Page 66 - Florida Concealed Carry Law

identify potential threats to you and your family, and then avoid them. It’s kind of like defensive driving, and I'll bet you don’t even try to be aware in the car. It comes naturally because you’ve been doing it for so many years. In the beginning, you will feel a little weird counting exits, planning escape routes and looking to see if someone is a threat. Eventually it will become second nature.
Become a Hardened Target
I believe bad guys (AKA wolves) are looking for the easy victims (AKA sheep) in society. They want people who are not paying attention and are placing themselves in dangerous situations. We want to become hardened targets. We want scumbags to look at us and think, “No, that’s not a good one. Let’s find someone easier.” I want a burglar to drive past my house and think, “Nope, not that one.” So the question is how do we become a hardened target?
In a Parking Lot
When you're walking through a dark parking lot, avoid walking next to parked cars. Park in a well-lit area close to the establishment. Women should walk with mace in their hands, ready to spray an attacker at any moment. Keeping it in your purse is not good enough. As you’re walking, look around and identify who is around you and what they are doing. Your situational awareness needs to be slightly elevated. If someone gives you a weird feeling, change your direction, go to the other side of the road or tell the person to back the &*@# up. By doing this, you're showing the bad guy that you're not going down without a fight.
In Your Car
As soon as you enter your car, lock your doors. Keep your windows rolled up when your vehicle is stopped. Several years ago, a man in Tampa was targeting people sitting in drive-thrus with their windows rolled down. He would walk up while they were distracted by the menu and demand their belongings. Avoid this by only rolling your windows down when you need to, then putting them back up. Also avoid sitting in your car, playing around with your phone. The wolves can see that you're distracted, and it's very easy for them to approach and catch you off-guard. In the last year, I've met two people who were victims of robbery because of this. Both were sitting in their cars at night, when a bad guy approached and threatened to shoot if they didn’t hand over everything they had. The first student complied, but while he was reaching for his wallet, the bad guy got spooked and opened fire. He