Bill Botkin of Strategic Training & Consulting, Inc., a friend and a fellow instructor and training counselor, posted on Facebook the other day with a story and a message that grabbed my attention … and grabbed my heart. According to local news media in his area of North Carolina, 21-year-old Zach Finch “was shot and killed in broad daylight in west Charlotte while trying to buy a cellphone using a buying and selling app.”
These tragedies of lost lives are devastating. It was heartbreaking to read about Zach’s story. But it was also humbling and moving to read Bill’s response, as he personally knew the victim of this terrible crime. Here are some of the things he mentioned:
“Tonight I sit in my recliner in shock … Zach was my farmhand for the summer. He was a great young man. He asked me for concealed carry classes this summer, since he was now eligible to purchase a handgun and wanted to learn to defend himself. I told him that I would help him select the right pistol and coach him to use it proficiently and certify him to carry a concealed handgun and defend himself before the summer was over.
“I was too late.”
Our hearts and our prayers go out to this young man’s family and friends. I can’t imagine the heartbreak. But I can imagine the impact. This is not “just news.” These are real people, real families and real tragedies. And losing someone you know in this way is an unimaginably painful experience — and quite possibly an alarming wake-up call.
Bill went on to say, “The only reason I posted this on Facebook was to share the experience and the impact that it had on me and the things it has led me to consider more deeply. This event has not only impacted me as a father, but it has also impacted me as a firearms instructor…
“The only good that can come out of a tragedy like this is to inform people of the dangers out there and hopefully prevent future tragedies. This death was completely needless and senseless.
“This event did not occur in a dark alley somewhere during a drug deal. It looks like it occurred in the middle of an apartment complex parking lot in broad daylight, and he just wanted to buy a cheap iPhone. It wasn’t something that was incredibly obvious for him to know to avoid.
“The murderers that killed him … are people that probably walk by you at the gas station when you are refueling your car, or you may pass them in the aisle of the grocery store. They don’t wear T-shirts that say ‘Murderer.’
“You should live your life in code yellow. I for one stay at code yellow most of the time but do get lazy and fall lax from time to time and leave my pistol at home. Rest assured, I will be more vigilant and will be hitting the combat training range harder and more routinely now.
“This hit way too close to home to not shake me up.”
In my opinion, it should shake all of us up. Zach’s death should make us hurt. It should make us think. And it should make us even more thankful for, supportive of and vigilant about having the right to use a firearm to protect ourselves and the ones we love.
