Have you ever wondered how education can empower people for self-defense? Our guest, Tanganyika Daniel, a certified firearms instructor, Glock armorer, and Marine Corps veteran, is here to reveal the world of firearms in a way that's never been heard before. Her journey from fear of firearms to becoming an expert in the field is nothing short of inspiring.
This episode is packed with riveting discussions around gun ownership, with Tanganyika passionately advocating for responsible handling. We examine the misconceptions around gun owners, challenge the stereotypes, and shed light on the critical need for self-reliance in emergencies. Our focus on empowering individuals through firearm education is a perspective you don't want to miss.
As we navigate the challenges of scaling a business in a controversial industry like firearms and self-defense, Tanganyika shares invaluable lessons she's learned. We also take a deep look at the impact of societal events like the George Floyd riots on the perception of firearms and self-defense. Tanganyika's advice for those interested in learning more about gun safety and ownership is a real eye-opener. Join us in this enlightening episode, and let's redefine the narrative around gun ownership together.
Music: Coma-Media (intro)
WinkingFoxMusic (outro)
Recorded: 8/1/23
Have you ever wondered how education can empower people for self-defense? Our guest, Tanganyika Daniel, a certified firearms instructor, Glock armorer, and Marine Corps veteran, is here to reveal the world of firearms in a way that's never been heard before. Her journey from fear of firearms to becoming an expert in the field is nothing short of inspiring.
This episode is packed with riveting discussions around gun ownership, with Tanganyika passionately advocating for responsible handling. We examine the misconceptions around gun owners, challenge the stereotypes, and shed light on the critical need for self-reliance in emergencies. Our focus on empowering individuals through firearm education is a perspective you don't want to miss.
As we navigate the challenges of scaling a business in a controversial industry like firearms and self-defense, Tanganyika shares invaluable lessons she's learned. We also take a deep look at the impact of societal events like the George Floyd riots on the perception of firearms and self-defense. Tanganyika's advice for those interested in learning more about gun safety and ownership is a real eye-opener. Join us in this enlightening episode, and let's redefine the narrative around gun ownership together.
Music: Coma-Media (intro)
WinkingFoxMusic (outro)
Recorded: 8/1/23
The following conversation discusses a number of topics. They include entrepreneurship in a controversial industry, the importance of firearm safety, why people even own a firearm, and much more. This episode features the brainchild of tactical tangerine, tanganyika Daniel, a certified firearms instructor, certified Glock armorer and a Marine Corps veteran. What I really appreciate about this episode is how it breaks down this narrative and stereotype about your typical gun owner. You know Tanganyika speaks to herself that a number of customers are women, minority women who want to feel safe in, maybe, areas that don't provide that feeling on a day-to-day basis. So really appreciate her insight and getting to know more about her, her business and her mission. So really appreciate that opportunity to speak with her. And if you enjoy this conversation, you enjoy what comes from it, what produces, what makes me think about. I just ask you to rate on Spotify or Apple, follow the show on Instagram at overcoming the divide and share with the front. Thank you. ["the Star-Spangled Banner"]. Welcome to the show. Tangy, pleasure to have you here today and I really appreciate your time.
Tanganyika Daniel:Thank you for having me. I appreciate you as well.
Daniel Corcoran:Of course. So with having you be on the show now and this topic is one that I don't think we've really died in before for listeners tuning in but to provide more insight into your background, I would like to just start off by asking what really got you into this business of self-defense and firearms instruction.
Tanganyika Daniel:Excellent question. So, as your viewers know, I am or you may not know, but I am a certified firearms instructor. I'm a certified Glock armorer and I'm a Marine Corps veteran who did two tours in Iraq. So that's how my introduction to firearms came about. I had no idea about firearms, especially in the beginning. I come from a very religious background and I was also a cheerleader, so I was very naive to firearms, the two-way rights, the communities, anything like that. So it wasn't until I joined the military. That that's when I got involved in firearms.
Daniel Corcoran:And let's speak more into that one word. You said naive to firearms. What does that look like? What did that look like for you and what do you think that looks like for most people in America?
Tanganyika Daniel:Absolutely so. To be naive to firearms is to be so afraid of it that I didn't wanna be in the same room with it. I didn't wanna touch it, I didn't wanna look at it, I didn't wanna know if you had one on you. I didn't wanna know any of those things because I figured the least amount of information that I knew about it the better. That would keep me safe. And in all actuality, ignorance will get you killed. And so it wasn't until I started to learn the universe's farm safety rules. It wasn't until I started teaching. It wasn't until I started to learn more about firearms. Then that was when I realized how naive I was to them. So yeah, being religious, don't touch them, don't be around them. Those are criminals who have them in their possession. It's very stereotypical, it's very negative connotations when it comes to firearms. My community, the black community, they don't talk about firearms. Everything they think they know about firearms is negative. So that adds to you being naive as well.
Daniel Corcoran:And what do you believe is a more appropriate relationship with firearms for the, say, average American?
Tanganyika Daniel:The most appropriate relationship that you can have with firearms is absolutely knowing the universal firearms safety rules. If you know those, then nothing will happen, and when I mean nothing, no negligent discharges will happen, because you'll know exactly what to do. And so for the basic average American citizen I would say at least know for safety rules. Know the universal firearms safety rules, as five of them is treat, never, keep, keep. Know, treat every firearm as if it were always loaded. Never punch a firearm at anything you do not intend to destroy. Keep your fingers straight enough to trigger to your ready to fire. Keep your weapon on safe until you're ready to fire, and then know your target and beyond. If you can memorize those five rules, nothing bad will ever happen to you.
Daniel Corcoran:Now, what do you say to people who maybe were of your mindset, don't want anything to do with firearms, don't want to even like no-bam or an actually, or and actually, are actively opposed to the Second Amendment and think firearms should be confiscated, or at least a large bit of them, or just a not sold, whatever the case may be?
Tanganyika Daniel:I completely. First of all, I want to say as a professional, I completely understand your reservation because I have the background that I have. I understand that there's several different reasons. It's not just one size fit all the firearms. It's not that they could have legitimate reasons why they don't prefer anyone to be around them with a firearm. They don't want to be in the presence of them. They are genuinely terrified.
Tanganyika Daniel:There are people who are justifiably so terrified. They've been in situations themselves, their family members have, whatever the case may be. So I want to start by saying that I completely understand and you're not wrong. The issue is, and it's not even an issue the perspective that you should think about is criminals do not abide by the law, and so I would encourage the average citizen to understand that, with over 300 million firearms in the United States alone, is advantageous of you to learn how to proficiently use one or, at a minimum, know how to load it, unload it the absolute bare basics so that you can know what to do if you're ever you know, unfortunately in the presence of one.
Daniel Corcoran:And you mentioned that you received your exposure to firearms mainly through military experience. But what pushed you to pursue that afterwards, all the way to starting your own business regarding firearms and teaching, instruction and self-defense?
Tanganyika Daniel:That's a great question. So, prior to me being in the firearms industry, I was in the cannabis industry for over 10 years, and so I was teaching, traveling the world, talking about the plant and how it helped me with my PTSD and how it helps me with my situations from my rack, like the residual from my rack, and so I was going around the world teaching about that and creating curriculum, books, everything. And so I did that, and I found a letter from the ATF and it said that you basically couldn't be in cannabis and firearms at the same time, and so I had to make a decision. And after all of that time building my business in the cannabis industry, I had to make a decision and I decided that my two A rights were more important to me At this particular time.
Tanganyika Daniel:In the United States, there were several different situations going on. The first one, the first one, the first one, the first one, the first one, the first one was George Floyd, and I felt like it was time for me to start training again. I started documenting that training and people wanted me to train them, and I felt like it was only right for me to go get trained in order to know what the correct nomenclature, curriculum, the correct terminology, everything I needed to teach them properly. I wanted to learn myself, and so I got a coach and trainer. I went to school and got certified in all 50 states for this. So that's the transition from you know as a hobby or learning into a business, because people were interested in learning from me.
Daniel Corcoran:Why, when speaking to your clients, why do people express that, say, uptake and interest, whereas maybe otherwise they would have no interest? Did they ever communicate that to you, or were you able, were you ever able, to deduce that from them?
Tanganyika Daniel:So around that time the top three things that were purchased were alcohol, cannabis and firearms. And so this, and this is the trend that's happening Firearms are the fastest, women are the fastest group of firearm owners in the United States, and black women lead that group of women. So during that time they were buy it, or someone will buy it for them, but they still didn't know how to professionally use it. It was stay in the box, it was stay under their bed. They would. They would be too scared to take it out because of the children, whatever the case may be. So when someone comes along that looks like them, that sounds like them, that can understand their frustration and can, can relate and can help them understand it, and it's not just, you know, black women, it's. I've trained so many people at this point in time and they just want to learn from someone who has the patience, who has the understanding, someone that they can trust and someone they can relate to.
Daniel Corcoran:And the reason that they're seeking you out, though, is because you mentioned the George Floyd riots, and I remember very vividly how certain cities look during that time clean my hometown, philadelphia, and how concerning it was to be a resident of that city, and even more so if you're a business owner when you have pretty much the city officials giving police orders to stand down and separating the political reasons as to why that occurred and the social reasons as to why that curl occurred. A riot, generally speaking, is an unsafe thing to happen for you and your family, your loved ones, your property, et cetera, et cetera, so I guess what I'm hinting at I'll just be direct here like was that expressed to you? Because gun ownership, as you pointed to correctly, that has spiked around that time, but I always think it's interesting, as like how it's not talked about to the extent as to why and why that occurred. It's just like the timelines are in concert of one another.
Tanganyika Daniel:Absolutely, they're almost parallel. And so the crime rate went up. And, you know, law enforcement were inundated with so many calls they couldn't. There was absolutely no way they could possibly respond to everyone.
Tanganyika Daniel:Criminals were getting away with it they knew they could get away with it and homeowners, business owners, you know people just got tired and they just didn't want to be a victim. They wanted to be proactive instead of reactive. Or something had actually happened to them and they just swore that they didn't want it to happen again, or they knew someone that it happened to. So it didn't necessarily have to be them, but they recognized that crime is, or was, going up and so they wanted to make sure that they protected themselves. They protected their families. I work with a lot of entrepreneurs who travel a lot and they want to make sure their families are safe so they might bring me in to teach the whole family how to proficiently use the firearm where it's located. You know the safety rules, etc. So it was it's parallel. When crime goes up, people, citizens, understand that they need to take up their second amendment more than any other time.
Daniel Corcoran:And what would you say? Two questions with that, but the first one be what would you say is your relationship with the second amendment? How do you view that and how do you see society viewing that?
Tanganyika Daniel:And if there's a delta between the two, Great question, daniel, for me I have a very complex and it's not complex. I have a very straightforward relationship with the second amendment. I have read the Constitution myself. I've read all of the amendments and I recognize that at some point in time in our nation's history I was considered three-fifths of a human. And I also recognize that at certain points in time the first gun restrictions or gun laws were created to prevent black people from using firearms.
Tanganyika Daniel:I also recognize that in this day and age, if we are going to go by the Constitution, since it's been ratified, et cetera, if you're going to say that everyone under this umbrella of the United States, if you say that we have the right to bear arms, then I'm going to do that. I'm going to accept that. I'm going to accept that now I have the right and I'm going to exercise that right. So I'm very aware of the stigma and the ramifications of the laws and how it affected especially the black community. I recognize that. So I'm not a gung-ho proponent of the second amendment, but what I am is a person that recognizes that this is my right and, more importantly, it's my right to defend myself and to protect myself, protect my family. And so there are people out there that are diehard constitutionalists. They are diehard. Second amendment or die. They are input and I get that right. So I'm not that extreme, but I do recognize the importance of the second amendment and I think that I am a part of the community the second amendment community.
Daniel Corcoran:Or does the association, which I think I read and watched a video before from Vice, the National African American Gun Association, is that you're familiar with them and their efforts Absolutely Nice. And I was curious do you have any relationship with them, or do you, or I guess, what would be your relationship with them, if that exists?
Tanganyika Daniel:So I'm so glad you asked that they just had their very first convention in Atlanta, georgia, and it was such a success. I'm actually in New York, I'm dealing with some family things, and so I really hate that I missed it, because Philip Smith is the president of NAGA, which is National African American Gun Association, and he has supported me since day one. Since I got into this industry. I did several events, whether it was concealed carry fashion show, because it's important for me to teach women how to conceal carry. If they don't know how, then they'll leave it at home and they won't use it and they won't train with it, et cetera.
Tanganyika Daniel:So it's important for me to show them how I'm going about on this journey. So I started documenting that. I ended up doing an event the concealed carry fashion show, and Philip was my keynote speaker, who is again the president of the organization, and then recently I had my first class of over 100 women and he was also a participant of that as well. So he is very, very much a supporter of the tactical tangerine brand. I am 100% a supporter of the National African American Gun Association. It's the largest African American Gun Association in the world. They have chapters in all 50 states or they have chapters in multiple states, I should say and over 30,000 members, like it's growing every day and I'm just so proud of the efforts because it's needed. There is a different language, there is a different connotation, there's a different story, there's a different psychology to this particular community, and so it's necessary for this organization to exist.
Daniel Corcoran:Sure, and in that same vein, what do you believe is the biggest misconception about gun owners, or your typical gun owner? That's, I guess, more directed to what you were just mentioning. What do you believe is that kind of stereotypical gun owner and what is that kind of gun owner in reality?
Tanganyika Daniel:Absolutely so. A very negative, typical stereotype is that we're hotheaded, we're just going out looking for trouble, we're wishing someone did something to us so we can pull out our arm and light them up, and we go out and start fights and getting in trouble. And it is when I say an entire, complete opposite of that. Most, if not all, of the gun owners that I know are family people. We want to just make it out and come back home safely. A lot of the stereotypes are centered around people who don't have emotional intelligence. Gun owners have the highest emotional intelligence because they don't want to get in trouble, they don't want their gun confiscated, they don't want to use their gun insurance, they don't want to have to talk to the police, they don't want to be arrested, they don't want to potentially lose their gunfight and die. There's a clear understanding. So we never come out the house looking for trouble. We just want to be able to respond if trouble finds us, because we know the cops won't get there fast enough. We know no one else is going to help.
Tanganyika Daniel:So far your first line of defense, and it's important that people understand the difference in those stereotypes.
Daniel Corcoran:Yeah, and something you just mentioned was emergency response times, whether that be intruder, which isn't overly common when someone's breaking in, but regardless whether that be intruder, you only have to be in your house to be walking down the street but or natural disaster. It speaks to an I don't know if you're familiar with the name, mike Lover, who runs this kind of what would be the word for like preparation and respond to emergency emergencies and natural disasters. So, for example, he'll speak to always having like gas if you have to drive and like gas stations are filled in, like power goes out and nothing's functioning, having some non perishable food, like storage, things of that sort. But I think what you're kind of aptly pointing out, and along with him, is that government quote, unquote, government is not always going to be able to save you and oftentimes they don't mean. We look at the incident in Buffalo, which I'll be speaking out at length and many said I'm doing, but the incident in Buffalo with people dying in the car.
Daniel Corcoran:I would say it's reasonable that unfortunately, those people, the people who died, expected emergency service, someone to come and save them, but oftentimes that's not the case, unfortunately. So they are, for I think what you're correctly doing, when I applaud you for doing is arming people and powering people. The most, people who need the most to protect themselves, to defend them, to defend them, their loved ones and property and whatever they may hold dear to them. So I think that's definitely important mission and I won't follow up with that is what do you believe kind of what's your end goal? I do have not end goal exactly, but a mission that you're working towards on a day to day basis that you hold dear.
Tanganyika Daniel:So for me it's so empowering. Teaching not even just women, but anyone how to efficiently use a firearm. It's a level of confidence that you see come across their face. It's a level of fear being erased. I was that person at one point in time, so I completely understand the trepidation, I understand the hesitation and everything. So just breaking simple steps down to them of how they can load and unload, showing them how to read a firearm, how to grab a firearm correctly, how to be safe around one, how to not fear it there's a power in that and I that's.
Tanganyika Daniel:My purpose is to educate on a level to make people confident enough to even just be in the room with it, because you know, say, there's an intruder coming into your home and you knock it out their hand.
Tanganyika Daniel:If you have to pick it up and grab it, do you know what to do? Do you know how to point, aim and shoot? Do you know how to get your sights right, like these are things that I teach in my class because it's super important. But more important than any of that, it's my purpose to teach you how not to get involved in that situation in the first place, teaching you what signs to look for teaching you how to avoid conflict, how to use verbal judo. These are things that are my passion, that I love to do because I think it's super important and it prevents you from being in a situation altogether and getting home safely. So that's my passion, that's what I work toward every day, figuring out how I can talk to more people about it and, you know, really bring it to the masses. That's what I work on, sure, and, as mentioned, I think it's needed and therefore, give you credit for doing and pursuing this passion and mission.
Daniel Corcoran:But what is some of the pushback that you have received, if any? But I can imagine off the top of my head getting some pushback from a number of different areas and people who may think differently than you, absolutely.
Tanganyika Daniel:There's so many people is and the business fluctuates because of the inconsistency, because you know people will.
Tanganyika Daniel:Some people will absolutely love you and they think you're so valuable and so needed and so necessary. But there are people who don't and they are adamantly against the work that you're trying to do and they spread misinformation and they spread lies and they think you're trying to add to gang violence and they think you're trying to add to the suicide rate and they think, like they really believe that you're out here doing a disservice when your heart is so pure and you just really want the best for people. Help them understand. Like you can say power back into your own hands, you can take your defense back into your own hands. But that's not translating to some people. They just cannot get it in their ear that that's what you're trying to do. They think you're trying to add to the violence. They think you're trying to contribute to the unfortunate you know things going on with our youth. They think that you're trying to aid in something very negative and that's the complete opposite of what you're trying to do.
Daniel Corcoran:And being a business owner, this is quite the controversial area to get into. So how does that affect your business? How does it affect like it's not just you, the individual which is, you know, hard enough, it's your business, is your livelihood? Has there been those kind of barriers that people are purposely trying to, I guess, set you up for failure? Or with BASK and rejoice in that your mission, I guess, failing as well?
Tanganyika Daniel:Absolutely so. I'm kind of use this as I, as I said, I was in the cannabis industry, so I'm very used to being in counterculture type industries and so with social media, that if they don't believe in what you're doing, they will absolutely shadow bang you. If they don't resonate with your message, if they think you're trying to spread false information, they will block you, they will bang you, and so you won't have access to the people who really search for your content, that really be involved in whatever in mission that you're a part of. That makes it extremely difficult. And then you have family members who don't believe in what you're trying to do and they fill away when you come around because you're always I'm always armed.
Tanganyika Daniel:I always have a firearm for me, so that that's a whole other conversation with family. Then, if you're religious, that's a whole other conversation of you. Know what rights you have to carry and where you carry and is the family safe? And it's a lot. You know it's very difficult and also, firearms is not scalable globally. So I've had to pivot several different times, being in this industry, to figure out how I can actually scale my business, and one of those ways is digital content. I do a lot of digital content online webinars and courses so that people can still get the information no matter where they are. And then I do digital firearm as well, so that it's not actual ammunition or it's not an actual firearm, but you're getting the same fundamentals that you would if you were going to the range, minus the loud noise, minus the ammo prices, minus you know a lot of the anxiety that you were filled with.
Daniel Corcoran:And you said pivoting when trying to scale this globally and when trying to reach that wider audience and maybe resonate with a wider audience, because the digital forum and medium of communication can come without that anxiety of being in the range and shooting the firearm yourself. But you've also mean touch on like self defense as well. Is that something that you're looking to scale into globally as well, and is more, I guess, less friction in doing that too, when it just or is that's a great question.
Tanganyika Daniel:So I think self defense is evergreen. It's content everywhere because people need to know what signs to look for, no matter what country you're in there's you know bad guys everywhere, and so it's important to talk about self defense on a global level and a more broad level and not just focus directly on firearms. So that is one of the pivots that I've done is just focus on self defense and focus on maybe nomenclature or the names of things, so people can understand terminology better and so they can ask the most the best questions when they do get in class and around a firearm. So all the things that I've been doing lately have been more educational than actual hands on.
Daniel Corcoran:And the people who take these, I guess, results that you deliver to them. Do they return? How? How do you think their lives have changed? You spoke a tablet on. You see their confidence levels, but do you have people who reach back out to you sometime later? Or you just run into them and they feel much more comfortable and confident and, I guess, being themselves being around, even if they don't carry a firearm on them or they only say own one, or they just know how to use it and they're not petrified at the fact that someone may have one or they may come across one one day in a firing range, or a number of examples.
Tanganyika Daniel:Yes, a lot. First of all, I have all five star reviews on my page because people really value the content that I bring. I make sure I pour into my students, I make sure that they know and that they leave without any question left unanswered. And so I've had students come back and say you know, I'm so grateful that I was able to take your class or classes, and now I have, I own my first firearm. I train with it at least twice a month and this is a big jump from someone who had it underneath their bed or didn't have one at all.
Tanganyika Daniel:Most of my students don't have any firearm at all, and so when they come to me we do what is called a gun fitting, where I bring firearms to them and they get to try them out at their home, and then we go to the range and actually fire them, do live fire with them, and they see which way, see which one they like, and they purchase that day. And so after their purchase they buy storages. They are able to store them in their home. So now they feel more comfortable with it being around their children. They're more comfortable with it being, you know, in their presence, because they know what to do with it. So I get so many testimonials of people who are grateful that they now have lost that fear and now they feel empowered, they can protect their families more.
Daniel Corcoran:And pitting back to that person. I mentioned Mike Lover, one of the things that his company is, fieldcraft Survival. I just pulled it up. Yet Fieldcraft Survival and one of the exercises he'll do with people is he'll bring them out into a parking lot and run a live scenario, basically, where they'll have some kind of electronic rounds I'm not sure if you're familiar with this device, but pretty much simling a real experience with a real gun and they'll be with, say, their partner or a person that they're related to in this scenario and then aggressive person will walk up to them and you know, I want to say like nine times out 10, the person ends up shooting the aggressor, their aggressor in this case. But it's not legal when people are watching.
Daniel Corcoran:This is like how may?
Daniel Corcoran:He will ask people you know, your jury, would you kick Vic, this person of you know, murder of homicide, and people you know raise your hands and say yes, and there's this disparity in, I guess, perception of lethality and truth and what is legal if that makes sense.
Daniel Corcoran:So people may perceive someone as a threat, but that doesn't give you, like, the right to shoot them and in this scenario people, like the person who has the firearm, will end up shooting the aggressor when he has it or she hasn't even touched the person yet, but they felt threatened. So it's also as if that people, if they're not trained with firearms and come across someone, they could end up they could just buy one for safety or something happens to a close one they buy, but they're not trained in any own legality of utilizing it. When not to and went to, then they can end up in an awful situation. So even if you're not too aware or not too inclined to own a firearm after taking classes, would you say it's still like worth the while to understand how to operate one, just in case at that time ever comes across. So you have the experience 100%.
Tanganyika Daniel:I suggest that gun owners continue their education, because there is something called escalation of force, and I teach this again in my classes because it's super important. You need to know what it means to actually shoot someone and the ramifications of that, which is why I teach people not to get into a situation, because the law is subjective. You're going to have 12 different people besides your fate and you don't know if those people are anti gun. You don't know if they're super religious. You don't know if they've lost the loved ones to gun violence. You don't know what has happened in their lives to skew their bias. And so it's super important that you don't even get into a situation at all, because you don't know what the outcome can be and you could be 100% right. But if 12 people decide that you weren't, or they feel that you weren't, or they have some type of bias, then you can be found guilty and your life is changed forever. And so I think it's so important for people to still get their carry permit, even if they're in a constitutional carry state or permit list carry state. That's so, so important, so that you can make sure that you can have something to present to law enforcement if something were to happen to you.
Tanganyika Daniel:If you have a gun on you, it's not 100% legal. What it is is it allows you, in constitutional carry states and if you have a permit on you, to carry something that would otherwise be illegal if you didn't have it. So that's why these laws are super important for you to understand these things. If you shoot someone in the back, if you shoot someone who's trying to rob you, if you defend yourself in such a way that is not clear cut and even if it's clear cut, sometimes it could be skewed in a way where you could go to jail. If a prosecutor is up for reelection, he could pick your case as the case to use as an example. There are so many different reasons why you don't want to get in a situation at all, so I absolutely still recommend classes, education, permit, all of that annoying escalation of force.
Daniel Corcoran:Yeah, and it's worth noting too that in these simulations, Glover, the founder of this company, said that it's the people who actually have the most training on the range and to go through the exercises of just shooting different targets. They're so quick to fire because or not quick to fire, not because they exactly want to, but because it's just this natural reaction yet they don't really possess the insight or acumen to really understand the gravity of the situation and what level of force is necessary and what is not.
Tanganyika Daniel:This is so true. I learned this. I feel like the only reason I know this is because I was, again, Marine Corps veteran two tours in Iraq. I had to learn the Geneva Convention and that teaches you that there is. Even your enemy has rights and laws and they have where we were taught one particular time that an enemy behind the firing line could have a gun pointed at you, but as long as their finger is not on the trigger, you can't pull your trigger. That is a level of fear, that is a level of. I got to make sure I get this call right. I got to make sure that I see what I see and I know what I know. I got to make sure this is a justified situation. All of that, those training scenarios, are super important because you will have a bias internally that you may not even know about that will make you pull your firearm and take someone's life unprovoked, and that oops is not sufficient. A fiery is not sufficient.
Daniel Corcoran:For sure. I think many certain people listening to this would interpret like what I'm saying and what you're saying both is that go like gun hoe, buy a gun, shoot, protect yourself, which not like a terrible thing, but very strong. Second amendment, very negligent and ignorant to gun violence. But that's not. At least what I'm putting forward, and you as well is not really the case at all. It's more so. I can imagine in most scenarios like education of this type being harmful of any sort, because you don't know what's going to happen in the future. And I'm on the personal belief you know, if you're a family, if you have a family, I think owning a firearm is the right thing to do. I think owning a firearm in general is the right thing to do, or to just protect yourself, and that requires training. Now, I know a lot of people would disagree with me, but regardless, if you own it right. You say you would never own a firearm, say you come from background. That just makes you know wary of them, and rightfully so, or understandably so, I should say. And then one day something happens to you your neighbor gets robbed, you buy a gun, you buy a firearm, but yet you don't know how to use it or you have no kind of experience with it, then it's you're almost saying yourself up for failure. So I think you know the one of the main reasons by one to have this conversation is, I guess, not to Bolster or really set up, like you know, ignore gun violence or nothing's really necessary to reform you know gun violence and to alleviate this issue, let's plague in the country, but more so to say that guns are in this country. You know it's the second amendment, right, I have my personal beliefs on it. You know playing content on that, and if the government is country and People are gonna have them, then might as well. I think being able to just deal with one and understand what that Tool is and how it's utilized now it should or could be utilized is key to Protection. I think.
Daniel Corcoran:And as you point to earlier, which we didn't really get to is, you know, black women, women general, just biologically are smaller and have less developed muscle mass, mass, excuse me, the men and that makes them more say harder to defend themselves without a tool, whether that be pepper spray or taser or a firearm. And that's why I think your work is so critical too, because in these lower socio, in lower socio-economic neighborhoods, just in general, regardless of who lives there. You know, that's where you see a lot of the crime and that's where people need to protect themselves the most. And regardless of who you are and what background you come from, whether it's a fluent or just from a lower level, being able to protect yourself Really comes down to having the knowledge to do that, because people want to be able to protect themselves. We need the knowledge base to that. Whether it be a martial art or a firearm or just both. Ain't both to be optimal, but yeah, I want to definitely on that conversation because I do believe it's key in developing this holistic Mindset and approach to self-defense for both you and your family.
Daniel Corcoran:I.
Tanganyika Daniel:Couldn't agree more. I'm promoting responsible gun ownership. Responsible gun Safety is what I promote, and so you don't necessarily have to be a gun owner, but gun safety is everyone's responsibility, including your children, because your children might have friends who have firearms or they get it from there. You always want to be ahead of the game. You never want to be in the middle of it, not knowing the rules, that no one was going on oblivious that's. That's ridiculous. And so I am all about gun safety. I'm all about making sure that people are aware of what they can and can't do, and, again, it's never to go out and maliciously hurt anyone.
Tanganyika Daniel:I believe that firearms are the great equalizer. I really do believe that if a bad guy has a firearm, a good guy with a firearm is the one that's going to stop him, because you're on the phone calling 911 and he's still conducting his malice. And so I think people don't don't recognize that we are just trying to protect ourselves. I am a I am a responsible gun owner, meaning I have gotten a background check. All of my firearms are registered in my name, I know where they are, I know the serial numbers. Everything is documented. All of that has been done. It's the criminals who are not doing the background checks. They are not getting these and acquiring these firearms legally, and so they won't. That that's why they're criminals, they're breaking the law, they're committing crimes, and so we just want to tell people that you you can be proactive again instead of being reactive.
Daniel Corcoran:Yeah, and something that again that came up earlier was to George Floyd riots and you know, separating the political underpings and social underpings as to why all that have occurred. Like the police, as we discussed, like they didn't do too much in my and maybe understandly so, because of what kind of clash that happened, with the loss of human life, but we're putting that again to the side, like they didn't do too much to stop the damage that was being, you know that was happening to people into businesses, small businesses especially. That's awful to see invested your entire life into something just to see it be, you know, a mazel top or any, or just destruction, to have any sort for that to happen, it's awful. And, no, you even had in Seattle. You had in Seattle. It was jazz, was it called?
Daniel Corcoran:Whereas, like this all Thomas zone yeah, this all Thomas zone, and imagine being a resident there there were reporting of raping, of robberies, of people being like held that robbery at gunpoint, not to say that'd be the best time to like do something if you were to have a firearm, but anyway, it's pointing out that I think in society and I'm guilty of this as anyone else is, but we rely on this very like thin fabric of civility and within the drop of a hat, like that's gone. Like the power went, like we had bad storm. I'm in on Virginia. We lost power for a full death. I just thought to my neck, I couldn't get gas, like it was the whole area.
Daniel Corcoran:I'm like what would happen if that was a week? That's a month. It's not that unrealistic like you have like these radical, extreme climate disasters occurring. No, I think civility is held up by certain pillars like electricity, access to clean food and water, and without that, what happens? I don't know like. I'm starting to take measures myself to kind of ensure that I wouldn't be. I guess the first like oh god, I only have water on me type thing, but still, it's to the point of being prepared. It's not like ready to execute at any notice is being prepared to protect yourself, to protect your loved ones.
Tanganyika Daniel:No, I will never forget and I will never let people live down how they acted about toilet paper during let them get it. And so if they acted like that, and you saw, the superiors prepare.
Tanganyika Daniel:You saw people were not handling things well. They were literally melting and breaking down in front of your face. And so just imagine if you get cities like that, and then towns, and then states, and then and it spreads and people are coming in your house to get what you have if they can't find it themselves, and so it's on you to protect your family and people think you know we're trying to be which we're exaggerating when we talk about this and we're not like that was. That was like, yes, a one of what could potentially happen, and you ran out, as people couldn't come get you the law enforcement that were over and were inundated and so they couldn't respond to everything, so they picked what was important to them to respond to, like when you start to have stuff like that, you start to understand that you really don't have anyone that you can depend on.
Daniel Corcoran:No, that's such a great but unfortunate point, like it's really you that's going to protect you and your family, and say I mean vice versa, but your family protecting you. But yeah, it's a scary scenario and I think I made this argument pre COVID to a friend about why I believe the Second Amendment is important, why firearms owning one is also important, and I discussed like a vent, where you know, something happens when the government can't respond, the electric grid goes out, and this is, say, 2018, 2019, my friends, like I, can't really see that happening. No, two years later, a year later, covid happens. World shuts down.
Daniel Corcoran:As you said, that was like scale one that was like panic buying for maybe a moment and people were like this is more of a meme than anything serious, like everything's okay but firm, but still, for that moment it wasn't so sure. It was kind of unclear and precarious situation. So what if there was God forbid virus, a strain that was like 15%, 10%, 5% mortality rate and how that affects supply chain and gang supplies to different ports and people and markets? Now, that's terrifying and it's realistic. It's not crazy out there and it's something that I don't think people have to deal with, including myself, including most people they have to deal with on a day to day, day to day basis they contend with mentally because there's certain things or pillars that are holding up society and civility. So it's like a blanket under kind of protect, like a thin sheet protecting you from a storm that could easily happen at moments noticed.
Tanganyika Daniel:This is so true, and I believe that we are approaching an age where it's not even just electricity that we have to worry about.
Tanganyika Daniel:we have to worry about digital warfare, we have to worry about biological warfare, that we have to really start paying attention to everything things in our food, the way we eat. I teach about a technical lifestyle for a reason, because it's you have to be mine. You have to be mindful of everything that you do, what you put in your body, what you put on your body, what you, how you train, where you train, what you train with. Those are all important factors that people don't pay attention to on a daily basis and you know, rightfully so. You're oblivious or you got your other things to worry about. You're just trying to make it through the day.
Tanganyika Daniel:But that is looking down the road, saying I don't want to be in that situation again where I am ill, prepared for a disaster to come to my city or my town. I want to put some dry food up. I want to put some, you know, safety kits up. I want to put some trauma kits up where you know, if anything were to happen, I could stop the bleed, I could resuscitate in a time of need, I could do what's needed to, I can close a room, I can do what's needed in order to save my own life or my family's life.
Daniel Corcoran:Yeah, and I guess the point that's got to the third time now that guy Glover mentioned that in the national response time for, say, ambulance or just emergency response time is 12 minutes. But if you're getting a car accident and you're bleeding out, a tourniquet is the only thing that could really be the penable to save your life in your first you having that in your vehicle, but also your knowledge to use it, which isn't like terribly difficult, but still it's after. You mentioned that. That was episode he did with Chris Williamson on modern wisdom, another podcast. But yeah, I order on like that's a fantastic point, it's like inexpensive, it doesn't take too much you know information or length to understand how it works and it could be life saving. But since I don't have to and since most people include myself don't have to contend with that on a daily basis, you just put the back burner until it's like the most important thing in the world and that's all you ever needed really.
Tanganyika Daniel:And then it's too late. So again, I'd rather have it, you rather have it, and I needed the needed and not have it. And that's so true is for everything when it comes to and I teach non lethal weapon options as well. But it's most important to know how to clean a wound, you know, do a tourniquet, how to CPR all of those things are super important. How to carry mace or the taser stun gun, something in order to protect yourself. Iti sell tactical pins on my Amazon store. Where is a breaks glass?
Tanganyika Daniel:So if you, you know get in so far as then you're in the lake somewhere, you can't even get out your car. It breaks glass, it cuts seat belts it. It, you know, helps in so many ways as a flashlight on it so you can shine the light in your intruder space. There are so many other tools out there is not just firearms, but again, safety. Like you just have to think safety, you have to be aware of your surroundings, your peripheral vision. Can you see? Do you know all your exits are? Do you know? You know where to store your dry food so it doesn't get? It's just so many things. It's something that people just don't even think about, and it's all I think about.
Daniel Corcoran:No, and it's not to overwhelm the more, just start somewhere.
Daniel Corcoran:I just ordered like a tourniquet and then I watched a video on how that how to operate them Like, oh, that's, that's one step Now I've now I'm going to go like find a better blanket for my car, just in case, you know, end up like so it's just like simple things and I'm nowhere, probably nowhere near where I need to be, but it's just simple steps and you just build up and you build that knowledge base and you build that preparation. But I guess, to wrap things up, I do want to ask you one last question, tangy, which is over the course of your endeavors, of your military career, and now you know your civilian life, post military business was one thing, one piece of information that you have learned. Being an entrepreneur, you know, being this gun owner, gun, say, trainer, personal trainer and just person, was one thing that you have learned, that you like to share and a piece of advice that you think could be advantageous to someone who may come from just a totally different background or have no insight into what maybe you have experienced.
Tanganyika Daniel:Great question. I think that over the years, I recognize how resilient I am when it comes to so many different obstacles. Being in a male dominated industry, most of all of them have been male dominated, especially the military and coming. I just remember being in Iraq at one point and I was like how did I get here? What happened? And making it back when so many people didn't, and overcoming obstacle after obstacle to still stand here and be articulate, to still be of sound mind, to still be, you know, eager for life, that type of thing, I think that's a real, that's a real good place in my life. And so that's what I've learned about myself.
Tanganyika Daniel:And so advice for others is like just I thought that was so brilliant what you said just start, just start somewhere. I became curious to start with a Google search, and I have learned more over the past three years and I have known my entire life. So it's it's everyone starts from somewhere. I didn't just wake up knowing about firearms. I didn't wake up knowing about safety. I remember at one point in time being very oblivious to my surroundings as well. But after this conversation, there's absolutely no excuse for you to to not dig deeper and learn more about how you can protect yourself and others, and so I think it's just starting and I think it's being patient with yourself and recognizing there's a lot that we don't know and there's a lot that we can learn, but just going forward and putting forth the effort, it's 100% worth it.
Daniel Corcoran:For sure. Well, thank you for your time today, tangy. I had a lovely time, lovely conversation, and I'm sure my audience did listening as well. So thank you again.
Tanganyika Daniel:Thank you for having me.