The Will to Kill: A Study in the Mindset of Violence
August 25th, 2008
Here is everybody’s worst nightmare. You awake to a strange man in your bedroom who is armed with a gun and baseball bat. He has also brought with him a knife, white nylon rope, black duct tape, and nylon zip ties. He orders you and your wife out of bed. As you stand with your wife, unarmed and naked, the stranger orders you to lay on the floor…
What should you do?
Read this news account of exactly what happened to Roger and Donna Angevine. Then I will discuss the most important ability you must possess when faced with violent attack.
Here is the news story:
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080730/NEWS01/114048324&SearchID=73327635441828
OK, let’s discuss the reality of this situation that the news reporter clearly missed. This was not a burglary. No burglar wants to confront two people in their bedroom. Burglars look for empty, easy homes to burglarize. Burglars do not carry duct tape, nylon rope, and zip ties for any reason other than to subdue victims for further violent assault. This home invader had much more nefarious plans for Donna and Roger than simply trying to steal some items to make a quick buck.
Without getting into the obvious lack of any kind of perimeter defense that allowed an armed criminal to stroll into the victims’ bedroom and awake them, the most common mistake victims of violent crime commit is failing to immediately recognize the severity of their situation and attack their adversary with ferocious, overwhelming violence.
Note that Roger, after being awaken and ordered to stand naked with his wife, thought maybe the intruder was a friend pulling a prank. Huh?
We want to believe the world is good, and that bad things could never happen to us, but the reality is that bad things happen to good people all the time, and unless trained to do so, we are not mentally prepared to look into the face of death and turn the tables on the Grim Reaper.
The lack of immediately recognizing the severity of a situation and attacking with ferocious and overwhelming violence against an adversary is simply due to the fact that most people cannot think like a violent criminal. Law abiding citizens are good people who live decent lives and could never consider assaulting, raping, torturing, or killing another human being for pleasure. Unfortunately, there is a segment of the population that can consider it without regret and which, if given the opportunity, will do it!
As a result, good people are at a distinct disadvantage when they come in contact with bad people.
Note Donna’s comment that she continued swinging the bat at the intruder’s head pleading with him to stop fighting.
Not wanting to unnecessarily hurt an intruder who is locked in a life and death fight with her husband, Donna pleads with the home invader to stop fighting as she reluctantly hits him in the head with a baseball bat. The fact that she hit the intruder 20 times, asking him to stop fighting between blows and he is still alive to talk to the police indicates she was not swinging the bat as enthusiastically as she could have or should have!
So what is the most important ability you must possess when faced with a violent attack? You must possess the willingness to show absolutely no regard for your opponent’s well being and immediately overwhelm him with incapacitating trauma.
If armed with a major caliber handgun, this means delivering two quick hits to the thoracic cavity and if that doesn’t stop your opponent’s attack, immediately transition to deliver a single round to the cranio-ocular cavity (a bullet between the mustache and eyebrows).
You must be decisive, fast, and ferocious.
Armed criminals expect you to comply with them.
They do not expect resistance which gives you a big advantage if you are willing to fight.
Action always beats reaction.
Once you act, fight with the reckless abandon of a madman until your opponent is vanquished.
Do not cut your opponent any slack because if you do, he will turn it on you.
Overwhelm your adversary with incapacitating trauma and don’t stop until he has lost the will and ability to continue to fight.
You are not fighting to kill. You are fighting to stop your opponent from killing you. Still, you must possess the will to kill if it means saving your own life or the lives of your loved ones.
In Roger and Donna’s case they did not have a gun, thus Roger made the appropriate decision to fight to the best of his ability rather than comply with the wishes of a home invader. Many “authorities” will advise you to comply with your captor’s demands. I could not disagree more. You never want to place yourself into a position where you must rely on the mercy or “goodness” of someone who is committing a violent crime against you.
Had Roger allowed himself to be bound and gagged, imagine the hours of agonizing pain and humiliation he and his wife would have suffered through – if allowed to live through it.
Roger and Donna made the right decision to fight and I applaud them. They simply lacked the proper tools, training, and mindset to end the fight quickly and thus sustained more injury to themselves than necessary.
If you feel that you may lack the proper mindset to immediately recognize the severity of your situation and attack an opponent with overwhelming violence, then you are not alone. Ninety-nine out of a hundred people do not naturally have this ability, but it can be learned. Start by reading my Gun Training Reports #8, 9, and 10 which cover The Color Code of Mental Awareness and Combat Mindset. You can receive all 32 of my Gun Training Reports free of charge by simply subscribing to them on the right side of this Blog post.
If you know Roger and Donna Angevine tell them that they can come out and have their choice, free of charge, of a Front Sight Empty Hand Defense Course, Edged Weapons Course, or Defensive Handgun Course here at Front Sight.
I hope the Angevines choose the handgun course because, as they have unfortunately already found out, defending yourself with your bare hands, a knife or a baseball bat can get rather messy!
And if you do not yet have a Handgun and Concealed Weapon Permit, then by all means take advantage of my Greatest Course, Gun, and Gear Offer that will put a Springfield Armory XD Pistol in your hands with 5 DAYS of our world-class training, as well as permits that allow you to carry a concealed handgun in over 30 states!
I will be posting a different article on this blog each Monday so I look forward to your visit every week.
If you have an interesting photo, story or tip about a relevant topic of interest to gun ownership, firearms training or Second Amendment issues, please feel free to send it to me at:
Again, take advantage of the Greatest Course, Gun, and CCW Permit offer in the firearms training industry see this link:
https://www.frontsight.com/free-gun.asp.
See you next week.
Dr. Ignatius Piazza
Founder and Director
Front Sight Firearms Training Institute
Entry Filed under: Dr. Ignatius Piazza,Front Sight,Monday Blog Posts,Newsletter.
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