Self-Doubt

We can all agree that the actions taken by the security guard who shot at a gunman in a Panama City, FL school last week were heroic.  Those who watched the video have little doubt that the shooter would have shot and killed the board members at the school if he wasn't stopped by the security officer Mike Jones.

What few saw was the interview with Mr. Jones after the fact where he stated that he began crying after the fact because he was sure he will go to jail for shooting the suspect.  Officer Jones, a former police officer, went on to tell his wife that he was convinced he will be arrested for shooting the suspect.

Why is that?  How come a former police officer and a present security guard, who carries a gun for the sole purpose of using it when the time comes, doubts his actions?  Actions, that by all other accounts are considered justifiable.

If there was ever a testament to the twisted way we treat those who protect us, this is it.  There is no reason for a peace officer to ever doubt his use of lethal force, especially when executed to defend those he swore to protect.

But this sentiment is unfortunately so ingrained and rooted in the psyche of our police officers today it is sickening.  The fact that police administrators water down training programs, decreasing defensive tactics training hours in favor of academic lessons, is a testament to how paranoid everybody is.  So much so, that when the moment comes, is it any doubt most officers end up being killed because they second guessed their own actions, from the mere fear that they will be prosecuted by those they came to protect.

It is time to let police officers do their job: Police.  there is room and place for human rights, but there will be no room for human rights when society is gone to shit if police keeps being ran over, either by the criminal element or their own self-doubt.

Tzviel 'BK' Blankchtein
Masada Tactical

The legality of beating someone up

Without dwelling too much into the details of an ongoing investigation, I wanted to bring up the topic or using your skills on the street.
In recent weeks I have been approached by various entities, from legal professionals to the media, asking me to provide my opinion regarding whether or not injuring someone in the sake of self-defense is justified.

Needless to say there are many variables that go into play when determining Justified Use of Force.  And without full access to the information and evidence it is hard to draw a clear conclusion. That said, I wanted to make a few things clear:

• All of us train in self-defense, namely Israeli Combat System which is arguably the best self-protection system out there today.  And we do so hoping that we'll never have to use it, but if when and where the situation calls for it we can do it in a decisive manner and make sure we win that fight.
• The skills we learn and teach are designed to create maximum damage to any assailant in the most efficient way possible.  This is what makes us unique.  It is also what makes us liable so much more.
• When we do decide to use our skills to defend ourselves or those we love, we also take under consideration that our actions may be held against us in a criminal or civil law suit.

now, the purpose of this post is not to scare you.  Actually, the exact opposite.  All of you who train at Masada Tactical have one unique and extremely important advantage over those training elsewhere.  Our system has been taught to various law-enforcement agencies, and has withstood the test of the legal system.  Our instructors are considered expert witnesses, and we WILL provide our members with the legal backing in case any use-of-force situation winds out in court.

Lastly, it is imperative to note something we mention in classes often.  When $hit hits the fan, don't hesitate.  React, protect yourself and those you care about, and do it to the fullest extent of your skills and abilities, because at the end of the day I would rather be judged by twelve than carried by six.  And you can count on us, the instructors of Israeli Combat System, to have your back.

Stay safe!

BK
Masada Tactical
http://www.masadatactical.com/

Why we don't let civilians into our Law-Enforcement Seminars?

First of all, because it is called a Law-Enforcement Only seminar, Duh!  But more importantly is because we want to keep these individuals safe.

It is not that we don't trust our civilian membership, and after all, when it comes to skills, our members and our LE students get the same stuff.  Even when it comes to tactical classes, our civilian membership receives training in shooting, and other tactical disciplines.  However, there are a few elements to being a peace officer that a) can not be duplicated by civilians in class and it will make for a confusing situation, and b) we leave a little "ace in the pocket" for these warriors that we do not want to share with anyone else.  Why you ask? well here's why:  We get countless documented videos and transcripts of the criminal element, which after all has nothing but time, training to overcome any skill practiced by police officers.  These criminals train in how to bypass the retention mechanisms on police holsters for example, they train on how to defeat handcuffs, how to avoid Tasers from being effective, and of course, how to counter any self-defense technique the officers train in.

It is inevitable that what we teach would end up on the streets.  Our members share their knowledge with friends and family, elements of our system end on YouTube, Facebook, and other online sources, and at some point we just lose that control we had over who can see and learn our skills.  Now don't get us wrong, we love the fact that you like what you learns and feel compelled to share it with others.  But while we reserve the right to run background checks on our members (per your contracts), we can not do it on every single person that you come in touch with.

So...there are a few things, in terms of skills and tactical applications, that we reserve for these urban warriors who protect us from the outcasts of society.

Tzviel 'BK' Blankchtein
Masada Tactical, LLC
http://www.masadatactical.com/