Insight Firearms Training
The Magic Pill: Shoot, Don’t Shoot Decisions Made Easy
As Published in Concealed Carry Magazine
April 2009

by: Matt Seibert and Sherrie Seibert
Insight Firearms Training Development

Insight Firearms Training is proud to have had this Article on CCW Concealed Carry Published in the Concealed carry Magazine.

The Shoot, Don’t Shoot question is one of the core topics addressed in every self-defense class. Many instructors ask themselves how to communicate to students a clear picture of (1) When to use deadly force, (2) When to get involved in a situation that involves coming to the defense of someone else, (3) When they should carry their gun, and (4) Why it does not make sense to use deadly force to protect property.

For years I have tried to ingrain the laws and concepts of responsible gun-ownership and repeatedly stress the justification and implications of the financial and emotional costs of taking a life. Regardless of the teaching method used, the boundaries of when to or when not to escalate to the use of a firearm for personal protection is extremely difficult for many students to grasp. The numerous what-ifs combined with emotional issues, personal beliefs and values, and legal requirements, all seem to confuse the students. I searched for a magical spell that I could recite in class, one which would assist the students in resolving the complexity of making the shoot, don’t-shoot decision. I finally found a powerful visual image to simplify all the what-ifs and satisfy even the most difficult students. This is not intended to replace the block of instruction on the laws regarding self defense, firearms ownership, proper storage, and justification. It is a supplement that pulls all the information together and puts the concepts into an easy to understand format.

Setting the stage

Imagine that you have been given one, and only one, magic pill. This one pill was given to you by a great wizard. You have the only magic pill like it in the entire world. You may ask: “What makes this pill so magical?” Well, the magic in the pill will cure any disease known to mankind. It will heal any trauma to your body. It will correct any physical or emotional abnormality that befalls you. There is only one magic pill, and you own it.

When would you use it? If you had a bad cold would you take your magic pill? If you broke your arm, would you take your magic pill? If you had cancer would you take your magic pill? Probably not until you had exhausted every other treatment, and were faced with the final moment. Your gun is like your magic pill. You don’t use it until you are faced with a life threatening situation and have exhausted every other alternative!

Justification

Many students feel they should use deadly force if the law states they are justified. An example would be witnessing an armed robbery at a convenience store. As I’m sure you know, avoidance is always your best option if it can be done safely.

Here’s what I share with my students: I want them to imagine they are crossing a street at the crosswalk and that they have the green light. As they are crossing, out of nowhere, a Mack truck comes barreling through the red light, right at them. Now, they have every right to be there, and they have a choice to make: do they stand their ground because they know they have this magic pill, and let the truck hit them? Or do they get out of the way and save their magic pill for a time when they can’t avoid the oncoming threat?

The answer is obvious, and the relationship to avoiding confrontations that could escalate to the use of deadly force is now easily understood.

Protection of others

The question of using deadly force to protect someone else has always prompted debate on the moral issues, woven with threads of social responsibility and financial concern. Again, I refer to the magic pill.

I ask the class if they were walking down the street, and they saw someone they didn’t know get hit by a truck, would they rush over and give them their magic pill? Most students will respond, “No.” But if they saw their spouse or their child get hit by a truck, would they give their magic pill to save their loved one’s life?

As you can see, we have defined our boundaries. I then suggest that if they are witnessing someone in distress and they decide to become involved, they should do it in a smart way without having to give up their magic pill. In other words, this forces the student to consider calling 911, using a diversion, or using non-lethal physical force, and to save the magic pill for use as a last resort.

When to carry

I often hear students say that they only plan to carry their gun when they feel the need to. This decision is based upon their perceived vulnerability at that point in time.

Once again, I bring the magic pill into play. I ask my students if they have ever been in an auto accident. They reply, “Yes.” Do you have auto insurance to protect yourself from such an event? Again, they reply, “Yes.” I ask them if they got up that morning planning to have an accident–you can guess their response.

And then I ask, “If you had a magic pill, would you leave it at home locked in a safe? Or would you make sure you didn’t leave the house without it?” Your magic pill is your insurance.

Protection of personal property

The use of deadly force to protect personal property is prohibited in most states. Still, we have those select few in class who feel that, “Nobody is going to steal my car and get away with it.” By using the magic pill metaphor we redirect the emotions of the student from those of anger and frustration to emotional intelligence. By inquiring how the student would feel if somebody stole their brand new Porsche, you get a full menu of emotions ranging from feeling violated to rage.

With those emotions on the table, I ask, “If someone stole something of yours and you felt really upset, would you take your magic pill to alleviate those feelings?” Again, the student’s rationality prevails over emotions and the use of deadly force to protect property will no longer be the option they consider.

Safe storage

If you had a magic pill, where would you store it? The Great Wizard had a press conference before giving you the magic pill. Everybody, especially the underworld types, understand its value and would like to have it. When you get home from a hard day’s work, would you just leave it lying around on the kitchen counter? Will you leave it lying on your nightstand? Would you leave it out where a child or a visitor in your home could help themselves to it? Of course you wouldn’t. You would immediately retire it to a lock box or safe. In fact, securing it would become part of your daily routine. The same due care must become part of your routine in the safe storage of your gun.

Side effects

There may be side effects which one may experience after taking this magic pill. Side effects may require a short hospital stay and treatments may cost tens of thousands of dollars that are not covered under your standard insurance policy. In the event of a self defense shooting, you may have a short stay in jail and your homeowner’s policy will generally not cover an intentional act of shooting the bad guy, even if the shooting is justified. This is why it is so important that you look into the self defense insurance policy offered by the National Rifle Association which will cover you if you are involved in a justified shooting. For more information on this policy, call the NRA. It could save you thousands of dollars should you have to use your gun in self defense. Other side effects may include physical and emotional distress, and a whole lot of uncertainty. But these inconveniences are a small price to pay for saving your own life or that of another.

Conclusion

Since there are no magic bullets in this world I am grateful for my magic pill. I hope by sharing the concept with you, the reader, that you will experience a little more magic as you go about your daily business.

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Matt Seibert, a former law enforcement officer and a trained hypnologist specializing in the use of hypnosis for peak performance, and has been a firearms trainer since 1976. He is currently the President of Insight Firearms Training Development. Sherrie Seibert is also a firearms instructor, hypnologist and training specialist. Matt and Sherrie specialize in instructor development programs, and producing PowerPoint programs for teaching the concepts and responsibilities of firearms safety, marksmanship and the laws regarding the CCW and the use of deadly force.

Acknowledgement: We would like to thank Robert Erven Brown and Betty Mazur for their editorial contributions to this article, and artist Bert Tiedemann for the art work used in the PowerPoint presentations which correspond to this article.