>>Another training scar that is common in shooting is how we are all conditioned to stand on the firing line and shoot at a static target. For this reason, most Law Enforcement Officers and civilian gun owners step in concrete the minute their gun leaves the holster. Safety was the primary motive to reinforce training with firearm. If there were any movement implemented into the training. It was limited to movements to perpendicular or lateral movements in relations to the target.
If a person can’t get out in the woods or someplace similar where they can freely move and shoot at least once a year, they do get glued in place when the gun comes out. For a real gunfight, Airsoft is probably better training than real firearms, if you use a low-end Airsoft gun without all the hop-ups and mods. The necessity of range safety rules makes effective gunfight training almost impossible with firearms.
“We have to get rid of the “Bang! You’re dead” mentality.”
Very true. Unless you hit the nervous system, the person you shoot can - not will, but can - keep fighting for another 10-30 seconds. That is true even if you shoot them in the heart.
Many lesser fatal wounds can take minutes to kill, during which the attacker can still fight. Many don’t...but those who do can fire a lot of bullets or stab a lot of times in 30 seconds.
I carry a 5-shot J-frame and can’t hit squat while moving, so my plan is shoot once, move. Repeat as needed.
Thanks w1n1. I sent this to our Chief of Police.
Even if I was carrying, I'd be running like hell in the other direction to keep that 21 feet intact whilst I seek cover and/or get my weapon ready to deploy. I ain't John Wayne.
Yes, we should get rid of the dinky 21-foot rule.
Cops should be able to blast away at a guy a block away who is reaching for his cell phone, and the cop should be able to claim he was “in fear for his life.”
I think we always need to be AWARE of what 21 feet represents. Once the opposing force has entered our 21 feet radius, we need to start the kill-don't kill mental calculations. If they enter the the 21 foot radius at a dead sprint, we are at a disadvantage because they have made their kill-don't kill mental calculations and we are left with less than 2 seconds to make our calculations, overcome our instincts and our fears, draw our weapon, point it, and squeeze the trigger.
I had a shoot-no shoot encounter inside 21 feet earlier this year. I had time to calculate so I pulled the gun out of its holster and, without pointing it at anyone, made the opposing force aware of their disadvantage. They didn't waste a lot of time increasing their distance from me. They increased their distance by a couple of miles in fact.
Recognizing that a threat was less than 21 feet and recognizing the disadvantage that that created for me allowed me to make several mental calculations and to arrive at a solution that was appropriate for the situation and which didn't get anyone killed or sent to prison (although I did have to explain myself to a judge due to the nature of this incident but not because of the gun specifically).
Situational awareness was my ally. This is not the first time that situation awareness has saved my ass. We need to be AWARE of the 21 foot rule and the SITUATION it creates for us.
Guilty as charged, m'Lud. Found that out taking a CQB class. It's tough to unlearn a half century of target shooting habits. Practice, practice... My problem was that sure, I can draw and get a shot off in less than 1.5 seconds if I'm standing still but it's slower and more difficult when I'm moving, which you'd better be to get off the threat axis in a Tueller scenario. And there aren't a lot of ranges that will allow you to practice that sort of thing on your own. Also, the attacker tends to keep coming after he's shot. Oops. Colonel Fairbairn, who got plenty of practice as a cop in Shanghai in the prewar days, recommended shooting them in the belly. This is not, so far as I know, current doctrine but he swore by it.
Probably responsible for more needless ‘civilian’ deaths than damned idea in the last 50 years.
If a cop shoots they’d better have clear body cam footage that shows they were in genuine, lethal danger or riots WILL ensue, careers will and should end and lawsuits will bankrupt us taxpayers.
Get the hell rid of this rule and fire anyone who practices it.
Bookmark
Just make it enough feet to reach a bed in a bedroom from the comfort of a SUV cruiser in the street. And make sure that it’s clear that a knife need not be involved. Then, we’ll work on adjusting policy to work with large motor home cruisers for ample space to draw from a prone, laying on back position. ...will snack table next to the automatically adjustable, king size motor home bed...and big screen TV. ...and mount for the machine gun, and computer operated machine gun fire control.
There...yes, enough distance to reach from the street to the bed in the suspected perp’s bedroom.
Paradigm makes a shotgun choke called the “gator” ..... a new design based on the old “duckbill” that was used in vietnam ........ works great with number 4 or 00 buck on any shotgun that is threaded for chokes. This, on a Serbu 12ga Shorty, makes a great lap gun in carjacker urban jungles.
http://www.paradigmsrp.com/gator-shotgun-spreader/
When I might be in a desperate situation once in a lifetime, I wonder what is the chance I can hit the assailant at 21 feet or less? I can imagine myself hitting walls, windows, or God forbid, innocent people (tunnel vision). I worry about emptying the magazine into the surrounding environment and still having him coming toward me.
I compare my skill level with my son. At 12.5 yards I can get all my shots into the numbered target rings and most in the black. My son who is a former Marine and serves as a federal policeman can hit an old propane canister every time at 60 yards.
The tactical course is a great idea. I have taken one. One take away from that was at 71 there are some physical body alignments I should and can never find myself in.
I found this in an old thread, posted by a now unknown Freeper and repost it occasionally when it fits a topic.
The “Center Mass” Myth and Ending a Gunfight
http://www.gunsamerica.com/blog/the-center-mass-myth-and-ending-a-gunfight-triggernometry/
“Lots of people stay in the fight after “center mass” hits, and some even win it... One, two or even several well placed “center mass” shots may not do what you think it will...”
The author,Jim Higginbotham, who has had decades of LEO experience makes the case that even in the case of lethal hits, the perp has enough time to fire back, and in many cases kill people who were waiting to see the effect of their initial hits on target.
As a civilian, I found this article to be a real eye opener, and while it may be old news to those of you in law enforcement or the military (thank you all for your service), I hope you will take the time to read this article. God forbid any of us should get into a gunfight, but this article could be a lifesaver someday.
If the bad guys get within 21 feet you are doing it wrong.
I try to stay 21 feet away from Everybody.