Navy SEAL Counterterrorism and Security Expert Says Americans Have a Responsibility to Protect Themselves from the Escalating Threat of Terrorism

Lt. Lawrence Yatch, a medically retired U.S. Navy SEAL and expert in the fields of terrorism and security, says that the threat of radical Islamic terrorist attacks against Americans will continue to escalate. He believes that the government’s security efforts will never be completely foolproof and that Americans need to take personal responsibility for their own safety. Lt. Yatch’s company, Sealed Mindset, specializes in developing personal safety and security training that teaches citizens how to protect themselves and their families.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) January 11, 2010 — Terrorists are nothing new to Larry Yatch, the President and CEO of Sealed Mindset, a San Diego based security training company, spent much of his military career hunting terrorists all over the world. When asked if the recent attempted Al Qaeda bombing of a commercial airliner on Christmas Day surprised him, he didn’t hesitate for a second before giving a one-word answer, “No.”

In fact, this decorated U.S. Navy SEAL combat veteran was not surprised at all by the attempted al Qaeda attack on Christmas Day. He also doesn’t think that such incidents are likely to stop anytime soon.

“We’re fighting an enemy that’s in it for the long haul. They don’t view the world the same way that we do. They have different values. They aren’t afraid to die and they are determined to bring the war here to America.”

He also doesn’t think that the government will ever be able to stop all terrorist attacks:

“No security is foolproof. We are facing an incredibly determined enemy. A determined enemy can always find a way to mount an attack, especially in a free society. Freedom and vulnerability are interconnected. We have a lot of freedom in this country and that increases our level of vulnerability.”

Despite his grim words however, Lt. Yatch (ret.) is optimistic about the future. He believes that individual citizens can make a difference by taking responsibility for their own personal safety and is working hard to develop training that will help them do just that.

Sealed Mindset, Lt. Yatch’s company, specializes in providing personal safety training solutions delivered conveniently through a self-paced, online training program. After being medically retired from the military due to combat related injuries, Lt. Yatch began working as a private security consultant and soon realized that there was an enormous gap in the training available for private citizens.

“The only security training available for civilians is focused on physical confrontation, by using a shooting or fighting system. Those skills are important to learn, but they should always be a last resort. The key to personal safety is learning to observe a threat and then learning how to avoid it; that knowledge has kept me alive in some of the worst places in the world.”

Once Lt. Yatch recognized this deficiency, he brought together a unique team of security professionals to build a training system designed to teach people how to increase their awareness, how to recognize potential threats and then how to avoid them. After a year of research and development, Sealed Mindset launched a web-based training program meant to teach business professionals, international travelers, housewives and students a simple system that increases their own personal safety by teaching them how to be more aware and how to avoid dangerous situations.

While the training program was originally developed to help people avoid criminals, Yatch says that it is also ideal to help people to identify and avoid terrorist attacks.

“Counter-terrorism is where the information in our curriculum originated.” He says, “The skills taught are exactly the same skills that I used every day in the field as a SEAL operator. This program teaches the student how to evaluate people and decide whether or not a specific person could be a danger. It teaches each person what to look for in a threat and then shows every individual what to do about it.”

This personal safety and security training program is called 15 Seconds to Safety. The curriculum is knowledge-based instead of physical skills based, which ensures that anyone can learn and apply the lessons. 15 Seconds to Safety is available at www.sealedmindset.com.

Sealed Mindset is also working in a partnership with a Minnesota based company called Range Systems, which specializes in building dynamic tactical training environments. Together, the two companies are developing a series of groundbreaking personal security firearms training courses that will train private citizens to use firearms in self-defense against both criminal and terrorist threats.

Larry Yatch and Sealed Mindset will be at the 2010 Shot Show, featured in both the Range Systems and Emerson Knives booths.

Sealed Mindset can also be contacted at: info@sealedmindset.com or via the website: www.sealedmindset.com

What’s missing from Concealed Handgun Classes?

All but two of the fifty states currently have some measure of legal weapons carry for private citizens.  Every state has its own rules, but many require some sort of training program before they will issue a weapons permit to private citizens.

http://www.carryconcealed.net/

The requirements for these classes vary, but typically the primary topics of instruction include gun safety, basic shooting mechanics and legal requirements specific to the state.

These topics are all critical for any citizen who intends to carry a weapon for self-defense.

BUT, what is usually missing, or brushed over in these courses, is the fundamental knowledge and skill necessary to avoid situations where use of a firearm could become necessary.

The use of deadly force is always considered an option of last resort, yet the skills and knowledge required for using a firearm are the bulk of available training for men and women.

What is missing from most firearms and self-defense training is in-depth instruction on a systematic approach to avoiding and deterring potential threats before physical force becomes necessary.

For example, most firearms courses teach you exactly what to do if you are confronted with a threat to your life. What they are lacking is a clear definition of what exactly a threat looks like. They also do not address or clarify exactly what other levels there are except for threats that require use of a firearm. Most of us walk around our worlds surrounded by people that are not threats to our lives.

We teach that all people that you come in contact with can be classified into one of five categories:

Non-threat – is not physically able and shows no intent to harm you.

Neutral – may be physically able to harm you, but shows no intent.

Possible Threat-poses significant physical ability, or is “out of place”.

Threat – physical ability does not matter, shows intent to harm you or someone near you.

Help – has the physical ability and personal or professional obligation to help you.

These classifications are just the beginning. The next step is to learn what distinguishes each category, and where to look for these distinguishing characteristics.

Now, for the first time ever, you can find this systematic approach and many others in Sealed Mindset’s online course, 15 Seconds to Safety.  This Sealed Mindset course will help you make the most out of your concealed handgun carry class, no matter what state you reside in.

For more information on gaining this fundamental knowledge and skill, visit www.sealedmindset.com today!

Is there a connection between the number of guns and violent crime?

There have always been strong feelings on both sides of the answer to this question. Some argue that by increasing the difficulty for citizens to gain firearms, you will also reduce the level of crimes committed by firearms. Others argue that by increasing the number of legally owned firearms, you reduce the overall crime rate. Regardless of which side of the answer you come down on, the National Rifle Association (NRA) published an interesting article this week about guns and crime in 2009:

http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=5268

According to the article, the FBI’s Preliminary Uniform Crime Report for 2009 showed that the number of murders decreased dramatically in the first six months of 2009 (see http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/2009prelimsem/index.html).

The NRA asserts that this decrease in violent crime occurred in a timeframe where firearms, ammunition, and gun ownership reached an all-time high:

“For the better part of the last 15 months, firearms, ammunition, and “large” ammunition magazines have been sold in what appear to be record quantities.”

Whatever your personal feelings on gun ownership may be, these are thought-provoking statistics.  The numbers seem to suggest that more guns need not necessarily equate to more violence.

To the contrary, it appears that a well-armed society, where individuals assume a measure of responsibility for their own safety, may in fact be a safer society for all citizens.

Think of  this question from a criminal’s point of view.  If you have the choice to commit a carjacking in rural Texas, where every pickup truck has a shotgun on a rack in the back window, or in Washington DC where firearms are illegal to be carried concealed, which state would you choose?

As you can see from two posts ago, I would feel safer surrounded by weapons carried by responsible citizens in Texas, rather than being unarmed and surrounded by criminals with illegal weapons in Washington DC.

Please send your comments and thoughts on this article to info@sealedmindset.com, or post a comment here to lend your perspective.