to the philosopher Plato says, “Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws.”

What will you do to make yourself ready for the unimaginable?

Will you be able to adapt to the new reality of everyday life?