Post by CAPT Issac R. Madden on Feb 23, 2017 4:32:10 GMT 1
I find it... curious to read that the left is wanting a gun culture of their own. Then again, if you look at their activities in the 60s and 70s, they were very much a bomb culture with guns included for hostage taking. See groups like the Weather Underground, and the Sioboniese Liberation Army (SLA) for examples.
That said, I have absolutely no problem with people arming themselves for self defense, no matter their political affiliation. Hell, I've trained people who are nearly polar opposites of me in how to defend themselves against unlawful aggression. Self defense is a basic human right and though I very much prefer diplomacy or escape/evade when things turn dicey, I maintain that violence is an acceptable solution when other methods cause more harm.
This is what I tell every person I teach, whether they are totally new to martial arts or are otherwise experienced in other styles: "If you ever abuse what I teach you, if you ever take the knowledge I'm going to pass on to you to cause trouble, if it's in a bar, on the street, in your home, in your workplace, where ever it may be. If you EVER abuse what I teach you, I will never teach you what I know ever again. If needed, I will testify against you in the courts or even take you down myself if I am present should you abuse what I am about to teach you. If this sounds rehearsed, it's because I have rehearsed it. It's what my teacher told me when he accepted me as his student and I am using the same speech. Defend yourself lawfully and in good faith, and I will do what I can to help. Use what I teach you as a means to assert your will against those you don't agree with, and we will have problems."
Considering my fighting style teaches a direct punch to the throat as our second basic/rudimentary technique and my entire method is about ending a fight as quickly as possible (whether it's simply walking away to unleashing crippling/lethal blows), I am very wary about who I train and I try to instill in them that this isn't to be taken lightly. When it comes to me taking on students, I look to their character rather than their political affiliations. I routinely refuse people who ask me if I can teach them how to hunt down and avenge themselves against those who wronged them and such. Any art of defense can easily be perverted and abused, whether it's gunplay or hand to hand combat. If a person is reasonable enough in character to not resort to violence at the first chance and respects the seriousness of going hands-on with someone, I will train them. If they even joke about things like revenge, I show their asses to the door until the demonstrate they are mature enough to be trusted with my knowledge.
That said, I have absolutely no problem with people arming themselves for self defense, no matter their political affiliation. Hell, I've trained people who are nearly polar opposites of me in how to defend themselves against unlawful aggression. Self defense is a basic human right and though I very much prefer diplomacy or escape/evade when things turn dicey, I maintain that violence is an acceptable solution when other methods cause more harm.
This is what I tell every person I teach, whether they are totally new to martial arts or are otherwise experienced in other styles: "If you ever abuse what I teach you, if you ever take the knowledge I'm going to pass on to you to cause trouble, if it's in a bar, on the street, in your home, in your workplace, where ever it may be. If you EVER abuse what I teach you, I will never teach you what I know ever again. If needed, I will testify against you in the courts or even take you down myself if I am present should you abuse what I am about to teach you. If this sounds rehearsed, it's because I have rehearsed it. It's what my teacher told me when he accepted me as his student and I am using the same speech. Defend yourself lawfully and in good faith, and I will do what I can to help. Use what I teach you as a means to assert your will against those you don't agree with, and we will have problems."
Considering my fighting style teaches a direct punch to the throat as our second basic/rudimentary technique and my entire method is about ending a fight as quickly as possible (whether it's simply walking away to unleashing crippling/lethal blows), I am very wary about who I train and I try to instill in them that this isn't to be taken lightly. When it comes to me taking on students, I look to their character rather than their political affiliations. I routinely refuse people who ask me if I can teach them how to hunt down and avenge themselves against those who wronged them and such. Any art of defense can easily be perverted and abused, whether it's gunplay or hand to hand combat. If a person is reasonable enough in character to not resort to violence at the first chance and respects the seriousness of going hands-on with someone, I will train them. If they even joke about things like revenge, I show their asses to the door until the demonstrate they are mature enough to be trusted with my knowledge.