Posted on 08/02/2015 10:38:51 AM PDT by Kaslin
Okay. I mean, this shouldn’t be a shocker, but people who have no firearms training didn’t survive the firearms training simulator located at Prince George's County Police Department in Maryland. Another non-surprise is that police officers did well; though some might add that concealed carry holders spend more time at the range than police officers. Regardless, the Washington Post reported on how determining life and death situations–and when to use deadly force–is difficult; something that any gun owner, or person with common sense, would already know:
[A] new study from researchers at Mount St. Mary's University sheds some light on why people don't use guns in self-defense very often. As it turns out, knowing when and how to apply lethal force in a potentially life-or-death situation is really difficult.
The study was commissioned by the National Gun Victims Action Council, an advocacy group devoted to enacting "sensible gun laws" that "find common ground between legal gun owners and non-gun owners that minimizes gun violence in our culture." The study found that proper training and education are key to successfully using a firearm in self-defense: "carrying a gun in public does not provide self-defense unless the carrier is properly trained and maintains their skill level," the authors wrote in a statement.
They recruited 77 volunteers with varying levels of firearm experience and training, and had each of them participate in simulations of three different scenarios using the firearms training simulator at the Prince George's County Police Department in Maryland. The first scenario involved a carjacking, the second an armed robbery in a convenience store, and the third a case of suspected larceny.
They found that, perhaps unsurprisingly, people without firearms training performed poorly in the scenarios. They didn't take cover. They didn't attempt to issue commands to their assailants. Their trigger fingers were either too itchy -- they shot innocent bystanders or unarmed people, or not itchy enough -- they didn't shoot armed assailants until they were already being shot at.
First, the National Gun Victims Action Council (NGVAC) is a pro-gun control group, who seem to be driving home that “police know what to do, average Joe don’t” narrative when it comes to firearms and self-defense. That’s fine. It’s also axiomatic. If you’re not trained to do “x,” you’re probably going to suck at it–and with firearms; that’s especially the case. In fact, without proper safety, it’s downright irresponsible that could get yourself or other around you injured, even killed. As an avid shooter, my first step was to take a safety course from a NRA-certified instructor. It lasted a few hours, but it taught me basic safety, and what to look out for (squib loads, hang fire, etc.) and what to do if such malfunctions occur when I’m at the range.
Regarding self-defense, like the examples in the video, of course, people with zero experience in anything firearms-related aren’t going to fare well. Also, the Post noted that the sample size is also very small, so one shouldn’t cite this piece in future debates about gun control. So, yes, we can agree that folks with zero training will probably die. Yet, the premises of the NGVAC, such fighting the “epidemic of gun violence” and “why gun violence is a direct consequence of current gun laws,” are still painfully wrong. The country is safer, violent crime’s downward trend continues, and gun-related homicides are down 39 percent between 1993-2011, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
If firearms safety and training is what NGVAC is trying to promote, they should work with an organization that does this pretty successfully, and respects the Second Amendment as well. It’s called the National Rifle Association.
Last Note: Yet, there seem to be times when you know that using deadly force is the only way out of a dangerous situation. Even pastors of churches know this.
” people who have no firearms training “
If you have a gun, you should have training ...
That word, probably, is a huge variable in this equation. I'm skeptical.
How many unarmed people were killed?
I’ve been turning ammunition into skill for over 55 years now.
Well, yes on training. But a simulator is also a video game, with a learning curve that may mimic real life to a greater or lesser degree.
My kids were great at driving games, much better than me, but scared the crap out of me for a few days when I first taught them to drive in a real car.
Trojan horse operation.
How much firearms training does the average Baltimorean bad guy get? It can't be too much. The simulator must presume that the average bad guy is better trained with firearms than the average taxpayer, and also that the bad guy will respond in a way that's likely to assure that the officer to be the one to survive the encounter. Isn't some training required for a CCW permit just about everywhere?
My 12 gauge with magnum spreader loads doesn’t require much training beyond pointing it north, south, east, or west. Anything in those 90 degrees is getting peppered from floor to ceiling at 15 feet. Two of those loads are stacked with a buckshot load behind them if needed. Only one very narrow stairway brings you to our second floor. A county cop lives next door.
My life has been saved twice by concealed carry. Is there any reliable data as to how typical or non-typical is my experience? I have not seen any.
The reality is that we know nothing about “the dog who didn’t bark”. Nobody has ever tried to collect the data, to my knowledge. All data is anecdotal.
Remember, the simulator was located in Maryland!
Maryland doesn’t want ANY citizen, regardless of training, to have a firearm. So I wouldn’t put it past them to set the simulator to “insanely difficult”.
Where did they find people with ZERO experience with firearms?
That said, GOOD firearms training is a must for gun owners. I don't think government should mandate it, but I think it's our responsibility on our own to get it. The NRA's personal protection course is a good start. The CPL legal training in Michigan is good to know as well.
While I think the rise of conceal carry is a good thing, I'm also seeing more cases of good shots - but also bad shots than in the past. I partially blame bad instructors for that as well.
I agree, practice, practice, practice........
In Maryland that wouldn’t be hard. They discourage firearms ownership.
A carrying a gun in your daily life for emergency can be thought of as carrying a parachute in a plane for an emergency
Yes using with a parachute in an emergency and no training is bad......but still not as bad as no parachute in the same emergency
the idea that guns are some magical, elaborate technology that require hours of training to operate safely is a liberal myth. I'm sure it's probably true for them, with their limited experience of anything outside the liberal realm, but for normal people, operating a gun is no more challenging than operating a toaster.
Now, it does require common sense, and some measure of good judgment, but you aren't gonna get enough of that in a couple hours of mandated traingin classes.
I was forced to draw my weapon to protect myself.
My problem ended when I displayed my weapon and made it apparent that I would use it to defend myself
the idea that guns are some magical, elaborate technology that require hours of training to operate safely is a liberal myth. I'm sure it's probably true for them, with their limited experience of anything outside the liberal realm, but for normal people, operating a gun is no more challenging than operating a toaster.
Now, it does require common sense, and some measure of good judgment, but you aren't gonna get enough of that in a couple hours of mandated traingin classes.
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