Review: Best Case Scenario Mindset
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 05 26, 2014
Prepping for Violence: The Self Defense Guide to Protect and Defend Your Family When Society Collapses by Macenzie Guiver starts off with a diatribe about gun ownership that makes a lot of faulty assumptions. For example, the author states that owning a gun makes you equipped to shoot things. She then says, it doesn't give you mental awareness, it doesn't provide you with the principles necessary to choose a response that is appropriate, and other similar sayings. Well, there are many firearms training facilities that teach exactly those skills. There seems to be confusion with marksmanship skills and accompanying skills that go along with knowing how to shoot. Up front I should state that I am intimately familiar with the topic as a martial artist, former law enforcement officer survival instructor and subject matter expert (SME) in use of force. I have studied the realities of violent encounters and how people react to the brutality of violence. This is a subject that I am well versed and studied.The author states, "The only goal of self defense is preventing physical injury to your person or the people you are protecting. It is not about offensive capabilities." This statement shows a lack of understanding of the components of self-defense which at times means that you must become offensive.  In the section `Five Stages of Violence Crime' the author states: "While this model was developed for use in normal society, there is no reason to believe that criminal behavior would change significantly simply because the infrastructure of society had collapsed." What! This has occurred numerous times throughout recent history. The author goes on to talk about the Use of Force Continuum. Clearly, the author is unaware that many law enforcement agencies are getting away from the use of force continuum and eliminating them. I won't go into the reasons but it is safe to say that use of force continuums can be very problematic. A much better mindset is to utilize force that is "reasonable and necessary." There are too many issues with this book that prevent it from being a valuable resource.Overall Assessment:Prepping for Violence: The Self Defense Guide to Protect and Defend Your Family When Society Collapses by Macenzie Guiver has a huge emphasis on avoidance. Under normal circumstances this is appropriate. But, when society is collapsing avoidance may be what you want but you must be prepared to react with extreme violence if necessary. The focus of this book seems to be the best case scenario instead of dealing with the worst case scenario. This mindset will set you up for failure.This is NOT a book that I recommend. Best case scenarios are rarely what you get.