How NRA Firearm Instructor Rick Ector Was Robbed In His Own Driveway - Part 2

How NRA Firearm Instructor Rick Ector Was Robbed In His Own Driveway - Part 2

I am a father of four wonderful children. Although I have adequate life insurance, what kind of life would my kids have without me in their lives? I grew up without a father, who died when I was twelve years of age. My dad had adequate life insurance – I was able to go to college – but the void I experienced in my life has never been filled. I think of him at least once every day. I know what that experience feels like and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone - especially not my kids.

I Procrastinated Away The Opportunity To Defend Myself

More than anything, I was maddened by the experience. Not only was I mad at the two thugs who robbed me, mad at the negligent parents of our city who have no clue of what their children do after dark, but I was even madder at myself. You see, by this point in time, the Concealed Pistol License (CPL) laws in Michigan had been changed several years ago such that law-abiding citizens, such as myself, could have applied for and received the privilege of carrying a concealed pistol on their person.

Had I applied at that point in time circa 2001, I would have had a gun to defend myself in my time of need. The situational circumstances of my robbery were such that my awareness on that night would have given me enough time and space to react. One problem: I didn’t have a gun.

Never Assume That Bad Things Never Happen To Good People

Upon further analysis, my major problem prior to the robbery was that, despite the increasing number of violent crimes reported in the media, I had allowed myself to be lulled into a false sense of security. After all, I was at that time married, had four children, had a nice home in a solid middle-class neighborhood, did not hang out in bars and clubs, did not associate with people of questionable character, and was often in bed by 10 p.m.

At that point in my life, although I had experienced several petty property crimes at our residence such as several car break-ins, one burglary of our home, the theft of our built-in outdoor barbecue grill, and a couple of car-eggings, I thought that I was reasonably safe.

Instead of taking a clue from the daily crime reports, as detailed in the nightly newscasts, I had put off the idea of getting a CPL because I felt that “I didn’t need one today.” I let the everyday mundane tasks of going to work, attending family social events, getting haircuts, and shopping for clothes and other essential items, stand in the way of securing my most basic right: the right to be safe and secure in my own person. I had let the unimportant tasks and chores of day-to-day living keep me from doing that which was most important.

(To be continued)