DON’T BE THE ONE TO SAY, “I NEVER SAW IT COMING”

STORY BY STEVEN PAUL BARLOW

Gary Quesenberry is highly qualified when it comes to topics of situational awareness and handling potential threats.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF GARY QUESENBERRY

We like to talk about the guns and gadgets we have. Those things give us some reassurance that we’re ready to handle a self-defense situation should the need arise. But too often we neglect to train regularly, and that greatly reduces the effectiveness of our “tactical gear.”

And the fact remains that the best preparedness, the best tactics to ensure our safety, have little to do with our weapons, the hardware. The best survival strategy is to be habitually, continually aware of our surroundings, to recognize potential threats and then to take steps to avoid those threats. In those situations where avoidance isn’t possible, we have to react appropriately to the threat in time to have an effective response.

An excellent manual for accomplishing those things is Gary Quesenberry’s book, Spotting Danger Before It Spots You, Build Situational Awareness to Stay Safe. The book is published by the YMAA Publication Center and it’s available at most book outlets.