This Will Make You Cringe

Not too long ago, you may have heard about the California man who was sadistically tortured and even had his private part cut off. The man was a successful marijuana dispenser who apparently bragged about his wealth. 

One of his clients told some friends that the marijuana shop owner had a lot of cash so they hatched a plan to kidnap him. Before the kidnapping, the group of three criminals ran surveillance on the shop owner and noticed him going out to the desert quite often. For some reason, they assumed he was burying cash in the desert and they were determined to get it (he was actually out there looking at a land deal.)

One evening, the three criminals burst into the shop owners home. They bound him and his roommate’s girlfriend with zip ties, threw them in a car, and started the drive out to the desert. Along the way, they tortured the man with a blowtorch. 

Once they got to the desert and realized they weren’t getting any money from the shop owner, they cut off his private part. According to the news, “the three men then drove away with the penis so that it couldn't be reattached.” 

The man survived, and four people have been arrested in connection with this horrific crime. Hopefully, you’re not involved in the marijuana business, but I think this is a good reminder that everyone ought to do a quick threat assessment on their lives right now.

What I mean is, there are obviously certain people who are at higher risk for getting kidnapped and robbed. For instance, jewelry store owners, plumbers, and other handymen who carry around a lot of cash, and obviously, marijuana dispensers. But take a quick look at your own life and determine if there are any reasons why you would become a target. 

Do you own a cash business? Do you drive a high-end car? Do you associate with anyone who is considered high risk? Do you travel to any high-risk locations? Have you had any threats against you or a family member? Do you go to the shooting range? (Criminals love to watch cars at the shooting range, follow them home, and then break in and steal the guns when the person is at work.)

My point is, hopefully your life is nice and safe. But if you really think about it, is there any reason why you’re more likely than the average American to become a victim? If so, what measures are you taking to protect yourself? Are you carrying concealed as often as you can… making sure you’re not being following home… and do you have your tactical pen on you when you can’t legally carry other self-defense tools?

Even if you’re not a “high risk” person, it’s obviously still a good idea to take security precautions that the California shop owner probably didn’t take. 

For example, do you have at least one gun in the home, if not on every floor of your house? If someone bursts in your front door is there a gun within a few yards of you no matter where you’re at in your house (if you’re in the basement, in the shower, etc.)

Do you make sure you’re not being followed after you leave the shooting range, a jewelry store, or a very fancy restaurant? Do you have an alarm for your house and do you have the alarm turned on even while you’re home? (At least have a doorstopper alarm if you don’t have a “real” alarm.) 

The fact is, if you spend 10 minutes today thinking, you’ll uncover if there are any vulnerable areas of your life and then you can take the appropriate action to fix those areas. (Such as if you don’t have a gun on every floor of your house yet, you now have another excuse to get your next gun.)