by Tiger McKee Over the weekend Gretchen posted a question on the Shootrite Firearms Academy Facebook page asking the men what steps they had taken to equip their wives and children for threatening situations their families may come across out in the world. Historically men assume the responsibility to protect their families, and this worked well with family units of the past. The industrial revolution and social evolution have changed all that. Today the family is scattered about. Fathers and mothers must leave the home to work. Kids attend school and other functions. In the past families would normally gather in the evening, but now there are parents working at night, and children are out in the evenings doing their thing. There is a high probability that when something bad does occur that the head of the house won't be present. When you ask the majority of married women about home defense they reply that their husband has a - fill in the blank - in the closet or similar location. The next question I ask is if they know how to use it, and there are two common responses. "No," or, "He took me to the range and I shot it some." Neither of these are acceptable responses. If you have firearms for defensive use everyone of age should know how to use it properly, and fighting is a world apart from shooting at the range a few times. The thing is that everyone in the family should be prepared, according to their abilities, to defend themselves and other family members. Those of age in the home should know how to use a firearm, and have a plan for dealing with violence in the home. Younger members of the family must be taught their responses to threatening conditions in the home, such as where safe rooms are or how to secure themselves if they are cut off from the rest of the family. It's also critical to educate and prepare them for situations when they are not with the family. Even young children can be taught basic self-defense moves to apply in response to a physical attack. Everyone should be familiar with the techniques that bad guys use to snare their prey. I highly recommend "The Gift of Fear," by Gavin Debecker, which details the skills threats use prior to attacks. As the economy worsens violent actions increase. My parents' neighborhood has always been a "safe" area of town but has seen a dramatic increase in home break-ins. Even smaller towns and communities have seen rise in these type crimes. While most of these occur when nobody is home, home invasions are more common than ever. Area parking lots around here are seeing more robberies than normal. The point is trouble can happen anytime, anywhere, to anyone. Your task is to make sure you and your families are ready to respond to a violent confrontation. This takes effort and time, a precious commodity today, but when lives are at stake a little investment can provide victory. Tiger McKee is director of Shootrite Firearms Academy, located in northern Alabama, author of The Book of Two Guns, a staff member of several firearms/tactical publications, and an adjunct instructor for the F.B.I. (256) 582-4777 www.shootrite.org