Posted on 01/15/2015 7:42:30 AM PST by marktwain
Many people do not think much about the use of cover in self defense. This is a mistake. Much of the time, if and when you have to defend yourself, cover will be available and should be used. Cover protects you from bullets and other weapons, or from access by the aggressor. As the objective is to escape unharmed, rather than to damage or kill the aggressor, taking cover is usually a higher priority than shooting back.
In this gunfight video out of Cleveland, Ohio, on 6 January, 2015, the store owner, Fares Naser, makes good use of cover. You can see that he has his pistol in his right hand when the suspect enters the store. The suspect draws a pistol his pocket, and Fares seeks cover behind the counter and to his left.
Link to video:
What is not so obvious from the video is that this position gives Fares additional protection from the suspect because of the extension of the counter and the display with the 'No Credit Period' sign to the right of the customer in the screenshot below. It is not clear if the display will stop bullets, but concealment from your adversary can be nearly as good as cover.
If I was going to keep a piece behind the counter it would have a lot more stopping power than that. Either .357 Magnum (my preference) or a .45 ACP.
/johnny
So true. And also in practical use:
http://youtu.be/5osOtVmzu70
And...
http://youtu.be/nr2GeWiDrdY
The cop that taught our intermediate tactical self defense class observed that while being able to get to your concealed weapon quickly is important, in reality about 90% of the time your first move will be to seek cover before drawing. Those times that extra couple of seconds to get the gun out are not nearly as critical.
It was quite enlightening to see what happens to your accuracy when trying to quickly draw and shoot compared to simply shooting. Our drill measured draw/shoot time and then added penalty time as accuracy decreased. Fast draw without a good center mass hit isn’t worth much.
Always know the difference between cover and concealment.
A concrete planter is cover, a cardboard cutout of
Obama is concealment.
Parris Island taught me that.
This clerk could have shot the perp right through the
counter and vice versa.
/johnny
looks like the clerk got him in the lower left torso (kidney maybe) right before he reaches the door. you can see him reach back akwardly and grab at his side.
“This clerk could have shot the perp right through the
counter and vice versa.”
You may be right. We do not know what the counter was made of, or what was behind it. Handgun cartridges penetrate considerable sheet rock, but many will be stopped by a couple of 2x4s.
What was he thinking? He should've grabbed a can and thrown it at the suspect.
Concealment is NOT cover.
Absolutely correct. We do not know the construction of the counter and what is under it. Lots of room there, though.
I saw that too.
Very true and you must always consider deflection. It is surprising how a small twig can deflect a high powered rifle of target especially at longer ranges.
A hand gun projectile at usually < 1500 FPS can be easily deflected even at close range. Personally, I would never attempt a shot through anything except the perps clothing.
All true but many if not most people who are untrained or inexperienced in close quarters will not attempt to shoot through concealment. Don’t know why but you can see a number of amusing videos on YouTube of people reaching over and around counter displays, glass cases, etc to try and shoot someone when they could just step back and fire right through the obstructions.
I have found that by and large the key to winning a gun battle, or avoiding one in the first place, is to be the first to decide that we ARE going to have a gun fight. That takes the OOD out of the OODA loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act). It also let’s you cheat a good bit on the act part, like identifying cover, positioning, and having the weapon gripped and at the ready.
I have seen a 45 go through a steel back panel on a desk, then a lathe and plaster wall, finally embedding itself in an interior door.
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