Protecting the Innocent

As a Jack or Jill, each member of this community has already decided for themselves how they are going to act in any dangerous or confrontational situation. The Jacks possess the training and the level-headedness to make choices that can protect lives—especially the life of an innocent bystander.

It was once proposed to me that any gun owner worth his barrel would never leave his home to protect his neighbor in an emergency. I’ve often wondered how true his statement would be.

The answer is most likely. The average gun owner, even one with a concealed carry permit, is only trained to protect themselves and their home. Running into another person’s home trying to save lives is not something just anyone would or should do. Even those trained often are overcome with fear or apathy toward the victims.

Emergency situations should all be assessed before jumping into action. There are five steps:

     NOTICE that there is an emergency. Taking note of the situation is a critical step one because large groups of people are less likely to see things around them. As an individual, you are responsible to look around and stay aware of your surroundings.

      

      DETERMINE that there is an emergency. Make sure for yourself that there is something going on that is beyond the range of normal interaction. What you may have noticed as odd initially may turn out to be benign.

      DECIDE how responsible you feel. If someone is choking and you know the Heimlich maneuver and you didn’t help that person, then you would feel guilty if you didn’t help out. Knowing how responsible you’ll feel will make it easy to determine if you will help. This is the difference between those who choose to help and those who walk by. Whether you can help or not—you may still feel like it is your responsibility to assist in a situation.

     

      CREATE a plan of action. Before you do anything to get involved determine what it is that you can do to help. This could be coordinating others or calming people who have information or skills you may need, or it can be calling the proper authorities. A plan of action is the best way to orderly contain an emergency situation.

     IMPLEMENTATION Put your plan into action. And take whatever action necessary to relieve the situation until responsibility can be handed over to the first responders.

Very often knowing what to do and having the courage to do it will make Jacks and Jills the most responsible people available. In the case of a home invasion or a dangerous situation you also have to consider how dangerous it will be for you. 

If lives cannot be saved by your intervention then putting your life at risk may not be worth it. It is up to every individual to ask themselves if they have the skills to help without putting another person’s life at stake.

The victims of crime or other life threatening situations are the innocent lives that can be saved but so are those in the vicinity who could be affected for good or for bad. In an emergency there may never be a call for help, but there will always be opportunities for one to do so. Helping, saving, and protecting the innocent is some of the most important training any Jack could undertake.

--Guest Author: Marissa Barnes