I wish I could've done that but with the UK in the state it's in, you can't even buy or shoot a pistol unless the barrel is like 16 inches long, it looks like a rifle barrel welded onto a pistol as an extension.

My parents used to shoot once a weekend, but now their old pistol range was demolished. It was literally in the middle of nowhere but after the UK started their disarmament agenda it had no real use. I was sad because my dad drove me around Wales to show me where he grew up, where he hand built his first house with his own hands, etc. He took me to the pistol range about 20 min from his first house but it was nothing but rubble.

I completely agree with you.

the combat training thing was just a personal interest of mine. But I agree that we should make self-defense available to all.

I would mostly agree with you.

However there is another perspective we could use to look at your example. I was once called a bully and I used to think I was worthless, bad and unnecessary. I put no value on my life. Every teacher I had didn't want anything to do with me (they were all women). But one day one of the male teachers overheard the women talking badly about me in the staff room. (He told me this many years later) I was going into year 4 of primary school the next year and this teacher requested that I be put in his class. The bad boy who no one liked, the bully. He wanted to see for himself if I was that bad.

After 5 weeks he asked me to stay behind after class. I stayed, he asked if I would like to have extra lessons on maths and english grammar after school. I was too young to understand but I said yes and he talked to my parents about it. He would teach me more on the subjects than he would the other students, and one day when he put a difficult question on the board that he knew only I could solve.

All the kids had trouble, then he asked me to solve it and show the other students what to do. I had been the worst academic student in year 3, but now I was teaching the class. It gave me temporary purpose and made me feel wanted, feel good.

If he had decided to just leave me be because some people called me a bully, then I probably would be a bully today. The reason other teachers called me a bully was because I would stand up to the real bullies. My dad recieved a call one day about how I "Bullied" 3 boys 3 years older than me, on my own. Sound like BS? well to these women it made perfect sense. The other 3 boys were bullying my older sister, and I wasn't going to let it continue. The 3 boys lied and the teachers just accepted it because of their prejudice.

If we train and discipline bullies to control their emotions and train themselves, give them a purpose. Then you can save them from that path and help them to use their talents to teach others for their own benefit.

That makes sense. I've been in a similar position before, actually- I wasn't branded a bully, but I did get in trouble once for standing up for my friends. There was this one kid who was making fun of my friend's dead father (like who the fuck would do that!?) so I said some nasty things to him that made him shut up. He then ratted me out to the principal and I was the one who got in trouble. So I definitely feel you there, though by the sounds of it you had it much worse than me. But yeah, I'd change my position in light of that argument as long as emotional self control is taught along with self defense.

Thanks man. You sound like a chill person.
I'm not encouraging bullying or violence, I detest both. But I also think that people should have the opportunity to train themselves. They might never need to use these skills which would be ideal. But it's always a case of "it's better to have it and not use it than need it and not have it". Anyway, have a nice day.

Thanks man And yeah, I agree with you there. Self-defense/combat training is a very useful skill to have. Even if you never actually have to use it for protection, it's good for your body and mind anyway.

I agree with you. But let's be honest, how many parents do you know who can fight? The majority of parents can't even raise their kids to have basic manners, let alone a less important skill like self defense.

That only works in the safe parts of semi-developed countries. Sometimes you can't just run away or avoid conflict. Not when someone breaks into your house or tries to take away what is precious to you

The pen makes an awesome close in weapon! Pencil works well also.

Haha. I like the way you think ????????