How the CIA and My Top Secret Security Clearance Could Help Save Your Life
Top Secret Security Clearance: The highest security level that is publicly disclosed. Information that would cause grave damage to national security if disclosed to the public.
It was freezing outside…
I was training at The Farm and there were about six inches of snow on the ground. My hands were so numb I could barely feel the rounds in my hand as I loaded my gun for the next shooting drill. Even though it was cold as could be, I successfully took out all the “threats” on the next drill and then went back into the training building to warm up for a few minutes.
Over the next several years, I would spend countless hours training, and be fortunate enough to learn how to shoot from some of the best in the business: Other CIA officers and ex-Navy SEALs. After all, to become the best, you must learn from the best, work with the best, and surround yourself with the best. It’s that simple.
Thankfully, in the instances in my life when I had to put this training to the test, and where I almost had to use a firearm to protect myself, the presentation of the firearm alone solved the problem and I didn’t have to pull the trigger (which is often the result in self-defense situations.)
Of course, during those instances I was extremely thankful to have the training, knowledge and ability to protect myself, and I want to pass along that knowledge to you in the following pages.
Also, it doesn’t matter if you’ve never picked up a gun in your life, or if you’ve been shooting 30 years or more. There’s something in here for everyone. Plus, anyone serious about personal protection knows that you never stop learning and refreshing your memory. That’s why I’m constantly attending training schools myself and reading everything I can get my hands on that’s firearms and personal protection related.
I also realize you might not carry a gun 24/7 and that you might have a gun mostly for home defense purposes. However, I think every American should have their concealed firearms permit, even if they don’t plan to carry a gun. Why? Because there may come a time in your life when all of the sudden you have a crazy ex-boyfriend who’s now trying to kill you. Or maybe you just went through a bitter divorce and now your ex-wife is out to get you. If you have your concealed firearms permit, then at least you have the option to carry a gun if that type of situation arises in your life. In other words, the concealed firearms permit is an important insurance policy that I believe all of us need in case the day comes when it’s critical to protect yourself.
For instance, in a rather ironic story, a woman living in Indiana was a factory worker who had to travel through a rough neighborhood to get to work. Her boyfriend at the time encouraged her to get her concealed firearms permit and a gun so she could have it in the car with her while driving to work. She ended up purchasing two guns and carried them in her car with her each day and would bring them inside at night.
One day, the woman found out her boyfriend was cheating on her so she tried to end the relationship. He became violent, gave her a black eye and beat her head into a wall. Unfortunately, after this incident the woman continued to date the man on and off again for several months. Eventually, she decided to finally end the relationship, but the man wouldn’t allow her to do this. He showed up at her house one evening, forced his way inside and was going after this woman’s daughter, which gave her time to get her gun and shoot the man with the same gun he helped her buy. Neither the woman nor her daughter was injured and her ex-boyfriend ended up going to jail.
In North Carolina, a woman walking to her car at 6:00 in the morning was abducted by two men. She was repeatedly raped and then stabbed to death. This horrible incident happened just a few blocks from where a woman I’ll call “Anne” was working for a publishing company. Anne decided to get a gun because she didn’t work in the best area of town and because only one of the murderers ever ended up getting caught. When she would leave her work in the evening she would conceal the gun under her arm in case she ever needed to use it.
One evening, Anne walked out of her office building and noticed there were only two cars left in the parking lot. Her car and a vehicle she didn’t recognize. She began walking towards her car when a man immediately stepped out of the other vehicle and began staring at her. As Anne says, “He never said anything. He never said a word to me. He didn’t behave as though he were drunk. And I’ve not been around enough people who were drugged to really know about that, but he was not acting crazy.”
The man started walking straight at Anne, still without saying a word. She tried to escape, but the parking lot was in an alley and she had nowhere to go. With the man closing distance on her and with her back up against a wall she says, “I dropped … everything but the gun. My keys, I dropped. My purse came off … I dropped everything! I had a mess around me. And it felt like everything fell in slow motion. I have never been that scared before or since. I had the gun … I remember I had a very firm grip on it, and I brought it up. And as soon as he saw the gun, and saw the look on my face, he stopped. He immediately froze. He did not keep coming. He still did not say anything.”
The man finally ran off, leaving his car in the parking lot and Anne was unharmed. “My mind was still not working really right, and I was almost in tears. It was relief that I was still alive, that I was not hurt, and that I didn’t have to shoot the guy. I was really glad that I didn’t have to shoot him. I hope I never have to shoot anybody, I really do! I know from my experience that I will, if I have to. It may make me sick for a while, but I’d rather be sick, and face the legal consequences, than to end up the way that newspaper woman did. I like my life, and I’m willing to fight for it. … “
I could go on and on, including telling you about my own run in with the mafia, but I’ll save that story for if you and I ever meet in person. But my point is, you never know what twists and turns your life is going to take and how one day you may end up in a situation where your concealed firearms permit and your gun save your life.
Better yet, I’m also a firm believer in having not just one concealed carry permit, but at least two. Right now, for instance, I have my Utah and Virginia permits. The reason for two is because different permits provide coverage for different states. For example, Virginia has reciprocity with Florida and Utah does not. (They don’t have reciprocity for non-resident permits.) I used to travel to Florida often, so I definitely needed a permit that would allow me to carry in Florida. Also, Utah has reciprocity with both Alabama and Georgia and Virginia does not.
Another reason I believe you should have multiple permits is because as I mentioned a minute ago, it’s kind of like insurance. In addition to life’s “surprises,” you never know what foolish politicians are going to do even in gun friendly states like Virginia and Utah. So if something happens where one permit loses coverage on a lot of states, or becomes much more difficult to obtain, at least I have my “back up” permit.
Plus, not only do you have to worry about the state that issues your permit, you have to worry about all the states that grant it reciprocity. Reciprocity coverage is always changing when new politicians get elected or when states get in a “urinating” contest over a totally non-gun related topic and decide to no longer recognize each other’s permits.
Lastly, a friend of mine probably put it best when he told me that he carries multiple credit cards such as Visa, American Express and Mastercard to have “back up” cards and other options. This is how he feels about carrying multiple permits — he wants several options — and I couldn’t agree with him more. Another great reason to get multiple permits is in case you accidentally let one expire, then at least you have a valid permit to carry in the meantime.
But before you get your permit, or before you carry a gun, there’s a lot you need to know to make sure that you not only survive a deadly force encounter, but you also survive the legal aftermath. So let me share with you the knowledge that I gained from the Agency to hopefully help you accomplish this…
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