Ok, I have some strong oppinions about this topic. I’ve been around a lot of guys that recoil from me and say something to the effect of, “you own a gun”. I just assure them that only a coward would be without one. Here is why I say that. As a husband and father it is your moral duty to not just provide for but also to protect your family. What you think that’s the job of the police? Wrong! like the saying goes, “when seconds count the police are only minutes away”.

Here is where I may offend some of you. If you are not prepared to protect your family you are an irresponsible and cowardly husband and father. You should be ashamed of yourself and your family should be ashamed of you. You and only you are your family’s first line of defence. So if you are prepared to do nothing then you are prepared to fail. Now don’t get me wrong…I know you can’t walk around like a bodyguard every minute of the day. That’s why you need a family plan to deal with problems that may come.

Let’s break this down.

You need to be prepared to come home every night without exception. What does this mean? If you don’t come home safe you aren’t there to protect your family. You have to come home with exception so be prepared to keep yourself safe. This could come in the form of a conceiled weapon (where that is legal), a knife (where legal), or martial arts. Wait for it….there is another option too. There is also a combination of of them. Hey there we have a layered defence.

You should be doing the same thing when out with your family. You may not be herding them like a bodyguard, mind you. You should, however, be just as alert, just as focused, and just as ready to defend them to the death if nessisary.

The other part of this is what does your family do when they are out of the house without you. This is where the teacher in you comes out. Your kids need to know their phone number and address. Even my 3yr old can tell you her phone number and city. A full address may be too much for the younger ones to remember but we need to get there. I know several martial arts studios that take kids. The same kid mentioned above started at age 2. You may not be able to sway some wives to take martial arts, carry a gun, or knife either one. Ok, I understand that. Do the best you can and at least see that she has a cell phone. She can at least be convinced to call for help. If the place she works has security make sure that she is getting an escort to her car if it is dark. Having been a security guard in my youth I know that they are trained to do so when ever asked.

So MEN, lets be safe out there and be prepared to defend ourselves and our families.