First and foremost, as human beings we are destined to make mistakes, sometimes with tragic consequences. Whether a private citizen or a police officer, like everyone, we are cut from the same cloth, the human race. Regardless of race, sex, religion or anything else in which we may differ, I can assure you that we all bleed red blood and cry the same tears.

I say this as one who has spent almost 45 years in emergency services, including 35 in my current fire department as a firefighter/paramedic. I also spent more than 25-plus years as a firearms and self-defense trainer for civilians and police officers during this time, training here in the U.S. and abroad. Lately, in light of recent shootings involving police nationally as well as accidental shootings such as the recent tragedy at the Hayden Walmart, some uninformed opinions have been offered by way of letters to editors. I offer my informed opinion.

Some of these letters reflect a clear bias or political agenda and were written with no regard to the feelings of the affected families. In my line of work we take the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of others without "dancing on the graves" of the deceased. We also attempt as much as possible to ascertain the facts in a given incident. Too often writers pen these letters with "the facts as they know them." Well, most of the time, unless one was directly involved in the incident or later has access to all the facts such as in a court setting as an attorney or outside expert, most of us will never have all the facts. This is particularly true of high-profile cases where some of the media sadly plays a role in dissemination of anything but the facts.

What can be learned from the young woman at Walmart? First, my sincerest sympathy and condolences to her family members. She was clearly an intelligent and exceptional person. In the course of trying a new-to-her method of carry, a gun purse, as opposed to her normal method of an on-person holster, she apparently put the purse in the shopping cart. We are creatures of habit so I suspect that is what she normally did with her purse, as opposed to slinging it over the shoulder. This is one problem with off-body carry, the purse can be set where it is out of one's direct control. A gun owner, particularly one who is carrying a concealed firearm for defense, cannot let that gun out of their direct control, even for an instant, clearly. That is the takeaway lesson in this case. A sad and very tough lesson for those involved, but hopefully one that trainers will utilize to help keep it from happening again. Those of us in the training field still teach lessons learned from the Newhall massacre and the Miami FBI shootout, and I can assure you that we do not denigrate the memories of the California Highway Patrolmen in the former nor the Agents in the latter when we discuss those incidents.

Two recent writers to the Cd'A Press (Jan. 7 and Jan. 11) postulate that it is about who is in our legislature, and what constitutes individual liberty. One states that Idaho is apparently unsafe because fear is promoted by our legislators. One cannot have gun safety without gun rights. Apparently, according to one of these writers, NRA should be teaching about one yet exclude the other. Life has risks, and responsible people try to mitigate those risks, including those who choose to carry a gun for defense. This makes sense because in a criminal assault, just like in a critical medical emergency, when seconds count we (police and fire) are only minutes away. There is no such thing as a "sporting weapon" or "assault weapon" any more than there is a "good knife" or "bad knife." It is human behavior, not the tool that makes for violence.

Fear! There is blind fear, and there is reasonable fear. The latter directs us to buy fire and life insurance, wear seatbelts, don't drive if impaired, wear a PFD while on the water, have a first aid kit and get first aid training, and yes, carry a gun. According to the one writer, we may as well disarm police too, since they sometimes are killed, therefore the "good guy with a gun" concept is apparently a fallacy. Applying training indicated for sporting applications of firearms to that of firearms used for defense is also a red herring further designed to confuse the uninformed. And, a great many firearms were originally designed for military use and yet only see the target range. One could go on.

A greater concern is agenda driven drivel by people who should truly know better, some reporters. We expect garbage from politicians, and we get it all the way to the top, including our President and our U.S. Attorney General. Do we trust our judicial system, or not? National cases such as Ferguson, Mo., have been adjudicated. Michael Brown was not a "gentle giant" but a criminal suspect who also tried to up the ante in his criminal behavior by assaulting and possibly trying to kill a police officer. His criminal accomplice lied about the whole "hands up" smoke screen yet this myth continues to be perpetuated in the media. Why, after the facts are finally known, do some reporters still comment on the hands up as though there was a vestige of truth in it?

And my other favorite, "the unarmed" individual, regardless of race. Newsflash: "unarmed" does not make a person not dangerous. There is plenty of disparity of force information out there to be had to show what really constitutes a danger. Why isn't it being utilized by many reporters?

This disinformation and hate rhetoric leads to racist assassinations like we recently saw of the two NYPD officers. That killer was certainly motivated by biased coverage that portrayed police in a totally unfair light. Did he care that the officers were Hispanic and Chinese in heritage, or consider the color of their skin? He was looking for color all right, he was looking for blue. Let us not help throw gas on a fire by blindly following rhetoric not based in fact, not to mention marching in protests that are based on false premises. Let's be good citizens by doing our own homework, it's easier than ever today.

Finally, a concealed carry class is what gets you a carry permit. A minimum. Many years ago when I received my pilot's license, my flight instructor told me that I now had my learner's permit. So it is with any discipline. Seek out instruction based upon what you wish to learn. For firearms usage, be specific as to what you want to do with a given tool. If it is about hunting, find a competent hunter education instructor. For self defense look at any potential instructor's resume to make sure they have the requisite experience and skills to teach in that arena. Avail yourself of more than one trainer and different types of classes, one cannot "learn it all" in any one class.

As an expert witness in use of force cases I can safely say that it is too late learn these things after the fact. There is truth to the old adage, "what you don't know can hurt you." If one does survive a criminal assault, one must still survive the legal scrutiny that will surely follow. The best way to stay safe and avoid potential grief in any aspect of life is what I learned as a Boy Scout. Be Prepared.

Robert Smith is a Coeur d'Alene resident.

Robert Smith

My Turn

OPINION