"Your little boy loaded your pistols. How does he know to do such things?"

"I taught him ma'am. I have also taught him to respect weapons and handle them with care. We wish there were no violence in the world, but unhappily there are those who would use it against the weak. I would not be one of those."

Quote from: The Lonesome Gods by Louis L'Amour

   This isn't going to turn into a blog on the right to bear arms, so don't worry. I'm thinking more on our ability to defend ourselves than the right to do so. 

   Last year I was able to sit with the founder and developer of CQD, Mr. Duane Dieter, as he explained to me how he came to realize his life mission. In my last post I had a quote about deciding what you want to be and what you want to do not necessarily being the same thing, but sometimes it is. Well, for Duane, the two are one and the same. He began his life mission at a young age when he witnessed a violent attempted rape. This event left a lasting impression on him and he was determined to find a way to defend others against violence if he should ever come across such an opportunity again. He studied martial arts fervently, earning black belts in several different disciplines. He reminded me of a real life super hero in his desire to protect others. Not ever finding exactly what he was looking for though, he eventually created his own system of self defense and is teaching everybody who wants to learn. From government agencies, to housewives, his methods are helping save lives. 

   My wife and I have both taken introductory courses at CQD. I took some Kung Fu San Soo classes when I was in high school and I thought I had enough training to defend myself if attacked, but when I was put under a hood and that hood was removed and I was attacked, I had nothing. It all turned into a standing wrestling match. After only an hour of training using Duane's methods, I realized the effectiveness of it and how all my training really amounted to very little useful knowledge. 

   It's training that I will have my children go through when they are old enough. I think it is important to be able to defend yourself against those who are bent on doing violence against you. I'm with Louis L'Amour on this one. I wish there were no violence in the world, but there is, and I and my family won't lie down and play the victim.  

   Lastly, I will say that I intend to also teach my children to handle firearms. I have already given them some instruction on gun safety, aiming, sight picture, breathing, trigger squeeze, etc. I plan on putting my oldest in a rifle 4H club soon where he can practice these techniques. You never know when these skills might be needed. He might have to defend his animals against a fox one day...