Question 9: How is fighting a terrorist — a person who’s willing to give his life for a cause — different from fighting a mugger, a gangbanger or a rapist?Kelly McCann: Fighting a person who has already given up their life to their cause is significantly different from fighting anyone else. Criminals want to live to continue to do what they do or enjoy the reputation they create for themselves. The concept of martyrdom includes the death of the perpetrator, so it is different. There are crossovers — a criminal may not care if he goes to prison or even dies rather than be seen as having lost a fight — but there’s not a religious element [to most criminal acts]. When confronted by a terrorist, it would be unwise to think the incident will end up any other way than someone dying.
Kelly McCann photo by Robert Reiff
Mike Gillette: You just have to play the hand that’s been dealt to you. The idea of being willing to die for a cause is not unique to terrorists. As a cop, I encountered any number of street criminals who wanted to die. They would actually scream things like, “Shoot me, I want to die!” There is a unique element of risk when dealing with anyone who does not care whether they live or die, but a gang member can kill you just as surely as a terrorist can. It is up to you to use your powers of perception to assess what you’re dealing with and to respond accordingly. The idea of developing different strategies for muggers, bikers, skinheads or terrorists takes what is already a difficult task and makes it unmanageable.
So make it simpler. You are a good guy (or girl) and you may one day have to deal with a bad guy (or girl). If that happens, there won’t be time to do anything except respond to whatever threat is presented to you. And only after the fact will there be time to analyze whether your attacker was a gang member, a mugger or a terrorist.
Mike Janich: Criminals look for victims and are generally motivated by personal desires. Terrorists look for body counts and are motivated by a cause that they believe goes far beyond the individual. Because they believe they have a greater purpose and have often accepted their own deaths, they are much harder to stop. It’s possible that you could deter a criminal by fighting back and convincing him that you’re not easy prey. A terrorist will typically be much more determined. Against that type of threat, you only have two choices: You stop him, or you let him.
....Mike Gillette: If a person trains in the martial arts and doesn’t train to defend against weapons, I consider them to be either recreational athletes or historical re-enactment enthusiasts. You will never be attacked one-on-one in the daylight, with ample warning and without the potential for weapons to be involved. Statistically, you are far more likely to be confronted by multiple attackers, and they will be armed with something. If you don’t train for those contingencies, that’s fine. But self-protection is unique in that you don’t get to define what it is. It is ultimately defined by whatever is circumstantially thrust upon you.
Mike Janich Photo by Rick Hustead
....Mike Gillette: If a person trains in the martial arts and doesn’t train to defend against weapons, I consider them to be either recreational athletes or historical re-enactment enthusiasts. You will never be attacked one-on-one in the daylight, with ample warning and without the potential for weapons to be involved. Statistically, you are far more likely to be confronted by multiple attackers, and they will be armed with something. If you don’t train for those contingencies, that’s fine. But self-protection is unique in that you don’t get to define what it is. It is ultimately defined by whatever is circumstantially thrust upon you.
Photo Courtesy of Mike Gillette
Photo Courtesy of John Riddle
