Most people, fortunately, have not been the victim of assault or an armed attack; however, as a result, it is easy to read about an incident and be a Monday night quarterback about what should have been done.
Two months ago, this supermarket in southeast Houston (Todo Supermarket on Evergreen & Hemlock) was robbed by three masked, armed robbers. Watching the surveillance video, you can clearly see that violent attacks transpire far faster than many people imagine in their heads.
First, you can see that when the first shot is fired in the direction of the register, no one was aware that there were three armed robbers present in the store. Two of the robbers are up at the register within split seconds and the female cashier in the video is just barely able to get behind the door and lock it from the intruders. All of this happens within the first 6 seconds.
Next, you can see the robbers act in a frenzied series of violent actions to try to break and shoot open the locked door. Here you can see that while the employees may be in fear for their lives, these robbers are also in an adrenaline-infused state of frustration because the robbery did not begin and end as quickly and smoothly as they imagined in their heads.
All told, the entire robbery takes place very fast – and this is how the pace of any assault goes. Oftentimes, when people hear about attacks like this, people say things like, “if they were armed, this wouldn’t have happened…” But this is where the most important rule of self defense is often forgotten.
First and foremost, the most important part of self defense is awareness. Without awareness, even if you are armed, you very likely may not react in time to save your own life. This video clearly illustrates that point.
Second, in an attack, most people will fall into a state of panic and scramble to their most familiar set of actions. This means, if you don’t have a self defense or home defense plan AND practice it, you will likely fail to execute it in a manner and timeliness that will effectively save your life.
Bad guys will always find means and methods to do bad things. This is the very reason why we offer various training and self defense classes as well as training tools like a gun simulator where responsible citizens have a place to develop and practice self-defense skills and a plan. Regardless of where you go to buy a gun and practice shooting, we hope this video serves as a reminder that situational awareness is the primary factor between life and death.
Stay Aware, Stay Safe.
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