In the shooting community, we spend too much time focused on the idea that merely having a firearm will somehow keep us safe from the threat of violence. That assumption is in no way true. Owning a firearm will not to keep you safe from violence, and instead merely provides you a means to react to a violent situation that is either about to happen, or one that is already happening.

If you’re reading this on a mobile device while commuting, then BANG. You’re already dead.

The man drew the gun several times on the crowded San Francisco commuter train, with surveillance video showing him pointing it across the aisle without anyone noticing and then putting it back against his side, according to authorities.

The other passengers were so absorbed in their phones and tablets they didn’t notice the gunman until he randomly shot and killed a university student, authorities said.

Before that moment, footage showed the man pull out the .45-caliber pistol and once wipe his nose with the hand holding the weapon, authorities told the San Francisco Chronicle (http://bit.ly/1crPYQc) in a story on Monday.

“These weren’t concealed movements _ the gun is very clear,” District Attorney George Gascon said. “These people are in very close proximity with him, and nobody sees this. They’re just so engrossed, texting and reading and whatnot. They’re completely oblivious of their surroundings.”

Having a Glock 19 on your hip does you no good if you’re mesmerized by a tiny display in your hands, oblivious to what is going on behind you, beside you, and in front of you.

Situational awareness must always be your primary means of defense no matter where you go, and if you are one of millions that is guilty of plugging in your earphones and jamming out to your MP3 player, surfing the Web on your tablet, or frenetically posting and replying on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram on your smartphone, you are not going to be aware of your surroundings. You are a victim waiting to happen.

A college student in San Francisco is now dead because of a train full of clueless people engrossed in their tiny imaginary worlds. They were not looking out for themselves, and they were not looking out for others, because they were engrossed in their technology.

Technology has its place, but if you have checked out of the real world to immerse yourself in an imaginary one, you’ve made the decision that you are giving up your personal safety to those around you.

If you wouldn’t give a stranger your wallet, why would you trust them with you life?