1/6/2026
Let me set the stage for you. You go to youth group with your friends. That seems wonderful and harmless, right? Because it is! But say after a great sermon and time hanging out you go outside with some friends, there is even a uniformed officer there to ensure your safety, however there are 300 youth and only 1 officer. You find yourself in an altercation with another girl who is your best friend, however, things in her life are hard right now and for whatever reason you are now on the receiving end of hands around your throat in a fit of rage. You realize at that moment that you are ill-equipped to handle this scenario and will have to choose to hurt someone you care about to save yourself.
Here is another scenario: you’re a 15-year-old who finds herself in situations with a boyfriend much larger than you who you literally would not be able to overpower if necessary. That is almost every 15-year-old girl in America because face it, our biological make up is much smaller than that of a man or even a high school boy.
Lastly, I bring you a scenario as an adult. You are happily married to a man who wears a uniform to serve our country, and you are staying home raising babies. You go out of the store alone with your children and realize that there are people following you as you shop, check out, go to your car and you realize that this is real life and you do need to protect yourself and your children. All 3 of these scenarios are real life and I am the teenage girl and the grown woman in them.
If you expected a rant on 2A rights this isn’t the blog for you. If you were looking for me to say that a gun is the answer to every threat you will ever face, maybe I can present some alternatives. If you are here because you are scared that these scenarios could be you or your daughter, niece, coworker, or friend; keep reading.
After the incident in middle school, I knew that I needed to know some basics to be able to protect myself and that’s when I went next door to my DPD neighbor and asked for help. Those basics were enough to get me confidence through middle school and into high school… however, when scenario 2 entered the picture, it was time to consider bigger more effective forms of self defense and that is exactly what I did.
Fast forward to married, moving on and off Air Force bases in rural areas and city suburbs, a firearm was an amazing option, but I needed a safe and effective way to have it ready for me but not accessible to my children. Do I off body carry and risk them gaining access to my bag? Do I on body carry and deal with how to strap one onto my person while also having a firearm? Wait…. What do I do with the kids if I actually need to use my firearm and I have them with me?
These are real thoughts that are our due diligence to think through and create game plans for. Not out of fear or being paranoid but being informed and prepared.
As a small female and a former Level 3 licensed security officer and level 4 licensed body guard in the state of Texas I can tell you firsthand your options are many and your reality is you should choose one. Ignorance does not negate issue it only leaves you ill-prepared to handle it.
If you have read this far you are already taking the first steps to understanding how to better prepare yourself for the task at hand. Preparing for the worst but praying that day never comes. I urge you to learn what you are comfortable with and lean into it. If guns scare you, try a stun gun and some pepper spray (the foam is preferred), maybe add in a body alarm. If you just don’t know that you are comfortable enough to carry and discharge a firearm; take classes.
Familiarize yourself with your area of shopping, living, lifestyle and assess what your most likely risk is and what weapon or self-defense tactics give you the upper hand. My personal advice is to get comfortable with as many of the aforementioned options as you can so that you can use them as you need them when you need them. In seasons of life when my firearm could not come to our duty station, I was so grateful I had other weapons and skills to protect myself and my children. Conversely in seasons where I could have my firearm with me, I enjoyed the freedom to do so while also carrying the weight of the fact that my tool on my belt (literally) was deadly.
In closing, evil exists, it always has and it always will, but your title of victim is something you never have to claim. You determine your ability to handle the situations thrown at you and while we cannot always prevent evil, our preparedness and attentiveness to the world around us can eliminate many threats we may face. Stay vigilant and stay dangerous friends.
