When it comes to law enforcement, the Secret Service should have the highest level of proficiency, the pinnacle to reach for. Sure, there have been stumbles (thinking about both Trump assassination attempts), but there are many Secret Service agents who live up to the gold standard.
And I would bet money that it is those gold standard agents who taught a firearms lesson recently, a lesson that you and I and more Americans need to learn.
And that lesson? That firearms are important to have for protecting both ourselves and others and that we should all train to proficiency and carry every day. Christian Sierra and John Miller (of CNN, of all places) write,
An armed adult man was shot by US Secret Service personnel on Sunday morning outside the White House, the agency announced shortly after the incident.
Sierra and Miller continue:
According to Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi, USSS received information about a “suicidal individual” who was traveling to DC from Indiana. Guglielmi said in a statement that USSS members saw a person matching the description near the White House and found their parked car.
“As officers approached, the individual brandished a firearm and an armed confrontation ensued, during which shots were fired by our personnel,” Guglielmi said.
The person was taken to the hospital, and his condition remains unknown.
It’s unfortunate that this person, who sounds like they are dealing with mental health issues, put themselves in a position that the Secret Service needed to intervene.
Whatever the background of the incident, the Secret Service had their firearms with them to deal with the situation, and no one but the person who brandished the firearm was injured.
And you should train with your firearm to proficiency and carry it every day, too, for exactly the same reasons (to protect people).