Publius Returns

KILLOLOGY - Bullet Proofing the Mind

KILLOLOGY, (n): The scholarly study of the destructive act, just as sexology is the scholarly study of the procreative act. In particular, killology focuses on the reactions of healthy people in killing circumstances (such as police and military in combat) and the factors that enable and restrain killing in these situations. This field of study was pioneered by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, in his Pulitzer-nominated book, On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society.

An unprecedented phenomenon is occurring with the election of President Obama, his administration, and the Democrats gaining control of government. Try to order ammunition, reloading components, or a semi-automatic rifle. They are almost impossible to find because people are buying and hoarding them in record numbers. Manufacturers are working 24/7, trying to keep up with demand. Why is this happening?

When I ask people that question, the answer is always the same. They believe that President Obama’s administration will begin to enact laws that will curtail their ability to own weapons. That begs the question: Why do people think they need a weapon? I remember the day nearly 40 years ago when the government tried to outlaw revolvers with 2” barrels, calling them Saturday Night Specials. Many people I know bought one just to oppose the law for the sake of principle. And that is partially the case today. In other cases, people believe that crime is on the rise, and they want a weapon to protect themselves. But a smaller number believe the constitution’s Second Amendment went much deeper than that. Its concept was to prevent an oppressive, authoritarian government taking control of the nation.

All that is fine, but is benign if the government resorts to confiscation. But I am getting ahead of myself. Let’s look at what the people did who bought these weapons. Some do so and take the additional step of obtaining a concealed weapons permit (CWP). Others are unwilling to obtain one based on their reasoning that the federal and state governments have no right legislating their ability to protect themselves, and besides, doing so, they believe, puts them on the list of “low hanging fruit” for confiscation. As one who is involved in the training of law enforcement (LE), military, and civilians in the use of handguns, close quarter battle rifles, and long-range precision rifles, I am aware of several problems inherent in all of this.

Most people, even some LE and military personnel, and almost all civilians who use weapons are caught up in the inconsistency of philosophy versus action, which prevents them from using weapons effectively. Here is a “happens too often” scenario: The person decides he or she ought to have a handgun to protect him or herself. He or she buys a semi-automatic handgun, takes a CWP class, which consists of a combination of classroom study, filling out of paperwork, and a shooting qualification test, often completed in one day. This qualification test is accomplished by having the student stand in front of a life sized silhouette target at three close range distances and score above some preset standard. For the most part students are given a permit if they breath, can point the muzzle down range, and have the strength to pull the trigger. If new CWP holders are reasonable about all this, they show up at some indoor or outdoor range a few times and shoot at static targets from the standing position. If they understand the psychology of carry, the weapon becomes a part of their daily life. However, almost all never do, or do so for only a few months before the act becomes burdensome, and they stop. But then their ability is not as much in question as their right to have a gun to defend themselves.

By far the majority of people who buy weapons for self-defense have no idea how to use them in combat. Of course they think they do from watching television. Often this results in problems of its own. I don’t know who is the consultant on these sets, but if they are any good, their advise must be overruled by the producer as not being macho enough. I have watched almost no action on TV or the movies where the gun handler had any idea how to use a weapon in a self-defense or combat mode. The truth is that many people freeze in a self-defense mode, or their adrenaline and stress are so high they can’t find the safety, fumble with trying to load a round, or have no idea how to clear a jammed weapon, and often don’t know who the bad guy is. Some just freeze from Pre Traumatic Stress Disorder. That is, they are traumatized by what they perceive will happen, like the security guard who stood with his weapon drawn but was unable to fire while a sociopath continued to shoot innocent people. The guard was both traumatized by what was going on and by denial.

None train to continue shooting if wounded. They don’t train to shoot with either arm if the other is incapacitated, or how to reload or work the slide with one hand, or know how to approach a doorway, or hit a moving target. That is why I tell people who know they will not practice to buy a revolver. Pull the trigger and they always go off. Of course semi-autos look neater, appear more macho, and carry a lot more ammo to effect the spray and pray technique. 100, 000 rounds were required for every kill in WWII, 250,000 in Korea, and 450,000 in Vietnam. Why? Because the effective use of guns was put aside in lieu of the spray and prey method of fighting.

Success in combat comes less from hardware, ie, the weapon, than it does from software, ie, the brain and the heart. I never met a Special Forces soldier who had Pre or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), yet I have met many conventional soldiers who were stricken with one or the other. Why? Combat in the military is fought primarily by youngsters in their teens or early twenties after only six weeks of training, which includes Basic Training, Combat Infantry School, and then their MOS, for example radio operator, medic, etc. Special Forces soldiers on the other hand are often much older, have some higher education, maybe have some military already behind them, and are trained for 2.5 to 3 years prior to being deployed, depending on their MOS.

What does all this boil down to? In the last blog I said that many people see Publius as one who complains a lot, but provides no answers, to which the response was that the solution is contained in two parts: An intellectual revolution and Killology. And further, that this blog is not advocating killing anyone. Then why all the ink spent on talking about weapons, self-defense, etc.? Because to succeed in an intellectual revolution we must first change the attitude of the masses. The mental management concepts within Killology will allow us to do that.

First one must understand that the world is made up of predators and prey. In the vernacular of Col. Grossman: sheep, sheepdogs, and wolves. Sheep refers primarily to the masses and is not meant as a derogatory term. Unfortunately, most people, like sheep, are always in denial. They prefer to think that the bad guy will not hurt them or their children; they prefer to think that the government, in the final analysis, will do the right thing; they prefer to think that situations will not affect them personally, particularly if they remain passive. And because of that, they seldom protest, unite, or do anything but huddle in the corner when the wolves come, believing that the sheepdogs, i.e. the police and military will take care of the problem, or that the perpetrator will take pity on them alone.

People can and need to change their mindset. Being a sheepdog, one who protects the flock from the wolf, is a learned response. A metaphor often used in Texas is, “Cowboy up.” Hollywood portrays everything as a pity party. Stop trying to identify yourself with such drivel. If you are knocked down, get back up. If you are so scared you shit in your pants, change them and forge ahead.

Col. Grossman is fond of saying, “Denial has no survival value.” And further,

"Stay in shape. Piss on golf. Real Americans go to the range. Choose a sport with cardio or survival skill benefit. If you see a cop carrying golf clubs, do one thing for me. Look him in the eye and say 'baaa!'" Plan A is the British Model. Disarm everyone. It's not working. Plan B is the Israeli Model. Train/ arm everyone. Israel has few golf courses and a lot of rifle ranges!"
I encourage you to google Killology and become familiar with its concepts of mental management.
If you are going to Take America Back, you need to cease being the prey. But do not follow the example of Iran and other nations that cannot seem to lift themselves from the 13th century. The use of threatening words and behavior in protest is not the answer. If 100 million people were to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue, their theme being to return to traditional American values, things would change. But coarse confrontations, profane acts, and the childish behavior of a few do not serve our values or our ideals well.

The time has come to initiate an intellectual revolution. Like the person who takes up the gun, but has no idea how to use it, protestors take up the cause with no idea how to empower it. The next blog will be devoted to both the use of mental management taken from Killology and the use of language. For example, why do we use the term Patriot, when, in fact, that term has become an abstraction without definition?