Australia-I've got to protect myself and my kids: Mother of two who is learning how to handle a gun

'I've got to protect myself and my kids': The mother of two who is learning how to handle a gun at anti-terror training camp so she can save lives if she finds herself involved in a terrorist attack

A mother-of-two has signed up to an anti-terror training course to equip her with the skills to take on a gunman to ensure she can protect her children from the unexpected.

Rebecca D'Angelo has never seen or held a gun before, let alone fire a weapon, but that is all about to change since she decided to learn how to use a semi-automatic rifle in case she is faced with needing to defend her two little angels, Portia, 4, and Kiara, 2.

The 39-year-old Melbourne mum refuses to allow herself, or her family, become a victim and is willing to do whatever it takes to prepare her if the worst-case scenario should occur.

Rebecca started doing Krav Maga, the official combat training for Israel Defence Forces, six months ago for exercise which quickly developed into a passion for self defence.

So, when she heard about the Israeli Tactical Shooting course on offer - where she would deal with real weapons - she jumped at the chance.

'In Krav Maga we do learn how to disarm the gun or the knife and things like that but if I was faced in a situation where it was a real gun I think I would probably freeze or freak out,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'So being able to do it where I can actually see what a gun looks like and feel it - if I'm faced in that situation I think I would deal with it more realistically.'

Note she says she’s taking the firearms training in the event that during an attack she picks up a weapon. She wants to know how to use it. In all likelihood someone like Rebecca would not be able to own a firearm in Australia, certainly not a semi auto. Have to protect the children after all. I think Rebecca’s idea for protecting the kids is the right course.

I also do Krav Maga, and we are taught not to try and use the weapon once we have disarmed, not just because it could be legally dubious to shoot someone after disarming them, but also because of the unknown state of the weapon which could be in poor condition and blow your hand off if you tried to fire it.

I think it is vital for people like her, doing something for the (statistically) wrong reason, to be provided a list of more tangible risks, so they have more perspective on things.

In her case, let her know that statistically she is far more likely to be threatened by armed robbery, home invasion, rape, attacks on her children, and many other things than to be menaced by a terrorist attack.

The reason for doing this is that while having a gun is generally a good thing, getting a gun because you are afraid of a boogeyman is something else entirely. If you get a gun for a poor reason, once you realize that the reason is poor, your first thought is: “I guess I really didn’t need a gun after all.” Which is a compounded mistake.

Yes, you do need a gun, but for the right reasons. The real, tangible threats. And if you happen to have your gun when you become one of the tiny number of people who are involved with a terrorist event, fine. But it should not be your sole, or even primary reason for being armed.

The biggest problem with gun ownership, and one that needs to be confronted head on, is the belief that because you have a gun, you are dominant, in control, and invulnerable.

This gets a lot of people hurt and killed. A gun is just a tool. If it imparts anything, it should be clear headedness, and purposeful use. It has only three modes: holstered, brandished, and firing. If you need more than this in a situation, a gun is likely not the best tool.

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