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

A Better Way in Life

John Lennon, photo by Yoko Ono

     I used to laugh at the impractical “Peace, Love and Happiness” chant thrown around by the Hippies during the 60’s and 70’s. Although most of those Hippies have grown older, dressing different maybe even cleaned their hair they still live by these principles and even a lot of their children have embraced them. I am an active NRA member, I vote conservative and regularly joke with friends and family about the liberal media and the Progressive movement but I think that what I can agree on is that there should be more peace and more respect for your fellow man in the world. Agreeing on how to fulfill such an audacious goal might be difficult but this is something that must happen. We cannot continue to live our life in a world that is out to get each other. 

     My wife would be the first to tell you that I am an angry driver. I don’t enjoy being cut off, tail-gated and especially dislike rude and discourteous drivers. A significant portion of my distaste in driving with anybody else on the road is that most people take little to no thought of the other people on the road. The overtly rude drivers are not even my only issue, it's the unobservant drivers too. In the United States we drive at fast speeds and there’s no denying that our culture enjoys it. When a person is driving at the speed limit and sees a person driving faster than him racing up behind him I find is just as rude to not move out of the way as it is to slam on your brakes or cut someone off. The real issue with driving is the lack conscious thought to those around you; it's that lack of respect. The exact same factor that appears in driving is the same exact factor that appears in Black Friday shopping riots, disgruntled service at the coffee shop, people yelling at customer service (on the phone or off the phone) and any other interaction between one person and another. 

Road rage...does this happen to you?

     There is no direct connection between this topic of social ignorance and the recent shootings in Colorado, Oregon and Connecticut that inspired me to write this article but the overall culture of America is suffering from a detrimental lack of respect for their fellow man. The shooters in all these terrible acts had different reasons for their actions but the overarching theme is a lack of concern for anyone but themselves. I don’t intend to know the real reasons or even to dive headlong into a discussion about mental diseases and how they affect your actions. What is crucial to all of us is to know that our culture was not always this way. 

     It is very possible that the general population of all first world countries would see themselves living in an elevated social state and that their culture has risen above their animalistic qualities. I would submit that an average American in the 1920’s is socially superior to a modern American today. The reason I say that is there seems to be a current lack of respect between strangers. It’s easy to respect your brother, your friend or neighbor because you get to know them intimately over the time you’ve known them. You can explain quickly what kind of a person they are due to years of experiencing things together. Could you say that about a stranger today if you met him on the street? 

     There is no doubt that this question would be difficult to answer even in 1920 America but the difference would be that in general there would be the inherent social understanding that this person would do you now harm because he had no reason to. Having never lived in the 1920’s I’m left to the opinions of those I know that did and although it is an opinion worn through time and age it holds true that the American culture has changed from believing that “people are inherently good” to “I sure hope these people are good”. I truth you must live your life careful of what might happen when with a stranger because of people who are mental outsiders like the shooters in these recent events but there must also be a mutual respect for another person until there is some sort of proof to cause you concern. 

Motorcycle ride, London, 1920's

     I’m not calling for gun control or for everyone to sit together holding hands and singing songs but I am calling for an increase in respect and awareness of those around you. There are few greater things a person can do then to show kindness to their fellow man. I call for an end to the social suicide we’ve created and ask for all to find peace with their fellow man. Accept responsibility for your position in life and understand that you’re not the only one occupying this world. Teach others respect and encourage those around you to do the same. Stand up for those that are disrespected whether you know them or not. A Jack of All Spades will always respect his fellow man.