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and Conc
Disabled,
but not an
easy target.
Boyles keeps her
skills sharp at
the range.
Disability,
Self-D
As Dr. Bruce Eimer pointed
out in his article, “Coping
with Physical Disability
in Concealed Carry and
Defensive Handgun Training”
(CCM February/March 2007),
the elderly and people with
physical disabilities tend to be
victimized by criminals much
more frequently than other
groups of people. 1
Not only are the disabled more
likely to be the victims of criminal
attacks, they are also more
likely to be the victims of domestic violence
and abuse. This includes sexual
abuse by hired caretakers and family
and friends serving as caretakers. 2
In a horrifying example of abuse toward
a person with a disability, The
Guardian newspaper of Manchester,
England reported in October 2007 that
a drunken former soldier urinated on
a disabled neighbor who lay dying on
the street after a fall. Encouraged by his
friends, the soldier first kicked the woman,
who had collapsed and hit her head
upon falling, in an attempt to get her
to awaken. When that action failed to
arouse her, he threw a bowl of water on
her. Next, he covered her with shaving
cream. After none of his actions roused
the unconscious woman, the soldier
urinated on her. His his friends used a
mobile phone to record the entire scene
which later appeared on YouTube. 3
According to Randy LaHaie, owner
of Protective Strategies, a company
that provides personal safety training
and consulting services, “Success in
self-defense is not winning a fight, but
avoiding it.” He says, “The ultimate
success in self-defense is when nothing
happens.” LaHaie has a philosophy
about self-defense: “If you can’t
prevent it [violent crime], avoid it. If
you can’t avoid it, defuse it. If you can’t
defuse it, escape. If you can’t escape,
you may have to fight your way out
of the situation. If you have to fight,
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USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n JULY 2008